ARCHIVE PAGE !
Tour Jewels
of the Baltics & Scandinavia
Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia
,Finland, Sweden
Starts in Copenhagen
Ends in Stockholm |
USA departure
Fridays
From May 4
to September 28
2007
|
|
16 days
17 days incl. airc6930
|
Tour price - - - - - - - - from
$ 1990 to $
2140
Airline tickets from your home city also available
Your Travel Package Includes:
SIGHTSEEING:
Visits to Berlin, Warsaw, Pilsrundale, Parnu
SCENIC HIGHLIGHTS:
Gauja National Park
Inside visits are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges when applicable
GUIDES:
Local Guides for city sightseeing in Copenhagen, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm. 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. Overnight cruise from Helsinki to Stockholm will be in shared (same gender) 4-berth cabins with private facilities; supplement for two-berth cabins
MEALS:
15 buffet breakfasts (B); 7 dinners (D); 3 lunches (L)
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 - Jewels of the Baltics &
Scandinavia
Day 1 Fri. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.
Day 2 Sat. ARRIVAL IN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free to explore the Danish capital. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers. (D)
Day 3 Sun. COPENHAGEN-BERLIN, GERMANY. A morning to enjoy Hans Christian Andersen’s friendly city. Sightseeing includes the Little Mermaid sitting on her rock by the Langeline Promenade, and the rococo Amelienborg Palace. In the afternoon drive to Gedser for the two-hour ferry crossing to
Rostock. Then past Lake Plaurer to Berlin for overnight. (B)
Day 4 Mon. BERLIN-POZNAN, POLAND. No longer divided but every bit as fascinating, Berlin is a city shadowed by a tragic past yet clearly set for a bright future. The old West Berlin of the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, and the new huge Europa Center is vastly different from East Berlin with its needle-sharp Television Tower, Karl Marx
Allee, and classical State Opera House. See it all on the optional sightseeing tour. Also take a stroll down the Kurfürstendamm, aptly described by novelist Tom Wolfe as the "longest coffee shop in Europe." In the afternoon cross the River Oder into Poland for an overnight in
Poznan. (B,D)
Day 5 Tue. POZNAN-WARSAW. Travel eastwards this morning across the flat Polish lowlands to the country’s capital, Warsaw. This afternoon join the optional sightseeing with a Local Guide. This is an excellent introduction to Warsaw’s historic center, magnificently restored after massive wartime destruction. (B)
Day 6 Wed. WARSAW-VILNIUS, LITHUANIA. Journey northeast by way of Bialystok towards Augustow and
Suwalki. Cross the Lithuanian border for the relatively short drive to Vilnius for an early evening arrival.
(B,D)
Day 7 Thu. VILNIUS. Vilnius has been the capital of Lithuania since the 13th century and the old town reflects in its architecture the influence of the various peoples who have at different times been the dominant force. Lithuanians, Russians, Jews, Moslems and Swedes all contributed to the making of this city. After breakfast join the included city sightseeing tour. The itinerary will take in St. Stanislav’s Cathedral, Gedeminas’ Castle, St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Church, St. Anna’s Church, the Gate of Dawn and the old university. Later in the afternoon enjoy some leisure or take the optional excursion to visit Trakai Castle. This evening there’s an optional folklore dinner. (B)
Day 8 Fri. VILNIUS-PILSRUNDALE, LATVIA-RIGA. An interesting journey today as you travel right across Lithuania into Latvia for a stop in Pilsrundale to visit the baroque Palace of
Rundale, the former summer residence of the Duke of Courland. The palace was built by the great architect
Rastrelli, who also designed the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. More lovely countryside before reaching Riga.
(B,L,D)
Day 9 Sat. RIGA. The capital of Latvia is rightly considered one of the most beautiful towns in the
Baltics. On the included tour of the old city with Local Guide, you will be briefed on some of the most eventful parts of the city’s 800-year history. Founded in 1201 by Bishop Albert, head of the Order of Teutonic Knights, the old town is a mixture of narrow streets, parks, river banks, and a canal flanked by old houses and lofty church spires. The main sights in the old town are Riga Castle and the Dome Cathedral. (B)
Day 10 Sun. RIGA-PARNU, ESTONIA-TALLINN. A very interesting itinerary today since it will start with a drive through the Gauja National Park, known as the "Livonian Switzerland," a land dotted with castles, parks, picturesque countryside and a variety of fauna and flora seen only here. The park is traversed by the Gauja River. Next head to the Baltic coastline for the drive to the Estonian border and a stop in
Parnu, Estonia’s most fashionable seaside resort. Then travel northwards to Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, for overnight.
(B,L,D)
Day 11 Mon. TALLINN. Start the day with an included sightseeing tour to appreciate Tallinn’s history and beauty. The old town, now on the list of World Heritage sites, is certainly the most interesting part of the city. Also worth noting are the Hanseatic merchant houses, the mile-long town wall, the medieval Town Hall and the House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads. (B)
Day 12 Tue. TALLINN-ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA. Drive east today towards the border town of Narva with the impressive Hermann Fortress. Then start the journey to St. Petersburg, considered by most travelers to be Russia’s most fascinating city.
(B,L,D)
Day 13 Wed. ST. PETERSBURG. St. Petersburg was created in 1703 by the iron will of Peter the Great. He made it the capital of all the Russias and ensured that it should rival any other European capital in splendor, beauty, and distinction. Palaces, parks, monuments, squares, wide boulevards, and 600 bridges delight visitors with their symmetrical beauty, and the River Neva adds to the city’s charm. During World War II the city was besieged for 900 days and much of it was destroyed, along with hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants. This morning’s included sightseeing excursion will acquaint you with the best of the city’s highlights. (B)
Day 14 Thu. ST. PETERSBURG-VYBORG, FINLAND-HELSINKI. Realize the huge expanse of Russia as you take a last glimpse of St. Petersburg. Set off north, traveling between Lake Ladoga to the east and the Gulf of Finland to the west, before crossing into Finland and its capital, Helsinki. (B)
Day 15 Fri. HELSINKI-BALTIC SEA CROSSING-STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN. The included tour of the Finnish capital covers the sedate Empire-style palace on Senate Square and the cathedral. The afternoon is free for your own exploration. In the evening embark on the Silja Line ferry to Stockholm. On board you can enjoy music, dancing and shopping. (B)
Day 16 Sat. STOCKHOLM. Dock in Stockholm, 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. The best way to see and appreciate the highlights of Sweden’s capital is to join the included sightseeing tour with a Local Guide.
(B,D)
Day 17 Sun. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B)
Quality Hotels:
Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and service charges
COPENHAGEN Park Inn (ST) at Kastrup, BERLIN Econtel Charlottenburg (ST), POZNAN Novotel (ST), WARSAW Mercure Frederic Chopin (ST), VILNIUS Uniquestary Centrum (ST), RIGA Reval Latvija (F), TALLINN Reval Central (ST), ST. PETERSBURG Pribaltiskaja (F) or Pulkovskaya (F), HELSINKI SAS Radisson (F) at
Espoo, STOCKHOLM Quality Nacka (ST)
Hotel Rating Abbreviations:
F = First Class
ST = Superior Tourist Class
T = Tourist Class
|
