Scandinavia (14 Days) 

     Your Scandinavia tour begins at 6:00 p.m. at your Stockholm hotel. A transfer from the Stockholm Airport to the hotel is included for your convenience. Enjoy the welcome reception and dinner. (D)

     Take a guided tour of the Vasa Museum, featuring the impressive Vasa, an ornate royal warship that sank in the harbor following its launch in 1628 and was raised in 1961. A sightseeing highlight is City Hall, where Nobel Prize festivities take place. In your free afternoon, perhaps take a canal tour, or walk through the cobbled streets of medieval Gamla Stan, or Old Town. (B)

     Travel on your Scandinavia tour through the Swedish countryside, featuring meadows, forests, and lakes. Arrive in Toftaholm, where your lodging is a lakeside family-run hotel. (B,L,D)

     Visit Sofiero Slott, a majestic castle built in 1865, with colorful rhododendron gardens.Your Scandinavia tour continues with a drive across the Oresund Bridge to Copenhagen, Denmark. Your hotel is a fine example of modern Danish architecture. (B,L,D)

     Start your Copenhagen tour with a visit to Rosenborg Palace, built in Dutch Renaissance style, to see the Danish Crown Jewels. See The Little Mermaid statue commemorating Hans Christian Andersen’s book, and the Museum of the Danish Resistance 1940-1945. A walking tour with a local guide explores the Stroget, Copenhagen's main street. The remainder of the day is at leisure. (B)

     Journey to North Sealand, a region of villages, palaces, lakes, and forests. Visit 17th-century Frederiksborg Castle built in Danish Renaissance style on three islands in a small lake. Savor local fare at a rustic country inn. Drive along the Danish Riviera back to Copenhagen, and board the overnight ferry to Norway. (B,L,D)

     Enjoy awe-inspiring scenery as you cruise up Oslo Fjord. Upon arrival in Norway's capital, take in the Sculpture Park with 212 life-sized sculptures made by Gustav Vigeland, who devoted his career to the project. Visit the Viking Ship Museum, featuring three well-preserved Viking ships dating to 800 AD found in royal burial mounds with fascinating artifacts. Explore Oslo’s many museums on your own in the afternoon. (B,L)

     Following a Norwegian buffet breakfast, board a train for a five-hour rail journey to Myrdal. Change trains and continue to Flåm, covering scenic terrain while descending 2,600 feet. Your Flåm hotel is within walking distance of Aurlandsfjord, one of Norway's most dramatic fjords with deep valleys and roaring waterfalls. (B,L,D)

     Take a cruise through Aurlandsfjord, followed by Naeroyfjord, a narrow, pristine fjord recently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list for its outstanding beauty. Enjoy valley views during lunch in Stalheim, then visit the Stalheim Folk Museum for a glimpse at Norwegian life during different timeframes. Visit Hopperstad Stave Church in Vik, one of the 29 ornate wooden architectural masterpieces built in the 12th century that remain standing. Take a ferry across Sognefjord to the town of Balestrand. (B,L,D)

     Travel to the farming village of Fjaerland near the largest glacial area in continental Europe to visit the Norwegian Glacier Museum. Journey to Briksdal Glacier, set at the end of one of the Nordfjord's three branches. Drive to a mountain meadow, then take a slightly strenuous hike to the glacier’s tongue; the view makes it worth the effort. It’s a Scandinavia tour highlight. (B,L,D)

     Take a cruise through Geirangerfjord, one of the longest, deepest, and most scenic fjords in the world, recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the sheer, crystalline rock walls rising 4,500 feet from the water, with waterfalls cascading over the edge. Upon arrival in the town of Geiranger, drive to a high overlook on Dalsnibba for memorable views when weather permits. (B,L,D)

     Travel south past more photo-worthy fjords to the town of Bergen, located on the Byfjord. Your hotel is located in the city’s old wharf district, called Bryggen, featuring traditional wooden buildings and a medieval atmosphere. It was founded in 1070, and is one of the oldest large trading ports in Northern Europe. It’s now an UNESCO World Heritage Site. (B,L)

     Visit Troldhaugen, former home of Edvard Grieg, Norway’s foremost composer who is best known for his musical score for the play Peer Gynt. Spend the afternoon at your leisure. Share Scandinavia tour experiences at the farewell reception and dinner. (B,D)

     Your Scandinavia tour ends in Bergen, Norway. A transfer from Radisson SAS Royal Hotel to Bergen Airport Flesland is included. Please allow a minimum of 2 1/2 hours for flight check-in procedures. (B)