[Nordic 15-Day Independent Trip] Day 7: Inari → Kirkenes | Crossing the Finland-Norway Border & Cruise Aurora Tour

Table of Contents Trip Overview Trip Preparation Heading to Kirkenes: Crossing the Finland-Norway Border Crossing the Finland-Norway Border First Cruise Experience & Grocery Shopping at Kirkenes Supermarket Life on Board Chasing the Northern Lights at Night Trip Summary & Other Nordic Travel Journals 1. Trip Overview Today marks an important turning point in our Nordic journey — we're saying goodbye to Inari in Finland and heading all the way north to Kirkenes in Norway, where we'll board the HAVILA cruise ship and begin our voyage at sea.This is also our first time on a cruise, and we're looking forward to seeing the magnificent Norwegian fjords and the Northern Lights. There were two aurora notifications in the evening. The first was during dinner — although we did manage to see the magnificent aurora, most of its glow was blocked by thick clouds. The second was at midnight, but the clouds were even thicker this time, so the aurora could only be glimpsed faintly through the haze. 2. Trip Preparation 1. Transportation: Private charter from Inari to Kirkenes Drive time: about 4 hours Ticket price: about NT$3,540 (price for 4 people, minimum order of 4, if fewer people the cost will be higher) Booking website: Visit Inari Transportation Booking

2. Accommodation: HAVILA Cruise Male room type: Windowless cabin, bunk bed, cost 6,800 TWD/person

Female room: two single beds with a window, 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 residents' mailbox — simple and cute.

The driver arrived right on time, driving a 16-seater minibus, but since we were the only group of travelers today, it turned out to be a private charter, making the ride extremely comfortable. This trip 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 says arrival in Kirkenes at 12:00, that's Finnish time — the actual local time in Norway will be 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. There was a small rest stop here, where we paused briefly to use the restroom and stretch our legs. The border had no obvious national boundary marker — just a small customs station reminding us that we had now stepped onto Norwegian territory.

From here on, we started to see more fjords and coastlines along the way, completely different from the lake scenery in Finland earlier, which made us look forward even more to the upcoming cruise itinerary. At around 12:00 (11:00 Norway time), we arrived at Kirkenes. First Cruise Experience and Grocery Shopping in Kirkenes 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 consists of several steps: Check-in procedures: providing a passport photo and registering personal information Receiving the room key card: this card is not only the room key, but is also used for onboard spending Credit card linking: onboard purchases (such as drinks, souvenirs, etc.) will be charged directly to the room bill

When we entered the room, we found that the luggage had already arrived, but housekeeping hadn't finished tidying up yet, so we decided to go up to the deck first to take in the scenery — the fjord views were absolutely magnificent.

Before setting sail, we took some free time to visit a nearby supermarket. Kirkenes is a small city inside the Arctic Circle, surrounded by ice and snow, with a calm and pure atmosphere. We bought a few cans of Norwegian beer and some chips to enjoy back on the ship.

Life Onboard Lunch: À la carte all-you-can-eat The cruise ship's restaurant setting is very upscale, offering exquisite Nordic cuisine. Lunch is served à la carte, all-you-can-eat style, with beautifully presented dishes, though the flavors tend to be quite salty, especially the seafood dishes — maybe it's because Nordic people prefer strong flavors?

Afternoon Rest and a Brief Stop at Vardøya After lunch, we went back to our cabin to rest for a while and took some seasickness medicine, which ended up knocking us out for almost two hours. Around 16:00, the cruise ship made a brief stop at the port of Vardøya in Norway, and passengers were free to go ashore for about 30 minutes. We took the opportunity to take a walk around the port — this little town was very quiet — while some other passengers chose to head 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 one appetizer, one main course, and one dessert. Overall the taste was more refined and layered than lunch, with a moderate portion size. Dinner Episode Halfway through the meal, the cruise ship's announcement suddenly rang out: "The Aurora has appeared!" We rushed straight to the deck, and sure enough, the aurora was bursting across the sky! Unfortunately, thick clouds covered most of its brilliance. After enjoying the aurora for a while like that, we went back to the restaurant full of confidence that we would definitely see the aurora again tonight.

Night Aurora Chase: From Anticipation to Regret After dinner, we went back to our room to celebrate having seen the aurora for four consecutive days, hoping that tonight the clouds would clear so we could witness another auroral outburst. Just after 8pm we arrived at today's second port of call, Batsfjord, but since we were only docked for about 10 short minutes, we just went ashore for some fresh air before heading back up.

At midnight, 12:00 AM, the announcement rang out again: "The aurora has appeared!" Full of hope, we rushed up to the deck, but the situation was the same as before — the clouds were too thick, and we could only faintly make out a weak glimmer of the 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 with a sense of regret. Trip Summary & Other Nordic Travel Stories This day included cross-border travel, our first cruise experience, fjord scenery, and aurora chasing — a journey full of anticipation and surprises. Explore more Nordic four-country self-guided travel stories Northern Europe isn't just about the aurora and snow — it's also home to elegant cities, the mystery of the polar region, and rich cultural depth. This journey spanning Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden will take you to explore the charm of Europe's purest corners! 🇩🇰 Denmark Free Travel 📍Day 2: A day trip in Copenhagen | 📍Day 3: Exploring the Freetown, flying to Finland 🇫🇮 Finland Polar Journey 📍Day 4: Helsinki city tour & overnight sleeper train | 📍Day 5: Santa Claus Village and your first taste of the aurora 📍Day 6: Rovaniemi Husky Sledding & City Stroll｜📍Day 7: Inari Lakeside and Aurora Wonderland 🇳🇴 Norway Cruise Voyage & Aurora Exploration 📍Day 8: Cross the Border from Inari to Kirkenes and Board the Cruise｜📍Day 9: Stop at Hammerfest and Life Aboard the Ship 📍Day 10: Tromsø Museum and Cable Car Snow Views｜📍Day 11: Transportation Disrupted, Stranded in Tromsø 🇸🇪 A Swedish Cultural Stroll and the Perfect Finale 📍Day 12: Fly to Stockholm, witness the Northern Lights high in the sky | 📍Day 13: City Hall & the Vasa Museum 📍Day 14: An in-depth wander through the Old Town and Swedish culture