Hurtigruten is advancing its expansion to new destinations, this week formally announcing three new itineraries to bolster its two-year-young Signature voyages. The collection includes Signature departures centred around Western Norway’s fjords and the Northern Lights, and a new itinerary operating into and out of the Danish capital for the first time.

The Norwegian cruise company’s Signature sailings differ from its 130+ year-old Classic coastal sailings (between Bergen and Kirkenes, and back) by offering less port calls but longer duration stops, developed to appeal to the traditional cruise traveller.

Copenhagen, Denmark | Credit: Unsplash

The new ‘Limited Collection’ voyages will operate between April 2027 and May 2028 aboard MS Trollfjord, accessing new ports for Hurtigruten, such as Rosendal, Skjolden and Eidfjord. The itineraries include:

Last month, Hurtigruten CEO Hedda Felin, previewed the new Signature departures to its Nordic Alliance travel agency members in Australia and New Zealand first. She said Hurtigruten was responding to guest feedback for more fjords and Arctic options, and a strong desire to include more of Scandinavia.

Hedda Felin, CEO of Hurtigruten, reveals the new Signature Limited Collection to the Nordic Alliance
members at Hurtigruten’s Melbourne headquarters. Image: LATTE/Guy Dundas

“We see this obsession for fjords and the Arctic. We’ll visit the most beautiful fjords on the western side of Norway,” she said of the Inner Fjords Explorer that will include a new fjord every day of the voyage.

Damian Perry, Hurtigruten’s Managing Director APAC said he expects the new Arctic Line from Copenhagen would be popular with travellers from the Australasia region, given the air accessibility of the Danish capital. He said Hurtigruten was busy developing land packages and touring in Scandinavia to complement the new Signature itinerary, which will debut in December 2027.

Perry said the Arctic Circle Explorer would capitalise on huge demand for travellers wanting to explore the Arctic Circle, offering dog sledding, snowmobiling and other winter activities.

Speaking in greater depth about the Signature ‘Limited Collection’ with LATTE, Felin said the new options have been developed to offer new and past guests something new.

She referred to the program as our “dream itineraries”, showcasing not only Mother Nature in all her Nordic-glory, but Hurtigruten’s suppliers in the region. Partners who grow apples for cider and wine, for example. While the new Arctic itinerary into and out of Tromsø will cater for the guest who can’t get enough of northern Norway.

“We are the experts of Norway and now we can expand the program to tailor-made cruises to the fjords, Northern Lights, and Scandinavia,” she added.

(Picture left are Hurtigruten’s Damian Perry, Managing Director APAC and Hedda Felin, Chief Executive Officer).

“Guests want more fjords, they want more of northern Norway. They are eager to go up, and when they are there they want to linger longer. And to add Scandinavia to our program is very exciting.”

Currently, Hurtigruten deploys MS Trollfjord for its Signature voyages between Oslo and North Cape (and to Svalbard), sailing in parallel with the seven other ships on the Classic coastal route.

“We can manage the capacity. Ideally, I would have more ships, but that’s another discussion with my owners,” she quipped. “This is a way for us to fill our ships.”

“In the future that could mean a separate ship. We’re piloting the program, seeing how the market will respond, giving us more accessibility to more partners and guests who want to see more Northern and or more Western Norway.”

Hurtigruten ship sailing in Stavanger | Credit: Michel Afflerbach

Hurtigruten already operates exclusive departures from Hamburg for the German market (which are also English-speaking), that are “all full,” she said. ““It shows that home-porting from other destinations can be a success,” hence the new sailings from the Danish capital. “We see that neighbouring countries are loving that we sail out from Hamburg, because its so beautiful and it may be easier to get to than Bergen.”

“Guests can now start in Bergen, in Oslo, from Hamburg and soon from Copenhagen.”

And because the Signature route is not regulated under the state contract, Hurtigruten has full flexibility to customise those itineraries “as we desire,” Felin adds, which could suggest even more are on the way.

“This expansion provides a sense of what we can be in the future,” Felin told LATTE.

Launched in 2025, Hurtigruten’s Signature voyages have been a “major success,” Felin said.