Tour Northern Highlights & the Arctic Circle
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Finland, Norway, Sweden
Starts in Rovaniemi
Ends in
Helsinki |
USA departure
Mondays
From Jun 4 to August 20
2007 |
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14 days
15 days incl. airc6900
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Tour price - - - - - - - - from
$ 1959 to $
1999
Airline tickets from your home city also available
Your Travel Package Includes:
SIGHTSEEING:
Visits to Rovaniemi, Sodankyla, Tankavaara, Inari, North Cape, Narvik, Mo,
Trondheim, Mora
SCENIC HIGHLIGHTS:
Arctic Circle crossing, Lapland and Santa Claus Workshop, Lake Silian
Inside visits are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges when applicable
GUIDES:
Local Guides for city sightseeing in Stockholm and Helsinki. Services of a professional Tour Director while touring
TRANSPORTATION:
Scheduled transatlantic flights and airport transfers in London if
Tour Operator issues the tickets. Touring by private first-class air-conditioned
motorcoach. Fjordland cruise; overnight ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki will be in shared (same gender) four-berth cabins with private facilities; supplement for two-berth
cabins.
MEALS:
13 buffet breakfasts (B); 6 dinners (D)
AIRPORT TRANSFERS:
Airport transfers may be included when you make your flight
arrangements with Tour Operator.
OPTIONALS:
Choice of optional excursions at reasonable prices to customize your
own experience. Please find a detailed list in your travel documents
Itinerary - Northern Highlights & the Arctic Circle
Day 1 Mon. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.
Day 2 Tue. ARRIVAL IN ROVANIEMI, FINLAND. Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to start exploring
Rovaniemi. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers.
Day 3 Wed. ROVANIEMI. A whole day to enjoy the capital of Finnish Lapland. For hundreds of years it was famous for exporting furs and salmon to the world’s rich and powerful. Unfortunately, the town was totally destroyed during World War II. The new town, which you’ll visit this morning, was designed by Alvar Aalto in the shape of reindeer antlers. Sights include Lappia Hall, the Town Hall, the new modern church with its intriguing frescoes, and the Arctic Center. Afternoon at leisure or join an optional excursion to find out more about Lapland. (B)
Day 4 Thu. ROVANIEMI-SAARISELKÄ. As you cross the Arctic Circle (66°31’N), you are in incomparable, unspoiled Lapland, land of reindeer and the midnight sun. Stop at the Santa Claus Workshop with a chance to meet Father Christmas himself. North to Sodankylä where you see the charming Vanha
Kirkko, Lapland’s oldest wooden church dating back to the 17th century. At Tankavaara visit the Gold Museum and try panning for gold if you wish. Overnight in Saariselkä, on the edge of the virgin wilderness and part of Finland’s major national park. It is the largest winter sport center in Finland and in summer a paradise for hikers and mountain bike lovers.
(B,D)
Day 5 Fri. SAARISELKÄ-HONNINGSVAG, NORWAY. Via Ivalo you drive to Inari for a visit to the fascinating open-air museum giving insights into Sami life and folk art. On into Norway and across the beautiful Porsangen Fjord to Honningsvag on the island of
Mageroya, home to 4,000 people and 5,000 reindeer. Tonight one of the highlights of this tour is the included drive to the North Cape, Europe’s last northern outpost, on a sheer cliff rising 1,000 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. From May 11 to July 31, if the sky is clear, you’ll see the midnight sun rolling just above the horizon!
(B,D)
Day 6 Sat. HONNINGSVAG-FJORD CRUISE-HAMMERFEST-ALTA. One of the highlights of this tour is today’s fjord cruise from Honningsvag to
Hammerfest. You will enjoy some of Norway’s most beautiful coastal and mountain scenery as you cruise southwards. Disembark at Hammerfest and drive to Alta, situated at the mouth of the world’s richest salmon river, for overnight.
(B,D)
Day 7 Sun. ALTA-NARVIK. Continue your unforgettable journey south along the stunning shoreline of Norway. The road meanders along Kvaenangenfjord and
Lyngenfjhord. You are now in the Troms Province, still way beyond the Arctic Circle, but with a climate mild enough to allow very successful farming. Stop for pictures at the thundering Malselvfossen Waterfall. Hear about fierce World War II battles as you approach
Narvik, rebuilt after near total destruction. (B)
Day 8 Mon. NARVIK-MO. Visit Narvik’s War Museum and relive how Norwegian troops, with the help of their allies, showed the world that the Nazi war machine was not invulnerable. Enter
Nordland; not far from Mo you cross the Arctic Circle again and are back in a world where the sun rises and sets every day of the year. Overnight in the little town of Mo I
Rana. (B)
Day 9 Tue. MO-TRONDHEIM. On the agenda today: the ancient octagonal church of Mosjöen; the spectacular Laksforsen Waterfall; the forests and rivers of Namsdalen Valley; finally vistas of
Trondheimsfjord, the World War II hideout of the German battleship Tirpitz. (B,D)
Day 10 Wed. TRONDHEIM-ROROS. Spend this morning getting to know something about Norway’s third largest city, also known as the "Gateway to the North." The main sight in town is the
Nidarosdomen, the most famous cathedral in Norway. In the afternoon travel southeast through some fine alpine scenery to
Roros, not far from the Swedish border, for overnight. (B,D)
Day 11 Thu. ROROS-LAKE FEMUND-MORA AREA, SWEDEN. Grand mountain scenery and beautiful Lake Femund are part of today’s journey south on the way to Mora. In the heart of the Dalarna region, this is the most typical and unspoiled countryside in the whole of Sweden.
(B,D)
Day 12 Fri. MORA-UPPSALA-STOCKHOLM. Continue your scenic drive skirting Lake Silian and its typical Dalarnian shore-side villages. Once past the university city of
Uppsala, just a few more miles before reaching Sweden’s capital Stockholm for overnight. (B)
Day 13 Sat. STOCKHOLM-BALTIC SEA CROSSING-HELSINKI, FINLAND. Stockholm is perhaps the most beautiful of the Scandinavian capitals. The effect of its crystalline waters flowing through the city’s intersecting canals gives a luminous appearance to palaces, castles, and parks. Sightseeing includes the City Hall and other landmarks. The afternoon is free for your own exploration. In the evening embark on the Silja Line ferry to Helsinki. On board you can enjoy music, dancing and shopping. (B)
Day 14 Sun. HELSINKI. After breakfast on board, disembark for your city sightseeing tour with a Local Guide. Highlights will include the City Hall and Parliament House, the Presidential Palace, the monumental railway station and the great Lutheran Cathedral. An afternoon of leisure or to do for some individual exploring. (B)
Day 15 Mon. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B)
Quality Hotels:
Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and service charges
ROVANIEMI Quality Santa Claus (F), SAARISELKÄ Holiday Club (F), HONNINGSVAG Rica Nordkapp (F) or Rica Bryggen (F), ALTA Rica Alta (F), NARVIK Quality Grand Royal (F), MO Fjordgarden (ST), TRONDHEIM Quality St. Augustin (ST), ROROS Quality Roros (ST), MORA AREA First Hotel Grand (F) at
Falun, STOCKHOLM Quality Nacka (ST), HELSINKI SAS Radisson Seaside Hotel (F)
Hotel Rating Abbreviations:
F = First Class
ST = Superior Tourist Class
T = Tourist Class
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