[Worldtrippers home] [2025 Crystal-Viking]
When we sailed on last year’s 2024 Viking World Cruise, we met Deb and Jack, who became very good friends. We traveled with them on several non-Viking excursions, including three nights in Ho Chi Minh City. Russell and Jack even bought matching dragon jackets!
We were due to join Deb and Jack on a multi-night safari in Africa, but the sailing itinerary changed. Deb and Jack ended up departing the World Cruise to embark on the safari, while we remained aboard ship.
Flash forward to 2025. Deb and Jack have joined the current “Iceland & Arctic Explorer” itinerary mainly to sail with us again. And once again, we are getting together for some non-Viking excursions.
Today’s port was Narvik, Norway. The town is famous for its Arctic Train, Norway’s northernmost railway. A three-hour scenic journey takes passengers 27 miles all the way to the Swedish border and back. Viking offers this trip as an excursion, but we discovered we could book tickets directly.
After a leisurely morning, we took a half-hour walk from the ship to the railway station and boarded the 11:00 am train.
The Ofoten line, which opened in 1902, was originally built to transport iron-ore from the mines in Kiruna to the ice-free port of Narvik. More than 5,000 laborers worked to bring the railroad across mountains and steep inclines, over bridges and through tunnels. The result is a route that travels through absolutely spectacular scenery. While the Ofoten Line is still used for transporting iron ore, it has also become a popular tourist attraction.
In January, Russell took this trip with his sister Joanne in the middle of winter. Today, the sun was out, but there was still enough snow to create gorgeous sights and scenery. There was recorded narration in English, but the volume was rather low. We made stops at Rombak and Katterat before arriving at the Swedish bordertown of Bjørnfjell. Then the train simply reversed direction and returned to Narvik. All in all, we had a lovely, relaxing excursion.
