Day 1: Arrival in Copenhagen
Individual arrival to your hotel. Your confirmation will show which hotel we have booked for you. In the early evening your tour escort will arrange a get-together to give information about the tour and give you a chance to meet your fellow travelers. Accommodation at the Comfort Hotel Vesterbro 4* or similar.
Day 2: Copenhagen
Buffet breakfast. In the morning you will enjoy a city tour, during which you will see The Little Mermaid guarding the port, Nyhavn with all its restau-rants and small boats, the City Hall Square and other main features of Co-penhagen. The afternoon is free for individual visits, perhaps to the Tivoli Amusement park or an optional tour to Roskilde. Accommodation at the Comfort Hotel Vesterbro 4* or similar.
Day 3: Copenhagen - Oslo
Buffet breakfast. Morning free in Copenhagen. Your tour escort will be happy to advise you about places of interest to visit - we can suggest an optional tour to the three castles in North Sealand, including the Kronborg Castle of Hamlet. Afternoon transfer by coach from hotel to DFDS Seaways terminal for your overnight cruise to Oslo, departing at 16.30 hours. Enjoy your first Scandinavian smörgåsbord dinner as you cruise up the Kattegat. Accommodation in 2-berth inside cabins with shower/WC. We strongly recommend bringing an overnight bag for this cruise, to avoid having to carry your suit-cases to and from the cabin. Overnight cruise in inside 2-berth cabin with private facilities.
Day 4: Oslo
Buffet breakfast onboard. Enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast as you cruise along the enchanting Oslo Fjord. Arrival in Oslo around 09.45 hours, followed by 3 hours guided tour of the Norwegian capital. You will visit the impressive Vigeland Sculpture Park. Evening free. Accomodation at Scandic Solli Hotel 4* or similar.
Day 5: Oslo
Buffet breakfast. Today you have the full day free for private activities. You can check with your tour escort about optional activities or suggestions to spend your time in this cosy city. Accomodation at Scandic Solli Hotel 4* or similar.
Day 6: Oslo - Sognefjord - Bergen
Buffet breakfast. Today you enter the area of the forests and rivers of Norway, following the Hallingdal Valley, known for its folkloric tradition. When you arrive in Flåm, you will have 2 hours cruise on the Sognefjord, one of the longest and deepest in the world with its unspoiled nature and dramatic scenery before you continue to Bergen, the second biggest city of Norway and it is beautifully situated surrounded by 7 mountains. Accommodation at Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz 4* or similar.
Day 7: Bergen
Buffet breakfast. In the morning you will be introduced to this remarkable City of the Old Hansa. You will enjoy the view of the Bryggen area of old wooden houses that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage, as well as the traditional Fish Market. Afternoon free to explore Bergen. Accommodation at Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz 4* or similar.
Day 8: Bergen - Stockholm
Buffet breakfast. Departure transfer to international airport outside Bergen. We will take a flight to Stockholm – the capital of Sweden. Arrival at Arlanda International Airport in Stockholm. Transfer to your hotel. Accommodation at Best Western Time Hotel 4* or similar
Day 9: Stockholm
Buffet breakfast. Today you will enjoy a panoramic city tour. Stockholm - the beauty on the water – is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. This beautiful capital, built on 14 islands with bridges and viewpoints giving an enchanting feeling of space and light. You will walk around the charming Old Town with its narrow, cobbled streets, passing The Royal Palace as well as the Great Church, where the present King and Queen were married in 1976. The after-noon is free for individual visits. Accommodation at Best Western Time Hotel 4* or similar.
Day 10: Stockholm
Buffet breakfast. The day is free for other excursions or visits to the City Hall, the Wasa Museum or a tour to Uppsala and Sigtuna. You can also take one of the many sightseeing boat tours if you’re looking to see Stockholm from the water. Accommodation at Best Western Time Hotel 4* or similar.
Day 11: Departure from Stockholm
Buffet breakfast. If time permits, explore more of Stockholm before taking Arlanda Express train back to Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
Visas
For your holidays to Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia or Ukraine, you will not need a visa if you have a valid passport from any EU country, Australia, Canada, USA, Japan (there are more, so check with us to make sure). Please note that your passport should be valid for at least six months after the date of your return.
