hurtigruten overnight cruise

Hurtigruten Expeditions is now HX!

• Norway Attractions

Live the Legend of Norway: Book Now and Save!

Get 25% off the regular price of signature voyages or 30% off hurtigruten’s coastal express sailings., our voyages.

There are two main ways to sail with us and experience the many wonders of the Norwegian coast.

All-inclusive food and drink to our top-handpicked destinations

Award-winning Norway’s Coastal Kitchen cuisine

Up to 14 ports, with several hours to fully experience each

Wide choice of inclusive drinks in the ship's restaurants and bar

Large Coastal Experience Team on board for more guiding

Choose from The Svalbard Line and The North Cape Line 

Our famous route connecting local communities since 1893

The original Coastal Express we founded over 130 years ago

Up to 34 diverse ports, with ten minutes to four hours in each

Regional Norwegian ingredients sourced as we sail

Travel like a local alongside Norwegians

Sail the roundtrip route or tailor your voyage

For those seeking a different ​kind of Arctic adventure

Go beyond Norway’s coast on sailings along the edges of remote Arctic and Atlantic islands.

Voyages along Greenland and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard

Regions characterized by glaciers, fjords, and majestic wildlife

Unique ways of life at the top of the world

A sense of adventure entwined with utter tranquility

Journey into the Arctic wilderness on The Spitsbergen Adventurer

Sail with Greenlanders and a local guide on Arctic Umiaq Line

Explore the Northern Lights with us

Embark on a celestial journey during the anticipated Solar Maximum of 2024-25 , promising the most spectacular Northern Lights display in over a decade. Seize the opportunity to witness, learn , and photograph this extraordinary phenomenon now.

Book confidently with our Northern Lights Promise – get a free trip if the lights don't appear on select voyages ( Ts&Cs apply ).

Don't miss this celestial spectacle – book your journey and embrace the magic of the Northern Lights with us!

Featured Voyages

Choose how you want to discover the Norwegian coast.

The Coastal Express

Bergen – Kirkenes – Bergen (Roundtrip)

Departure Dates

Regular departures

Price from $1,853

The Coastal Express – North

Bergen – Kirkenes (Northbound)

Price from $1,260

The Coastal Express – South

Kirkenes – Bergen (Southbound)

Price from $1,075

Scandinavian Tour Packages

Discover your perfect Nordic adventures featuring handpicked immersive experiences:

-Escorted groups with expert guides

-Cruise-inclusive journeys with included activities

-Immersion into Nordic culture & scenery

-Chance to see Northern Lights

-Ocean to plate dining

Your questions answered

Everything you need to know about traveling on a Hurtigruten voyage, including:

What to pack

Coastal Express FAQs

Arrival & departure information

Help center

Travel to Norway

I took a coastal Norwegian cruise for $230. Skipping a cabin cut the price in half, but I had to sleep in public for 2 nights.

• I booked tickets on an overnight Hurtigruten cruise in Norway without booking cabin space.
• I felt a little self-conscious whipping out a sleeping bag on a public couch in the ship's lounge.
• But after seeing the fjords and how much cabins cost on board , I would do this again in a heartbeat.

One of the best ways to see Norway's jagged coastline is by boat , so I spent two nights traveling up the coast with Hurtigruten last fall. 

Hurtigruten's hop-on, hop-off-style cruise allows travelers to spend just a night or two on board instead of sticking on the ship for the entire route. Passengers also don't have to pay for a cabin as long as their trip is less than 24 hours. 

Our trips were 23 and 14 hours each, so we were able to book deck space, a ticket that doesn't come with a cabin . Tickets came to $230 per person for both nights — a cabin would have cost us a whopping $500 to $800 per person per night.

We got some strange looks when we pulled out sleeping bags on night one

I used the Hurtigruten Coastal Express Port-to-Port customization tool to book my trip, which allowed me to choose routes between the cities I wanted to see. Because I booked each route separately, I got to disembark at the end of each ferry ride and spend a few days exploring before getting back on the next ship for another journey. 

Both of my ferry passages were overnight, so my husband and I packed our sleeping bags and crossed our fingers. I couldn't find a lot of information online about booking deck space, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Once we were on board, it was clear most passengers had booked cabins. On the first ferry, just one other passenger joined us on the couches in the lounge, and we saw two others on the second.

I felt a little awkward (and exposed — the ship doesn't turn off the lights at night) setting up camp on the couches when other passengers were going to their cabins .

Related stories

The views from the ship were worth it, though. On our first night, the crew made a boat-wide announcement that the Northern Lights were visible.

The next day, I got to explore a fjord for no extra cost

Spending the next day watching snow-capped peaks rising up on either side of a fjord (a narrow body of water with land on three sides) made our awkward sleeping experience worth it. 

The best part of our booking was the entire day the ship spent in the Hjørundfjorden, a spectacular fjord that cuts between the stunning Sunnmøre Alps.

The ship also stopped at a tiny town deep at the end of the fjord — passengers could disembark via a free tender boat to explore or book an excursion. The town was so small that I explored on foot, climbing up hills for a better view of the mountains surrounding it.

I loved not having to pay extra to explore this stunning area. 

I'd totally do this experience again, especially since I saved so much money

I'd absolutely book a deck-space ticket again with Hurtigruten even though I didn't get much sleep either night on board. On the second ship, the couches we picked were more like love seats, and people were vacuuming and cleaning throughout the night. 

Still, the views and exploration included with our ticket made the trip worth it. 

If I were to make the journey again, I would do what we saw two other passengers do: Embrace the awkward, set up camping pads in a quiet corner, and marvel at what's outside the window .

Watch: We stayed overnight in a Boeing 747 converted hotel — here's what it was like inside

• Main content

• Things to Do
• Restaurants
• Vacation Rentals
• Travel Stories
• Rental Cars
• Add a Place
• Travel Forum
• Travelers' Choice
• Help Center

Overnight Cruise from Trondheim to... - Hurtigruten

• Europe    
• Norway    
• Northern Norway    
• Troms    
• Tromso    
• Tromso - Things to Do    
• Hurtigruten

Good - [ ] Food selection was great. Mixture of table service and buffet for dinner on different... read more

We travelled overnight from Bergen to Alesund. Attended the obligatory safety briefing (free tea... read more

Overnight Cruise from Trondheim to Bergen

We had a wonderful experience sailing on the Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald from Trondheim to Bergen. Our room had a large window and 3 beds. We were impressed by the impressive buffets served, as well as the two sit down meals, one lunch and one dinner. The food was excellent and the staff very friendly. We definitely recommend the Hurtigruten!

We boarded the Ship in Trondheim at 13 hrs for an overnight journey to Stamsun. The cabin was very small and we immediately were offered an upgrade for a Suite which would have cost another 500 Euro. We chose for another, less expensive option which we found decent. The check in was friendly, however, we did not get the right information and briefing and had to explore all by ourselves and asking around. No drinking water is provided in the rooms. It has to be bought, the same is true for wifi use, which is added to the rather expensive and cumbersome experience. So much so that due to lack of being informed we missed the booking "opportunity" for a dinner offer we would have liked to have. The reservation closed at 13 hrs and that was it... Argument: the chef has to have time to cook and prepare the dishes. This at 14 hrs. The boat is fantastic and so is the trip and the landscape. However, we were very disappointed with the staff's attitude. They severely lack professionalism and are not really service oriented. After having ordered food in the evening in the nearby bistro, many of us were waiting for the food for more than 45 mins. When the food finally came, we had to get the cutlery and napkins ourselves, as the waitress was busy chatting with some guests. We saw in several instances that guests were not really advised or helped in situations which require staff support. Overall, we enjoyed the trip however sincerely suggest to brief the staff on customer orientation.

