12D11N Focus on Scandinavia (6910)

Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free to explore the Danish capital. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travellers.

Enjoy a day at leisure in the capital of the oldest kingdom in the world. Besides many interesting landmarks and architectural masterpieces, see some of the more famous sites on your orientation drive, including the legendary Little Mermaid statue. An optional tour of Zealand's castles is also available.

After breakfast, start the journey northwards, enjoying the drive across the Great Belt bridge, which will connect you to the fairytale island of Funen. Stop in Odense, Hans Christian Andersen's hometown and, via the Little Belt waterway, head for Frederikshavn on the rural Jutland Peninsula.

Take a pleasant ferry ride from Frederikshavn across the strategic Kattegat to Gothenburg, Sweden's thriving secondlargest city and one of Europe's major seaports. After an orientation drive, follow the inland route and cross into Norway. Evening arrival in Oslo.

Gustav Vigeland's sculptures are among the highlights of the included Oslo sightseeing tour; also see the National Theatre, Broadcasting House, Parliament, and Akershus Castle. In the afternoon, drive through the Telemark region, where you'll spend the night.

Take the scenic route for a visit to Vemork, where the heavy water plant was blown up by a commando unit of British and Norwegians known as the Heroes of Telemark. Visit the Vermork Museum, then proceed through the Telemark region with its lakes, winding valleys, and rugged gorges backed by towering mountains. Ferry across the Hardangerfjord from Utne to Kvanndal. Continue to Bergen, Norway's picture-perfect Hanseatic seaport. En route, make a picture stop at Steindalsfossen Waterfall.

Built on seven hills with the fjords on one side and 1,000-foot Mount Floyen on the other, Bergen was the home of composer Edvard Grieg. Spend the day exploring at leisure, or consider joining one of our optional excursions to discover the history, traditions, and breathtaking views of this beautiful port city

More spectacular scenery as you drive towards the Sognefjord, where you embark for a breathtaking cruise on one of Norway's mightiest fjords, the Naeroyfjord. On to the Fagernes area.

First to Lillehammer, the mountain resort that hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics, then, a scenic drive along beautiful Lake Mjosa. Continue towards Sweden through Varmland's unspoiled wilderness of forest and lakes to Karlstad, located by Sweden's largest lake, Lake Vanern.

Leave Karlstad and head east towards Stockholm via idyllic Mariefred. Here, view majestic Gripsholm Castle, built in an enchanting rural setting. On to the Swedish capital. Its beauty is due to its unique setting on 14 islands between Lake Maleren and the Baltic Sea.

This is perhaps the most beautiful of the Scandinavian capitals, because the crystalline waters that flow through its intersecting canals give a luminous appearance to palaces, castles, and parks. Your city sightseeing takes in all the highlights including the City Hall.

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning