The Netherlands’ second-largest city and Europe’s busiest port is home to some of the 20th and 21st centuries' most important architectural feats, which is particularly impressive when you consider that nearly all of Rotterdam was razed to the ground during World War II. Sometimes referred to as “Manhattan-on-the-Maas,” the city lives up to its reputation as a forward-looking metropolis with fascinating design and some of the Netherlands' finest museums and most trendy shops. Marvel at buildings by starchitects Rem Koolhaas and Norman Foster or get lost in the maze of gabled homes in historic Delfshaven, the point from which the Pilgrims set sail for the New World aboard the Speedwell in 1620. In the postwar years, Rotterdam has also become one of the most diverse cities on the continent as waves of migrants from elsewhere in Europe, North Africa and Turkey have come to work in the shipping industry, concentrated here thanks to the city’s location on the deltas of the Rhine and Maas rivers. With its sweeping harbor and massive Europoort, the city has quickly grown to become the largest port in all of Europe.

Days At Sea

Oslo, Norway’s charming capital city, is a vibrant mix—modern architecture and world-class museums dwell alongside 10th-century Viking history, with indigenous Sami culture woven throughout. This cosmopolitan center, with its coveted quality of life, caters to every interest from history buffs and literary types to students of modern Nordic design and aspiring arctic adventurers. Choose the Oslo you want to visit. Take in the much-talked-about Opera House, with its otherworldly angles, or trace the steps of Nobel Peace Prize laureates and literary masters like Henrik Ibsen. Journey to the Bygdøy peninsula to absorb Nordic culture at the Viking Ship Museum, the Fram Museum and the Folk Museum. Savor fine restaurants and luxury boutiques along the Aker Brygge waterfront, or dive into the eclectic neighborhood of Grünerløkka for vintage shops, microbreweries and corner cafés. In Oslo, the peace and repose of the great outdoors can be found just minutes away from the city center. The city is framed by the 100-kilometer-long Oslo fjord and surrounded by rolling hills, vast parks and lush forests, which means that the pure pleasures of nature are easily accessible With its marvelous vistas, fascinating museums, cozy cafés, bustling waterfront and lively cultural scene, Oslo offers rewards for Nordic explorers of all kinds. OSLO HIGHLIGHTS & MARITIME MUSEUM 45- to 60-minute walk at Vigeland Park Maritime Museum Kon-Tiki Museum

Denmark’s second city often seems to sit modestly in the shadow of its better-known big sister. But this picturesque town of winding canals and cobbled streets has many of the capital’s charms without its crowds of tourists. As well as dictating its waterside confines, Århus’s location on the east coast of the Jutland Peninsula yields a rich natural bounty that the city’s restaurateurs have exploited with aplomb. Dishes such as caviar and wood smoke at Frederikshøj, or rye and rabbit ravioli at Restaurant Substans, have helped win a clutch of Michelin stars for the region’s pioneering chefs and cement it as a frontrunner of the New Nordic food scene; its affordable street food offerings are no less exciting.The city also holds its own on the design and architecture front, boosted by its 2017 designation as a European Capital of Culture, which resulted in a collection of waterside developments that are architecturally innovative, but anchored by a simple and pleasing Danish aesthetic. In short, this is a city in which to relax, imbibe, and enjoy both the bracing Danish sea air and a touch of laid-back metropolitan class.

Explore Berlin on an European cruise and visit historical sites, art galleries, and museums. Berlin can feel like the exception among Europe’s capitals. While Rome, London and Paris emerged as important cities under the Roman Empire, Berlin wasn’t established until the thirteenth century and only became a significant commercial center in the nineteenth. During the century and a half that it has been on the world stage, its history is almost unbelievable. This was a city that was synonymous with the glittering excesses of the Weimar Republic and then served as the capital of the Nazi regime. For 45 years, it was divided by an infamous wall, with half its citizens living in communist East Germany while West Berlin was an island of capitalist and western values located behind the Iron Curtain.

Days At Sea

On the shores of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn, Estonia’s largest city, is impossibly charming. Northern Europe’s oldest capital—it dates back to the 12th century—is also one of its best preserved, with much of its Old Town constructed when it was a bustling port in the Hanseatic League. Explore the upper portion on Toompea Hill, where there is an impressive castle and the 19th-century Alexander Nevsky cathedral, a vestige from the Russian Empire, then head to the lower section for churches and merchants’ homes off twisting medieval streets. Tallinn isn’t, however, simply a historic showpiece. Just a short walk from the UNESCO World Heritage-designated core is a dynamic, future-facing city of glass buildings and trendy restaurants and boutiques catering to the city’s young professionals—as well as visiting travelers.

Finland’s capital, Helsinki, is sometimes overshadowed by its larger Scandinavian counterparts, Copenhagen and Stockholm, but the city has its own singular style and appeal. A lively arts and music scene thrives amid splendid Art Nouveau buildings and classic cafés. The city's modern architecture is especially exciting: Buildings by Alvar Aalto and Eero Saarinen should be at the top of your must-see list. Finland’s design output, too, goes far beyond familiar Marimekko prints. Wander into the shops in the city’s Design District or check out the exhibits at the Design Museum (Designmuseo). If the weather is good, you’ll want to hop a ferry to a nearby island or enjoy the catch of the day at a harbor-facing restaurant. If you are lucky enough to be here in the summer, it's a magical time of the year, when the days last for up to 19 hours and the entire city sparkles from the sun reflecting off the water.

