Hurtigruten Coastal Express from Trondheim to Stamsund
FR

Translated into English.

Original post
CE
Hi there, I’m planning our next (pricey) trip to Norway. It’ll be a road trip with accommodations either in Airbnbs or hotels. I’ve been dreaming of going to the LOFOTEN for ages, but I don’t want to skip the big fjords either (Geiranger, Flam, Bergen, Stavanger). So to combine both, I thought of doing a round trip from Trondheim to Stamsund with Hurtigruten and spending 4 nights in the southern LOFOTEN. The fares are so steep that I don’t think I can do more. The coastal road is certainly beautiful up to BODØ, but with the stops to plan, it ends up costing as much as taking the boat—plus the fatigue and extra kilometers. Has anyone taken the Coastal Express with their vehicle from TRONDHEIM to STAMSUND?
" Fais de ta vie un rêve, et d'un rêve, une réalité" St Exupéry

Carnets de voyage avec photos : http://www.frontiereland.be
AR Arizonarizo ·
Hi there, I’m planning to do something similar but via the south... I’ll board the ship in Bergen and, three nights later, arrive in Stamsund. Then I’ll explore the Lofoten Islands for four days before heading back via Narvik. My itinerary skips Geiranger and Flam. I’ll spend a few days near Stavanger before reaching Bergen. The Hurtigruten trip costs around 2,500 € for full board, including a cabin and one car. Yeah, it’s ridiculously expensive. Like you, to make the most of it, I had to go for this option. I think the cost would be similar anyway, since it’s probably the same number of nights. Norway is just too long to do in one go. It’s a country of compromises to avoid breaking the bank and using up all your vacation days. Happy planning!
CE Cendryon Globetrotter ·
At first, I’d considered, like you, leaving from Bergen to go to the LOFOTEN. I’d also calculated around 2,500 €... I think that’s expensive, especially since you have to come back afterward. According to my calculations, a round trip from Trondheim would cost me less than 2,000 €, plus I’d save on kilometers and stops between the Lofoten and Trondheim on the way back. So I abandoned my first plan (Stavanger, Bergen...) which skipped the big fjords. I did other simulations with a return to Ålesund, but that’s more expensive and not very smart since the boat takes *way* longer between Trondheim and Ålesund than by road.
" Fais de ta vie un rêve, et d'un rêve, une réalité" St Exupéry

Carnets de voyage avec photos : http://www.frontiereland.be
AR Arizonarizo ·
Actually, the trick for my trip was leaving the car at Narvik Airport! The drop-off costs 1200 € on top of the rental! But compared to the return by ship, it’s half the price. It’s expensive, but it pays off if you want to see a lot of things... You just have to pick airports where car rental isn’t too pricey. In my case, Stavanger (600 € for 15 days). It’s a compromise—I think there’s no single solution, and starting from the north of Norway is another option! But I really wanted to see Bergen and the Lofoten Islands! I didn’t have much choice from that perspective... I’ll admit that less than 2000 € round-trip is a great deal! Especially since up there, the animals are super visible (like moose). Waiting to see if anyone else has other ideas, because we can’t be the only ones looking for the right path! ;) !
CE Cendryon Globetrotter ·
Actually, we’re not renting a car—it’s ours. We’re heading out for a week with our daughter and son-in-law to Denmark, and they’ll fly back from Copenhagen since they only have a week off.

As for us, I think we’ll continue to Norway by taking the boat from Copenhagen to Oslo. After that, it’s the northern route with a 2-night stop at Dovrefjell National Park before reaching Trondheim.
" Fais de ta vie un rêve, et d'un rêve, une réalité" St Exupéry

