Ultimate Svalbard, Greenland & Iceland in Depth

Norway's capital lies at the head of the majestic Oslofjord, encircled by wooded hills and snowcapped peaks. Dating back to the mid-11th century, it was at one time renamed Christiania while under Danish and Swedish rule. An act of Parliament finally changed the name back to Oslo in 1925. With barely half a million inhabitants, Oslo is the smallest among the Scandinavian capitals. Yet it has much to offer - most notably its spectacular scenic beauty, as well as many of the nation's finest cultural achievements. Arriving by ship, your first sight is the imposing Akershus Fortress towering above the docks. With the city center only a few blocks from the pier, you can easily spot the handsome modern City Hall with its two block towers. Dedicated in 1950 to commemorate Oslo's 900-year anniversary, it is the city's most familiar landmark. Many of Norway's leading artists contributed to the decoration of the interior and as a result Socialist modernism in its purest form can be seen here. More extraordinary art works can be admired at Frogner Park, site of the famous Vigeland sculptures depicting a world of human beings and animals in stone. Fine examples of Scandinavian impressionists, referred to as the "Northern Light" artists, are exhibited in the National Gallery. The Munch Museum houses an enormous collection of art bequeathed to the city by Norway's leading artist Edvard Munch. Most of Oslo's historic sites are concentrated on the Bygdoe Peninsula; the Norwegian Folkmuseum, the Viking Ship Museum, the Fram, and the Kon-Tiki Museums are outstanding.

Norway's capital lies at the head of the majestic Oslofjord, encircled by wooded hills and snowcapped peaks. Dating back to the mid-11th century, it was at one time renamed Christiania while under Danish and Swedish rule. An act of Parliament finally changed the name back to Oslo in 1925. With barely half a million inhabitants, Oslo is the smallest among the Scandinavian capitals. Yet it has much to offer - most notably its spectacular scenic beauty, as well as many of the nation's finest cultural achievements. Arriving by ship, your first sight is the imposing Akershus Fortress towering above the docks. With the city center only a few blocks from the pier, you can easily spot the handsome modern City Hall with its two block towers. Dedicated in 1950 to commemorate Oslo's 900-year anniversary, it is the city's most familiar landmark. Many of Norway's leading artists contributed to the decoration of the interior and as a result Socialist modernism in its purest form can be seen here. More extraordinary art works can be admired at Frogner Park, site of the famous Vigeland sculptures depicting a world of human beings and animals in stone. Fine examples of Scandinavian impressionists, referred to as the "Northern Light" artists, are exhibited in the National Gallery. The Munch Museum houses an enormous collection of art bequeathed to the city by Norway's leading artist Edvard Munch. Most of Oslo's historic sites are concentrated on the Bygdoe Peninsula; the Norwegian Folkmuseum, the Viking Ship Museum, the Fram, and the Kon-Tiki Museums are outstanding.

Norway's capital lies at the head of the majestic Oslofjord, encircled by wooded hills and snowcapped peaks. Dating back to the mid-11th century, it was at one time renamed Christiania while under Danish and Swedish rule. An act of Parliament finally changed the name back to Oslo in 1925. With barely half a million inhabitants, Oslo is the smallest among the Scandinavian capitals. Yet it has much to offer - most notably its spectacular scenic beauty, as well as many of the nation's finest cultural achievements. Arriving by ship, your first sight is the imposing Akershus Fortress towering above the docks. With the city center only a few blocks from the pier, you can easily spot the handsome modern City Hall with its two block towers. Dedicated in 1950 to commemorate Oslo's 900-year anniversary, it is the city's most familiar landmark. Many of Norway's leading artists contributed to the decoration of the interior and as a result Socialist modernism in its purest form can be seen here. More extraordinary art works can be admired at Frogner Park, site of the famous Vigeland sculptures depicting a world of human beings and animals in stone. Fine examples of Scandinavian impressionists, referred to as the "Northern Light" artists, are exhibited in the National Gallery. The Munch Museum houses an enormous collection of art bequeathed to the city by Norway's leading artist Edvard Munch. Most of Oslo's historic sites are concentrated on the Bygdoe Peninsula; the Norwegian Folkmuseum, the Viking Ship Museum, the Fram, and the Kon-Tiki Museums are outstanding.

