SCANDINAVIA & THE BALTICS

ACCESSIBILITY RATING: 4/5 LENGTH: 18 DAYS

STEP 1

Make like a Nordic-noir fan and hop on the plane to Bergen, the gateway to the fjords, to join a 10-day rail tour to Helsinki, via Oslo and Stockholm. Catch a train to Voss (Stalheimskleiva), before a bus to Gudvangen, where a two-hour fjord cruise awaits you, along the Naeroyfjord, the narrowest fjord channel in Europe, to Flam. Board the Flam railway to Vatnahalsen for a night’s sleep, before the journey to Oslo, where you will spend a day at leisure, meandering around the Viking Ship Museum. Journey on to Stockholm where there is the opportunity to explore the Old Town, before an overnight ferry to Helsinki. Authentic Scandinavia (00 47 2294 1370; authentic-scandinavia.com) offers a 10-day Fjord Norway, Stockholm and Helsinki tour from £939pp

STEP 2

Take a ferry from Helsinki to the nearby 18th-century Unesco Suomenlinna Fortress before leaving Finland to cross the Gulf to Estonia. Docking in Tallinn, visit Peter the Great’s Kadriorg Palace, before returning to the city, with its pastel-coloured baroque architecture and the hotchpotch of winding streets.

Travel on to Tartu, Estonia’s cultural capital, and enjoy views of the Emajogi river, before venturing to Riga, capital of Latvia, for an evening of local cuisine. Enjoy the delights of Riga Old Town, exploring the city’s Central Market before spotting the golden cockerels on top of the church spires. Riviera Travel (01283 688496; rivieratravel.co.uk) offers an eight-day Helsinki to Riga tour from £999pp