I found it hard to find reviews of Hurtigruten excursions when I was booking them, so here is my contribution. They are expensive, but we booked super early and were able to get all of the following for less than $1,500 per person. We traveled July 4th-15th on MS Nordnorge. (1) Geiranger with Trollstigen. The scenery is beautiful, but this is a popular excursion and the hoarde of Hurtigruten busses make the stops very crowded, in particular the viewpoint over Geirangerfjord. We only had 10 minutes here, which would have been more than ample time if there wasn't such a massive throng of people there. All in all the scenery was worth the crowds and I'm glad we did it, but even more glad the rest of the excursions we did were far less crowded. (2) Highlights of Lofoten. I wasn't able to make this one as it was late at night (7-10pm) and we were traveling with out 5 month old, but my husband, brother-in-law, and my parents were so-so about this one. They said the village they visited was a bit hokey, and the best part was a church they literally had 5 minutes at. (3) Fishing Village Visit. This was low key, but we loved it. We had a great guide, and there were only a handful of people on this excursion (less than 10), which was perfect. A bus meets you in Honnigsvag, and drives you across Mageroya to Skarsvag, then to Kamøyvær. These villages are tiny and modest (if you're picturing an painfully charming hamlet in Tuscany or Provence, don't), but we enjoyed driving over the tundra and taking a quick peek into life in Finnmark. (4) The Russian Border. Again we had a great guide and tiny group, so we really enjoyed this one too. The bus meets you at the port, you do a quick drive through Kirkenes, then stop at the border for some photos. Most of the rest of the tour is spent enjoying borscht at Gapahuken restaurant, with a quick photo stop above Kirkenes before heading back to the ship. The scenery isn't anything too exciting, but we enjoyed hearing about life at the intersection of Norway, Finland, and Russia. (5) Midnight Concert in the Arctic Cathedral. Also had to stay behind with the baby for this one, but the rest of my family loved it. (6) A Taste of Vesteralen. This was a nice tour, though it didn't blow us away. The bus meets you in Harstad, does a quick driving tour of the town (a fine town, but nothing special), then takes you to Trondenes church, then across Hinnoya island (including one ferry). The scenery was lovely but doesn't compare to Lofoten or to the western fjords, and this excursion was more crowded than some of the others we did (though not too bad). All in all we liked it---in particular Trondenes church--but weren't blown away. (7) UNESCO Vega Archipelago. You meet a boat in Sandnessjoen, which takes you to Vega (2 hr trip), the largest island in the archipelago. You have nearly 2 hours to enjoy the museum in Vega, then it's another hour on the boat to Bronnoysund. The boat trip was lovely, through tons of tiny little islands. I was expecting an open-air museum on Vega for some reason (where we could 'see' how the eiderdown is harvested), but it's really a museum that could be anywhere. That being said it was really interesting, and we very much enjoyed our day. (8) Atlantic Road. This was a great excursion. You start with a bus tour of Kristiansund, which is beautiful, then head to Kvernes stave church (also very cool; we had seen Borgund earlier in our trip, and I'd seen Gol stave church on a previous trip to Oslo). From Kvernes you stop for dinner (Bacalao) at a tavern right at the start of the Atlantic Road. Shortly after starting on the Atlantic Road you stop to take a footbridge around one of the small islands, which gives you good views of a tall bridge on the Atlantic Road. From there it's back on the bus, all the way to Molde. This was slightly crowded but not bad, and definitely worth the crowds.

We booked a two week trip with a tour company that included five days on board the MS Kong Harald. What a fabulous experience we had! The ship is a working ferry, not a luxurious cruise ship. Our room (656) was a bit smaller but equally comfortable and accommodating. There was a TV with numerous channels that also included navigation information, like a map of where we were. The food was from local sources so always fresh and delicious. Crew was friendly, helpful, and did a great job. This ferry is the only one allowed to dock at all the ports it does, something like 34 stops. Some stops are very brief, some for several hours. At the longer stops people are free to get off and explore the towns on their own, or they can take tours offered by the ship, or in our case we had tours with our travel company. The best part was sailing in and out of the Norwegian fjords. The beauty is breathtaking! Norway has to be one of the most strikingly naturally beautiful countries in the world. We took a ship offered tour to North Cape, the northernmost populated place in Europe, where there was almost a blizzard!! We also saw the Seven Sisters and the gigantic rock with a hole in it. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to experience something a bit different and who can live without luxury. Super trip!!!

I took this cruise from Kirkenes to Bergen on the Nord Norge. I was kind of surprised to see so many negative reviews as my friend and I didn't have that type of experience. There were some good things and some not so good. My review would probably have given a star rating of Good, if Trip advisor had one. Not much is included in the price, beyond the food and the trip. Even the wine and soda is extra. The room is small, but you have to remember that this is a working ship. It was fine and I slept very well, even though we were on a lower deck. Our room had a window which was great as otherwise it would have been a bit claustrophobic The food was excellent. It was all locally sourced, and incredibly fresh. I found the dinners very tasty, my reindeer was not tough as one of the other reviewers said. The excursions are quite expensive but if you don't want to do them, you're free to go on your own at each port, although they don't stay very long in the smaller places. The scenery, which is really why you're going, is spectacular. What can I say about the fjords and the Northern Lights that would convey their splendor. Our expedition team was quite competent and their lectures, especially about Norwegian life and customs, were very interesting. If you go expecting the big cruise ship experience, you will be dissapointed. If you go with the idea of seeing the splendors of Norway with a true Norwegian experience, it will be a worthwhile experience.

We took the Alesund-Bergen leg and boarded the boat at midnight for a 1 a.m. departure. We were told we had until noon to leave the room and it said so on our key card. The boat wouldn't dock until 2 pm so we had plenty of time. At 10 a.m., a male cabin steward opened the door without knocking, turned the lights on, and woke us. He announced "you have 30 minutes to leave the cabin" and left the lights on. We were too shocked to say anything. Another 45 minutes later, his supervisor did the same thing. Did not knock, opened the door, and unfortunately for her, encountered me with my wits about me. I explained our check out time and she said "someone should have put a sign on your door." This is a ridiculous customer service experience and I would never use this line just because of the way they treat their passengers (like inmates). The food was blah and the rooms were spartan. The only good thing about this cruise were the views outside.

• Favourites 0

Finnish Lapland, Hurtigruten & Fjords

A spectacular journey through the land of the Northern Lights. Visit Rovaniemi, Santa Claus and stay in a glass igloo in Saariselkä before embarking on a Hurtigruten cruise along Norway’s coast from Kirkenes to Bergen. Discover breathtaking scenery covered in pure white snow via the fjords to Oslo. 

Start the tour in Oslo instead of Helsinki?

Transportation

Cruise, Train, Boat, Bus

Self guided

Itinerary - Day by day

Arrival helsinki, the capital of finland view details hide details, add extra nights in helsinki - arrival helsinki, the capital of finland from eur 99 per person per night, helsinki / overnight train to rovaniemi view details hide details, compartment included during the overnight train ride.

Arrival in Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland View details Hide details

Optional winter activities / overnight in rovaniemi view details hide details, add extra nights in rovaniemi - optional winter activities / overnight in rovaniemi from eur 104 per person per night, travel by bus to saariselkä / northern lights village view details hide details, accommodation included at northern lights village.

Optional winter activities / Northern Lights Village View details Hide details

Travel by bus to kirkenes, close to the russian border view details hide details, accommodation at gamme cabin (category gold).

Cruise departure with Hurtigruten View details Hide details

Cabin types included during the cruise.

Cruise via Hammerfest to Tromsø View details Hide details

Cruise via vesterålen and lofoten islands view details hide details, cruise along the helgeland coastline view details hide details, cruise via trondheim, kristiansund and molde view details hide details, cruise arrival in bergen, the gateway to the fjords view details hide details, add extra nights in bergen - cruise arrival in bergen, the gateway to the fjords from eur 95 per person per night, winter fjord cruise and overnight in flåm view details hide details, add extra nights in flåm - winter fjord cruise and overnight in flåm from eur 195 per person per night, flåm- and bergen railway to oslo view details hide details, add extra nights in oslo - flåm- and bergen railway to oslo from eur 100 per person per night, departure from oslo view details hide details, tour category.

Accommodation at good tourist class hotels equal to 3 stars according to Scandinavian standard.

Inside cabin included during overnight cruises.

See Silver accommodation

Accommodation at 4 star hotels or at unique properties, like historic hotels or manor houses, selected for their atmosphere.

Outside (seaside) cabin included during overnight cruises.

