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Fjordsteam Festival 2026, Bergen
An amazing trip on board the historic Norwegian Steamship MS NORDSTJERNEN
THE PROGRAMME
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Fly to Copenhagen - Norwegian Flight D83515 Departing Gatwick at 1335 for Copenhagen on 2 August.* Sailing to AALBORG Denmark on 3rd August Visit the Sea War Museum of Jutland, Thyboron (minibus transport & museum entry included)
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Sailing to KRISTANSAND Norway on 4th August
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Sailing to BEKKJARVIK on 5th August where the fleet assembles before the grand entry into BERGEN Harbour on Thursday 6th August.
(officially the cruise ends here, but we have negotiated with the ship’s owners that we can remain on board using the ship as our hotel (B&B Basis for 3 days @ £100 per night.) -
Sunday 9th head for Bergen Airport - Return from Bergen at 1905 on 9th August. Flight DY 1318 arriving Gatwick at 2020.*
* PLEASE DO NOT BOOK YOUR FLIGHT UNTIL YOUR CABIN IS CONFIRMED AND YOUR DEPOSIT PAID.
FJORDSTEAM 2026 FESTIVAL
August 6-9th 2026, BERGEN will be hosting the start of the Fjordsteam 2026 festival. As Europe’s largest gathering of living cultural heritage, this event features around 70 historic ships, trains, and vintage cars, with public, seaside, and aerial experiences available.
The Vestland Classic Ship MS NORDSTJERNEN
Our Ship is the MS Nordstjer nen (The North Star) This is her 70th year of sailing!! Initially sailing up and down the Norwe gian Coast but has now been re f itted to sail European waters. We want to bring back everlasting memories of wonderful ships with a homely onboard atmosphere, travelling along some of the most beautiful coastlines of the world. Vessels with dedicated and enthusiastic crews, ready to show the sea and the coast as they really are…
SOME HISTORY:
This Passenger ship is protected as a Norwegian Heritage vessel since 2012. The MS Nordstjernen has been fully listed by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage ‘Riksantikvaren’. This means that the condition of the ship must be preserved and changes are only possible to a very small extent and only with the prior authorization of the Riksantikvaren. The ship was extensively restored in 2013, but without modernizing its technical condition. Extensive maintenance work is carried out annually and the ship complies with the technical requirements of the ship classification at all times.
FEATURES
The MS Nordstjernen was built at a time when accessibility in public spaces was still unimportant. The ship was designed as a combined mail, cargo and passenger ship with safety and functionality in mind. The ship therefore has a number of barriers that may make it difficult for some to get on board: - There are no lifts on board - Some of the stairs are comparatively steep - All exterior doors have a threshold of 35 40 cm to prevent water from entering. All passengers must pass through these doors, there is no other way of access - There are many other doors and passages with smaller thresholds T he MS Nordstjernen is not equipped with stabilisers, bow thrusters or stern thrusters. This means that the ship rolls and pitches more in rough seas than is the case with modern ships. In addition, mooring manoeuvres in strong winds or strong currents may not be possible in some cases. However, the MS Nordstjernen was designed to sail reliably even in adverse conditions and rough seas. It is less susceptible to wind than large, modern passenger ships.
ENGINE
The MS Nordstjernen is powered by an engine built by Kieler Motorenwerke in 1982 and complies with the internationally required exhaust emission standards under the MARPOL Convention for a ship built in 1956
PRICING
TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA…Cabins vary in size and facilities from £1030 to £1,700 per person for the voyage and about £100 per night when alongside in Bergen. The event itself is totally FREE. Then of course are the cost of flights ( About £100 each way per person at today’s prices - with Norwegian Airlines from and to Gatwick.)
Simply email your guide Mike Critchley “ NORWAY” at mikecritchley7@icloud.com so we can give you a final price.