Norway - Hurtigruten Coastal Express - Alesund toward Molde

Alesund toward Molde. View from the Coastal Express, which sails between Bergen and Kirkenes. For more than a century, the coastal steamer Hurtigruten has been the lifeline linking the tiny fishing communities scattered along the northern coast. A ship heads north from Bergen every night calling at 33 ports on the six-day journey to Kirkenes. From 1936 to the present day there have been daily departures from Bergen - only interrupted by the war years. Over 70 ships have served in the Coastal Express fleet over the last century. The first were acquired from other services both at home and abroad. In a survey done in the United States, Americans ranked the Hurtigruten as second when asked to "name a tourist attraction in Europe", and in 2001 the Hurtigruten Coastal Express was voted "The World's Most Beautiful Sea Voyage." (Photo by In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)