See Gold accommodation

Services included: 

• 9 nights hotel accommodation in a standard room with private shower/WC, including breakfast.
• 2 dinner at Northern Lights Village in Saariselkä.
• 2 dinner at Santa's Hotel Santa Claus in Rovaniemi for stays in December only.
• 1 overnight train between Helsinki and Rovaniemi. Accommodation in a private 2-berth sleeping compartment with private facilities.
• Bus between Rovaniemi and Saariselkä.
• Minibus or bus between Inari and Saariselkä.
• 5 nights onboard Hurtigruten from Kirkenes to Bergen (when starting from Helsinki)
• 6 nights onboard Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes (when starting from Oslo)
• Accommodation in unspecified 2-berth polar inside cabin with shower/WC (twin beds, category D, B, I or K). Basic service level (see description below), cabin on lower, middle or upper deck.
• Breakfast buffet with a wide selection of food, usually served between 07.00-10.00 hrs.
• Large lunch buffet with hot and cold dishes and dessert, usually served between 12.00-14.30 hrs.
• 3-course dinner, usually served between 18.30-21.00 hrs.
• Train between Bergen and Voss.
• Bus between Voss and Gudvangen.
• Boat between Gudvangen and Flåm.
• Train between Flåm - Myrdal - Oslo.
• Electronic travel documentation, including a detailed travel itinerary and travel vouchers.
• 24/7 emergency phone service while travelling.
• Additional services included for Tour Category GOLD only:
• Category GOLD hotels (accommodation in standard rooms)
• 1 night in a Gamme cabin next to the SnowHotel (instead of at a hotel in Kirkenes) including transfer, 3-course dinner and breakfast.
• Unspecified polar outside cabin (twin beds, category J, A, L, AJ, N or O – some cabins might have limited view). Basic service level, cabin on middle, lower or upper deck.

Important information when travelling with Hurtigruten:

Kindly note that Hurtigruten uses dynamic pricing, and prices may vary depending on the ship’s occupancy. Should their standard rates not be available at the time of booking, we will contact you with the best available rate . Early booking is recommended. Different service levels:

• Basic  (unspecified inside or outside cabin, full board).
• Select  (specific cabin category, full board, choice of dining time, free WiFi and more).
• Platinum  (as select, plus transfers, choice between buffet dinner and a la carte, exclusive shore excursions and more).

Please see the full overview of the services included in the three services levels . Please  contact us for additional information and the current pricing details.

Please note: If you choose to upgrade from basic to a higher service level after a booking has been confirmed you might not get the same price level.

Special terms and conditions apply:

Kindly note that special terms and conditions apply when booking this tour: 

• 30% deposit payment. Please refer to our  terms and conditions  for details regarding cancellation.

Similar Tours

Get smartphone savvy the easy way: Join our seven-day email challenge to receive helpful tips each day.

AARP daily Crossword Puzzle

Hotels with AARP discounts

Life Insurance

AARP Dental Insurance Plans

AARP MEMBERSHIP 

AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products, hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

• right_container

Work & Jobs

Social Security

AARP en Español

• Membership & Benefits
• AARP Rewards
• AARP Rewards %{points}%

Conditions & Treatments

Drugs & Supplements

Health Care & Coverage

Health Benefits

Staying Fit

Your Personalized Guide to Fitness

Get Happier

Creating Social Connections

Brain Health Resources

Tools and Explainers on Brain Health

Your Health

8 Major Health Risks for People 50+

Scams & Fraud

Personal Finance

Money Benefits

View and Report Scams in Your Area

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide

Free Tax Preparation Assistance

AARP Money Map

Get Your Finances Back on Track

How to Protect What You Collect

Small Business

Age Discrimination

Flexible Work

Freelance Jobs You Can Do From Home

AARP Skills Builder

Online Courses to Boost Your Career

31 Great Ways to Boost Your Career

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Tips to Enhance Your Job Search

Get More out of Your Benefits

When to Start Taking Social Security

10 Top Social Security FAQs

Social Security Benefits Calculator

Medicare Made Easy

Original vs. Medicare Advantage

Enrollment Guide

Step-by-Step Tool for First-Timers

Prescription Drugs

9 Biggest Changes Under New Rx Law

Medicare FAQs

Quick Answers to Your Top Questions

Care at Home

Financial & Legal

Life Balance

LONG-TERM CARE

​Understanding Basics of LTC Insurance​

State Guides

Assistance and Services in Your Area

Prepare to Care Guides

How to Develop a Caregiving Plan

End of Life

How to Cope With Grief, Loss

Recently Played

Word & Trivia

Atari® & Retro

Members Only

Staying Sharp

Mobile Apps

More About Games

Right Again! Trivia

Right Again! Trivia – Sports

Atari® Video Games

Throwback Thursday Crossword

Travel Tips

Vacation Ideas

Destinations

Travel Benefits

Outdoor Vacation Ideas

Camping Vacations

Plan Ahead for Summer Travel

AARP National Park Guide

Discover Canyonlands National Park

History & Culture

8 Amazing American Pilgrimages

Entertainment & Style

Family & Relationships

Personal Tech

Home & Living

Celebrities

Beauty & Style

Movies for Grownups

Summer Movie Preview

Jon Bon Jovi’s Long Journey Back

Looking Back

50 World Changers Turning 50

Sex & Dating

Spice Up Your Love Life

Friends & Family

How to Host a Fabulous Dessert Party

Home Technology

Caregiver’s Guide to Smart Home Tech

Virtual Community Center

Join Free Tech Help Events

Create a Hygge Haven

Soups to Comfort Your Soul

AARP Solves 25 of Your Problems

Driver Safety

Maintenance & Safety

Trends & Technology

AARP Smart Guide

How to Clean Your Car

We Need To Talk

Assess Your Loved One's Driving Skills

AARP Smart Driver Course

Building Resilience in Difficult Times

Tips for Finding Your Calm

Weight Loss After 50 Challenge

Cautionary Tales of Today's Biggest Scams

7 Top Podcasts for Armchair Travelers

Jean Chatzky: ‘Closing the Savings Gap’

Quick Digest of Today's Top News

AARP Top Tips for Navigating Life

Get Moving With Our Workout Series

You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Camping and RVing Ideas

Go to Series Main Page

Try Brewery or Winery Camping for a Fun RV Experience

Camping at a winery offers overnight accommodations and amenities such as sunset wine tastings

RV Curious? What You Need to Know Before Renting an RV

Get some pointers on how to rent an RV, with tips on where to look and how to research

Tips for a First Camping Trip With Grandkids

Family camping is a perfect opportunity to bond with grandchildren. Gather camping ideas to plan an awesome adventure

How to Find a Campground That Fits Your Comfort Zone

These tips will help you find a campsite with your desired amenities and security

8 Dark Sky National Parks Fantastic for Camping 

See deep into space at these top spots, including Arches, Big Bend and Grand Canyon

10 Adult Summer Camps to Get Away and Learn New Things

People over 50 can unleash their inner child at one of these adult camps

Camping ‘Calm-Cations’ Are All the Rage

Discover calm vacation spots to commune with nature, save money and stay close to home

7 Yurt Camping Spots in Oregon

Great places to rent one across the state

7 Scenic RV Parks Where You Can Book Your Next Vacation

Discover rv campgrounds with amenities and attractions to enhance your trip.

Terry Ward,

Sometimes the joy is in the journey. Some 56 percent of Gen Xers and 31 percent of boomers surveyed in a 2024 RV travel trends report said they plan to hit the road in an RV this year, according to RVshare, which bills itself as the largest RV rental site in the United States.

Other times it’s just as much fun being there. And when you stay in an RV at one of the country’s most beautiful RV parks, with tons of on-site fun and memorable views — lakes, mountains, ocean, rivers — you might be tempted to simply shift into park and not go anywhere else during your vacation.

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

RV rental companies like Outdoorsy, RVshare and RVPlusYou can take the driving and towing out of the logistics of an RV vacation by delivering the rental to you. Ask the RV owner if they will handle setting up the vehicle after they deliver it and if they can walk you through such tasks as connecting hoses and cables to sewer and electricity.

There are a variety of locations around the country for trying out an RV vacation. RV parks differ from campgrounds in that they usually have pull-through sites offering easier access for bigger rigs as well as paved or gravel sites, even driveways, for straightforward parking. RV parks usually offer some combination of water, electric and sewer hookups (or, preferably, all of them), cable TV connections, and other amenities such as showers and laundry facilities on hand. Some have on-site dumping stations too.

Keep in mind that not all RV sites offer all amenities. You’ll want to do your research before booking to ensure your comfort needs will be met by the site you’ve selected before you roll up.

