Northern Europe & cruises from Southampton

Day 1 - Southampton

Arrive: Sat 10 May 2025 / Depart: Sat 10 May 2025 at 16:00

Despite its pummelling by the Luftwaffe and some disastrous postwar urban sprawl, the thousand-year-old city of Southampton has retained some of its medieval charm in parts and reinvented itself as a twenty-first century shopping centre in others, with the giant glass-and-steel West Quay as its focus. Core of the modern town is the Civic Centre, a short walk east of the train station and home to the excellent Southampton City Art Gallery that’s particularly strong on contemporary British artists. The Western Esplanade runs alongside the best remaining bits of the old city walls. Rebuilt after a French attack in 1338, they incorporate God’s House Tower, at the southern end of the old town in Winkle Street, which currently houses the Museum of Archaeology. Best preserved of the city’s seven gates is Bargate, at the opposite end of the old town, at the head of the High Street; it’s an elaborate structure, cluttered with lions, classical figures and defensive apertures. A shore excursion on your MSC Northern Europe cruise from Southampton can be the opportunity to discover the capital of England, London. For the visitor, London is a thrilling place. Monuments from the capital’s glorious past are everywhere, from medieval banqueting halls and the great churches of Christopher Wren to the eclectic Victorian architecture of the triumphalist British Empire. You can relax in the city’s quiet Georgian squares, explore the narrow alleyways of the City of London, wander along the riverside walks, and uncover the quirks of what is still identifiably a collection of villages. The capital’s great historical landmarks – Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and so on – draw in millions of tourists every year.

Day 2 - At Sea

Day 3 - Haugesund

Arrive: Mon 12 May 2025 at 09:00 / Depart: Mon 12 May 2025 at 19:00

Haugesund, an ancient Viking settlement located on the atmospheric Karmsundet sound, is surrounded by pristine Norwegian forests. This MSC Northern Europe Cruises destination boasts striking architecture including the Neo-Classical Town Hall and the charming Our Saviour’s Church.

Day 4 - Maloy

Arrive: Tue 13 May 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Tue 13 May 2025 at 17:00

Måløy is one of the most important fishing ports in Norway. In 1997, Måløy was granted town status by the municipality

Day 5 - Flam

Arrive: Wed 14 May 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Wed 14 May 2025 at 17:00

To reach Flåm, your MSC cruise ship will navigate into the Sognefjord, the longest of the hundreds of Norwegian fjords. Extending over 204 kilometres and 1,308 metres deep, it is a record breaking fjord in which your ship will head southward, to reach the southern end of the Aurlandsfjord. At this point of your MSC cruise of Northern Europe you will see Flåm, amidst mountains of dense forest reaching up to the sky. In this challenging and remote setting you can see how even a modern means of locomotion like the train can blend in with Norway's pectacular natural landscape. Take a train ride from Flåm to Kjosfossen: 20 incredible kilometres inside the green coaches up to the station of Myrdal on the Bergen railway line. The landscapes you will admire are truly unique and will make your journey unforgettable. Nature is revealed in its most beautiful and wild landscape, with rock shaped by rivers that form gorges and rifts and waterfalls that plunge down dizzy heights, and, here and there, mountain farms, perched like mountain climbers, where cattle are raised and excellentcheese is produced. And to think that the current to power the train is actually a gift of nature. It is the imposing Kjosfossen waterfalls, that plunge vertically down almost as if to show off to the tourist’s camera, that move the turbines that produce the electric energy for the railway line. Don’t miss the excursion in rubber dinghies or kayaks in the waters surrounding the small port. You will have the opportunity to see the variety of animals and plants that inhabit these shores. Visit the protected areas of the Aurlandfjord and the Nærøyfjord to admire the majestic beauty produced by the activity of the ice and the sea on this land, from a privileged point of view.

Day 6 - Kristiansand, Norway

Arrive: Thu 15 May 2025 at 14:00 / Depart: Thu 15 May 2025 at 20:00

In Kristiansand the MSC cruise of Northern Europe touches the southernmost part of Norway, the region of Sørlandet, where thousands of islands and rocks dot the coast along the Skagerrak straits. As you step ashore from the ship you find yourself in a lively town offering plenty of opportunities and attractions, such as the Kilden Performing Arts Centre, a striking building for its bold architecture, that hosts exhibitions and concerts all year round. The zoo and the Kristiansand amusement park (12 km from the town) are also an experience for the whole family. There are museums like the Vest-Agder that gives the visitor insight into the local culture and history with impressive models of the town with its most representative buildings. The nature museum with its botanical gardens instead hosts the largest collection of cactus plants in Norway. The Sørlandet museum of art hosts a permanent collection of Norwegian art while the imposing canons museum hosts the second largest cannon in the world and a rich collection of military exhibits. If instead you wish to immerse yourself in Kristiansand’s everyday life, visit the fish market, here you can find restaurants where you can enjoy the freshest fish, while there’s a bustling of boats coming and going. Try an experience into the past with a ride on the steam engine train. You can get to the village of Vennes and then get a ticket for the Setesdal railway, which has since the 19th century connected Kristiansand and the other coastal towns to the once remote region of Setesdal. You should not miss an excursion to the delightful town of Lillesand, known as the jewel of the Sørlandet, with picturesque fishermen’s houses that have been turned into holiday homes in an environment of rare charm with the colourful port and ever-present Norwegian nature.

Day 7 - At Sea

Day 8 - Southampton

Arrive: Sat 17 May 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Sat 17 May 2025

Despite its pummelling by the Luftwaffe and some disastrous postwar urban sprawl, the thousand-year-old city of Southampton has retained some of its medieval charm in parts and reinvented itself as a twenty-first century shopping centre in others, with the giant glass-and-steel West Quay as its focus. Core of the modern town is the Civic Centre, a short walk east of the train station and home to the excellent Southampton City Art Gallery that’s particularly strong on contemporary British artists. The Western Esplanade runs alongside the best remaining bits of the old city walls. Rebuilt after a French attack in 1338, they incorporate God’s House Tower, at the southern end of the old town in Winkle Street, which currently houses the Museum of Archaeology. Best preserved of the city’s seven gates is Bargate, at the opposite end of the old town, at the head of the High Street; it’s an elaborate structure, cluttered with lions, classical figures and defensive apertures. A shore excursion on your MSC Northern Europe cruise from Southampton can be the opportunity to discover the capital of England, London. For the visitor, London is a thrilling place. Monuments from the capital’s glorious past are everywhere, from medieval banqueting halls and the great churches of Christopher Wren to the eclectic Victorian architecture of the triumphalist British Empire. You can relax in the city’s quiet Georgian squares, explore the narrow alleyways of the City of London, wander along the riverside walks, and uncover the quirks of what is still identifiably a collection of villages. The capital’s great historical landmarks – Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and so on – draw in millions of tourists every year.