Arctic Norway & Midnight Sun on The Lofoten Isles

Your tour begins as you fly into Oslo, making your way independently to your centrally located hotel to meet your fellow travelers and Tour Manager.

Our 4-Star hotel is directly outside the station and only a short distance from Oslo's famous 17th-century cathedral. Used for state occasions, it is encircled on three sides by the beautiful Romanesque Revival bazaars - a charming, curved arcade built in the mid-1800s to house butchers stalls, they now contain independent stores and cozy restaurants. This afternoon you are free to relax or orientate yourself with the neighborhood, before dinner together. This evening, we take a short walk from our central hotel to a local restaurant where we get to know each other better during a three-course meal.

• Dinner

After breakfast, we begin to explore the Norwegian capital with a local guide by coach, visiting some of its most renowned sights. We start at Oslo's incredible opera house, with its unique angled exterior of marble and white granite, which visitors are encouraged to walk on the roof for great views across Oslofjord, if the weather is suitable. We see the City Hall and the neoclassical Royal Palace, then continue to Vigeland Sculpture Park to walk among the extraordinary art of Gustav Vigeland. Our tour ends at lunchtime, and you are at leisure for the rest of the day.

You could visit the Aker Brygge district known for its pier and interesting eateries. Oslo offers many world-class museums including the Munch Museum and the National Museum, containing works by the expressionist painter Edvard Munch, renowned for 'The Scream'. Another option is to take a gentle cruise around idyllic Oslofjord, possibly stopping at the Fram Museum to view a 19th-century ship used for polar exploration or visiting the Norsk Folk Museum. Dinner is on your own tonight, and you could try new Nordic, international cuisine, or fresh seafood in Aker Brygge.

• Breakfast

This morning we take a short walk to the station for an epic rail journey from Oslo to Bergen. Travelling on the world-famous Bergen Railway, the highest in northern Europe, we enjoy views of the wild Norwegian countryside, passing breathtaking glaciers, mountains, and spectacular fjords. Our route enters deep forest, and we can look out for wild reindeer and arctic foxes as we cross the Hardanger Plateau. As we approach the summit of the route, Finse, it feels as if we are completely alone in nature. Set 4,000 feet above sea level, this has been a popular training ground for arctic explorers including Scott and Shackleton.

Arriving into Bergen at the end of the afternoon, we are transferred by coach to our hotel, which is just steps away from the waterfront and Bergen's main square. After checking in, there's time to settle in and view your surroundings in this fascinating harbor city, before dinner with our group at our hotel this evening.

• Breakfast

We embark on a guided sightseeing tour of Bergen by coach, visiting the Bryggen Waterfront, a World Heritage site. These brightly painted wooden buildings were once the center of the old Hanseatic port that played a key role in trade between Norway and the rest of Europe. The city's narrow streets and bustling fish market give us a sense of life here for merchants in the 13th century.

After our tour, this afternoon is free to continue exploring on your own. You could visit the Bryggen Museum to view the world's largest collection of runic inscriptions, or you might like to take a ride on the Fløibanen funicular to enjoy spectacular views across countless scenic islands, providing a great sense of why Bergen is called the 'capital of the fjords'.

This evening you are free to dine independently and, as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Bergen has some excellent restaurants for you to choose from. Popular local dishes are all based on fresh seafood - Bergen fish soup, fish cakes and traditional steamed cod.

• Breakfast, Lunch

Two scenic rail journeys await us today, beginning with the Bergen Railway. Leaving Bergen, our train climbs into the craggy mountains, travelling alongside deep fjords and through tunnels hewn out of solid rock, before arriving in remote Myrdal - 2,840 feet above sea level.

In Myrdal, we board the famous Flåm Railway for an unforgettable ride along one of the steepest lines in the world. As we descend to the fjord-side village of Flåm for the night, tucked away in the innermost corner of Aurlandsfjord, our train negotiates horseshoe curves, twists, turns and 20 tunnels. Along this dramatic route we are treated to a moving picture of rushing rivers, tumbling waterfalls and snow-capped mountains passing by our window.

We make a photo stop at the cascading Kjosfossen waterfall as it bounces down the hillside. Our train arrives into Flåm this afternoon, just a few hundred meters from our hotel, where we enjoy a buffet dinner this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Today we travel by coach to Loen, an idyllic village located in the innermost area of the Nordfjord region, a tiny spot on the landscape in contrast to the glorious green-blue fjord, the mighty Jostedalsbreen Glacier and looming snow-dusted mountains.

Along our way to Loen, we stop at the Fjaerland Glacier Museum where entrance is include and you are free to look around. Housed in a building designed by the architect Sverre Fehn, the museum's external design reflects the surrounding landscape of jagged mountains and angular glaciers. Inside, award-winning exhibits tell the story of Norway's glacial landscapes and history of glaciology.

We continue our scenic journey by coach, taking a short trip on the Mannheller-Fodnes ferry to Fodnes, before transferring to our hotel in Loen for two nights, set between magnificent fjords. Arriving this afternoon, there's time to refresh and enjoy the stunning scenery, before a buffet dinner at our hotel.

• Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast in the beautiful surroundings of Loen, we make our way by coach to the 'jewel in the crown' of Norway's fjords - Geirangerfjord - on a journey which passes the Dalsnibba viewpoint, Europe's highest fjord view at a staggering 4,500 feet.

We see beautiful Geirangerfjord in the best way possible, on a cruise boat across the serene waters of this spectacular UNESCO-listed site. Acclaimed for its unique landscape, this nine-mile-long branch of Storfjord (meaning 'Great Fjord') has distinctive towering cliff walls and impressive waterfalls.

