2. NÆRØYSUNDET

How it’s done: As you set sail from the UK and sail across the Arctic Circle, you’ll witness the splendour of picturesque Nærøysundet.

The entrance to this strait is restricted by a 41-metre bridge – but that’s no problem for Fred. Olsen’s elegant ships. Take in the villages on the sides of its banks, including Vikna, a fishermen’s hub where the pretty, brightly painted houses stand on stilts.

You’ll then head to the Lofoten Islands. Set in the mystery-filled waters of the Norwegian Sea, this is one of the country’s strongest links to its Viking past. In fact, it houses the Lofotr Viking Museum, where you can even experience what is was like to be part of the Norse seafarers’ civilisation.

Round out a cruise with a difference with a trip to Tromsø, a cultural hub above the Arctic Circle. There, high above the centuries-old wooden homes, you could be in with a chance to witness the world’s greatest light show: the Northern Lights.

Scenic Islands of Northern Norway, W1922, from £1,799pp, departing from Liverpool, September 20, 2019