Northern Europe by Train and Boat

Copenhagen — Bergen — Oslo — Stockholm — Tallinn — Helsinki — St. Petersburg

This itinerary covers northern Europe combining trains and several scenic boat trips. It was developed and conducted many times as a guided tour and is presented here so you can follow it independently. Detailed guides to each destination are linked in the headings.

Copenhagen — 3 nights

Denmark's capital is one of the most livable and walkable cities in Europe, its center a network of pedestrian streets, canals and well-preserved historic buildings. The Strøget, one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe, runs through the heart of the old city from the Town Hall Square to the Nyhavn harbor district, where 17th and 18th century merchants' houses in bright colors line both banks of a narrow canal.

Tivoli Gardens, the 19th century amusement park beside the central station, is one of the city's most distinctive experiences. The National Museum and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek art museum are both excellent.

Bergen — 2 nights

Fly from Copenhagen to Bergen, the historic gateway to the Norwegian fjords. The city is built around a harbor backed by seven mountains, with the medieval Bryggen wharf — a row of painted wooden warehouses dating to the 14th century Hanseatic trading league — lining the waterfront.

A cable car to the top of Mount Fløyen gives a panoramic view over the city and the surrounding fjords.

Bergen is compact and easily explored on foot. A highlight is the collection of colorful, well-preserved wooden buildings along the harbor that had been headquarters of trade in past centuries, now featuring shops and restaurants.

Fjord journey to Oslo

The journey from Bergen to Oslo by the Sognefjord boat and Flåm Railway is one of the great travel experiences in Europe.

Sognefjord is Norway's longest and deepest fjord, flanked by steep walls rising thousands of feet from the water. Then you transfer to a wonderful train ride.

The train ascends the high mountain plateau through 20 tunnels and past dramatic waterfalls from the village of Flåm at sea level. At the top you board the main Oslo train to complete the journey.

Oslo — 2 nights

Norway's capital for a thousand years sits at the head of the Oslofjord, with a compact and walkable city center of museums, parks and historic sights.

The Viking Ship Museum holds three of the best-preserved Viking longships in existence, along with sledges, carts and personal objects from the burial mounds.

The Munch Museum houses the world's largest collection of Edvard Munch's work, including multiple versions of The Scream.

The Vigeland Sculpture Park, with 212 bronze and granite figures by Gustav Vigeland, is one of the most unusual public art installations in the world.

The train from Oslo crosses into Sweden for the three-hour journey to Stockholm, built across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea.

Stockholm — 2 nights

Gamla Stan, the medieval Old Town on its own island, is one of the best-preserved historic city centers in Scandinavia, its narrow lanes and colored facades largely unchanged since the 17th century.

The Vasa Museum, housing a warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was raised intact in 1961, is one of the most unusual museums in Europe.

The Royal Palace, the Moderna Museet, a tour boat ride, and the waterfront promenade at Djurgården fill some of the remaining time.

From Stockholm we continue to Tallinn, located on the Gulf of Finland. It can be comfortably reached by overnight ship from Stockholm, with comfortable cabins and excellent food on board.

Tallinn

Estonia's capital is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in northern Europe. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, compact enough to cover on foot in a day and divided into two parts: the Lower Town of former merchants and the hilltop Toompea, seat of the old rulers.

Town Hall Square, ringed by painted gabled houses and the Gothic tower of the 14th-century town hall, is the center of the Lower Town. Narrow cobbled streets lead out to St. Catherine's Passage, the guild workshops, and the tall spire of St. Olaf's Church.

A climbing lane called Long Leg Street rises through an arched gate to Toompea, with its pink parliament castle, the onion-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and viewing terraces over the red-tiled roofs of the town below.

Helsinki is easily reached in a few hours by ferry from Tallinn.

Helsinki

Market Square on the waterfront is the natural starting point, an open-air market selling fish, berries, produce, and crafts, with ferries leaving from the adjacent pier for the island fortress of Suomenlinna.

Just inland rises Senate Square, the oldest part of the city, laid out in the 1820s in austere neoclassical style by the German architect Carl Ludvig Engel.

The white Lutheran Cathedral dominates the square from the top of a long flight of steps, flanked by the Government Palace and the University of Helsinki.

The Esplanade, a tree-lined boulevard of shops and cafés, runs west from the harbor toward the design district. This is the heart of town where you will enjoy the greenery and the many shops and eateries around it.

St. Petersburg — 4 nights

Take the train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, Peter the Great's imperial capital on the Gulf of Finland — one of the grandest planned cities in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Four days is the right amount of time to cover the essential sights without rushing.

The Hermitage, occupying the Winter Palace and five adjacent buildings along the Neva embankment, is the largest art museum in the world by gallery space and requires at least a full day. Peterhof, Peter the Great's palace on the Gulf of Finland with its famous Golden Cascade fountains, is a half-day excursion.

Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, with its dazzling Baroque interiors, is another major attraction. The Church on Spilled Blood, Nevsky Prospect and the canals of the city center fill the remaining time.

This completes our grand tour of northern Europe.