Carnets de voyage avec photos : http://www.frontiereland.be
AR Arizonarizo ·
I get it now. It's not the same issue! Because the round trip seems unavoidable, but the budget skyrockets... In Trondheim, the boat stops over, and to get up to Lofoten, I think it takes 24 hours. So, one night for the next evening... your quote is under 2000 €? That’s expensive for a cabin, 2 nights, and 1 car round trip... on what? I’ll recalculate because I didn’t spend much time checking—I sometimes find their site a bit clunky. Wait for confirmation from others or change some options. Otherwise, coming back down via Bergen and heading to Oslo, but I imagine that variation would be too costly... That would be at least 2000 € just for the return trip... without eating.
CE Cendryon Globetrotter ·
Not exactly. With my simulations (no later than April since the site doesn’t allow going further) and the Hurtigruten summer schedule, there’s 1 night to go up to the Lofoten. Departure at 12:45 from Trondheim, arrival at 19:15 in Stamsund. But on the way back, there are 2 nights with a departure at 22:30 from Stamsund and an arrival at 06:30 in Trondheim. That makes 3 nights total.
" Fais de ta vie un rêve, et d'un rêve, une réalité" St Exupéry

Carnets de voyage avec photos : http://www.frontiereland.be
AR Arizonarizo ·
True, there’s a catch. However, I booked from Saturday, May 3 to the 20th, 2025. The schedule’s different because of Trondheim—I’ll arrive around noon with a 3-hour layover where they recommend doing excursions (expensive, of course). I know there are several ships (5 or 6), but it seems like the schedules are identical. I have the brochure—it’s quite varied. I’ll double-check... So, try again because if I managed to book in May (it was September 4th), it’s highly likely you weren’t in the right place! I struggled at first to find the right route to add my car...

https://www.hurtigruten.com/fr-fr/

What surprises me is that you mentioned the right cruise: "The Coastal Express"! So it should go way beyond April... There’s the south-north direction and the reverse.
SI Sissi57 Globetrotter ·
If you have the time, driving back via the route from Denmark lets you discover the west coast of Sweden (without sticking to the motorway!), which is stunning.
Je n'aurai pas le temps...
CE Cendryon Globetrotter ·
Arrival at 6:30 AM in Trondheim is on the northbound to southbound route. For departure, your arrival time seems correct on the southbound to northbound route since the ship leaves at 12:45 PM.
" Fais de ta vie un rêve, et d'un rêve, une réalité" St Exupéry

Carnets de voyage avec photos : http://www.frontiereland.be
CE Cendryon Globetrotter ·
Yeah, I know, there are all those cute little ports, but I’d rather skip those to make it to the LOFOTEN (with plenty of cute little ports, though...)
" Fais de ta vie un rêve, et d'un rêve, une réalité" St Exupéry

Carnets de voyage avec photos : http://www.frontiereland.be
CE Cendryon Globetrotter ·
"So, retake a test because if I managed to book in May (it was September 4th), and it's highly likely you weren't in the right place! I had trouble at first figuring out the right route to park my car... www.hurtigruten.com/en-gb/ What surprises me is that you titled the right cruise: 'The Coastal Express'! So it should go much further than April... there’s the SOUTH-NORTH direction and the reverse."

It’s possible to book later if you choose the cruises listed on the first page of the site. However, if you select the port-to-port menu (see below the cruises menu at the top), it’s not possible 🙁
" Fais de ta vie un rêve, et d'un rêve, une réalité" St Exupéry

Carnets de voyage avec photos : http://www.frontiereland.be
AR Arizonarizo ·
I chose from Bergen to Svolvær. Hence my question 🐻
FP Fphilippe Veteran ·
Hi there,

Not related to your question, and I apologize for that... I just booked the Coastal Express from Bergen to the North Cape and back to Trondheim for 11 days/10 nights for around 5000 € for two people, outside cabin. Promo on Voyage Privé (about -50%) until tomorrow... Bye and happy travels to everyone
philippe du lot
AR Arizonarizo ·
Hi, What time of year? Because it’s really cheap. Includes a car too?
FP Fphilippe Veteran ·
Hi there,

I’m traveling during the first half of February by choice, but the fares are pretty much the same until mid-May—though without a car, of course. On top of that, I found round-trip flights from Toulouse on Air France for 600 € for two. Bye,
philippe du lot
AR Arizonarizo ·
Sounds good, thanks! I’ll check it out—on my end, I’ve got 3 nights, 4 days for 2600 €, and with the car and full board included, that makes a huge difference...

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