When it comes to the top places in the U.S. to try an RV stay, your options are vast. Consider these seven spectacular spots to settle in for an RV vacation.

ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT

Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo, River Ranch, Florida

While there are no paved sites at this RV park on a real Florida dude ranch about 80 miles south of Orlando, you can count on lots of shady spots amid the wilderness at Westgate River Ranch. The sites can accommodate RVs up to 50 feet long and have partial hookups, so there’s electricity and water but no sewer (there is, however, an on-site dumping station). Bathroom facilities with hot showers are just a short stroll away. The ranch’s Rodeo Arena hosts a weekly Saturday Night Rodeo, where some of Florida’s best rodeo athletes compete in barrel racing, bull riding and more. Among the many ranch activities are horseback riding, airboat and swamp buggy rides along the Kissimmee River and the surrounding wilderness, mini golf and a petting farm. RV sites start at $59 per night.

Holland America Line

Up to $200 onboard credit on select cruises

Misty Mountain Camp Resort, Greenwood, Virginia

For a vacation near the wineries and rolling foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, plan your stay at this lovely RV park west of Charlottesville. The Misty Mountain Camp Resort sprawls across 50 acres and has RV sites with gravel pull-through and back-in parking pads, electricity and water, and your own picnic table and fire rings, so you can enjoy the outdoor camp life too. There are laundry facilities and hot showers on-site as well. The entertainment comes to you on summer and fall weekends, when live bands and local food trucks set up on-site. Other amenities include a jump pad and playgrounds for kids, a fishing pond stocked with bluegill and bass, basketball and volleyball courts, and even cornhole and horseshoes. Rates start at $56 per night.

Sea Ranch Resort, Cannon Beach, Oregon

For great hiking and spectacular coastal views, there’s nothing quite like vacationing along the thickly forested Pacific Coast. At Sea Ranch Resort, you can settle in for an RV stay that’s within easy reach of some of the West Coast’s most beautiful nature. All sites here have electricity and water, and some have sewage hookups too. The resort is just a few blocks from the ocean and downtown Cannon Beach in an area of incredible wilderness where elk sometimes pass through. Among the amenities are fire rings with grill tops, laundry and hot showers, and a sauna facility that costs $35 per person to use for up to two hours. RV sites with full hookups start at $90 per night.

Indiana Dunes State Park, Chesterton, Indiana

The campground at Indiana Dunes State Park (not to be confused with the nearby national park with a similar name) offers RVers the chance to experience some of the Midwest’s most spellbinding scenery. Set along Lake Michigan , the park sprawls across more than 2,100 acres and has more than 3 miles of pristine beachfront that’s particularly popular (and busy) during the summer months. You can stock up on groceries in Chesterton, just outside the park gate, or in Michigan City, less than 8 miles away. There are 134 sites with full electrical hookups, along with up-to-date restrooms and shower facilities. RV sites are roughly $23 per night.

Grand Marais Recreation Area, Grand Marais, Minnesota

Grand Marais Recreation Area puts you within walking distance of the quaint harbor town of Grand Marais, bike trails and Lake Superior’s pretty (if chilly) cobblestone beaches. It’s the perfect spot for an RV vacation, with sites that have full hookups (electric, sewer and water), picnic tables and dedicated spaces for building a fire to keep warm while enjoying the scenery outside on brisk evenings. While you can camp here year-round, the park’s bathhouses are open only from May to mid-October — the busiest months of the year. RV sites start at around $50 per night in peak season.

Camp Eddy, Grand Junction, Colorado

Airstreams and tiny homes are among the options for a stay at Camp Eddy. For RV travelers, few places could be more welcoming than this great campground, where you can stay alongside the scenic green space of Las Colonias Park and right on the banks of the Colorado River. A paved walking path from the campground leads to the park’s amphitheater, where bands sometimes perform. And you can follow bike paths into town to explore downtown Grand Junction’s restaurants, breweries and bars. The Palisade wineries of Colorado’s wine country are just a 20-minute drive away. RV sites have pull-through and back-in options with full hookups as well as access to laundry and hot showers. And you can sit for a drink around a firepit at The Hub, the campground’s riverside patio. RV sites start at $50 per night.

On the Lake RV Resort, Onalaska, Texas

Less than 90 miles north of Houston, on the shores of Lake Livingston, the On the Lake RV Resort offers both waterfront and woodsy RV sites, depending on the backdrop you prefer in this piece of nature in East Texas’ picturesque Piney Woods region. Keen anglers love the onsite marina and direct access to the lake’s catfish and bass fishing as well as the camp’s fish-cleaning station. Families come year-round for lakeside recreation, which includes a pool and hot tub, playground, volleyball court and private beach. RV sites have full hookups and picnic tables as well as access to laundry and restroom facilities with hot showers. The winter and spring months, when temperatures are at their mildest, are particularly inviting. Winter RV rates start at $49 per night.

Terry Ward is a travel journalist who lives in Tampa, Florida, and loves to scuba dive and camp with her kids. She is a contributing writer who covers food, drink and travel, and her work has appeared in  National Geographic Traveler  and The Washington Post  and on cnn.com.

Discover AARP Members Only Access

Already a Member? Login

MORE FROM AARP

How to Find the Best Vacation Rental

28 tips on planning — and enjoying — time away from home

Why You Should Consider Planning a Camping Trip Now

Don’t wait: New reservation requirements and a steady rise in popularity and prices are making it more difficult to secure a spot in the great outdoors 

Get Out! A Beginner's Guide to Camping

Or Call: 1-800-675-4318

Enter a valid from location

Enter a valid to location

Enter a valid departing date

Enter a valid returning date

Age of children:

Child under 2 must either sit in laps or in seats:

+ Add Another Flight

Enter a valid destination location

Enter a valid checking in date

Enter a valid checking out date

Occupants of Room

Occupants of Room 1:

Occupants of Room 2:

Occupants of Room 3:

Occupants of Room 4:

Occupants of Room 5:

Occupants of Room 6:

Occupants of Room 7:

Occupants of Room 8:

Enter a valid date

You didn't specify child's age

There are children in room 1 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age for room 1

There are children in room 2 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age in room 2

There are children in room 3 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age in room 3

There are children in room 4 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age in room 4

There are children in room 5 without an adult

You didn't specify child's age in room 5

You have more than 6 people total

Please select a trip duration less than 28 days

There must be at least 1 traveler (age 12+) for each infant in a lap

Enter a valid From location

Enter a valid start date

Enter a valid drop location

Enter a valid drop off date

Select a valid to location

Select a month

Enter a valid going to location

Enter a valid from date

Enter a valid to date

AARP Value & Member Benefits

HX: Hurtigruten Expeditions

5% off cruise fares and a €100 per person onboard credit

AARP Vacation Ideas

Ideas for every type of trip – from cruises to road trips

AARP Travel Center Powered by Expedia: Car Rentals

Up to 30% off select car rentals

AARP® Staying Sharp®

Activities, recipes, challenges and more with full access to AARP Staying Sharp®

SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS

• Norwegian Bokmål

Norway’s Hurtigruten Draws Up Plans to Reopen Coastal Routes

Norway’s Hurtigruten is planning to resume service between Bergen and Kirkenes on June 16th with Arctic expeditions in Norwegian waters following during the summer. Cruises in other regions, including Alaska and the Northwest Passage, have been cancelled for 2020.

After a nearly three-month shut-down Hurtigruten aims for a gradual restart of operations between Bergen and Kirkenes on June 16th. The first vessel back in service will be the MS Finnmarken departing northward from Bergen. Since restrictions for international travelers currently remain in place, voyages will likely be limited to domestic travelers initially. 

"Gradually restarting operations within Norwegian waters are natural first steps towards a normalization for us. The size and scale of our step-by-step restart is dependent on national and international travel restrictions, government support and other external factors outside of our control. But we are eager to welcome guests on board our ships again," said Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam.

Hurtigruten has implemented a number of measures to ensure the safety of guests, including strict hygiene protocols and reduced guest capacity to allow social distancing . The use of onboard facilities, such as saunas, pools and gyms may be limited and curtailed shore excursions. 

Passengers will have their temperature taken before being allowed on board and will have to fill out a health questionnaire confirming passengers have not traveled abroad in at least 10 days. A number of cabins will be reserved for self-isolation in case guests develop symptoms and need to be isolated. The company did not release any information about if the wearing of masks would become mandatory on board. 

