Norwegian Fjords & the Northern Lights Discovery Classes

Norwegian Fjords & the Northern Lights with your class

Norway is the school trip destination that geography and environmental science teachers dream about and rarely believe is within reach. The fjords, carved by glaciers over millions of years, refilled by the sea as the ice retreated, and now among the most dramatic landscapes on earth, are a live geography lesson at a scale that is impossible to convey in a classroom. The programme is based in Bergen, the most beautiful and accessible city on the Norwegian west coast, with day excursions into the Hardangerfjord or Sognefjord (the longest and deepest fjord in the world) by boat and by hiking trail. A kayaking session on the fjord itself places students inside the geography they are studying. And for groups visiting between October and March, the Northern Lights provide a phenomenon that connects to Physics, Earth Sciences, and simple wonder in equal measure, the Aurora Borealis is never guaranteed, but the further north the group travels, the better the odds, and even the attempt generates curriculum discussion about solar winds, magnetic fields, and atmospheric chemistry that no textbook can replicate in the same way. Bergen itself is a UNESCO-listed Hanseatic trading city, its wharf of wooden merchants' houses connecting the medieval world to the present in a setting of extraordinary picturesque quality.

Aurora borealis dancing over a Norwegian fjord on a school northern lights discovery trip

Trip highlights

01 The Northern Lights

The Northern Lights, for groups visiting between October and March, the Aurora Borealis is the defining possibility of the trip; even cloudy nights generate curriculum discussion, and clear nights produce an experience that students describe for years

02 Kayaking on the fjord

Kayaking on the fjord, a guided session on the still water of a Norwegian fjord, surrounded by walls of rock and waterfall, is one of the most powerful geography fieldwork experiences available anywhere in Europe

03 Bergen's Bryggen

Bergen's Bryggen, the UNESCO-listed Hanseatic wharf of wooden trading houses, continuously occupied since the 14th century, with the Hanseatic Museum explaining the medieval trade networks that connected Bergen to the cities of Northern Europe

Curriculum links

Geography glaciation, fjord formation, sea level, tidal systems, Norwegian coastal geography

Biology & Environmental Science Arctic and sub-Arctic ecosystems, biodiversity, conservation

Physics & Earth Sciences the Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis, the science of charged particles, magnetism, and atmospheric ionisation

History Viking history, Norse mythology, the Hanseatic League in Bergen

Physical Education hiking, kayaking, winter outdoor pursuits

Practical information

TransportTravel arranged to suit your school's location.

Accommodationcentrally located youth hostel or hotel in Bergen, with good transport links to the fjord departure points; for Northern Lights programmes, one or two nights at a lodge further north (Tromsø area) can be incorporated

Meals: breakfast included; group dinners at local Norwegian restaurants; packed lunches on fjord excursion days
Local currency is Norwegian Krone (NOK); Norway is expensive, spending money recommendations should reflect this; most natural sites are free
Warm, waterproof layers are essential at all times of year; for winter programmes, proper Arctic clothing (base layer, mid layer, outer shell) is required, a kit list is issued in advance
The Northern Lights require darkness and clear skies, October to March, the further north the better; Bergen itself offers moderate chances; Tromsø offers significantly better odds
Kayaking is suitable for all fitness levels with no prior experience; safety briefing and equipment provided by specialist guides
On the Move is the officially accredited school trips provider for the European Schools in Belgium; every trip has a dedicated project manager with 24/7 emergency support.

A day by day

Day 1

Arrival & Bergen Old Town Arrive in Bergen and make your way to the accommodation. After check-in, the late afternoon is given over to a first walk through the city, the Bryggen wharf, the fish market at Torget, and the funicular up Mount Fløyen for the first panoramic view of the fjord landscape surrounding the city. A group dinner of Norwegian seafood at the fish market or a nearby restaurant introduces students to the country's food culture.

Day 2

Hardangerfjord: Boat Tour & Waterfall Hike An early departure by express boat into the Hardangerfjord, one of Norway's most accessible and scenically dramatic fjords, its walls rising hundreds of metres from the waterline and the Folgefonna glacier visible on the plateau above. The boat calls at one or two fjord villages before the group disembarks for a guided hike to the Vøringsfossen waterfall, one of Norway's most famous, dropping 182 metres through a glacially carved gorge. Packed lunch on the fjord. Return to Bergen by boat in the late afternoon. Evening: Northern Lights alert, if conditions look favourable, the group heads to a dark-sky location outside the city.

Day 3

Bergen: Bryggen, the Hanseatic Museum & Mount Fløyen A guided morning at the Bryggen wharf and the Hanseatic Museum, the medieval merchant's house preserved almost entirely as it was in the 14th century, with its sleeping platforms, storage lofts, and trading offices connecting the city to the European trade networks of the Hanseatic League. After lunch, the group takes the Fløibanen funicular to the summit of Mount Fløyen (320 metres) for a self-guided walk through the forest with views across the city and the archipelago. Evening: second Northern Lights opportunity if conditions allow, or a guided astronomy session on the science of the Aurora.

Day 4

Sognefjord: Kayaking & Fjord Village The longest and deepest fjord in the world, the Sognefjord extends 204 kilometres inland from the coast and reaches depths of 1,308 metres. A boat and coach excursion takes the group to a designated kayaking point on the fjord for a guided session on the still water, groups of two per kayak, routes adapted to ability, with the fjord walls rising hundreds of metres on either side. After kayaking and a packed lunch, the group visits a traditional fjord village for free exploration before the return to Bergen. Evening: farewell group dinner with a Norwegian curriculum debrief session.

Day 5

Bergen Free Morning & Departure A final morning in Bergen, the covered fish market, the Kode art museums (which house Edvard Munch's The Scream alongside major Scandinavian art collections), or simply a final walk along the Bryggen. Departure in the early afternoon.

✏️ This is an example timetable — we can adapt the destination, programme, duration and budget to suit your group.

Students come home with…

a transformed understanding of glaciation as a physical process, not through a diagram but through a landscape they have moved through; a genuine engagement with Arctic ecology and climate science; and, on the right night, a memory of the sky that no amount of subsequent geography lessons will displace.

In pictures

Discovery Classes - your questions

Popular themes include space and aerospace, zoology, natural sciences, industrial heritage and urban regeneration, and technology. We tailor each itinerary to your subject and year group.

Yes. We arrange guided, expert-led visits and hands-on workshops at science centres, museums and research sites wherever possible.

Münster (Zoo School, planetarium) is designed for P5 (ages 10–11). Our other discovery destinations suit secondary years with content adapted to the group's level.

Return travel, accommodation, all entries and workshops, supervision, insurance and your On the Move coordinator.

Discovery trip to Norwegian Fjords & the Northern Lights