Holland, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway Cruise on Nieuw Statendam from Dover

Dover

Today Dover is a major port town facing into the English Channel and the second busiest cruise port in the UK. What makes Dover so special is its impressive location with miles of beautiful, un-spoilt coastline and its internationally famous White Cliffs dominated by Dover Castle, known throughout the world. Dover is the town in Kent which is geographically closest to the continent and, as the world´s busiest ferry port, many justifiably describe as ´the gateway to England´. The cliffs are popular with tourists and offer the opportunity for wonderful walks and superb views out towards the English Channel. Or you may simply choose to simply gaze at them from the beach.

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is located about a half-hour away from The Hague and an hour from Amsterdam, and has the largest port in Europe, with the rivers Meuse and Rhine providing excellent access to Basel, Switzerland and into France. This city is known for its Erasmus University and the cutting-edge architecture as the large congress and concert building called De Doelen, many well known museums. Rotterdam has its own orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra with its world famous musical director Valery Gergiev, plus many theatres that includes the new Luxor theatre and movie theatres. Rotterdam has also a lively cultural life (the Ahoy complex located in the south of the city hosts pop concerts and all sorts of music, poetry and cinema festivals, exhibitions, tennis tournaments and other activities). Northwest of Rotterdam you will find the major zoo called Diegaarde Blijdorp complete with a walkthrough sea aquarium called Oceanjum.

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and its most populous city with a number of bridges and tunnels connect the parts of the city together, and the cityscape is characterized by promenades, waterfronts, bars with terraces and artists busking on the streets. Since the turn of the millennium, Copenhagen has seen a strong urban and cultural development, partly due to massive investments in cultural facilities and infrastructure.

Aarhus (Denmark)

Aarhus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical centre of Denmark. The city is beautifully situated in typical East Jutland countryside, in a green valley with beaches and woods within easy reach. Århus offers an elegant combination of cosmopolitan city and quaint small town charm, with wonderful pubs, restaurants and romantic places. There is a large student population which makes for a vibrant nightlife. A major tourist attraction in Aarhus is The Old Town, which is a collection of historic Danish buildings gathered from all around the country. The city also hosts the Tivoli Friheden amusement park as well as the Deer Park situated in the large nearby public forest.

Warnemunde

Warnemunde is a an important seaside resort and the northernmost district of Rostock in Mecklenburg Vorpommern, located on the Baltic Sea at the estuary of the river Warnow. Places of Interest: The Lighthouse was built in 1897, and still currently in use and has approximately 121 ft high, allowing visitors to enjoy an impressive view over the Baltic Sea. The Teapot with its Hyparschale curved roof, is an interesting example of the East German architecture and houses various restaurants and a sea voyage exhibition. The Old Channel, the vicinity to the canal with its various restaurants, pubs and traditional fishing boats, regional specialties are offered in a fish market. Warnemundes sandy beaches stretch out over a length of 1.9 miles and are the broadest on the German Baltic Sea coast.

Tallinn (Estonia)

Tallinn is a medieval city, a fairytale city and mystery, which through its iron street lights and its winding cobblestone streets, we can meet the oldest pharmacy in Europe, dating from the fifteenth century and it still operates as a pharmacy, selling modern productss or St. Olav Church, the fourteenth century church that dominates Tallinns skyscraper of its age and is still a major attraction.

Helsinki

Helsinki, also called Daughter of the Baltic or City of the Sea, is the capital and the largest city of Finland. The harbour is the heartbeat of this southern coastal city built on the peninsulas and islands of the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. A piece of history can be found visiting the citys green domed Lutheran Cathedral, situated in Senate Square. There are fantastic museums like Suomenlinna and the Helsinki City Museum, where visitors can learn all there is to know about the worlds northernmost urban area. This city highly regarded for its design, a rich tradition that continues at stores like Arabia, which specializes in signature Finnish dishware, glassware, functional sculpture and pottery. Marimekko specializes in simple, bold, colourful clothing, and even offers bedding and house wares. The Kauppatori, or the market square, offers visitors all kind of toothsome treats, from traditional Finish goodies to fresh fruits and vegetables. Helsinkis popular Linnanmaki Amusement Park, where you can scream your heart out on the notoriously rickety wooden roller coaster.

Stockholm

Sweden’s capital city spreads out over 14 islands in Lake Mälaren and looks out proudly to the Baltic Sea to the east. Her grand public buildings, palaces, rich cultural history and museums tell her 700 year-old history beautifully. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the Old Town (Gamla Stan); expect and get cobblestone streets, crooked but beautifully preserved buildings, the Royal Palace, gothic churches and excellent cafés, bars, restaurants and Swedish design-ware shops

Visby (Sweden)

Visby is the largest city of the swedish island of Gotland. It is one of the medieval cities better perserved of Scandinavia, and it was declared in 1955 World heritage site by the UNESCO. The name of Visby comes from the ancient nordic language. Vi means place of sacrifices.

Oslo (Norway)

Oslo is the capital of and most populous city in Norway. Oslo occupies an arc of land at the northernmost end of the Oslofjord. The fjord, which is nearly bisected by the Nesodden peninsula opposite Oslo, lies to the south; in all other directions Oslo is surrounded by green hills and mountains. Oslo has a large and varied number of cultural attractions, which include several buildings containing artwork from Edvard Munch and various other international artists but also several Norwegian artists. Several world-famous writers have either lived or been born in Oslo. Examples are Knut Hamsun and Henrik Ibsen. Bygdøy, outside the city centre is the centre for history and the Norwegian Vikings' history. The area contains a large number of parks and seasites and many museums. Examples are the Fram Museum, Vikingskiphuset and the Kon-Tiki Museum. Oslo hosts the annual Oslo Freedom Forum.

Oslofjord (cruising)

Dover

Today Dover is a major port town facing into the English Channel and the second busiest cruise port in the UK. What makes Dover so special is its impressive location with miles of beautiful, un-spoilt coastline and its internationally famous White Cliffs dominated by Dover Castle, known throughout the world. Dover is the town in Kent which is geographically closest to the continent and, as the world´s busiest ferry port, many justifiably describe as ´the gateway to England´. The cliffs are popular with tourists and offer the opportunity for wonderful walks and superb views out towards the English Channel. Or you may simply choose to simply gaze at them from the beach.