"We are two months into what is a truly extraordinary situation. In one way or another, the consequences of the pandemic impact us all," noted Skjeldam. "There is still a lot of uncertainty in what the next weeks and months will bring. However, we do see international restrictions gradually being lifted. Step by step, the pandemic is being brought under control. Businesses are re-opening and everyday life is slowly getting back to a degree of normality." 

Challenging financial situation

The world’s major cruise operators have been hit hard financially by ceasing operations for several months. Royal Caribbean International, a major cruise line, forecasted a loss of several billion dollars for the first half of 2020 as cruise tourism has been shut down since the middle of March. the company has already borrowed more than $5bn with interest payments amounting to $500m for 2020 alone.

Hurtigruten also faces a tenuous financial situation with its credit rating severely downgraded. Given the uncertain future, the company decided to defer the conversion of three of its vessels from diesel to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Originally the company had intended to convert six of its coastal steamers to the cleaner fuel in order to comply with new requirements by the Norwegian government to reduce CO2 emissions by 25 percent. Conversions were to be conducted by Kongsberg Maritime, which confirms that Hurtigruten cancelled three of the orders .

The company has also been looking to secure state financial aid similar to airline companies in Norway and around the world. However, in light of dramatic decline in revenue Hurtigruten’s credit rating has been downgraded significantly rendering it ineligible for emergency aid offered by the government which is only directed at companies with good credit ratings. 

“It’s a paradox that we, who were operating incredibly well at the beginning of the year, now aren’t worthy enough to receive help,” Skjeldam told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) .

Minimum service along coastal route

Global cruise ship tourism came to an abrupt halt in the middle of March in light of the rapid spread of Covid-19. Currently 13 of the company’s 16 vessels are laid up. 

Due to Hurtigruten’s special role as not only an international cruise operator but also the company behind Norway’s coastal cruises transporting people, vehicles and vital supplies to communities along Norway’s coastline, the company never ceased operation fully. Two ships continue to travel according to an amended domestic schedule delivering mail, medical supplies and general goods. 

A third vessel, the MS Roald Amundsen , is expected back in Bergen on May 28 after a nearly two-month voyage from Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic where it departed on March 26.

Summer cruises in Alaska and Svalbard in question

Meanwhile, hope is dwindling for a normal summer cruise ship season, vital to local economies, in Svalbard and Alaska.

International visitors are barred from Svalbard until at least August 20th , according to a newly updated directive by the Norwegian government. This means guests from abroad can not use the archipelago’s airport at the beginning and end of voyages. 

The closure also affects the international MOSAiC expedition and its Polarstern icebreaker, which had originally planned to use Svalbard as a staging ground to exchange crew and staff during its year-long mission. Instead two relief vessels have been dispatched from Germany to meet up with the Polarstern off the coast of the archipelago. 

Similarly, a number of voyages during Alaska’s busy summer cruise season have been cancelled. Hurtigruten also cancelled its Alaskan voyages as well as the transit through Canada’s Northwest Passage. 

While Carnival Cruises, the world’s largest cruise line, expects to resume operations with eight vessels on August 8 – less than a quarter of its fleet. The company has cancelled all Alaska-voyages of the Carnival Spirit for 2020, including repositioning to Australia in October. Alaska usually sees more than 1.3 million cruise passengers per year.

• Hurtigruten
• Arctic cruise ship tourism

Norway's Arctic Council Chairship Praised by Iceland

The arctic without russia, but with trump, russian shipyard to deliver critically needed arc7 lng carriers for arctic lng 2, first non-ice class container ship receives arctic permit, freyr ceo quits after ten months, finnish police could intervene in northern sweden, report from a ‘spy nest’ - sans the cowardly mask of anonymity, tourists visit the arctic on science cruises: a risk of greenwashing arctic tourism.

• Europe News

Attacks in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions leave 27 dead, Moscow-backed officials say

Visual Stories

Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin ‘invokes Cuban Missile Crisis’ as he moves ‘nuclear-capable’ ships to Havana

LIVE – Updated at 16:00

Vladimir Putin is invoking the memory of the Cuban Missile Crisis by moving “nuclear-capable” warships to Cuba in a move intended to provoke the United States , a think tank warned.

Four Russian vessels will make a port call to Havana between 12 and 17 June before stopping off in Venezuela later in the month, according to Cuban and US officials.

The Admiral Gorshkov frigate, the Kazan nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine , the Academic Pashin replenishment oiler, and the Nikolai Chiker rescue tug will all be part of the visit, the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War.

The Admiral Gorshkov is capable of carrying Zircon hypersonic missiles, which the Kremlin has touted as being able to carry a nuclear warhead. There is no suggestion the ship will be equipped with nuclear weapons during the visit.

In 1962, former Russian premier Nikita Khrushchev moved nuclear missiles to Havana which led to an intense stand off between Moscow and Washington.

Meanwhile, Putin has threatened to retaliate against Western countries that are allowing Ukraine to hit Russia with their long-range missiles.

Joe Biden apologises to Zelensky for delay in aid

Russia trying to ‘invoke memory of cuban missile crisis’, france to send mirage 2000 warplanes to ukraine.

• Putin claims Russia may supply long-range weapons to enemies of West

Ukraine air defence downs 9 out of 13 Russian drones over four regions

Ukrainian air defence and mobile drone hunters groups shot down nine out of 13 Russian drones over four regions of the country, the air force said today.

The Iranian-made Shahed drones were downed over the central Poltava region, southeastern Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, and the Kharkiv region in the northeast, the statement said. One X-59 Russian missile launched from Russia’s Kursk region was also downed.

Serhiy Lysak, Dnipropetrovsk regional governor, said the overnight drone attack damaged commercial and residential buildings and also a power line.

Details of the damage in other regions were not immediately clear.

Ukraine is in a race against time to steel itself for a Russian summer assault. Western help needs to speed up

Ukraine is in a race against time to steel itself for a Russian summer assault

While many in the EU worry about far-right gains at the ballot box – those close to Russia crave security

EU voters close to Russia crave one thing above all – security

Ukrainian air defence and mobile drone hunters groups shot down nine out of 13 Russian drones over four regions of the country, the air force said on Saturday.

Serhiy Lysak, Dnipropetrovsk regional governor, said the overnight drone attack damaged commercial and residential buildings and also a power line. Details of the damage in other regions were not immediately clear.

Putin says Russia does not need to use nuclear weapons for victory in Ukraine

Russian president Vladimir Putin said there was no need to use nuclear weapons to deliver victory for Moscow in Ukraine, the strongest signal yet from the Kremlin chief that there will not be a nuclear strike.

Mr Putin, whose forces have been making advances in eastern Ukraine in recent months, said he did not see the conditions for the use of such weapons and requested that people stop discussing the nuclear topic.

However, Mr Putin, who leads the world’s biggest nuclear power, said he did not rule out changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which sets out the conditions under which such weapons could be used.

He also said that if necessary Russia could test a nuclear weapon, though he saw no need to do so at the present time.

Mr Putin’s response came to a question from Sergei Karaganov, an influential Russian analyst, who asked if Mr Putin should hold a “nuclear pistol to the temple” of the West over Ukraine.

“The use is possible in an exceptional case - in the event of a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. I don’t think that such a case has come. There is no such need,” he said at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

“But this doctrine is a living tool and we are carefully watching what is happening in the world around us and do not exclude making some changes to this doctrine. This is also related to the testing of nuclear weapons.”

Biden, Macron get ready for pomp-filled state visit to discuss Ukraine and Israel

French president Emmanuel Macron will host US president Joe Biden today for a state visit marked by pomp and a parade as well as talks on trade, Israel and Ukraine.

The two men, who share a warm relationship despite past tensions over a submarine deal with Australia, will participate in a welcoming ceremony with their wives at the iconic Arc de Triomphe and a parade down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees before holding a meeting about policy issues and then attending dinner.

Jake Sullivan said talks between the two men would touch on Russia’s war with Ukraine, Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, and policy issues ranging from climate change to artificial intelligence to supply chains.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said the countries would announce a plan to work together on maritime law enforcement and the US Coast Guard and French navy would discuss increased cooperation.

Mr Biden and Mr Macron are also expected to discuss strengthening Nato, and both have pledged their countries’ support for Ukraine, though they have not agreed yet on a plan to use frozen Russian assets to help Kyiv. A US Treasury official said on Tuesday the United States and its G7 partners were making progress on that.

UN says Ukraine’s monthly civilian death toll rises to highest in a year

Ukraine marked a significant increase in monthly civilian casualties in May, reaching the highest point in nearly a year, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said today.

It said conflict-related violence killed at least 174 civilians and injured 690 in Ukraine in May, the highest number of civilian casualties since June 2023.

It noted that the main reason for the high number of civilian casualties was the use of air-dropped bombs and missiles in populated areas such as communities near the frontline and Kharkiv city.

“Over half of the casualties in May occurred in Kharkiv city and region where Russian armed forces launched a new ground offensive on May 10,” Danielle Bell, the head of HRMMU, said.

Ms Bell said that the attacks in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, have been deadly and no place in Ukraine was safe.

“The attacks on a shopping center and printing house in Kharkiv city highlight the stark vulnerability of civilians engaged in everyday activities, where even routine tasks like buying supplies to repair damaged homes can result in the loss of life and loved ones,” said Ms Bell.

US could deploy more nuclear weapons on its border to deter adversaries, Biden aide says

The US may have to deploy more strategic nuclear weapons in coming years against growing threats from Russia, China and other adversaries, a senior White House aide said yesterday.

Pranay Vaddi, the top National Security Council arms control official, made his comments in a speech on “a more competitive approach” to arms control that outlined a policy shift aimed at pressing Moscow and Beijing to reverse rejections of US calls for arsenal limitation talks.

“Absent a change in adversary arsenals, we may reach a point in the coming years where an increase from current deployed numbers is required. We need to be fully prepared to execute if the president makes that decision,” he told the Arms Control Association.

“If that day comes, it will result in a determination that more nuclear weapons are required to deter our adversaries and protect the American people and our allies and partners.”

The US currently adheres to a limit of 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads under the New START treaty with Russia even though Moscow suspended it last year.

The administration remains committed to international arms control and non-proliferation regimes designed to curb the spread of nuclear weapons, Mr Vaddi said.

But, he said, Russia, China and North Korea “are all expanding and diversifying their nuclear arsenals at a breakneck pace, showing little or no interest in arms control.”

The three and Iran “are increasingly cooperating and coordinating with each other in ways that run counter to peace and stability, threaten the United States, our allies and our partners and exacerbate region tensions,” he said.

Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are sharing advanced missile and drone technology, said Mr Vaddi, citing Moscow’s use in Ukraine of Iranian drones and North Korean artillery and missiles, and Chinese support for Russia’s defense industries.

Biden promises new $225m aide to Zelensky in Paris talks

US president Joe Biden announced a fresh $225m aid to Ukraine on the sidelines of his meeting with president Volodymyr Zelensky for D-Day events.

Mr Biden apologised to Mr Zelensky in what was their first first face-to-face encounter since the Ukrainian president visited Washington in December, when the two pressed Republicans to overcome opposition in their party to more support for Ukraine.

“You haven’t bowed down, you haven’t yielded at all, you continue to fight in a way that is ... just remarkable,” Mr Biden told the Ukrainian leader at the start of their meeting on Friday. “We’re not going to walk away from you.”

He confirmed he was signing an additional tranche of $225m on Friday to help Ukraine reconstruct its electric grid.

“We’re still in, completely, totally,” Mr Biden said.

Mr Zelensky thanked Biden for US military, financial and humanitarian support.

“It’s very important that you stay with us. This bipartisan support with the Congress, it’s very important that in this unity, United States of America, all American people stay with Ukraine, like it was during World War Two, how United States helped to save human lives, to save Europe,” he said in English.

Zelensky hits out at Putin’s claims about Ukraine’s presidential legitimacy

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has hit back at Vladimir Putin for raising questions over the legitimacy of his presidency in the absence of elections in the war-torn country.

In a joint news conference with France’s President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Mr Zelensky said: “President Zelensky’s legitimacy is recognized by the people of Ukraine only, he is elected by the people of Ukraine.”

“I am very grateful for the support. Our people are free. To be honest, that’s what we are fighting for (freedom). I am grateful for the support,” he said.

He added said Mr Putin’s legitimacy is recognized only by the Russian president himself.

“Putin elects himself. Russian people are just a decoration, they only have one actor,” Mr Zelensky said, pointing to Russia’s presidential election,

Ukraine had to undergo elections in March 2024 after Mr Zelensky’s first term ended in May. However, martial law was imposed following the Ukraine war in February 2022, banning elections during wartime.

British foreign secretary falls victim to hoax video call and messages

Foreign secretary Lord David Cameron has been the victim of hoax a video call and messages from someone claiming to be the former president of Ukraine , it has been revealed.

In order to stave off any attempts to manipulate video footage of Lord Cameron from the communications, the government has made public what happened.

A statement from the Foreign Office said a “number of text messages were exchanged followed by a brief video call between the Foreign Secretary and someone purporting to be Petro Poroshenko , former president of Ukraine”.

Mr Poroshenko served as Ukrainian president between 2014 and 2019, and has remained a prominent figure in the country since leaving office.

Lord Cameron falls victim to hoax video call and messages

Russia-installed governor says 22 killed in Ukrainian shelling

The Russia-installed governor of Ukraine‘s southern region of Kherson accused Ukrainian forces of killing 22 people and wounding 15 in the shelling of the small town of Sadove.

Governor Vladimir Saldo said Ukrainian forces had deliberately struck the area a second time today, using a US-supplied HIMARS missile to inflict the largest possible number of casualties.

Leonid Pasechnik, another Russia-installed governor in Luhansk, an occupied region northeastern Ukraine, said a Ukrainian strike had killed three people and wounded 35.

Russian Defence Ministry said Ukrainian forces had used US-supplied ATACMS missiles in the attack on the city of Luhansk.

There was no comment from Ukraine on either incident.

Putin claims Russia may supply long-range weapons to enemies of West in retaliation for Ukraine support

Putin claims Russia could supply long-range weapons to West’s enemies

Graffiti with images and messages referencing Ukraine appear on Paris buildings near Parliament

Unusual spray-painted images and messages with references to Ukraine appeared on the streets of Paris on Friday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US president Joe Biden in the French capital.

It was unclear who sprayed the graffiti that has appeared on several buildings in central Paris near the Parliament complex and various government ministries.

Some depicted coffins with stenciled signs in French that say “A French soldier in Ukraine.” Others include a sign that says in Ukrainian “Return the elections back to Ukrainians.”

Speaking in Normandy at the commemoration of 80th anniversary of D-Day, Joe Biden declared that the US and the West is committed to unwavering support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, and robust resistance to Vladimir Putin “a tyrant bent on domination”.

The US president went on to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris to assure him that $225 million (£176m) in weapons supply is on its way.

It was their first meeting since December when the Ukrainian leader visited Washington during a Congressional impasse over a $60 billion arms package for Kyiv.

The bill in Congress, held up at the time by Republican opposition, has been passed, easing trepidation that Ukraine would face defeat this year without that lifeline.

Importantly, the Biden administration, after prolonged hesitation, has belatedly allowed Ukraine to use American weapons, chiefly ATACAMs missiles, to strike targets inside Russia -- as long as its not in Moscow and the Kremlin.

Read more here:

Putin’s forces killed his brother. He takes revenge using hundreds of suicide drones to blow Russian troops up

The Ukraine politician avenging his brother’s death with hi-tech ‘suicide drones’

Why African nations are turning to Russia

Russia‘s top diplomat pledged help and military assistance while on a whirlwind tour of several countries in Africa‘s sub-Saharan region of Sahel this week, as Moscow seeks to grow its influence in the restive, mineral-rich section of the continent.

Russia is emerging as the security partner of choice for a growing number of African governments in the region, displacing traditional allies like France and the United States.

Sergey Lavrov, who has made several trips to Africa in recent years, this week stopped in Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso and Chad.

‘There is more to do’ to avoid repeat of Second World War, warns army chief

There is “every possibility” that a conflict on the scale of the Second World War could embroil Europe in the coming years, the outgoing head of the British army has claimed.

General Sir Patrick Sanders, 58, who will step down in the coming days after two years in post, issued the comments in Portsmouth at an event to commemorate the D-Day operation of 6 June 1944.

Having recently returned from a visit to British troops in Poland, Gen Sanders heralded the progression of the British army but added that there was “more to do” and urged the military to ramp up its readiness for war.

‘There is more to do’ to avoid repeat of WWII, warns army chief

At D-Day ceremony, American veteran hugs Ukraine's Zelenskyy and calls him a savior

An American veteran and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared an emotional moment at a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion to liberate France in World War II, each praising the other as a hero.

Retired Staff Sgt. Melvin Hurwitz, 99, and other veterans were introduced to the foreign dignitaries remembering the landings in Normandy on Thursday.

When he met Zelenskyy, Hurwitz kissed the Ukrainian leader’s hand and pulled him in for an extended hug, exclaiming: “Oh, you’re the savior of the people!”

Inside the escape from a Ukraine border village as Putin’s forces closed in: ‘Mummy, when will this war end?’

Nine-year-old Sasha rushed down to the basement as Russian-launched drones buzzed in the sky above him. He was terrified, shivering as he desperately tried to block out the noise of the “Shaheds”, the Iranian-designed drones that have become a deadly feature of Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

The boy was living with his mother and five siblings in the village of Zakharivka, just a few miles from the Russian forces advancing across the border into Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. The region has been the scene of intense fighting for weeks.

This was five days after the Russian attack had started in the middle of May. Poor defensive fortifications and severed communication lines, the result of Russian signal jammers, had caught Ukraine’s forces off guard. Moscow’s troops had then pushed rapidly across the border.

Inside the escape from a Ukraine border village as Putin’s forces closed in

Biden announces $225m arms package for Ukraine as he meets with Zelensky in France

The US will soon dispatch an arms and aid package to Ukraine amounting to $225million as Kyiv works to repel renewed Russian attacks, President Joe Biden said on Friday.

Biden announced the new tranche of defense assistance in Paris during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, a day after the Ukrainian president joined the US president and other world leaders for ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

In remarks at the American cemetery in Normandy during the ceremony, Biden had described Ukraine’s fight against Russia as a modern-day analog of the war against Hitler and Nazism while stressing the importance of beating back isolationist sentiment, providing an implicit contrast with his predecessor and likely 2024 election opponent, former president Donald Trump.

Zimbabwe's Mnangagwa tells Putin that Russia is a reliable ally

Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa said Russia was a consistent ally of his country, and criticised the West for imposing a global order which he said had marginalised the Global South.

Mnangagwa was speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on a stage with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Mr Mnangagwa called “my dear brother”.

Watch: Zelensky's heartbreaking exchange with D-Day veteran

Ukraine has right to strike 'legitimate targets in russia', nato chief says.

Ukraine has the right to attack legitimate military targets in Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

“Ukraine has the right to self defence,” Mr Stoltenberg said during a news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at a military base near Stockholm.

He added: “The right to self defence also includes the right to hit legitimate, military targets on the territory of the attacking party, the aggressor - in this case Russia.”

EU 'supports starting accession talks', Ukrainian PM says

The European Commission supports starting EU accession talks with Ukraine, the country’s prime minister has said.

Denys Shmyhal said the commission had confirmed in a report that Kyiv had fulfilled the remaining steps required to start negotiations.

“Now we expect our European partners to take the next step - to start negotiations on European Union membership this month,” Mr Shmyhal said on Telegram.

Germany needs 75,000 extra troops as NATO braces for Russia threat

Germany will need at least 75,000 additional troops to fulfil its Nato commitments as the alliance adapts its defence planning to face what it sees as an increasingly hostile Russia, Spiegel magazine reported on Friday.

At their Vilnius summit last year, Nato leaders signed off on the first major defence plans since the end of the Cold War, detailing how the alliance would respond to a Russian attack.

The move signified a fundamental shift - Nato had seen no need to draw up such plans for decades, as it fought smaller wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and felt certain post-Soviet Russia no longer posed an existential threat.

Nato and national military planners have been busy translating the plans into concrete requirements, identifying shortages of troops, weapons and other equipment needed to defend against a Russian attack that could, according to the German military’s top brass, come as early as 2029.

US president Joe Biden has apologised for a month-long delay in approving weapons for Ukraine and told Zelensky “we’re still in.”

Speaking in Paris, where they both attended ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Biden apologized to the Ukrainian people for the weeks of not knowing if more assistance would come while conservative Republicans in Congress held up a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine for six months.

Still, the Democratic president insisted that the American people were standing by Ukraine for the long haul. “We’re still in. Completely. Thoroughly,” he said.

Trump claims nuclear war is a greater threat to the world than climate crisis

Donald Trump has downplayed the threat of the climate crisis in his latest interview with Fox News, insisting that international unrestand the danger of nuclear war are of far greater concern, declaring: “The only global warming that matters to me is nuclear global warming.”

The Republican presidential candidate and convicted felon sat down with the conservative network’s anchor Sean Hannity to lambast Joe Biden for emphasising environmentalism over the threat of nuclear war.

“I love this country. I don’t want to see this country get into a nuclear war and be so badly damaged. What we say won’t matter. This won’t matter.

This place won’t matter, nothing will matter because practically nothing is going to be here anymore,” Trump told Hannity, outlining his nightmarish vision of man-made apocalypse.

French citizen arrested in Moscow on charges of collecting military data

Watch live: Zelensky inspects French military equipment after Macron promises warplanes to Ukraine

Live: Zelensky inspects French military equipment after Macron promises warplanes

Read more by Tom Watling here:

Russian naval vessels that will be making port in Cuba next week is an attempt to invoke the historical memory of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, according to a leading thinktank.

The Cuban ministry of the revolutionary armed forces announced yesterday that four Russian northern fleet vessels would make an official visit to the port of Havana between 12-17 June.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said the move was “likely part of a larger effort to invoke the historical memory of the Cuban missile crisis as part of Russia’s reflexive control campaign to encourage US self-deterrence”.

Moscow accuses Ukraine of using US rockets to shell civilian targets inside Russia

The Russian foreign ministry accused Ukraine of using US- supplied HIMARS rockets to shell civilian targets in Russia’s Belgorod region and of being responsible for the deaths of women and children.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova set out the allegation at a news conference held on the sidelines of an economic forum in St Petersburg.

She said fragments of the HIMARs rockets would serve as proof of what had happened.

Russia detains French NGO worker in Moscow on spying charges

Russia has arrested a French NGO worker on suspicion of spying on its military, a move that is likely to further strain already frought relations with Paris.

The Russian authorities claimed, without providing evidence, that the Frenchman was involved in the “targeted collection of information in the field of military-technical activities of the Russian Federation”.

They have launched a criminal case against him for allegedly violating the country’s law requiring any person receiving foreign support to register as a “foreign agent”.

Ukraine military downs nearly 50 drones

Ukrainian forces drowned 48 drones and five cruise missiles overnight, the military said in its morning update today.

The drones were launched from occupied Crimea, the Russian town of Yeysk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, located on the coast of the Azov Sea, it added.

Russia reportedly flew Tu-95MS bomber planes to launch Kh-101 cruise missiles from Saratov Oblast.

Biden draws comparison between World War II and Ukraine

US president Joe Biden yesterday drew parallels between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and World War II throughout his speech commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France.

Mr Biden warned “the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine”.The president vowed that the US would “not walk away” from the conflict, claiming “if we do, Ukraine will be subjugated, and it will not end there”.

“Ukraine’s neighbours will be threatened, all of Europe will be threatened.”

Zelensky meets Biden and Macron in France

Biden calls putin a ‘dictator’.

US president Joe Biden said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is “not a decent man” but “a dictator” amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“He’s a dictator, and he’s struggling to make sure he holds his country together while still keeping this assault going,” Mr Biden told ABC World News during his trip to France to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

When asked about the US administration’s decision to authorise Ukraine to use American weapons to strike inside Russia, Mr Biden said the weapons were authorised to be used “in proximity to the border”.

“We’re not authorising strikes 200 miles into Russia, and we’re not authorising strikes on Moscow, on the Kremlin.”

“We’re not talking about giving them weapons to strike Moscow, to strike the Kremlin, to strike against — just across the border, where they’re receiving significant fire from conventional weapons used by the Russians to go into Ukraine to kill Ukrainians.”

President Emmanuel Macron said France plans to provide Mirage 2000 warplanes to Ukraine and train Ukrainian pilots this summer.