A flexible itinerary allows us to take advantage of favorable ice and weather conditions to travel through the northern stretches of Svalbard to points visited by famous polar explorers such as Andrée, Amundsen and Nobile. Destinations might include the narrow waterways and striking mountains of Krossfjord and Raudfjord. The ship may visit the historic settings of Ny Alesund, Ny London or Amsterdamoya. And of course, we hope to see distinctly Arctic wildlife from walrus hauled out in noisy groups on remote shorelines, to reindeer grazing alpine slopes, and from ptarmigan in their camouflaged hiding places, to mighty polar bears striding the shores in search of their next meal.

A flexible itinerary allows us to take advantage of favorable ice and weather conditions to travel through the northern stretches of Svalbard to points visited by famous polar explorers such as Andrée, Amundsen and Nobile. Destinations might include the narrow waterways and striking mountains of Krossfjord and Raudfjord. The ship may visit the historic settings of Ny Alesund, Ny London or Amsterdamoya. And of course, we hope to see distinctly Arctic wildlife from walrus hauled out in noisy groups on remote shorelines, to reindeer grazing alpine slopes, and from ptarmigan in their camouflaged hiding places, to mighty polar bears striding the shores in search of their next meal.

A flexible itinerary allows us to take advantage of favorable ice and weather conditions to travel through the northern stretches of Svalbard to points visited by famous polar explorers such as Andrée, Amundsen and Nobile. Destinations might include the narrow waterways and striking mountains of Krossfjord and Raudfjord. The ship may visit the historic settings of Ny Alesund, Ny London or Amsterdamoya. And of course, we hope to see distinctly Arctic wildlife from walrus hauled out in noisy groups on remote shorelines, to reindeer grazing alpine slopes, and from ptarmigan in their camouflaged hiding places, to mighty polar bears striding the shores in search of their next meal.

Scoresbysund is the ultimate fjord system; likely the longest, largest and deepest of any in the world. The massive fjord is tucked into the eastern coast of Greenland and on the icy western edges of the Greenland Sea. Scoresbysund’s scale deserves several days to explore, especially while plying the waters between castle-sized icebergs as they gently drift under the persuasion of the Arctic waters in the mighty fjord. Scattered in the remote bays and smaller fjords are places to discover old Inuit settlements, slowly growing over with Arctic willow and dwarf birch. The lower slopes of many mountains are draped in the herbs and grasses favoured by muskox, Arctic fox, lemmings, Ptarmigan, Barnacle Geese, and Snowy Owls. Tundra walks give impressive views of landscape, flora and fauna. Not to be neglected, the waters of Scoresbysund warrant a vigilant eye for sightings of whales, seals, narwhals, beluga whales and walrus.

When you set ashore from your cruise ship for a vacation in Akureyri, you should take an excursion to Lake Myvatn. To get there you will pass through Eyjafjördur, where you can enjoy a splendid view of the city port. The first worthy stopover is in Godafoss, here the waters if the Skjálfandafljót form a 12 meter tall waterfall. According to the legend, in the year 999 or 1000, one of the Icelandic rulers proclaimed Christianity as the official religion of Iceland and hurled the idols of the Nordic gods (Odin, Thor and Freyr, to which probably the waterfall was previously dedicated) in its waters. A stained glass window of the church of Akureyri (Akureyrarkirkja) depicts this legend. As you continue along the Icelandic wild nature, with its incredible variety of colours, varying from the bright green meadows to the red minerals erupting from the depths of the island, one reaches the pseudo-craters of Skutustaðir, generated by underground vapours produced by an eruption 2500 years ago. From here one can reach Dimmuborgir, an incredible labyrinth of lava, where amidst peculiar formations rises the Kirkjan, a natural church with two pointed-arch portals and, inside, real chapels with altars. You can end your visit at the Viti crater, known also as the Inferno, one of the many mouths of the central Krafla volcano. If you feel like tackling the steep climb from its internal lake, you can also enjoy a relaxing hot bath. Here you will also find the Askja, an immense caldera that extends for 50 sq.km., a desert of lava and the finest sand resembling moon dust: this in fact was where the astronauts of the Apollo 11 trained for their lunar landing. Before returning to Akureyri, if you feel curious, you can stop to visit Santa Clause’shouse, about ten kilometres south, a delightful Christmas toy shop, with the largest Advent calendar in the world.