However, if you plan to travel to Russia, you will need a visa, which we can help organise for you.
Insurance
Travel insurance is required and also advisable. If you do not have a valid policy, please check our Insurance link on the bottom of our homepage or http://www.baltictravelcompany.com/insurance. We can offer quotes for all nationalities.
Our recommended partner is FS Ball who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Language
You will be able to communicate quite well with the locals, as most people in the service industry are quite adept at speaking English. If English doesn't work, then try Russian (if you can), or German. The further you go from the major cities, the less English you will hear. However, do not let the language barrier keep you from exploring the beauty of the country side. We can always arrange English speaking guides to accompany you wherever you wish to go.
The Estonian language is similar to Finnish and is unrelated to Latvian, Lithuanian or Russian. Latvian and Lithuanian are two of the oldest languages, with roots traceable to Sanskrit. This makes them quite challenging to learn, but attempting a few words will put a smile on the local faces. Russians use the Cyrillic alphabet, so reading street signs and tube maps will be a challenge in St Petersburg .
Currency
You can get local currency from ATMs at the airport where you land or in the major cities. Be aware that your bank will charge you a service fee and exchange rate fee for the transaction, but this is likely to be less than exchanging money in the UK before you depart. Please note that in Russia exchange bureau's and banks will not except Scottish bank notes.
We suggest choosing the right credit card for spending abroad. Most credit cards will have an additional cost (about 3%) to the bank exchange rates. You can avoid it by obtaining a specialist overseas card that does not add this % and will give you good exchange rates that are better than money exchange bureau rates.
Credit cards charge you interest rates, but some debit cards (bank account cards) could have fees that could add up to £ 1.50 every time you spend.
We recommend checking with your bank what fees/interest rates will be applied to your card when using it abroad in order to make an educated decision on what card to use.
Most restaurants and shops will take credit/debit cards like Visa and Mastercard, however, many places will not accept AMEX.
Traveller's cheques are difficult to cash, so we recommend not to use them.
Airport or ferry terminals in most cases will have the worst money exchange rates, so if you must get it from the airport, pre-order money for pick-up to get a better rate.
The local currencies are (alphabetic order):
Denmark - Danish Kroner
Estonia - Euro
Finland - Euro
Greenland - Danish Kroner
Iceland - Icelandic Kroner
Latvia - Euro
Lithuania - Euro
Norway - Norwegian Kroner
Poland - Polish Zloty
Russia - Russian Ruble
Sweden - Swedish Kroner
Ukraine - Hryvnia
Restaurants
Dining opportunities are plenty, from ethnic to exotic. We would suggest you to try some national dishes and get a real taste of the region. Note that most traditional dishes contain meat and are fairly heavy, but very tasty.
Reservations in advance are recommended for up-market restaurants, especially for Friday and Saturday evenings.
Tipping - many of the up-market establishments will let you know how good their service is by including it on the bill. Rounding up the bill is usually sufficient, unless you feel your server deserves an extra bit of recognition.
Mobile Phones
There are several mobile operators in each Baltic country, the Nordics ( Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland incl. Iceland and Greenland as well as Poland, Ukraine and Russia. If you have an international connection, there shouldn't be any problems with your incoming and outgoing calls.
In case your phone doesn't work, please check in the local mobilephone shops and you can buy Calling cards etc. or ask in your hotel, they should be able to advise you too.
Internet Access
Internet access is available at Internet Cafés, which mostly are located in the central part of the city. Most hotels have internet access.
Postal Services
Stamps are available in the post offices and in most newspaper kiosks. Approximate price for a stamp to European Union countries will vary but between appx. £ 0.30 to £ 0.70. You'll see post boxes on the streets or you can ask hotel representative to send your post card, they'll gladly help you.
Emergency Numbers
Emergency telephone number for the police, ambulance services or fire department in Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Poland - 112.
Greenland uses 911 and for mobile phones only 112.