Request for advice about the Hurtigruten and Northern Norway

[Les Olson]

My wife and I will need to take our holidays in July-August next year, which makes most of our preferred travel destinations less attractive.  She is fond of boat trips, so one option is the Hurtigruten.  It would be a holiday, not a photography trip, but there would be photography and she is a water-colour painter so our scenic interests overlap. 

My question is how far north of the Lofoten islands it is worth going.  That is, in practice, should we stop at Tromso or go on to Kirkenes?

[stenrasmussen]

Hurtigruten is a good choice!
The scenery changes the further north and east you go so it all depends on your preference.
If you got the time to spare, here's the whole journey captured in real time a while back:
https://tv.nrk.no/serie/hurtigruten-minutt-for-minutt

[Bjørn J]

Go all the way to Kirkenes!The coastal landscape in the northern- and easternmost part of Norway (Finnmark), is dramatic, wild, desolate and barren. Definitely worth experiencing. So are the small settlements and fishing villages(fiskevær)that the Hurtigruten visit. Remember that Hurtigruten is not only a cruise ship, it is a vital part of the infrastructure for the local communities in northern Norway.You will have a wonderful voyage, the comfort and service on board is high class. You travel slowly, the stress level and blood pressure goes down. But you might gain weight, the food on board is fantastic!

[Thomas G]

Hurtigruten is a good Idea. Bring a camera.
Have a break in Tromsø. Walk the city, take the cableway up Storsteinen - tremendous view.
Get into the mood and listen to a midnight concert in the arctic cathedral.
Then go on to Kirkenes and see the scenery change.

It's all about what Bjørn J says.

[Les Olson]

Thanks everyone.  I took the Hurtigruten from Bergen to Trondheim years ago; the scenery was spectacular but the role that the ships historically played as the only link between coastal towns and the outside world was not evident that far south. 

[Bent Hjarbo]

We where on the ship "Trollfjord" into Trollfjorden this summer, just for the trip between Stokmarknæs to Svolvær, fantastic scenery