When you set ashore from your cruise ship for a vacation in Akureyri, you should take an excursion to Lake Myvatn. To get there you will pass through Eyjafjördur, where you can enjoy a splendid view of the city port. The first worthy stopover is in Godafoss, here the waters if the Skjálfandafljót form a 12 meter tall waterfall. According to the legend, in the year 999 or 1000, one of the Icelandic rulers proclaimed Christianity as the official religion of Iceland and hurled the idols of the Nordic gods (Odin, Thor and Freyr, to which probably the waterfall was previously dedicated) in its waters. A stained glass window of the church of Akureyri (Akureyrarkirkja) depicts this legend. As you continue along the Icelandic wild nature, with its incredible variety of colours, varying from the bright green meadows to the red minerals erupting from the depths of the island, one reaches the pseudo-craters of Skutustaðir, generated by underground vapours produced by an eruption 2500 years ago. From here one can reach Dimmuborgir, an incredible labyrinth of lava, where amidst peculiar formations rises the Kirkjan, a natural church with two pointed-arch portals and, inside, real chapels with altars. You can end your visit at the Viti crater, known also as the Inferno, one of the many mouths of the central Krafla volcano. If you feel like tackling the steep climb from its internal lake, you can also enjoy a relaxing hot bath. Here you will also find the Askja, an immense caldera that extends for 50 sq.km., a desert of lava and the finest sand resembling moon dust: this in fact was where the astronauts of the Apollo 11 trained for their lunar landing. Before returning to Akureyri, if you feel curious, you can stop to visit Santa Clause’shouse, about ten kilometres south, a delightful Christmas toy shop, with the largest Advent calendar in the world.

Vigur Island is a little more than a mile (1.6 km) in length and about 450 yards (412 m) wide. This green oasis punctuates the waters of the Ísafjarðardjúp fjord east of the town of Isafjordur. The island is home to a single farming family and has some meticulously preserved historical landmarks including Iceland’s only windmill, built in 1840 and used until 1917 for grinding imported wheat from Denmark; and a 200-year-old rowing boat, which is still in use to ferry sheep to the mainland. Summer is the best time to see large numbers of Atlantic Puffins, Arctic Terns and Black Guillemots. One of the export articles from this small island was eider down and one can see where the eider ducks nest and how the down is collected and cleaned.

Iceland is well-known for its spectacular waterfalls. The iconic Dynjandi waterfall, located in the Westfjords region, is regarded as one of Iceland’s most impressive and majestic waterfalls. At the top, the cascading water is roughly 100 feet wide and tumbles down about 330 feet into the fjord. Its name Dynjandi means, “the thundering one” and its vast size, enormous sound, and sheer force is overwhelming. It has also been nicknamed, ‘The Bridal Veil’ because of the way the water sprays and spreads over the rocks.

