Day 1:
Arrive in Copenhagen, Denmark. Time to rest or to start exploring Denmark’s capital. At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)

Day 2:
Copenhagen. Sightseeing with a Local Guide includes the Church of Our Savior and the Stock Exchange. Visit the lavish ROYAL RECEPTION ROOMS in Christiansborg Palace and take pictures of Amalienborg Palace and of the wistful LITTLE MERMAID. Afternoon at leisure, optional excursions are available. Tonight, visit TIVOLI GARDENS, the city’s colorful amusement park (May to mid-Sept.). (B)

Day 3:
Copenhagen–Stockholm, Sweden. From Elsinore beneath Hamlet’s Kronborg Castle, take a FERRY to Helsingborg and drive through the Swedish Lake District on your way to Stockholm. (B)

Day 4:
Overnight Cruise to Helsinki, Finland. Stockholm, scene of Stieg Larsson’s Milennium, is settled on 14 islands between Lake Mälar and the Baltic. Sightseeing with a Local Guide features the Royal Palace, Riddarholm Church, and the blue and gold chambers in the CITY HALL, where the annual Nobel Prize banquet is held. In the late afternoon, board your ship for the overnight BALTIC SEA CRUISE to Finland. (B,D)

Day 5:
Helsinki. After breakfast on board, sightseeing with a Local Guide features City Hall and Parliament House, the Presidential Palace, the monumental railroad station, the great LUTHERAN CATHEDRAL, the Olympic Stadium, and the SIBELIUS MONUMENT. Then, browse for souvenirs in Helsinki’s local arts and crafts OPEN-AIR MARKET. (B)

Day 6:
At Leisure in Helsinki. A full day at leisure offers the opportunity to join an optional excursion to Tallinn, capital of Estonia and known as one of the pearls of the Baltic countries. (B)

Day 7:
Helsinki–St. Petersburg, Russia. A pleasant drive along the coast to the Russian border. After completing frontier formalities, cross the Karelian Isthmus on the way to St. Petersburg. This evening, enjoy dinner at your hotel. (B,D)

Day 8:
St. Petersburg. Enjoy your guided sightseeing tour of this fascinating city. Founded by Peter the Great, construction began in 1703, and the city eventually spread over 100 islands linked by 700 bridges. It suffered severe damage during World War II, when a cruel 900-day siege claimed more than a million victims. Start with the Winter Palace complex. Formerly the residence of the czars, it now houses the world-famous HERMITAGE MUSEUM with celebrated works by Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, and the major French impressionists. Next, drive along elegant Nevsky Prospect and admire ST. ISAAC’S CATHEDRAL. (B)

Day 9:
St. Petersburg. Travel to Pushkin, home of Russia’s last czar, and visit magnificent CATHERINE PALACE (if closed, visit PAVLOVSK PALACE instead). Balance of the day is at leisure, and exciting optional activities are available. (B)

Day 10:
St. Petersburg–Novgorod. Drive to Novgorod. Orientation features the restored Kremlin and venerable churches dating as far back as the 11th century. (B,L,D)

Day 11:
Novgorod–Tver–Moscow. Through the Valdai Hills to Tver on the Volga, the “Mother River” of Russia, where you will have lunch. Then, via Tchaikovsky’s Klin to Moscow. (B,L)

Day 12:
Moscow. Follow your Local Guide to RED SQUARE, the center of this 860-year-old city. At its core is the Lenin Mausoleum and St. Basil’s Cathedral. Inside the KREMLIN, a city-within-a-city, admire the medieval towers, cathedrals, and palaces. At the ARMORY MUSEUM, see treasures such as Ivan the Terrible’s throne. Of course, you will also see the Bolshoi Theater. (B)

Day 13:
At Leisure in Moscow. A full day at leisure to further explore this fascinating city. Your Tour Director will have suggestions how to spend your day. (B)

Day 14:
Moscow–Smolensk. Travel via Borodino, site of the cruel battle between Napoleon’s Grand Armée and the Russian Army in 1812, to Smolensk. Sightseeing with a Local Guide features the impressive town walls, the 17th-century USPENSKY CATHEDRAL, and the monument to General Kutuzov, the brilliant strategist who conquered Napoleon’s military genius. (B,L,D)

Day 15:
Smolensk–Minsk, Belarus. Via Katyn Forest and the White Russian plains to Minsk, the Belorussian capital. After lunch, enjoy sightseeing with a Local Guide in this historic city. Post-war architects were given carte-blanche to reconstruct a showcase city: Minsk was almost totally destroyed during World War II. (B,L,D)

Day 16:
Minsk–Brest–Warsaw, Poland. Have lunch in Brest, best known for the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, on your way to Warsaw, Poland’s beautiful capital. (B,L)

Day 17:
Warsaw. Your Local Guide takes you to the medieval STARE MIASTO (Old Town), the HISTORICAL MUSEUM, where you can watch a moving film showing the city before and after wartime destruction, the 14th-century CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN, the Palace of Culture and Science, the Marszalkowska residential development, and a picture stop at the Ghetto Monument. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with wine at a local restaurant to celebrate the success of your vacation. (B,D)

Day 18:
Warsaw. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)