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Stunning Stockholm, Fabulous Finland and Natural Norway
Join us for a very special 15-day tour through Sweden, Finland and Norway. We will start in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, cruise across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki, Finland, tour all of Finland all the way up to Kirkenes, Norway (on the border to Russia), and we will end the tour with a 6-day cruise to Bergen on Hurtigruten, which is called “The World’s Most Beautiful Voyage”.
Sunday July, 8
Depart USA
Depart from Chicago O’Hare on a SAS non-stop flight to Stockholm, Sweden. Depart 4:25 PM
Monday, July 9
Stockholm
Arrive Stockholm in the morning. City tour with a local guide. Check into the hotel.
Afternoon free. Welcome dinner at the hotel.
Tuesday, July 10.
Stockholm
 Morning free. Check out from the hotel. Transfer to the Silja Line Terminal, where we will embark “Silja Serenade” for an overnight sailing to Helsinki, Finland. Depart 5 PM. Enjoy a buffet dinner at one of the ships restaurants. All alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages included. After dinner you can shop in the many stores on board, enjoy the entertainment, or simply sit up on one of the upper decks and enjoy the beautiful sailing.
Wednesday, July 11
Helsinki
Arrive via overnight ferry from Stockholm. Morning bus tour of Helsinki will take you on a tour of the city, Helsinki Cathedral, Senate Square, Uspenski Cathedral, the Parliament Building, Finlandia Hall, Temppelinaukio (Rock Church), and Sibelius Park. Your afternoon and evening are free. Shop the harborside open air market, Old Market Hall, or stroll to buy your memorabilia at Stockmann’s Department Store (Iitala and Arabia glass, etc.). Eat at one of the trendy “fusion” cafes or a typical Finnish food restaurant (Finnish fare, salmon, dried meats and fish). Helsinki is a blend of Baltic architecture, Russian style, and modern buildings. Enjoy a walk around this compact city. Dinner on your own.
Thursday, July 12
Helsinki – Kuopio
Today we depart for Kuopio via Lahti and Mikkeli. Just before Lahti we will encounter the largest lake in Finland, beautiful Päijänne. We will stop in Lahti to view the extensive ridge system and its ski hills, which have made Lahti a major winter sports center. Lunch and then on to Mikkeli, Finland’s World War II headquarters of Field Marshal Gustav Mannerheim. Check out the museum on Finland’s military history in his former headquarters. Late afternoon we’re on to Kuoppio, famous for its wonderful summer markets, and the June International Dance and Music Festival. Try freshly baked kalakukko (fish and pork in a rye crust), locally picked forest berries, and mushrooms. Tonight, after supper, you might want to try something really different: the world’s largest smoke sauna. You have to take at least one while you’re in Finland so try this one; it seats 60 in unisex fashion at about 90°F. We’ll teach you proper sauna etiquette if you don’t already know. If you are too modest, you can take a bus up to Puijo Hill, have supper at the revolving restaurant, and see one of the largest, pristine spruce forests in the world. (Don’t worry, all those wolves will leave you alone!)
Friday, July 13
Kuopio – Oulu
Today we will drive through the beautiful Finnish countryside on our way to Oulu, northern Finland’s largest city. Originally the center of a massive tar industry (necessary for wooden shipbuilding), Oulu is now a high-tech center with a major university. There is an excellent science museum and many quaint outdoor bars and summertime festivals. June is White Nights time now: the sun never really sets and it is light all through the night; this is the Land of the Midnight Sun and its opposite, the Polar Night during the winter. A miniature train-lookalike bus can take you around the city and late June is Tar-Burning Festival time, so there are plenty of activities and markets and a very clean and nice downtown area. Dinner on your own.
Saturday, July 14
Oulu– Rovaniemi
Today is a little bit shorter day, and our goal is Rovaniemi. Rovaniemi is the heart of Finnish Lapland and, by their own claim, the Home of Santa Claus.
