A true city of water, effortlessly cool Hamburg is an outward-looking city, with a unique flow of its own. Nestled snugly between the Baltic and North seas, Germany's second-biggest city is intersected by a frayed network of rivers and canals, spanned by hundreds of pretty bridges. The comparisons are obvious - but Hamburg's reputation as the 'Venice of the North' is a little wide of the mark. This quirky, heritage-filled city has a distinct character and open outlook all of its own, and continues to relish its role as Germany's gateway to the world. The water brought Hamburg its wealth, and vast redbrick warehouses stack up against the waterfront in the Speicherstadt district - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They linger from the era when the city was a Hanseatic League trading capital and the warehouses essentially formed a city unto themselves, with goods brought and exchanged from distant shores. Elsewhere, the Reeperbahn is a notorious and unabashed street of nocturnal mischief, with shifty neon-lit nightclubs, in amongst the city's famous red-light district. Hamburg has a much more wholesome side too, however, and is a powerhouse of museums, theatre and culture. It’s littered with over 100 music venues and the city played a crucial role in The Beatles’ early story. The spectacular Elbphilharmonie concert hall, with its wavy, surrealistic interior, is a work of art in and of itself. The city has been named a European Green Capital, and the vast Lake Alster adds to the airy, pleasant atmosphere, providing a spacious oasis of tranquillity. Planten un Blomen is another burst of zesty colour, where fountains fan out, and lilypads float on rhododendron-lined lakes.

One of the world's great canals, the 60-mile-long Kiel Canal provides a spectacular, water shortcut through Northern Europe. Opened in 1895, following eight years of construction at the hands of 9,000 men, it has been upgraded twice since, to serve the growth of both the ships it can accommodate and the rise in demand. The long waterway links the North Sea with the Baltic, and this engineering marvel is now one of the world's busiest shipping routes. Sparing ships from an arduous 280-mile journey around the sometimes challenging waters of the Danish peninsula. Ships from pleasure yachts to giant tankers cruise the gently curving, artificial waterway - which is fringed by walls of forest, green fields, and occasional soaring bridges. The western entrance branches off from the mouth of the Elbe river at Brunsbüttel, and you'll easily spot the eastern entrance at Kiel-Holtenau, where you are saluted by a Venetian bell tower as you sail the town's fjord. Huge locks raise and lower the water level at the entrances, and the leisurely transit takes roughly eight hours, with plenty to look out for along the way. The Rendsburg High Bridge is a spectacular structure spanning the wide canal. It features a hanging gondola, which can swing people and vehicles across from one side of the bank to the other. More recently the dramatic archway of the Levensau High Bridge was added.

Christiansø is the furthest east island of Denmark and sits so far out into the Baltic Sea that it is closer to Poland, Germany and Sweden than to the Danish mainland. The island’s varied history owes itself to this isolation, coming to prominence first as a pirate haven, summer fishing camp and later as a fortress and prison. Solidity greets you as you set foot on the island, not only through the bedrock underfoot but through the stout granite bulwarks that formed the first line of defence since 1684 when it was made into a Danish naval base. Though defensive, one can’t help think that the bulwarks and island must have felt a bit like a prison for those serving here. Indeed it was for some, with the adjacent island of Frederiksø - accessible by suspension bridge - holding political prisoners in the 19th century (you can stay overnight in one of the cells if you wish). While on Frederiksø you can also learn of the local history in the Small Tower, and pay your respects at the Cholera Graveyard. As you stroll around Christiansø be sure to visit Gallery Palivaren, Denmark’s easternmost art gallery, and perhaps linger romantically with your partner on the love bench next to Bielke’s Bulwark. Look for the quaint island garden too: the thick walls not only shelter the plants but retain heat well into the autumn boosting the growing season. If you choose not to stay in that prison cell, then you will leave not only to the echoes of gulls but of the peace and rich history that Christiansø holds.

Kuressaare is the perfect launching pad to experience the island of Saaremaa and authentic Estonia. It is the main town on the island and retains architecture typical of the region, with a mix of Nordic and Germanic styles, steep roofs of red tiles, regularly arranged square windows and charming cobbled streets. Nowadays the open spaces have become outdoor cafes and restaurants to soak in the atmosphere, sample the local fare and of course people watch. On approach by sea, the high walls of Kuressaare Castle catch your eye. This stern fortification is further protected by broad ramparts and a moat, and dominates the old town and harbour area. Having played its part in the various power struggles in the region it nowadays houses the Saaremaa Museum where visitors can learn about the local history as well as lose themselves in the maze of passages, stairways and rooms as their minds wander to Lords, Ladies and banquets. For natural beauty, the Vilsandi National Park lies a short distance to the northwest, where numerous hiking trails allow you to explore the forest and coastline, birdwatch and perhaps even take a boat out to some of the offshore islands. Also near Kuressaare is the Kaali Crater site, where 9 meteorites crashed into the earth some 7500 years ago. The largest is a perfect circle of 110 metres (360 feet) across and was used in sacrificial ceremonies. Alternatively ease into a blissful Estonian cultural experience with a sauna and spa at the Georg Ots Spa Hotel or the Grand Rose Spa Hotel.