Reykjavík is mirrored in the waters of its bay, as you can see when your cruise ship sets anchor in the port. The quays along the seafront host a variety of shops, live music clubs and cafés. Take a stroll down Frakkastigur up to Lækjartorg, to admire the Sólfar, also known as the Sun Voyager, a large modern steelsculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason, that represents a Viking vessel, with the bow pointing towards the north. Go back in history as you reach the historic centre, in the districts of Aðalstræti and Suðurgata, where you can still see the remains of some primitive Icelandic dwellings. Also the church of Hallgrímur, probably the most important architectural monument in Reykjavik, is worth a visit. As you will discover during your MSC cruise of Northern Europe, geothermal energy positively conditions the life of the entire country and there is an abundance of spas. Don’t miss an excursion to the Þingvellir national park, in the south west region of the island, a UNESCO world heritage site since 2004. On the northern shores of the Þingvallavatn, the largest Icelandic lake, the Öxará river forms the Öxaráfoss waterfall in the vicinity of Almannagjá, the largest cleft in this land. If you like waterfalls, you should not miss a visit to Gullfoss, in the south east of the island: the river Hvítá here drops down 11 and then 21 metres forming the queen of all Icelandic waterfalls and then continues along a narrow gorge in the plateau. In this area we also find the Strokkur, the only geyser that regularly erupts every 4-8 minutes. Then proceed to Geysir, in the Haukadalur valley, the oldest known geyser, from which the term originates. Its eruptions spray boiling water up to 60 metres into the air, but often reach higher than 100 metres: it is the tallest of the active geysers.

Iceland is well-known for its spectacular waterfalls. The iconic Dynjandi waterfall, located in the Westfjords region, is regarded as one of Iceland’s most impressive and majestic waterfalls. At the top, the cascading water is roughly 100 feet wide and tumbles down about 330 feet into the fjord. Its name Dynjandi means, “the thundering one” and its vast size, enormous sound, and sheer force is overwhelming. It has also been nicknamed, ‘The Bridal Veil’ because of the way the water sprays and spreads over the rocks.

Vigur Island is a little more than a mile (1.6 km) in length and about 450 yards (412 m) wide. This green oasis punctuates the waters of the Ísafjarðardjúp fjord east of the town of Isafjordur. The island is home to a single farming family and has some meticulously preserved historical landmarks including Iceland’s only windmill, built in 1840 and used until 1917 for grinding imported wheat from Denmark; and a 200-year-old rowing boat, which is still in use to ferry sheep to the mainland. Summer is the best time to see large numbers of Atlantic Puffins, Arctic Terns and Black Guillemots. One of the export articles from this small island was eider down and one can see where the eider ducks nest and how the down is collected and cleaned.

Reykjavík is mirrored in the waters of its bay, as you can see when your cruise ship sets anchor in the port. The quays along the seafront host a variety of shops, live music clubs and cafés. Take a stroll down Frakkastigur up to Lækjartorg, to admire the Sólfar, also known as the Sun Voyager, a large modern steelsculpture by Jón Gunnar Árnason, that represents a Viking vessel, with the bow pointing towards the north. Go back in history as you reach the historic centre, in the districts of Aðalstræti and Suðurgata, where you can still see the remains of some primitive Icelandic dwellings. Also the church of Hallgrímur, probably the most important architectural monument in Reykjavik, is worth a visit. As you will discover during your MSC cruise of Northern Europe, geothermal energy positively conditions the life of the entire country and there is an abundance of spas. Don’t miss an excursion to the Þingvellir national park, in the south west region of the island, a UNESCO world heritage site since 2004. On the northern shores of the Þingvallavatn, the largest Icelandic lake, the Öxará river forms the Öxaráfoss waterfall in the vicinity of Almannagjá, the largest cleft in this land. If you like waterfalls, you should not miss a visit to Gullfoss, in the south east of the island: the river Hvítá here drops down 11 and then 21 metres forming the queen of all Icelandic waterfalls and then continues along a narrow gorge in the plateau. In this area we also find the Strokkur, the only geyser that regularly erupts every 4-8 minutes. Then proceed to Geysir, in the Haukadalur valley, the oldest known geyser, from which the term originates. Its eruptions spray boiling water up to 60 metres into the air, but often reach higher than 100 metres: it is the tallest of the active geysers.