With winding fjords, bubbling geysers and glistening glaciers, a voyage around Norway and Iceland makes for the perfect cool-cation, writes Kaye Holland

There are certain views every traveller needs to experience at least once in their life. Watching the sun set over the Maasai Mara in Kenya or gazing across glistening Alpine peaks from the top of a ski slope are two that immediately spring to mind. And now, having seen the deep fjords, majestic mountains and vast icy glaciers of Norway, they too can be added to the list, because they are as beautiful as anything I’ve seen before.

On Viking’s 12-night ‘Iceland’s Majestic Landscapes’ cruise, which calls at Norway en route to the land of fire and ice, I’m mesmerised by the country’s scenery. So much so that I spend hours on my stateroom balcony bracing the cold weather – even in September, guests can forget about packing T-shirts and sunnies – while armed with complimentary binoculars, unable to move for fear of missing something.

Onshore, Norway is just as pretty. The voyage begins in Bergen, Norway’s second city, where I wander the scenic cobbled streets, admiring the 18th-century clapboard shops and houses adorned in autumnal reds and yellows. Tours are included in most ports – it’s worth pointing out Norway-based Viking has detailed notes on every shore excursion, and each is rated by difficulty – but guests can pay for more adventurous outings. In Flam, I stump up £156 for a kayaking adventure and paddle through the tranquil waters of Hardangerfjord, famous for the Trolltunga rock formation, standing at 700 metres high.

Next up is Alesund, where, intrigued by the architecture, I sign up for the included Art Nouveau walking tour. I learn that the town’s peculiar layout spawned after a catastrophic fire destroyed some 850 houses in 1904. It was subsequently rebuilt in grand style, with handsome houses in dusky pink lining the streets. My excellent guide, Jean, feeds our small group titbits of information (did you know that Ålesund is the birthplace of the penny loafer?) via audio headsets.

The further north we travel, the more hypnotic the scenery gets. On day five, we dock in the Unesco-listed Geirangerfjord bright and early and jump on a bus for a day of touring that takes us up into the mountains on a skinny road full of hairpin turns. At Flydal Gorge viewpoint, our ship looks like a Lego toy against the cascading waterfalls.

Our stop in the Faroe Islands is less successful. The rain is lashing and the wind is screaming, so I enjoy a cosy afternoon on board instead. I gaze out at the harsh elements from the Explorers’ Lounge, an inviting space with vapour fires and sofas draped in reindeer hide, and browse the books – specially curated by Heywood Hill, booksellers to the Royal Family – in the library. In the Nordic Spa, I wimp out of trying the authentic Norway bathing ritual, put off by the cold pool and the snow grotto, and instead unwind with a 50-minute muscle-melting Swedish deep tissue massage.

Later, I relish the chance to listen to lectures about Norway’s geopolitics and wildlife in Viking Saturn’s theatre as well as classical concerts over afternoon tea in the light-filled Wintergarden, before admiring the extensive artwork on board: think an array of original Munch artwork and a reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry that has been placed, panel by panel, on each landing.

I move between the World Cafe, an upscale buffet where cruisers can taste dishes from your destination du jour; Mamsen’s cafe, with its apple cake – made from a recipe that’s been in the Hagen family (Viking’s owners) for centuries – and waffles served with Norwegian Brunost cheese; the elegant main dining room; Italian Manfredi’s; and the Chef’s Table.

At the latter, I manage to snag a seat on one of the sailing’s Asian-inspired evenings (the theme changes every few days), but repeat visits prove a lost cause: Viking’s regular guests know to book early and have bagged all the remaining spots. And it’s no wonder why. The Chef’s Table provides one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time – a five‑course menu inspired by the ingredients and unusual tastes of Asia, each paired with fine wines.

After a rewarding day at sea, we arrive in Seydisfjordur, a small town on Iceland’s east coast, where I book a whale-watching safari. Seeing a Humpback breach, as it lifts its whole body into the air and twirls around, is a breathtaking experience.

Next, we sail to the capital of the north, Akureyri, tucked atmospherically into the bottom of the Eyjafjordur fjord. I decide not to join one of the included tours and instead spend an enjoyable afternoon exploring the town. First, I walk up the steps of the dramatic Lutheran church, its façade as striking as Reykjavik’s world-famous cathedral (unsurprising given it was designed by the same architect), before perusing the exhibits at the Akureyri Art Museum, where a number of permanent works from the country’s prized painters invite different interpretations of this wildly atmospheric island.

After a stroll around the town’s botanical garden, which is all the more impressive when you consider that the city is just 62 miles from the Arctic Circle, I head back to the ship, past the rainbow-striped streets and heart-shaped traffic lights. En route, I learn they were introduced after Iceland’s financial crash in 2008, purely to make people feel happier.

There’s no doubt that the best – the country’s Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon – has been saved for last. Having arrived in Reykjavik the night before, I rise at an unholy 6am and slip into my thermals before heading to the Unesco World Heritage site of Thingvellir (the location of Iceland’s ancient parliament), a magical landscape torn apart by tectonic forces leaving enormous gorges and fissures. I thrill at seeing the spume of the Strokkur geyser and the thundering Gullfoss waterfall – familiar from countless social media stories – in person.

I bid Iceland farewell from its famous Blue Lagoon. Floating in the warm, milky azure waters, I reflect on my 11 days on board Viking Saturn and the excursions I have taken from it – some of the most stirring I’ve experienced on a cruise. They may not have given me a tan, but the memories I have made will live on a lot longer.