Gotska Sandön is Sweden’s answer to a tropical island paradise with miles of white sand beaches fringing an island of dense forest. As you explore this uninhabited and remote island of the Baltic Sea, you can easily imagine yourself marooned on a desert island far from the trappings of modern day life. Numerous trails criss-cross the island revealing the wonderful pine forest that dominates the interior. The beauty is also in the detail: the intricate pattern of a fern frond; the perfect form a clump of moss takes; the rich assemblage of beetle species. Look closely and a whole new world is unveiled. While glimpsing the birdlife might prove tricky in the dense canopy, linger in the glades and forest edges looking for movement. At the small pond at Kapellänget you might be lucky enough to see flocks of exotic-looking Parrot Crossbills. You could be forgiven for thinking that their beaks are deformed given how the tips overlap, but this is actually an adaptation to feed on pine cones. The forest is alive with the sound of birds too, from the flashy but elusive Golden Oriole, to the camouflaged Greenish Warbler and even the Eurasian Hobby, a small bird of prey that manoeuvres adeptly through the branches. Emerging from the shade to the shore at Säludden you can find grey seals sun-bathing on the rocks, and an array of terns, gulls and oystercatchers and just offshore families of Common Eider duck bobbing gently on the waves, in soporific effect, lulling you to stay longer.

Gnäggen barely protrudes above the waters of the Gulf of Bothnia, and but for the scattering of willow, rowan and aspen trees that try to grow in the cracks between the rocks, one could be forgiven for thinking that the whole island is regularly wave-washed. In fact this dolerite speck a few kilometres off the Swedish coast was smoothed by the action of ice sheets during the last Ice Age, and like many of the land forms in the region has been rebounding upwards since the great weight of ice melted away. The fascinating geology can be easily overlooked however, as the island is most well-known as a bird reserve. The coves and inlets echo to the less than melodious braying of members of the Alcid family, like Razorbills and Common Guillemots. These heavyset birds are instantly recognisable as the “penguins of the north” though they retain the ability to fly, albeit in a lumbering manner. Exploring the coastline, your eyes will pick out ledges overflowing with the messy guano and seaweed nests of Great Cormorants while your ears hear high-pitched squeaks from deep crevices, where the strikingly handsome Black Guillemots make their home (how those naming the bird omitted mention of the blood red legs is a mystery). Such seabird treasure naturally attracts pirates. Loitering on prominent rocks are the bulky Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. With their piercing intense eyes and formidable beaks any unattended egg or chick will be mercilessly dealt with. Nature can be raw along the High Coast of Sweden. Örnsköldsvik, with a population of approximately 29,000, is located on the east coast of Västernorrland County on the Bay of Bothnia. Situated on a bay enclosed by skerries, the town is named after Per Abraham Örnsköld, governor of Västernorrland from 1762 to 1769, who did a great deal to promote the development of the region. The town's economy depends principally on the paper industry and its deep port. The area benefits from a natural harbour that remains ice-free for 11 months of the year. The figure of an eagle carved in local granite by Bruno Liljefors has become the emblem of the town and can be found in the Torgpark (city park). The western side the town is bound by wooded crags and inland are a range of hills offering excellent fishing in summer and skiing in the winter. Örnsköldsvik is a young town in an old district with many cultural traditions. The centre of the city has been developed into a lively place for people to meet offering a varied mix of shops, restaurants, and activities. Pier Information The ship is scheduled to dock at Stadskajen inner harbor. The center of town is about a 3-4 minute walk. Metered taxis are available at the pier. Shopping Örnsköldsvik has a bustling commercial centre. Here, you find small, pleasant shops side by side with large department stores and well-stocked shops offering specialist goods for sale. A speciality of this region is Surströmming (fermented herring). To save on the cost of Swedes’ all-important winter supply of salt herring, the amount of salt was reduced, causing the herring to ferment instead. Cuisine With the locals’ penchant for good food, many restaurants and several cafés, pubs and bars cater to a wide variety of tastes. Swedish fare tends to be hearty, practical and sustaining. Other Sites Paradisbadet This is one of the best waterparks in northern Europe, fully enclosed with a tropical climate and water at 100ºF (38 C). The park is dotted with green plants, Jacuzzis, rapids, and plunge pools. The 328 foot (100 metre) long water slide is the longest in Sweden. The Hans Hedberg Museum Famous potter Hans Hedberg has a museum all of his own in one of the glass-roofed areas at Arken. A few examples of Hedberg´s world-famous ceramics are on display here. Private arrangements for independent sightseeing may be requested through the Tour Office on board.

