STOCKHOLM (SWEDEN)

Day 1: Thursday 15 March

Stockholm welcomes us today, and we check in to our home for the next two nights, the Radisson Blu Strand, built in 1912 on an enviable spot overlooking the city’s harbour. Spend the day at your leisure before meeting back at the hotel for the first dinner of our adventure.

STOCKHOLM

Day 2: Friday 16 March

We begin the day acquainting ourselves with Stockholm’s breathtaking beauty. Perched on 14 islands and linked by 57 bridges, so many parts of it enjoy views of the water. At the Vasa Museum, see the mighty warship that sunk in 1628 and lay on the bottom of Stockholm’s harbour until 1961. We also visit the Stockholm City Hall, where the annual Nobel Prize banquet takes place. Lunch is at Fem Små Hus. This evening, enjoy a gastronomic welcome like no other when we dine at the Michelin-starred Operakällaren.

EMBARK TALLINK SILJA CRUISE

Day 3: Saturday 17 March

The Icebar Stockholm is the world’s first permanent bar made of ice. We start our day here, where it’s a constant -7ºC all year long. Don’t worry, coats and gloves are provided. After that, we warm up by walking the grounds of Drottningholm Palace, home of the Swedish royal family. Lunch is on board a boat while we cruise around the Stockholm archipelago. Over 30,000 islands are scattered across the water, with rocky cliffs, sandy beaches and groves of trees painting a most tranquil picture. This evening, we board a ship on the Tallink Silja Line for an overnight cruise to Helsinki in deluxe cabins.

HELSINKI (FINLAND)

Day 4: Sunday 18 March

We awake in the Gulf of Finland, enjoying breakfast as the ship approaches Helsinki. When we arrive, we go on a tour of the city, before adjourning for lunch at a quintessentially Finnish restaurant. Reside for two nights in the epitome of elegance that is historical Hotel Kämp.

HELSINKI

Day 5: Monday 19 March

Finland’s history has so much to offer. Learn more about it through these Your World experiences. Simply choose the one that interests you most.

• Visit Porvoo, a medieval town founded in the 1300s. It is characterised by narrow streets lined with wooden houses.
• See Suomenlinna, a World Heritage-listed sea fortress built on six islands by the Swedish when Finland was a territory.

This evening, we dine at Restaurant Savoy and discover why gourmets have eaten here since the 1930s.

KEMI & ROVANIEMI

Day 6: Tuesday 20 March

Today, we take a flight to Kemi where we visit Kemin Jalokivigalleria (The Kemin Gemstone Gallery), before we transfer to the Gulf of Bothnia to board the Icebreaker Sampo ship. The thundering sound of the steel ship crushing thick sea ice is a truly unique experience. This afternoon, our coach takes us to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland. We check in to the Arctic Light Hotel, our home for two nights.

ROVANIEMI

Day 7: Wednesday 21 March

The morning starts at the Arktikum - the museum and Arctic science centre - where we marvel at the Chronicles exhibition, with an interactive narrative that takes you back to rural living in Lapland’s past. Today, we also visit Santa Claus Village and have lunch in its cute and quaint cabins. This is surely an experience that you’ll want to share with your grandchildren at home.

INARI

Day 8: Thursday 22 March

Inari, in Finland’s far north, is the spiritual heart of Sami culture and one of the best places to catch The Northern Lights. After a leisurely road trip, lunch at a local restaurant, followed by a quintessentially Finnish smoke sauna treatment. At dinner, we sample the delights of a traditional Lappish meal. The spa and authentic culinary creations are part of the unique experience that is Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, our residence for two nights. There we have the privilege of staying in special glass igloos that allow us to view The Northern Lights while cosily lying in bed.

INARI

Day 9: Friday 23 March

In this rugged country, there is much to do during the day. Today, we have a choice of two Your World experiences.

• Go on a husky safari. Learn how to steer a team of sled dogs, and feel the exhilaration of speeding through the snowy landscape.
• Visit the reindeer herders. This is your opportunity to meet the Sami and discover a way of life that hasn’t changed for millennia.