As we cruise, the scenery envelops us in a world of stunning color and beauty - the lush green of the trees contrasting with the blue water and brilliant white of the snow-capped distant peaks. When it rains, waterfalls appear seemingly from nowhere, cascading majestically into the water below. After disembarking at Hellesylt, we take a scenic drive back to Loen where your afternoon is free, to relax and possibly enjoy the facilities and mountain views at our hotel. We dine at the hotel restaurant this evening.

• Breakfast, Dinner

We set off by coach this morning on a journey to Åndalsnes on Romsdalfjord, travelling along the serpentine Trollstigen Mountain Road* and admiring cinematic views across deep green valleys and cascading waterfalls. We cross the fjord at Eidsdal to Linge by ferry. On arrival in Åndalsnes, we board the beloved Rauma Railway - described as Europe's most beautiful railway line' - a 71-mile-long journey filled with scenic views of magnificent and contrasting landscapes. We enter the jaw dropping Romsdal Valley, pause to admire the rushing Verma waterfall and cross the famous Kylling Bridge.

Following the course of the emerald green River Rauma, our train glides around the surrounding hillsides as we pass the insurmountable 'Troll Wall' and the banks of the peaceful Romsdal Fjord, finally reaching the picturesque hamlets and villages of Dombås. Here, we change trains and continue our journey to the historic city of Trondheim for two nights. We walk the short distance from the station to our four-star hotel on Trondheim's fjordside harbor, where we have a late dinner in the hotel.

*The opening date of Trollstigen Road varies due to road and snow conditions. Early departures before mid-June may travel on an alternative route.

• Breakfast, Lunch

Awaking in the atmospheric harborside of Trondheim this morning, we discover this vibrant city's fascinating history on a guided tour. Once a major trading center, Trondheim is now a hub of technology and innovation. We walk through the city's Old Quarter, pass the colorful waterfront houses of Bakklandet, and admire the elegant Gothic architecture of Nidaros Cathedral. We also visit the sumptuous Royal Residence, the largest wooden building in Northern Europe with around 140 different rooms.

The afternoon is yours to continue sightseeing at your own pace. Among the city's broad avenues, old warehouses and pretty timber dwellings, there are a number of attractions waiting to be explored, such as the Ringve Music Museum, situated on a hill and surrounded by the city's botanical gardens, and the Archbishop's Palace Museum - a treasure trove of local archaeological finds. The old town has a number of charming bookstore cafés and bakeries with a reputation for relaxed lunches and great coffee. You dine independently tonight, and you'll find Trondheim's food culture is first class.

• Breakfast

After an early breakfast, we depart Trondheim for an unforgettable journey north on the sensational Nordland Railway, a 452-mile journey to Bodø. Affectionately known as the Polar Express due to the picture-book scenes enroute, as we travel through some of Norway's most amazing landscapes, we experience a slideshow of mountain vistas, tranquil fjords and glimmering lakes rolling past the windows of our comfortable carriage.

The Nordland takes us through the beautiful and varied landscapes of northern Norway, and we cross the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees north shortly before reaching the town of Lonsdal, the highest point on the route. There is a chance we might see reindeer in the mountains or the elusive sea eagle soaring over the picturesque coast. In the height of summer, the sun may illuminate our entire journey, giving us the spectacular experience of nearly 24-hour daytime. The train reaches Fauske before turning west for the final approach to Bodø, our scenic base for the night. We are transferred by coach to our hotel where we have dinner.

• Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we are transferred to Bodø pier where we board a ferry to the picturesque port of Moskenes, arriving in the early afternoon. From here we take a scenic drive through idyllic fishing villages to Svolvær for a two-night stay, the tiny capital of the beautiful Lofoten Isles. Described as Europe's most dramatic and spectacular islands, the Lofoten archipelago is connected to mainland Norway by a series of bridges and ferries. These remote Arctic Circle islands are defined by jagged mountains with vivid green slopes extending to the aquamarine sea, white sandy beaches, and traditional red fishing huts.

After a 3-course dinner at our harborside hotel in Svolvaer, we take a Midnight Sun excursion to Gimsoy Beach, a beautiful white sandy beach with a range of spectacular mountains - a popular place to experience this natural phenomenon.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Today we continue exploring the Lofoten archipelago, with a full morning of sightseeing on various islands. We begin by making a photo stop at the charming fishing village of Henningsvaer, then continue to the rugged yet beautiful Vestvågøy island and its town of Leknes - set between green meadows and dramatic mountains - where there's free time to find lunch. Our return journey includes a detour through the remote but scenic village of Kvalnes.

After returning to Svolvær this afternoon, we take a safari cruise into sea eagle territory. We make a short fishing stop, with the aim of attracting sea eagles close to the boat. On board we enjoy refreshments including fish soup, coffee, tea, and snacks. Our cruise boat offers warm thermal suits and comfortable places to sit out on deck or inside the salon. While we look out for the majestic, endangered sea eagle, other wildlife - such as heron, seals, dolphins and possibly even whales - may also make an appearance. Once back on land, we transfer back to our hotel where you are at leisure for the rest of the day and free to dine independently this evening in Svolvær.

• Breakfast, Lunch

We have an early start this morning, so our hotel provides us with a picnic breakfast as we transfer to Evenes airport for our flight to Oslo where you are free to make your onward journey.

*Due to an early afternoon arrival into Oslo, it is recommended that connecting flights are booking in the evening, or a post-trip hotel is secured. Speak with a rail specialist for details.

• Breakfast