Set in the Finnish north, on the spectacular World Heritage Site of the Kvarken Archipelago, Vaasa offers the full package of museums, art and scenic beauty. Sweden’s shores lie just 50 nautical miles away, and almost a quarter of the population here speak Swedish as their first language. With three universities in town, and the sweeping Replot Bridge welcoming visitors from many miles around, Vaasa always feels fresh and energetic, as you wander its compact streets. Visit the remains of the Old Town, to see the ruins of the city's earlier incarnation, which was engulfed in flames in 1852, when a sleepy trader accidently dropped his pipe, igniting some hay in the process. The town was largely destroyed, and had to be rebuilt from scratch a short distance away. Take a tour of the Museum of Old Vaasa to learn a little more about the former settlement, and pay the Korsholm Church a visit – which was converted from a court building to replace the town’s burnt out church.The observatory at Meteoria at Söderfjärden, stands in the centre of a gigantic crater, which formed when a colossal meteorite struck the area 520 million years ago. Admire the sheer scale of the incredible impact zone, and observe the diverse birdlife that now occupies the site. Elsewhere, the Ostrobothnian Museum is a great place to place to learn about the region's past, or you can direct your attention forwards, to the innovative Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art. Valsörarna is an archipelago of rocky islands in the narrowest part or so-called “throat” of the Gulf of Bothnia. From the outer islands to the Swedish coast is only 25 kilometres (16 miles) and thus these Finnish islands act like stepping stones between the two countries. In centuries gone by, the fastest mail route between the two countries was here, across the winter sea ice.
Sheltered bays allow access to a landscape of rock and boulder moraines, interspersed with wetlands, coastal meadows and small woods dominated by birch, alder, spruce and juniper. The islands form part of the Kvarken or High Coast Archipelago UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, shared by both countries, and recognising the area’s post-glacial geology. Most notable is the area’s glacio-isostatic uplift, whereby the earth’s surface rises over time having previously been held down by the weight of ice sheets during the last Ice Age. For the last 10,000 years the rate of rebound has been an impressive 0.9 metres (3 feet) per century - very much noticeable within a human generation - and such that geologists predict that a land-bridge will join the two countries within 2500 years. Valsörarna is also a bird sanctuary that offers protection not only to the island’s 80 breeding species - Black Guillemot, Common Gull, Razorbill and Arctic Tern are the most numerous - but also to migratory species. As many as 273 different species have been recorded since conservation efforts began, highlighting just how precious the islands are.

Formerly known for controlling the wood tar industry of northern Finland, Kalajoki has more recently emerged as one of the country’s best beach resorts. The long days of Arctic summer lend a holiday feeling to the town, with beach-goers sunbathing, picnicking and enjoying various water sports. The town has plenty to offer the culturally-minded, with museums covering the local history and traditional fishing industries, along with the well-preserved old town of Plassi. Here, the quaint wooden houses transport you back to a time of lively and colourful market days when the air was filled with the shouts of vendors and the shrieks of excited children. To learn about the region’s sawmill industry a visit to the Havula museum is a must. This Art Nouveau villa was the former home of one of the town’s sawmill magnates and contains period furniture as well as original artwork. The standard Finnish relaxation amenities of swimming pools and saunas are of course commonplace, though at Linnakallio, a short distance out of town, they take second stage. The main features of relaxation and contemplation here are the log churches of Riihikirkko and Pahkakirkko, which are a favourite choice for marriage celebrations. For nature lovers Kalajoki offers many trails through the birch and spruce forests while the nearby Rahja archipelago draws the attention of birdwatchers, with many breeding bird species such as Arctic Tern, Ruddy Turnstone and Ringed Plover utilising the sandy and rocky beaches as nesting sites.

