Day 1 – Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Departs 03:00 pm.

The largest port in Europe, Rotterdam is an intriguing mix of the old and the new. The city’s lineage is ancient – Count Willem III granted city rights to the sleepy fishing village on the Rotte in 1328, yet much of the city dates from the six decades following the end of World War II. An important industrial center and a major European port, Rotterdam was among the first targets of the Nazi blitzkrieg against the West. On May 14, 1940, the German Luftwaffe firebombed the city, Rotterdam was gutted. The post-war years saw a slow rebuilding but by the early 1960s the maze of port facilities extended all the way to the North Sea. Today, this city of over half a million is the economic powerhouse, not just of the Netherlands but of Northern Europe.The Nazi bombardment of 1940 gutted most of the old city. As a result, Rotterdam’s architecture is an intriguing mix of old and new: modern glass skyscrapers often stand adjacent to 19th- and 18th-century buildings.

Day 2 – At Sea

Day 3 – Alesund, Norway

Arrives 10:00 am, departs 09:00 pm.

Day 4 – Andalsnes, Norway

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Day 5 – Trondheim, Norway

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 11:59 pm.

Trondheim is the third largest – and second oldest – city in Norway. The town was originally called Kaupangen upon its founding in 997 A.D. by Viking king Olav Tryggvason. The city commands the trade routes linking Southern Norway with the fjord lands to the north. Trondheim quickly became a major commercial and cultural center – the city served as Norway’s royal capital.Trondheim’s old city features broad avenues and attractive 17th-century wood buildings – a legacy of the rebuilding that followed a disastrous fire that leveled the city in 1681.

Day 5 – Scenic Cruising Trondheimsfjord

Day 6 – Crossing the Arctic Circle

Day 7 – Tromso, Norway

Arrives 10:00 am.

Day 8 – Tromso, Norway

Departs 10:00 pm.

Day 9 – Alta, Norway

Arrives 08:00 am.

Day 10 – Alta, Norway

Departs 02:00 pm.

Day 11 – Crossing the Arctic Circle

Day 12 – Kristiansund, Norway

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Day 13 – Bergen, Norway

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Bergen has played a crucial role in Norwegian history and culture since Olav the Good founded the city in 1070. Perched between the sea and seven hills, Bergen has witnessed Vikings setting sail on voyages of exploration, trade and war. In the Middle Ages, its old port was a major trading hub for the Hanseatic League, the band of Germanic merchants whose trading empire encircled the Baltic and North Seas. In the 19th century, Bergen was home to such cultural luminaries as the virtuoso violinist Ole Bull and the composer Edvard Grieg.The city retains much of its 18th- and 19th-century charm. Visitors to Bergen will encounter a city that offers a heady blend of natural beauty, history and culture.

Day 14 – At Sea

Day 15 – Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Arrives 07:00 am, departs 03:00 pm.

The largest port in Europe, Rotterdam is an intriguing mix of the old and the new. The city’s lineage is ancient – Count Willem III granted city rights to the sleepy fishing village on the Rotte in 1328, yet much of the city dates from the six decades following the end of World War II. An important industrial center and a major European port, Rotterdam was among the first targets of the Nazi blitzkrieg against the West. On May 14, 1940, the German Luftwaffe firebombed the city, Rotterdam was gutted. The post-war years saw a slow rebuilding but by the early 1960s the maze of port facilities extended all the way to the North Sea. Today, this city of over half a million is the economic powerhouse, not just of the Netherlands but of Northern Europe.The Nazi bombardment of 1940 gutted most of the old city. As a result, Rotterdam’s architecture is an intriguing mix of old and new: modern glass skyscrapers often stand adjacent to 19th- and 18th-century buildings.

Day 16 – At Sea

Day 17 – Eidfjord, Norway

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 04:00 pm.

Day 17 – Scenic cruising Hardangerfjord

Day 18 – Olden, Norway

Arrives 10:00 am, departs 07:00 pm.

By the mid-19th century, European travelers were cruising the waters of the Nordfjord and visiting the village of Olden. The Romantic Movement inspired this new taste for dramatic landscape – and Norway had plenty of dramatic landscape. Then as now, travelers were impressed, moved, and not frequently overwhelmed by the stark contrast between peaceful rural farmsteads and a towering wilderness of mountain peaks and glaciers.For many years Olden was home to American landscape artist William H. Singer (1868-1943). Scion of a Pittsburgh steel family, Singer provided Olden with a road and a regional hospital.

Day 18 – Scenic Cruising Nordfjord

Day 19 – Alesund, Norway

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Day 20 – Bergen, Norway

Arrives 08:00 am, departs 05:00 pm.

Bergen has played a crucial role in Norwegian history and culture since Olav the Good founded the city in 1070. Perched between the sea and seven hills, Bergen has witnessed Vikings setting sail on voyages of exploration, trade and war. In the Middle Ages, its old port was a major trading hub for the Hanseatic League, the band of Germanic merchants whose trading empire encircled the Baltic and North Seas. In the 19th century, Bergen was home to such cultural luminaries as the virtuoso violinist Ole Bull and the composer Edvard Grieg.The city retains much of its 18th- and 19th-century charm. Visitors to Bergen will encounter a city that offers a heady blend of natural beauty, history and culture.

Day 21 – At Sea

Day 22 – Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Arrives 07:00 am.

The largest port in Europe, Rotterdam is an intriguing mix of the old and the new. The city’s lineage is ancient – Count Willem III granted city rights to the sleepy fishing village on the Rotte in 1328, yet much of the city dates from the six decades following the end of World War II. An important industrial center and a major European port, Rotterdam was among the first targets of the Nazi blitzkrieg against the West. On May 14, 1940, the German Luftwaffe firebombed the city, Rotterdam was gutted. The post-war years saw a slow rebuilding but by the early 1960s the maze of port facilities extended all the way to the North Sea. Today, this city of over half a million is the economic powerhouse, not just of the Netherlands but of Northern Europe.The Nazi bombardment of 1940 gutted most of the old city. As a result, Rotterdam’s architecture is an intriguing mix of old and new: modern glass skyscrapers often stand adjacent to 19th- and 18th-century buildings.