Spread over more than a dozen islands linked by bridges, the Swedish capital of Stockholm is one of the most effortlessly enjoyable cities in Europe. Go sightseeing in Stockholm's elegant Östermalm with its chic interior design stores; verdant Djurgården with its museums, cultural sights and acres of rolling parkland; ancient Gamla Stan with its cobbled streets that surround the Royal Palace; and trendy Södermalm with its cool neighborhoods and even cooler inhabitants. Stockholm is easy to navigate on foot or by public transport, and wherever you roam, you’re never far from water or parkland attractions in Stockholm. Food and drink in Stockholm is of a high standard, and recent years have brought a marked improvement in the range of dining options—though it’s hard to resist traditional favorites such as meatballs or herring washed down with a cold beer. The friendly locals speak faultless English, and the only crime you’re likely to encounter has a dragon tattoo and can be found in the bestseller section of a bookshop. And in the unlikely event you ever get bored sightseeing in the stunning city of Stockholm, there are thousands more islands each with many things to do just an easy ferry ride away.

Ask Stockholm residents about their favorite summer escape and many will tell you about the wide beaches of Gotland, a 176-kilometer-long (109-mile) Swedish island in the middle of the Baltic. And Visby, Gotland’s capital, is a historic city and site of a former Viking settlement that is today an impossibly pleasant town of 22,000 residents, with ancient forts, churches and pretty bricked streets lined with cafés and postcard-perfect cottages. Remnants of the city walls, which date to the 13th century, run for 3.4 kilometers (2.1 miles) and are punctuated by 36 towers. In fact, the entire city has been recognized by UNESCO as the best-preserved medieval commercial center in Northern Europe.Visby’s Gotland Museum puts a spotlight on the history of the Viking settlement, as well as the city’s medieval era, with a fascinating collection of artifacts that includes gravestones, skeletal remains and Viking silver. In the town’s lush park, Almedalen, you can picnic on the grassy lawns or spot birds along what was once Visby’s bustling Hanseatic-era harbor. After you’ve explored the sights, settle into one of the many cozy cafés for that most Swedish of traditions, fika, with a strong cup of coffee and a slice of something sweet to eat.

Bornholm is Denmark’s easternmost island, a rocky outpost in the Baltic Sea located 180 kilometers (112 miles) from Copenhagen, and its sunny climate and exceptional light have drawn generations of artists as well as holidaymakers. The craggy granite shoreline is home to picturesque fishing villages, and the capital, Rønne, is known for half-timbered houses dating to the 16th century. Fringed by white-sand beaches, the improbably magical island also has beautiful places to hike or bike, craftspeople making glass and ceramics and a well-developed local culinary scene. Bornholm's specialty, wood-smoked herring, is a must-try, as is the local blue cheese. If your tastes run to New Nordic cuisine, there is even a Michelin-starred restaurant on the island.Across Bornholm, visitors will find four rundkirke—historic whitewashed round churches constructed in the 12th century, as well as the medieval fortress of Hammershus, the largest castle ruin in Northern Europe. In the fishing villages, notably Gudhjem and Svaneke, generations of mariners haul in herring, mackerel and salmon to be smoked or cured in traditional smokehouses.

Located a short 90-kilometer drive or train journey from the seaside port of Kiel, Hamburg is one of Germany’s most cosmopolitan cities. The city’s character is powered by the mighty River Elbe, which passes by Hamburg’s stylish neighborhoods on its way to the North Sea. Often referred to as Germany’s “Gateway to the World” due to its position as the biggest commercial port in the country, the city is filled with an air of maritime mystique and excitement. The city has launched ships since the reign of Charlemagne, but it was also instrumental in launching the musical career of The Beatles, who played in multiple venues in the city before releasing their second single, Please Please Me, in 1962 and rising to fame. Today, with a newly named UNESCO World Heritage Site, upscale shopping districts and a distinct European flavor, Hamburg retains an energetic and eclectic atmosphere where historic and modern charm meet.

Modern Copenhagen is an attractive, well-kept city and the largest city in Scandinavia. It has a provincial, small-town atmosphere, gabled houses, narrow streets and a skyline that is dominated by delicate spires. Copenhagen is also the greenest capital in Europe with much of the city center reserved for pedestrians, strict anti-pollution laws, and bikes often outnumbering cars on the streets. There are many green spaces (including the world-famous Tivoli) and in the summer, cafés and restaurants occupy the pavements. Copenhagen boasts theaters, museums and a lively, surprisingly cutting-edge nightlife scene. The best the country has to offer can be experienced in the capital city, where there are design studios, ultra-hip bars, and modern architecture amongst the 17th-century buildings. A road bridge to Sweden was completed in 2000, making Copenhagen a key focal point for Scandinavia, the Baltic and the rest of mainland Europe. Things to see and do * Rundetårn (The Round Tower) * Tivoli amusement park * Rosenburg Castle * Amalienborg Slot (Amalienborg Palace) * Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square)

Days At Sea

The Netherlands’ second-largest city and Europe’s busiest port is home to some of the 20th and 21st centuries' most important architectural feats, which is particularly impressive when you consider that nearly all of Rotterdam was razed to the ground during World War II. Sometimes referred to as “Manhattan-on-the-Maas,” the city lives up to its reputation as a forward-looking metropolis with fascinating design and some of the Netherlands' finest museums and most trendy shops. Marvel at buildings by starchitects Rem Koolhaas and Norman Foster or get lost in the maze of gabled homes in historic Delfshaven, the point from which the Pilgrims set sail for the New World aboard the Speedwell in 1620. In the postwar years, Rotterdam has also become one of the most diverse cities on the continent as waves of migrants from elsewhere in Europe, North Africa and Turkey have come to work in the shipping industry, concentrated here thanks to the city’s location on the deltas of the Rhine and Maas rivers. With its sweeping harbor and massive Europoort, the city has quickly grown to become the largest port in all of Europe.