Sweden & Norway by Train & Boat

OSTERSUND

Categories Summer Tours Small Ship Cruises Scandinavia Rail Trips Norway Coastal Voyage - Hurtigruten Independent Tours

This is a trip that combines the historic and very unique travel routes of two countries. This package lets you discover inland Sweden, the mountain landscape and the Norwegian coastline all in one go. On your journey north you will travel through a dramatic landscape recognized as a world heritage, while at the same time getting a small taste of both culinary and handicraft traditions as well as Sami culture. Once you turn southwards, the venerable Hurtigruten takes you on one of the most beautiful sea voyages in the world

through the Norwegian fjords down to Trondheim.

Itinerary

The train will take you from Stockholm to Mora. Depending on when you arrive you can experience Moras rich culture heritage and you can visit the Zorn museum, Zorngården or the Vasa Race museum. Or why not take a swim in Lake Siljan?

Today you board the train at Mora Strand for the first stage of your journey on Inlandsbanan.The train will slow down as we pass the waterfalls Storstupet and Helvetesfallet, which were used for timber floating, to allow you to admire nature’s own drama. This stage ends in Östersund, where you arrive in the evening. Perhaps an evening walk along the shore of Lake Storsjön?

From Östersund the journey continues north. You can catch a quick glimpse of county Ångermanland before we enter Sweden’s largest province – Lapland. Here you are surrounded by vast areas of forests, mountains, bogs and rushing water. This is also reindeer country so don’t be surprised if you see reindeer, moose and bears along the track. The train pulls in at Arvidsjaur in the afternoon, which allows you time to visit the Sami village Lappstaden.

The morning is free for you to spend as you wish. In the afternoon you will be crossing the Arctic Circle and travelling through part of the national park area and World Heritage Site Laponia, which has mountains, lakes, delta landscapes, ancient forests and glaciers. You are looking at a landscape imbued with Sami heritage, inhabited since the Ice Age and home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, including several endangered species. In Gällivare, you will

have the opportunity to go by coach for an evening trip to the summit of Dundret and admire the astounding beauty of the landscape bathed in the light of the summer night.

The journey now continues by train past the ore fields of Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden which they also currently are moving, and on towards Abisko national park with the Kebnekaise mountain as backdrop. You will soon be crossing the border to Norway before

arriving in the coastal town of Narvik after a beautiful scenic journey. From Narvik the journey continues by coach to the harbour town of Harstad, the entry point to beautiful Lofoten.

In the morning we board Hurtigruten. The service has been in operation along the Norwegian coast for 100 years, linking the north of the country with the south. Hurtigruten enters Trollfjorden to turn around, which gives you the opportunity to marvel at the spectacular

scenery. In the evening the vessel docks at Svolvær, the regional centre of Lofoten. Take the opportunity to go on shore and explore on your own.

Today you will cruise along the Helgeland coastline with more than 1,000 islands and numerous fishing hamlets. In the morning you will cross the Arctic Circle on the way south and also see the “Seven Sisters” – seven beautiful mountain tops that are 1,000 meters tall.

When you wake up you will be in Trondheim, where you can visit the beautiful Nidaros cathedral and the fishing harbour Ravnkloa with its local delicacies. The train leaves in the afternoon and reaches Östersund in the evening. You could also take the morning train from Trondheim to Östersund to explore the city properly. Visit Jamtli History Land, for instance.

Today is the last day of the package tour and the train will take you back to Stockholm

Notes