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14 Days Northern Capitals Tour Package
Duration: 14 Days / 13 Nights
Priced From: $3,229 pp Dbl. Occ.
Dates: May - Sep
This is one of our most popular vacations visiting all the Northern capitals: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, and Helsinki. Plus we add a three-night stay in St. Petersburg, Russia. Your trip starts in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a guided sightseeing tour. Also in Copenhagen, enjoy a special feature—Tivoli Gardens (open mid-April to mid-September), Copenhagen’s colorful amusement park. Continue to Oslo, Norway’s capital, where you have a guided sightseeing tour with a Local Guide. Your Oslo tour includes a visit to City Hall and a stroll through Frogner Park, with Gustav Vigeland’s 193 extraordinary bronze and granite sculptures. Travel to Stockholm, Sweden, where you have a guided sightseeing tour and plenty of leisure time to explore Stockholm on your own. Next, travel to Helsinki. For the overnight Baltic Sea crossing from Stockholm to Helsinki, we have first-class two-berth cabins. A full day at leisure in Helsinki allows the possibility to join an optional excursion to Tallinn, capital of Estonia. Your trip ends in St. Petersburg. In St. Petersburg, your guided tour includes St. Isaac’s Cathedral with its gilded dome and marble columns, and a visit to magnificent Catherine Palace (if closed, visit Pavlovsk Palace instead). A special highlight in St. Petersburg is the Hermitage Museum. Formerly the residence of the czars, it houses celebrated works by Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, and the major French impressionists. A welcome dinner in Copenhagen and a farewell dinner in St. Petersburg are included. This trip to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia will leave you with wonderful vacation stories and photos.
Itinerary
Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
Day 2 Arrival in Copenhagen, Denmark
Time to rest or to start exploring Denmark’s fun-loving capital. At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)
Day 3 Copenhagen
Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide features the Church of Our Savior and the Stock Exchange on the way to Christiansborg Palace, where you visit the elegant ROYAL RECEPTION ROOMS (if closed, admire the Danish Crown Jewels at ROSENBORG CASTLE). Drive past the National Museum and the Royal Theater, stop for pictures of Amalienborg Palace with its lovely flower gardens and of the wistful LITTLE MERMAID statue. An optional afternoon excursion to the castles of North Zealand is available. Tonight, visit TIVOLI GARDENS (open mid-April to mid-Sept.), the city’s colorful amusement park. (B)
Day 4 Copenhagen–Gothenburg, Sweden–Oslo, Norway
At Elsinore, board your FERRY for Helsingborg, then, drive to Gothenburg, Sweden’s thriving second-largest city, and admire its beautiful parks, botanical gardens, and well-kept canals during your orientation tour. In the afternoon, continue along the Skagerrak coastline to Norway. Evening arrival in Oslo. (B,D)
Day 5 Oslo
Norway’s capital is a study in farsighted urban planning, seeking growth in harmony with nature. Your Local Guide will take you to the National Theater, Parliament, and the Royal Palace. Stroll through magnificent FROGNER PARK, with Gustav Vigeland’s 193 extraordinary bronze and granite sculptures, and visit the modern CITY HALL. Afternoon and evening at leisure, with optional excursion possibilities: see the amazing relics of Norway’s glorious seafaring past or sample Norwegian specialties in one of Oslo’s fine restaurants. (B)
Day 6 Oslo–Stockholm, Sweden
Trace the King’s Road, an ancient trade link between the northern capitals connecting Oslo, Stockholm, Turku, Helsinki, and St. Petersburg. Cross the Swedish border to scenic Värmland, beautifully described in Selma Lagerlöf’s Saga of Gösta Berling, on the way to Karlstad on Lake Vänern. Pass the ancient garrison town of Örebro and modern Eskilstuna, known for its stainless steel, and proceed to Stockholm. (B)
Day 7 Stockholm
Stockholm is settled on 14 islands between Lake Mälar and the Baltic Sea. This morning, enjoy Stockholm at your own pace or join an optional excursion to the Wasa Ship Museum. Your included sightseeing with a Local Guide features the Royal Palace, Riddarholm Church, and the festive blue and gold chambers in the CITY HALL, where the annual Nobel Prize banquet is held. (B)
Day 8 At Leisure in Stockholm–Overnight Cruise to Helsinki, Finland
Enjoy a full day at leisure. Your Tour Director will have suggestions how to spend your day. Tonight, board your ship for the overnight BALTIC SEA CRUISE to Finland. (B,D)
Day 9 Helsinki
After breakfast on board, sightseeing with a Local Guide features City Hall and Parliament House, the Presidential Palace, the monumental railroad station, the great LUTHERAN CATHEDRAL, the strikingly modern TEMPPELIAUKIO ROCK CHURCH, the Olympic Stadium, and the SIBELIUS MONUMENT. Then, browse for souvenirs in Helsinki’s local arts and crafts OPEN AIR MARKET. (B,D)
Day 10 At Leisure in Helsinki
A full day at leisure offers the opportunity to join an optional excursion to Tallinn, capital of Estland, known as one of the pearls of the Baltic countries. (B)
Day 11 Helsinki–St. Petersburg
A pleasant drive along the coast to the Russian border. After completing frontier formalities, cross the Karelian Isthmus on the way to St. Petersburg. (B)
Day 12 St. Petersburg
Founded by Peter the Great, construction began in 1703 and the city eventually spread over 100 islands linked by 700 bridges. It suffered severe damage during World War II, when a cruel 900-day siege claimed nearly a million victims. See today with a Local Guide how the city has been restored to its former splendor. Drive along elegant Nevsky Prospect, then, admire ST. ISAAC’S CATHEDRAL with its gilded dome and marble columns, followed by an excursion to Pushkin, the home of Russia’s last czar, for a visit to magnificent CATHERINE PALACE (if closed, visit PAVLOVSK PALACE instead). (B)
Day 13 St. Petersburg
Today a highlight visit to the Winter Palace complex. Formerly the residence of the czars, it is now home of the world-famous HERMITAGE MUSEUM, with celebrated works by Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, and the major French impressionists. Afternoon at leisure; suitable optional activities are available to enhance your stay in St. Petersburg. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner to celebrate the success of your vacation. (B,D)
Day 14
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)
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Contact: Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
11/09
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