We meet for dinner back at our resort, sharing stories of our exciting day before we set off for the most incredible spectacle. Here we will look to the skies in awe, searching for The Northern Lights. This greatest must-see of all has come to be called Aurora Hunting.

EMBARK MS NORDNORGE

Day 10: Saturday 24 March

After the ice igloos, we travel to Kirkenes, where we board the MS Nordnorge for five nights on the classic Hurtigruten route to Bergen, said to be the most beautiful sea voyage in the world. On board this newly refurbished small ship, and in our comfortable Expedition Mini Suites, we hug the coast of Norway, encountering pristine fjords inaccessible to bigger vessels and docking at numerous villages, each with a distinct character. Medieval towns and castles feature, as do colourful fishing villages and trading posts. And, if we are lucky, we might spot migrating whales. 

HONNINGSVÅG (NORWAY)

Day 11: Sunday 25 March

Skim just beyond the shore of a mostly untouched coastline. Take a deep breath, hold and then exhale, air this fresh is positively therapeutic. Travelling in what would best be described as a stunning, seafaring boutique hotel, you are presented with a veritable art gallery of landscapes. The vast wilderness is interspersed with bursts of vigour, as local fishing boats unload their catch. Hints of lights ahead beckon, as you make your way to Hammerfest, the most northerly town in the world.

SORTLAND

Day 12: Monday 26 March

Tromsdalen Church, otherwise known as The Arctic Cathedral, is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Then it’s back to the Bronze Age in Harstad, before the painted city of Sortland presents you with every hue of blue. At a very busy day’s end, it’s off to bed and the best night’s sleep you’ve had for ages.

SANDNESSJØEN

Day 13: Tuesday 27 March

Dramatic mountains, pristine fjords and saltspray on your lips give you a real taste for the Arctic. With the bright lights that are Aurora Borealis, as well as the birds that lead you from Helgeland to Lofoten and then onto Svolvær, this is sensational in every respect of the word. Dinner is served in the shadow of the Seven Sisters mountain range.

TRONDHEIM

Day 14: Wednesday 28 March

Surrounded by the islands of Rørvik, all 6,000 of them, you’re bound for the university city of Trondheim which celebrates youth. Given the invigorating atmosphere here, you’re probably feeling years younger yourself. But don’t go rushing about. Instead, take your time to explore the history and heritage, including the renowned Nidaros Cathedral.

BERGEN

Day 15: Thursday 29 March

You won’t want to miss taking photos of yourself in front of Norway’s most famous Geirangerfjord. Bid goodbye to your floating home when the MS Nordnorge docks in Bergen. After checking into your sumptuous, business-class room at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, yours for the next two nights, relax this afternoon before dinner in town.

BERGEN

Day 16: Friday 30 March

For the best views of Bergen, we hop onboard the Fløibanen funicular. It whisks us directly from the city centre to the top of Mount Fløyen. After taking in the sweeping views, choose from these two Your World experiences.

• If the weather is good, take a helicopter ride for a bird’s eye view of Bergen and the snowy fjords beyond.
• Surround yourself with Bergen’s dramatic landscapes, and get up close to the rocky cliffs ona day cruise to the narrow Mostraumen Fjord.

OSLO

Day 17: Saturday 31 March

It has been called Europe’s most scenic train ride. In terms of engineering, it is also one of the continent’s most amazing. The Bergensbanen train ride, from Bergen to Oslo, took 34 years to complete. On the journey, you will cross the Hardangervidda plateau, at 1,237 metres above sea level. We even travel on the Flåm branch line that takes us through the scenic Flåmsdalen Valley. In Oslo, check in to the landmark Hotel Continental for two nights, and dine at Tjuvholmen Sjømagasin, where the freshest seafood is on the menu.

OSLO

Day 18: Sunday 1 April

Oslo is equally gifted with natural attractions as it is with architecture. See the city on guided tours of the Storting building where Oslo’s Parliament presides, and the Royal Palace, the official residence of Norway’s monarch. This evening, our tremendous journey culminates in a grand farewell banquet accompanied by a classical ensemble in a private location within our hotel.

NORWAY

Day 19: Monday 2 April

As our journey concludes after breakfast, we contemplate the various places encountered, knowing that we have been privy to some of our world’s most phenomenal secrets.