Trip Summary
Take advantage of a rare opportunity to explore six extraordinary Scandinavian and Baltic Sea countries on this culturally engaging itinerary. Cruise aboard the exclusively chartered, deluxe World Navigator and immerse yourself in ancient architecture, centuries-old history, storied landmarks, fascinating cities and breathtaking, romantic scenery. As you cruise the Baltic Sea, explore historic Helsingør and marvel at Copenhagen’s iconic sites on a canal cruise. See the magnificent Neptune’s Fountain in Gdansk and the iconic shipyard where Solidarity was born. Discover fascinating Klaipeda, Lithuania, with your choice of unique excursions. Tour Riga, brimming with 18th- and 19th-century Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture, and experience its solemn Jewish history. Discover Helsinki’s Sibelius Park, an artistic homage to Finland’s most famous composer, and the subterranean Temppeliaukio Church, hewn from bedrock. Explore Tallinn’s UNESCO World Heritage-designated Old Town, virtually unchanged for 600 years. Augment your program with the Norway Pre-Tour Extension and/or the Stockholm Post-Tour Extension.
Event Itinerary
Day 1: Depart Home City
Day 2: Oslo, Norway | Embark World Navigator
Day 3: Helsingør, Denmark
Day 4: Copenhagen
Day 5: Gdansk, Poland
Day 6: Klaipeda, Lithuania
Day 7: Riga, Latvia
Day 8: Day at Sea
Day 9: Helsinki, Finland
Day 10: Tallinn, Estonia
Day 11: Stockholm, Sweden | Disembark | Return to Home City
Highlights:
- Cruise from Oslo, Norway, to Stockholm, Sweden, aboard World Navigator, a luxurious, deluxe small ship.
- Specially arranged cruise in Copenhagen, Denmark through the old canals and port to see the city's iconic sites.
- Discover the timeless charm of Tallinn’s Old Town — unchanged for over six centuries — as you explore the historic chambers of its medieval Town Hall, a testament to the city’s rich cultural legacy.
- Visits to 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites — Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark (Traveler’s Choice); Curonian Spit in Klaipeda, Lithuania (Traveler’s Choice); Historic Centre of Riga, Latvia and Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn, Estonia. Experience a UNESCO Intangible Culture: Finnish sauna ritual.
- Included meals | 2 receptions, 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 9 dinners.
- Norway Pre-Tour Extension and Stockholm Post‑Tour Extension. (Available at additional cost.)
Meet Your Faculty Experts
Melody Brown Burkins
Melody Brown Burkins, PhD, is the Director of the Institute of Arctic Studies, Senior Associate Director in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, and Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth. With over 30 years of experience as a polar scientist working in academia and governance, she is an advocate for policy-engaged scholarship, experiential education, and the support of science policy and diplomacy initiatives advancing sustainability, inclusion, and gender equality in the Arctic and around the world.
A "science diplomat" for Arctic and global issues, Dr. Burkins is a Special Advisor and Assembly Representative to the UArctic global network, an elected member of the Founding Governing Board of the International Science Council (ISC), and Chair of the U.S. National Academies’ Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO). She is also Past Chair of the U.S. National Committee for Geological Sciences (USNC-GS) and serves on the UN Office of Disaster Risk Reduction Global Assessment Report (UNDRR-GAR) Advisory Board and 15-Member UNESCO Global Independent Expert Group on Universities and the 2030 Agenda (EGU2030).
Burkins earned her B.S. in geology at Yale and both her M.S. and Ph.D. at Dartmouth, focusing her doctoral studies on earth and ecosystem studies in the Antarctic Dry Valleys. She lives in East Thetford, Vermont, with her husband, two sons, and their happy dog.