Fjords & Iceland

About Cork

Cork  is Irelands second largest city.

Here you can visit St Finbarrs Cathedral, Cork City Museum and the 19th Century Cork Jail. Dont miss your opportunity to visit Blarney Castle, a short ride away, to kiss the Blarney Stone!

About Dublin

The Irish capital Dublin has undergone an incredible transformation in the last decade with many modern buildings springing up to add to its historical and cultural appeal.

Dublin’s pubs and bars are world-renowned from the city’s oldest, The Brazen Head, to the newest wine bar. A visit to the Guinness Storehouse and Brewery provides an insight into the history of Ireland’s favourite tipple.

Grafton Street is a shopper’s paradise with a stop at Bewley’s historic coffee house a must for people-watching.

The library at Trinity College is home to the eighth-century Book of Kells, with the National Museum housing exhibits dating back from the Irish Bronze and Iron ages. The city’s literary heritage is celebrated at the adjoining National Library with works of famous Irish writers such as Beckett, Joyce, Swift and Yeats collected together.

About Julianehab

From the port of Qaqortoq you can explore Julianehab. As you sail into this remote port you’ll be greeted by the sight of the spectacular rocky mountains whose distinctive peaks carve a jagged path into the skyline. Lying at their feet is the pretty harbour with its colourful wooden houses.

Spend time soaking up the breathtaking scenery or head to the colonial part of town to enjoy a snapshot of Greenland’s history in the Town Musuem, which is in the town’s oldest building. Located in the town square, next to the fountain, you will discover how the settlement was founded in 1775 and learn about the fascinating Inuit culture.

As you further explore the idyllic, green town you may also wish to visit the striking Saviour’s Church and view the curious “Stone and Man” carvings, which transform the town into a big sculpture park. And if you are inspired by these unusual works of art, you may wish to browse the large selection of Greenlandic arts and crafts on offer.

About Reykjavik

The name means ‘Smoky (or Steamy) Bay’ but these days the Icelandic capital Reykjavik is even hotter than that. Its reputation now as a truly cultural, cosmopolitan city, with great restaurants and lively nightlife, has made it a hugely popular destination.

Another big attraction is the opportunity to swim in open-air pools heated by the very geothermal springs that inspired Reykjavik’s name.

Not that Reykjavik - or most of Iceland for that matter - is actually icy at all.  It may be the most northerly capital in the world and in the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’, but if you want ice, you have to travel away from the capital on one of the exciting glacier safari tours. But the most popular destination remains the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, where minerals bubble up from 5,000ft below the earth’s surface.

About Akureyri

A genuine ‘Midnight Sun’ destination, Akureyi cruise port is a charming Icelandic town with a stunning location on the countrys longest fjord - Eyjafjordur. There are several interesting museums and churches but the most amazing feature of Akureyi is its botanical garden - not surprisingly, the most northerly in the world.  That this glorious display of flowers and plants thrives is a tribute to the local microclimate which is remarkably mild for somewhere so close to the Arctic Circle.

Less surprising is the range of tours to appeal to nature-lovers from whale watching (18 species from minkes to killers have been spotted) to the spectacular ‘Waterfall of the Gods’ at Godafoss.

Along the way, you will also see age-old glaciers, beautiful lakes, bubbling sulphur mud-pits, hidden caves and coves, dormant volcanoes and lava which has turned into bizarre-shaped sculptures.

About Alesund

Because it was completely rebuilt after being destroyed by fire in 1904, Alesund looks quite different to other Norwegian towns along the countrys west coast now better known as simply ‘Fjordland’.

Stretching across three islands at the mouth of the magnificent Geirangerfjord, Alesunds architecture is now an eclectic mixture of mock-Gothic and neo-classical with more than a dash of Art Nouveau.

Turrets and spires dot the skyline and you can trace the towns trend setting style development at the Art Nouveau Centre, one of several fascinating museums in the town.  The pick is the open-air Sunnmøre while the Atlantic Sea-Park is also worth a visit as one of the largest aquariums in northern Europe

About Geiranger

It is just nine miles long but the snaking Geirangerfjord is the most photographed of all Norways fjords because of the sheer beauty of its setting.

As you cruise along to the ships anchorage off Geiranger cruise port, just marvel at the views as spectacular waterfalls with evocative names like Bridal Veil and The Seven Sisters cascade down from the steep rocky peaks that overlook the fjord from both sides.

Geiranger welcomed its first cruise ship (carrying a group of Quakers from Scotland) in 1869 and its appeal for visitors has hardly changed since then. It is still just a small village resort which simply makes the ideal base for walking, boating, or motoring tours into a surrounding area full of natural beauty and magnificent scenery with snow-capped mountains, verdant valleys, plunging waterfalls and age-old glaciers.

There are superb views from the Dalsnibban mountain plateau overlooking the fjord.

About Bergen

A former ‘European City of Culture’ with a string of fascinating art galleries facing its Lille Lungedgardsvann Lake, Bergen cruise port nestles amongst the magnificent mountains strung along Norway’s western coastline and is a gateway to Fjordland.

This 13th century Hanseatic – and now World Heritage - city was built on the site of an original Viking settlement and is full of historic sites, the best known of which is Bryggen. A collection of 11th century wooden buildings along the harbourfront, this is a World Heritage Site in its own right and has its own museum to tell its fascinating story.

To enjoy the best views of this picturesque city, take the funicular railway to the top of Mount Fløyen, which overlooks both Bergen and the surrounding region.

Also the birthplace of composer Edvard Grieg, Bergen is easily walkable and has a lively fish market and an even better general market along the harbourfront as well as many attractive bars and cafes.

About Stavanger

The gateway to Norways spectacularly scenic fjordland, Stavanger is also a town with its own rich heritage as it is regarded as the ‘Cradle of the Vikings’. Your ship will dock right next to Gamle Stavanger, the old quarter, with its collection of 200-year-old white wooden houses (considered national heritage monuments in their own right), 12th century cathedral modelled on Winchester Cathedral, markets, craft stores and art galleries.

Look out, too, for the Three Swords monument in the Hafrsfjord rock recalling the Viking sea battle won by King Harald the Fairhair to create Norway as one kingdom back in the 9th century. This is on the way to a recreation of an Iron Age Farm at Jernaldergarden. The other major landmark is a short boat trip away through the delightful Stavanger archipelago to the 2,000ft high Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen).