Scandinavia & Northern Europe Discovery

An enchanting municipality at the meeting point of Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea, the Swedish capital is one of the world’s great maritime cities. Stockholm’s maritime doorstep is a magnificent archipelago of more than 24,000 islands and islets–many just big enough to support a single cottage. As you yacht toward the 13th-century "city that floats on water,” landmarks such as Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral) and Three Crowns Tower come into view. The medieval Gamla Stan district is the historic core of the original Stadsholmen Island settlement.

Comprising approximately 6,700 islands, this Swedish-speaking Baltic Sea archipelago, collectively called the Åland Islands, sits at the entrance of the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. The Åland Islands, or Åland, is a self-governing province off Finland’s southwest coast. Its capital, Mariehamn, is known for its beaches and streets lined with 19th-century wooden townhouses, linden trees, handicraft shops, and delightful cafés. With stunning coastal landscapes, unique architecture, and a thriving organic food scene, it is the place to absorb a taste of Finnish culture. Discover Åland’s maritime culture as you walk the seaside promenade and explore the Åland Maritime Museum. In Sjökvarteret, you can observe a traditional ship-construction site, visit restaurants and artisanal shops, and see the town’s vibrant community life.

The Hanseatic walled trading town of Visby on the island of Gotland dates from the Viking Age, formed on a shore with a natural harbor, sheltered by steep cliff formations. This fairytale locale is a UNESCO World Heritage site, known for its well-preserved town wall and medieval fortification and towers. The town’s abundant churches include St. Mary’s Cathedral and the medieval ruins of St. Nicolai and St. Karin.

History lives on the gentle Baltic winds that carry Bornholm. The island’s fortified round churches and archaic ruins are its legacy and strike sharp contrast to the contemporary beach resorts. Akirkeby, at the island’s center, is the largest and oldest town. Founded in 1346, it was a popular medieval spiritual center. Stroll Gudhjelm to admire the colorful seaside town. Wisps from smokehouse chimneys fill the air with the scent of cured herring. At the town’s Oluf Host Museum, many canvases depict local scenes.

Rügen is the name of an archipelago of 30 small islands and peninsulas that jut into the Baltic Sea off Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Germany’s largest island, also known as Rügen, was an Imperial resort. The nostalgic Belle Epoque legacy lingers in its tiny fishing villages, secluded beaches, and pleasant tree-lined avenues. The seaside resort of Sassnitz is your gateway to the nearby Jasmund National Park with its unique chalk cliffs. Enjoy the island’s well-maintained trails or take a bicycle and pedal across the countryside.

There’s much to treasure in glorious Copenhagen, one of Europe’s most beautiful capital cities. No visit is complete without indulging your inner child at the Tivoli Gardens, a fantastical amusement park and pleasure garden that melds the atmosphere of 19th-century Europe with recreations of Far East architecture, all amid wonderfully manicured grounds. After paying your respects to the city’s iconic statue of Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid, shop to your heart’s content on Strøget, an elegant lane flanked by sophisticated boutiques housed in graceful buildings. Although its exterior is handsomely austere, the interior rooms of the 18th-century Christiansborg Palace are sure to dazzle you with their extravagant stucco ceilings, brilliant chandeliers and gilded furniture. Fast forward to the 19th century at the spectacular Copenhagen Botanical Garden, where innumerable plant species are showcased in absolutely stunning historical glasshouses. Should you have the stomach for it, take in the entire city from the tower of the Church of our Saviour, which must be reached via vertiginous exterior spiral staircase. No matter how you’ve spent your day, a terrific place to wind down is the quayside Nyhavn district, where colorful historic buildings host an eclectic choice of cafés, bars and restaurants.

Norway is a land steeped in myth, where irascible gods armed with frost and lightning once inspired Viking clans to plunder foreign lands. These days, genteel customs imported from mainland Europe have softened the country’s hard edges, but traces of an unruly past still abound. The exceptional museums dotting the Bygdøy Peninsula hold some of the city’s foremost attractions, including a thousand-year-old longship that was preserved in mud and the 12th-century Gol Stave Church, an exemplar of Norway’s distinctive wood sanctuaries. No less fascinating is a visit to the 1892 Fram, a legendary ship revered for her vital role in early polar explorations. To witness the evolution of Oslo’s soul, contrast battle-hardened Akershus Fortress, a ruggedly elegant citadel wrapped in nearly impregnable ramparts, with the neoclassical Royal Palace, whose formal exterior encloses sumptuously appointed rooms. You might wish to view Edvard Munch’s iconic The Scream, which hangs in the outstanding Norwegian National Gallery amid priceless European and Scandinavian masterworks. In expansive Frogner Park, wander among Gustav Vigeland’s thought-provoking sculptures, and if you’ve worked up an appetite, choose among the many restaurants and cafés lining the charming waterfront district of Aker Brygge.