This pretty seaside town has more than an element of chocolate box to it. Narrow cobbled streets flanked by painted wooden cottages and overflowing flower boxes may seem a little twee to the urbanite, but once you let yourself be charmed by its olde-world fairy-tale magic, you will soon fall in love. Rauma also has the happy label of being the largest unified wooden town in the Nordic countries, and has a UNESCO World Heritage badge of honour to prove it. It is also close to 580 years old, making it almost 500 years older than its host country, Finland and the third oldest town in Finland. And yet, over five centuries of history is not the jewel in Rauma’s crown, rather the lace-making festival that happens every summer. People flock from far and wide to take on the resident lace-making champion in a series of “lace-battles” that involve speed, precision and of course bobbins. Historical sources reveal that bobbin lace-making in Rauma goes back all the way to the 1740s. Initially, Lace Week was a set of exhibitions during which skilled bobbin lace-makers could display their works, but it has since developed into a wide-ranging communal event, with music, dance and traditional cooking.

Örö Island is one of the thousands of islands that make up the Archipelago National Park off the southwest tip of Finland. The island’s location made it a strategic military post, and therefore closed to the public for about a hundred years. Visitors have only been allowed to explore the island’s natural beauty and learn of the unique military history since June 2015. A looped trail to the south of the island takes the visitor back to a time when huge Obukovski guns projected out ominously into the Baltic Sea, ready to shell any would-be invaders. These and other installations made up part of the maritime defences of St Petersburg, the then capital of Tsarist Russia. Many of these defences were built by forced labour under harsh conditions, and to the demise of the labourers, which lends a haunted air to the island’s history. A museum of the Russian, and subsequent Finnish defences can be seen in one of the island’s barracks. The northern trail focuses more on the nature of the island and loops through pretty coastal meadow and forest habitat. In spring the island becomes an important stopover for northward migrating birds, while during the summer the meadows burst with flowering plants and butterflies. Owing to its location the island hosts a variety of habitats and subsequently plant life rare on the mainland. These habitats support rare wildlife including birds like both Ictarine and Barred Warblers, as well as butterflies like the Purple and Gold and Finland’s largest, the Apollo.

Ulko-Tammio Island is one of the most easterly islands in the Eastern Gulf of Finland National Park and is known for its natural beauty. During the Second World War however, the island was a military outpost that helped to defend Finland from Russia (the Russian border lies a mere 10 kilometres (6 miles) away). Numerous war-time sites can still be seen, including cannon foundations, trenches and a 70-metre (230 feet) long bunker tunnel, as one explores the island and juxtaposes the peace and natural beauty with the fear and suspicion that must have accompanied the military forces stationed here in the past. The island is an important stopover during the spring migration of Arctic breeding bird species, and thus draws many birdwatchers to its rocky shores, in the months of April and May. Summer visitors can enjoy the species that breed on the island, such as Lesser Black-backed Gull, Arctic Tern, Razorbill and Black Guillemot to name but a few. The latter with its striking black and white plumage and bright red feet is also the emblem of the national park. From the birding tower in the middle of the island, one’s eye can follow the red-brown rocky coastline and bathe in the relaxing vistas of stunted pine forests, copses of broad-leafed trees and brightly coloured wildflower meadows. This mosaic of habitats is not only kind on the eye but helps one to remain focused in the beauty of the present moment while processing the conflicts of the past and the continuing divisions of today.

"A thriving, flawlessly-designed seaside city, Helsinki is famously livable and inspiring. A regional powerhouse of outstanding design and creativity, Helsinki lies across a confetti scattering of 300 islands and skerries in the Gulf of Finland. Known for the light granite hue of its buildings - which lend the city a bright, whitewashed appearance - traditional buildings mingle seamlessly with bold new structures, showcasing Finland's celebrated design outlook. Helsinki Cathedral is the crowning glory - rising high over the city's waterfront with its pearly white domes gleaming. A city that reveres knowledge and creativity above all else, artworks and statues litter the streets and parks, honouring creative minds of the past. Open parks offer space to lie back and soak up summer's sun, while sculptures like the abstract organs of the Sibelius Monument celebrate national heroes like composer Jean Sibelius - whose music gave Finland national identity in the quest for independence. Feel the stunning acoustics of the incredible Rock Church deep in your gut, as you witness a performance in this collaboration between man and nature. Built into the rock underground, the amphitheatre's soaring copper bowl roof is suspended dramatically on a bed of glass windows. One of Helsinki's many incredible buildings, the Design Museum offers a comprehensive insight into the city's balance of style, function and form. Helsinki's easy-going, forward-thinking way of life was hard fought for, and the spectacular Suomenlinna fortress rears out of the waves as a reminder of the historical struggles that have played out in this stretch of sea. The chain of forts covers six islands and was built to defend the archipelago when it fell under Swedish rule. Sail out to the quaint little beaches, and waterfront pathways that now lend a calm, peaceful ambience to this UNESCO World Heritage Site."

The excursions are provided as a sample of what may be offered on this voyage and are subject to change.