We’ll arrive around lunch-time, so you will have some time to wander around this interesting city. There are plenty of shops and attractions dedicated to St. Nicholas. This is the center of Sami cultural heritage and preservation. The city itself was destroyed by the Germans in World War II and rebuilt so that the streets radiate out from the center to form a pattern of reindeer antlers. The reconstruction of the city was designed by the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. We will spend part of the afternoon at the Santa Claus Village. Rovaniemi is right on the Arctic Circle so you will get to stand on the latitude line marking it. We’ll have time to do some Christmas shopping and see what makes Rovaniemi such a major stop for summer and winter visitors. Dinner at the hotel
Sunday, July 15
Rovaniemi – Kirkenes, Norway
This is our last day in Finland, and we have a long day of driving through the beautiful Finnish Lappland towards Kirkenes, Norway, where we will arrive in the afternoon. Kirkenes is our boarding city for the Hurtigruten cruise down the Norwegian coast. Dinner at the hotel.
Monday, July 16 – Saturday, July 21
Cruise with MS Finnmarken from Kirkenes to Bergen
After a good breakfast at the hotel, we will embark MS Finnmarken for a breathtaking cruise towards Bergen. The ship departs at 12:45 PM.
MS Finnmarken was built in 2002 and belongs in the same class as MS Trollfjord and MS Midnattsol. She is the only ship with both a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi on deck. A special feature on MS Finnmarken is the bow, and you can actually go from deck 5 all the way to the tip. The ship is beautifully appointed and decorated in an Art Nouveau style.
Here is the day-by-day schedule for Hurtigruten Southbound, Kirkenes - Bergen:
Saturday, July 21
Bergen
Arrive Bergen at 2:30 PM. Transfer to our hotel. Afternoon free to explore Bergen on your own. Dinner at the hotel.
Sunday July 22
Bergen – Chicago
Transfer to the airport in the morning. Depart Bergen airport at 11:25 AM for Copenhagen, then we will fly from Copenhagen to Chicago O’Hare at 3:45 PM. Arrive Chicago 5:45 PM.
Tour Manager
 Tour manager on this trip will be Mr. Rhinehart Lintonen. He recently retired as a Social Studies Teacher from Elkhorn Area High School, WI. He is Finnish by descent, and he speaks Finnish. He has been travelling in Europe with both adult groups and student groups every summer for more than 30 years. His knowledge about Finland especially will make this tour a very unique experience!
Tour includes:
- 15-day tour program, including a 6-day cruise on Hurtigruten and a one night cruise on Silja Line
- Transatlantic airfare from Chicago, IL, to Stockholm, Sweden, and return from Bergen, Norway to Chicago, IL
- Tour Manager service during the whole trip
Land:
- 7 nights hotel
- 7 breakfasts
- 5 dinners (on your own in Helsinki and Oulu)
- Bus transportation in modern motor coaches according to the itinerary in Stockholm, through Finland to Kirkenes.
- Transfer bus from the ship to the hotel, and from the hotel to the airport in Bergen
- Local guide in Stockholm and Helsinki
- Baggage handling in all the hotels (1 piece of luggage per person)
Sea:
- Cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki in inside cabin
- Breakfast and dinner on the Silja Line cruise.
- 6-day cruise with Hurtigruten from Kirkenes to Bergen in inside cabin
- Full board on the Hurtigruten cruise
Contact us for a quote on cabin upgrade on the cruises.
Tour price:
$4595 per person in double room / inside cabin
$6295 per person in single room / inside cabin
Last day for registration for this tour is Monday, March 5, 2012
Contact us for more questions, or sign up for the tour today!
The tour price is based on a minimum 25 people in the group, and an exchange rate of USD/EUR of 1,30 (1.30 USD for 1.00 EUR) . If the exchange rate goes over 1.30, the prices might be subject to adjustments.
Payment schedule:
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At sign up: |
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$1000 |
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March 5, 2012 |
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$1000 |
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April 1, 2012 |
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$2595 |
Or remaining balance |
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Total: |
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$4595 |
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Cancellation policy on this tour:
Before March 5, 2012 Full refund
Between March 5 and April 1: $1300 cancellation fee
After April 1, 2012: No refund
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