[15-Day Nordic Free Independent Travel] Day 7: Inari → Kirkenes | Crossing the Finland-Norway Border & Cruise Northern Lights Tour

Table of Contents Itinerary Overview Trip Preparation Heading to Kirkenes: Crossing the Finland–Norway Border Crossing the Finland–Norway Border First Experience on the Cruise & Grocery Shopping at Kirkenes Supermarket Life Onboard Chasing the Northern Lights at Night Itinerary Summary & Other Nordic Travel Notes 1. Itinerary Overview Today marks an important turning point in our Nordic journey — we'll bid farewell to Inari in Finland and head north all the way to Kirkenes in Norway, where we'll board the HAVILA cruise ship and set off on our sea voyage.This is also our first time taking a cruise, and we were looking forward to seeing the magnificent Norwegian fjords and the Northern Lights. There were two aurora alerts in the evening. The first was during dinner — we did manage to see the magnificent aurora, but most of its brilliance was blocked by thick clouds. The second was at midnight, but this time the clouds were even thicker, so the aurora could only faintly show through a bit of its glow. II. Trip Preparation 1. Transportation: Inari → Kirkenes private car charter Drive time: about 4 hours Fare: approx. NT$3,540 (price for 4 people, minimum order of 4 people required; the cost will be higher if the number of people is fewer)

2. Accommodation: HAVILA Cruise Men's Room Type: Windowless cabin, bunk beds, cost 6,800 NTD/person

Girls' room type: has a window with two single beds, cost 11,000 TWD per person

Booking website: HAVILA official website 3. Heading to Kirkenes: Crossing the Finland-Norway Border Crossing the Finland-Norway Border Our chartered vehicle departs at 08:00, right in front of the Visit Inari hotel. We head all the way toward the frozen lake, and the sky over Inari takes on a uniquely beautiful shade of blue, as gorgeous as a painting.

The local resident's mailbox — simple and cute.

The driver arrived right on time, driving a 16-seat minibus, but today our group was the only group of travelers, which meant it was essentially a private charter — very comfortable to ride in. This journey takes about 4 hours, and along the way we'll pass through the border between Finland and Norway. Time difference reminder: Norway time is 1 hour behind Finland Although the itinerary states arrival in Kirkenes at 12:00, that's Finnish time — the actual local time in Norway is 11:00, giving us an extra hour of buffer time Border rest stop At around 11:30 (10:30 Norway time), we arrived at the border between Finland and Norway, where there was a small rest stop. We paused here briefly to use the restroom and stretch our legs. There was no obvious national border marker, just a small customs station reminding us that we had entered Norwegian territory.

From here on, we began to see more fjords and coastlines along the way, completely different from the lake district scenery in Finland earlier, which made us look forward to the upcoming cruise itinerary even more. At around 12:00 (11:00 Norway time), we arrived at Kirkenes. First cruise experience and grocery shopping at Kirkenes supermarket This time we boarded the Norwegian cruise line HAVILA, a well-known Norwegian cruise company responsible for sightseeing and transportation along the Norwegian coast. The boarding process is divided into several steps: Check-in procedures: providing a passport photo and registering personal information Obtaining the room access card: this card serves not only as the door key but is also used for onboard spending Credit card binding: onboard spending (such as drinks, souvenirs, etc.) will be charged directly to the room bill

When we entered the room, we found our luggage had already been delivered, but housekeeping was still finishing up, so we decided to go up to the deck first to take in the scenery. The fjord views were absolutely stunning.

Taking advantage of the time before departure, we headed to a nearby supermarket to have a look around. Kirkenes is a small city within the Arctic Circle, surrounded by ice and snow, with a tranquil and pure atmosphere. We bought a few cans of Norwegian beer and some chips, ready to bring back to the ship to enjoy.

Life on Board Lunch: A la carte all-you-can-eat The cruise ship's restaurant setting is very upscale, offering exquisite Nordic cuisine. Lunch is an a la carte all-you-can-eat, beautifully plated, but the flavors tend to be quite salty, especially the seafood dishes — maybe it's because Nordic people like strong flavors?

Afternoon Rest and a Brief Landing at Vardøya After lunch, we went back to our room to rest for a while and took seasickness medicine, which ended up putting us to sleep for almost two hours. Around 16:00, the cruise ship made a brief stop at the port of Vardøya, Norway, and passengers were free to disembark for about 30 minutes. We took the opportunity to take a walk around the port — this small town was very quiet — while some passengers chose to go to the supermarket to stock up on supplies.

Dinner: Set Menu Dinner was at 18:30, and this time it was a set menu — each person got an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert. Overall the flavors were more refined and layered than lunch, with a moderate portion size. A Dinner Interlude Halfway through dinner, the ship's PA suddenly came on: "The Aurora has appeared!" We rushed straight up to the deck, and sure enough, the aurora was blazing! Unfortunately, thick clouds blocked most of its brilliance. Still, after enjoying that glimpse of the aurora, we headed back to the restaurant full of confidence that we'd definitely get to see the aurora properly tonight.

Chasing the Northern Lights at Night: From Anticipation to Disappointment After finishing our meal, we went back to our room to celebrate having seen the aurora for four consecutive days, also hoping the clouds would clear tonight so we could witness another aurora outburst. A bit after 8pm, we arrived at today's second port of call, Batsfjord. Since we were only stopping for a short 10 minutes or so, we just went ashore to get some fresh air before heading back up.

At midnight, 12:00, the announcement rang out again: "The aurora has appeared!" Full of hope, we ran up to the deck, but the situation remained the same — the clouds were too thick, and we could only faintly make out a weak aurora.

We waited until 1:00 AM, but the aurora index dropped from KP4 to KP1, so in the end we could only head back to our room to rest, feeling a bit disappointed. Trip Summary & Other Nordic Travel Diaries This day included crossing borders, our first cruise experience, fjord scenery, and chasing the northern lights — a journey full of anticipation and surprises. Explore more Nordic four-country independent travel diaries Northern Europe is not just auroras and snow, but also the elegance of cities, the mystery of the polar region, and the depth of culture. This journey spanning Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden will take you to explore the charm of Europe's purest corner! 🇩🇰 Denmark Free Tour 📍Day 2: Copenhagen Day Tour | 📍Day 3: Explore Freetown, fly to Finland 🇫🇮 Finland Polar Journey 📍Day 4: Helsinki City Tour & Night Train | 📍Day 5: Santa Claus Village and Aurora Experience 📍Day 6: Rovaniemi Husky Sledding & City Stroll｜📍Day 7: Lakeside Inari & Aurora Secret Spot 🇳🇴 Norwegian Cruise & Aurora Exploration 📍Day 8: Cross the border from Inari into Kirkenes to board the cruise｜📍Day 9: Stop at Hammerfest and life on board 📍Day 10: Tromsø Museum and cable car snow scenery｜📍Day 11: Transport disruption, stranded in Tromsø 🇸🇪 A Stroll Through Swedish Culture and the Perfect Finale 📍Day 12: Flying to Stockholm, with a stunning surprise glimpse of the Aurora high in the sky｜📍Day 13: City Hall & the Vasa Shipwreck Museum 📍Day 14: An In-Depth Wander Through the Old Town and Swedish Culture