Mr Macron did not specify how many single-engine jet fighters would be provided, by when or under what financial terms.

He said France had proposed to train 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers but did not clarify where the soldiers would be trained.

He made the announcement on the occasion of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to France as part of D-Day anniversary celebrations.

Mr Zelensky earlier in September said he had struck an agreement on training Ukraine pilots in France in conversation with Macron.

The head of the Ukrainian Air Force said in January that French Mirage aircraft may reinforce the Ukrainian air force.

US to send new $225m military aid package to Ukraine

The US will send about $225m in military aid to Ukraine, US officials said Thursday, in a new package that includes ammunition Kyiv’s forces could use to strike threats inside Russia to defend the city of Kharkiv from a heavy Russian assault.

The officials said the aid includes munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, as well as mortar systems and an array of artillery rounds. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss aid not yet publicly announced.

Under a new US directive, Ukraine can use such weapons to strike across the border into Russia if forces there are attacking or preparing to attack.

That change, however, does not alter US policy that directs Ukraine not to use American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia, according to US officials.

US to send new $225 million military aid package to Ukraine, officials say.

Russian warships headed to Caribbean for drills as tensions rise

The US has tracked Russian warships and aircraft that are expected to arrive in the Caribbean for a military exercise in the coming weeks.

The ships also are expected possibly to make port calls in Venezuela and Cuba, as Russia establishes a Western Hemisphere military presence that the senior Biden administration officials said was notable but not concerning.

The exercise will involve a “handful” of Russian ships and support vessels, the two officials said.

It’s not the first time Russia has sent its ships to the Caribbean.

This exercise, however, is taking place as Russian president Vladimir Putin has suggested that Moscow could take “asymmetrical steps” elsewhere in the world in response to president Joe Biden‘s decision to allow Ukraine to use US-provided weapons to strike inside Russia to protect Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Russia detains French man for ‘espionage’

The authorities in Russia have arrested a French NGO worker on suspicion of allegedly gathering information about the activities of Vladimir Putin’s military.

A criminal case has been launched against the Frenchman for allegedly violating Russia’s law that requires a person receiving foreign support to register as a “foreign agent”.

Moscow said the man, who it did not name, was involved in the “targeted collection of information in the field of military [and] military-technical activities of the Russian Federation”.

“Such information, if obtained by foreign sources, may be used against the security of the state,” it added.

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue told AFP it was trying to secure the release of a member of its team, identifying him as Laurent Vinatier.

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue is a Geneva-based non-profit that works to prevent and resolve armed conflicts through mediation and discreet diplomacy, according to its website.

“We are aware that Laurent Vinatier, an adviser at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, has been detained in Russia,” it said in a statement. “We are working to get more details of the circumstances and to secure Laurent’s release.”

• International

Biden makes the case for democracy after meeting with Zelensky

By Christian Edwards, Sana Noor Haq, Shania Shelton and Elise Hammond, CNN

Macron says France will supply Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine

From CNN’s Joseph Ataman in Paris

Following Thursday's D-Day commemorations, French President Emmanuel Macron said France will begin supplying Ukraine with Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets.

The delivery program will begin following the signing of an agreement with Ukraine’s president on Friday in Paris, Macron said in an interview with French broadcaster TF1.

The Mirage 2000-5 fighter jet is a multirole jet that been in service for some 25 years, with air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities. The Mirage jet has been successfully exported by France to several countries and broadly offers a similar capacity to the American-made F-16 jet.

Macron said that he proposed to begin training pilots on the aircraft from this summer, with training taking around 6 months. France is already providing basic flight training to Ukrainian pilots as part of the F-16 supply program.

The French leader said that he hoped to build a similar coalition of countries that could provide Ukraine with their own Mirage jets. Both Greece and the UAE have Mirage 2000-5 jets in their air forces.

Russia attacks Ukraine's critical infrastructure, including in Kyiv region

From CNN's Svitlana Vlasova and Alex Stambaugh 

Russia attacked Ukraine's critical infrastructure overnight into Friday, targeting at least nine regions including the capital Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities said. 

Ukraine's air defenses shot down 48 out of 53 attack drones launched by Russia and all five cruise missiles launched, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Telegram. 

They were shot down in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Khmelnytskyi regions, he said.

At least one person died and four injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region; four others were injured in the Kherson region and six others in Dnipropetrovsk, local officials said.

In Kyiv region, a fire broke out at an industrial facility, but there were no casualties and responders are working to try to extinguish the fire, the head of Kyiv region military administration said.

Biden and Zelensky in France as Putin set to speak

From CNN staff

US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky are in France as part of the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day . 

Biden and Zelensky were among a throng of Western leaders and veterans who attended the commemorations in Normandy on Thursday, but Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited.

Instead, Putin will on Friday speak at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, discussing the state of the Russian economy after 27 months of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Zelensky will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and address the National Assembly in Paris, as he seeks to shore up support for his country in its attempts to repel Russia’s invasion.

The war may have entered a new phase this month, after Western countries – including the United States – gave Ukraine permission to use Western weapons to strike inside Russian territory.

Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.

World News | Attacks in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on X (Opens in new window)

Daily e-Edition

Evening e-Edition

• Hurricane Tracks
• Election 2024
• Restaurants
• Real Estate
• Things To Do

World News | Attacks in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions leave 28 dead, Moscow-backed officials say

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Luhansk said Ukrainian attacks left at least 28 people dead as Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange drone attacks overnight into Saturday.

A Ukrainian attack Friday on the small town of Sadove in Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson region killed 22 and wounded 15 people, Moscow-backed governor Vladimir Saldo said.

Russian state news agency Tass cited Saldo as saying that Ukrainian forces first struck the town with a French-made guided bomb, then attacked again with a U.S.-supplied HIMARS missile. He said Ukrainian forces had “deliberately made a repeat strike to create greater numbers of casualties” when “residents of nearby houses ran out to help the injured.”

Officials declared Saturday a day of mourning in Luhansk, and public events will be similarly cancelled Sunday and Monday in Kherson.

Further east, Leonid Pasechnik, the Russia-installed governor in Ukraine’s partially occupied Luhansk region, said Saturday that two more bodies had been pulled from the rubble following Friday’s Ukrainian missile attack on the regional capital, also called Luhansk. Russian state news agency Interfax cited regional authorities as saying this brought the death toll to six. Pasechnik also said 60 people were wounded in the attack.

Ukraine did not comment on either assault.

Meanwhile, drone attacks between Russia and Ukraine persisted.

Ukraine launched a barrage of drones across Russian territory overnight Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday. Twenty-five drones were reportedly destroyed over Russia’s southern Kuban and Astrakhan regions, the western Tula region, and the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula.

On Saturday morning, officials said air defenses for the first time shot down Ukrainian drones over the North Ossetia region in the North Caucasus, some 900 km (560 miles) east of the front line in Ukraine’s partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said that one drone had been destroyed, whereas regional Gov. Sergei Menyailo reported three downed drones over the region. Menyailo said that the target was a military airfield.

Ukrainian air defense overnight shot down nine out of 13 Russian drones over the central Poltava region, southeastern Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, and the Kharkiv region in the northeast , Ukraine’s air force said Saturday.

Dnipropetrovsk regional Gov. Serhiy Lysak said the overnight drone attack damaged commercial and residential buildings.

Later on Saturday, a Ukrainian military spokesman said Ukraine now controlled more than half of the town of Vovchansk , a flashpoint for fighting since Russia launched a renewed offensive in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region last month.

“Most of the city is under the control of the defense forces,” Nazar Voloshin, spokesman for the Khortytsia ground forces formation, said on Ukrainian state TV.

Independent confirmation of this claim wasn’t immediately possible.

Russia’s Kharkiv push appears to be a coordinated new offensive that includes testing Ukrainian defenses in the Donetsk region further south, while also launching incursions in the northern Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

Morton reported from London.

Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

More in World News

SUBSCRIBER ONLY

World news | israel rescues 4 hostages taken in hamas’ oct. 7 attack. at least 94 palestinians are killed.

World News | Biden calls France ‘our first friend’ and enduring ally as he’s honored by Macron with a state visit

World News | Danish prime minister suffers minor whiplash after a man assaulted her in central Copenhagen

World News | Widow of slain Haitian President Moïse awarded multimillion-dollar payout by Miami judge