MSC MAGNIFICA through SCANDINAVIA & BALTIC CAPITALS & 7 COUNTRIES * WITH STOCKHOLM HOTEL ACCOMMODATION*
MSC MAGNIFICA
SCANDINAVIA & BALTIC CAPITALS & 7 COUNTRIES
NORWAY – DENMARK – GERMANY – POLAND – LITHUANIA – LATVIA – SWEDEN
*** WITH STOCKHOLM HOTEL ACCOMMODATION***
***OSLO CITY TOUR INCLUDED***
DAY 01 ISTANBUL AIRPORT - OSLO
After meeting at 05:30 in front of the THY counter at Istanbul Airport International Terminal, we complete our check-in and passport procedures. Then we depart for Oslo on Turkish Airlines flight TK 1751 at 08:10. Arrival in Oslo at 11:00 local time. Upon arrival, we meet our private vehicle and depart for the “Oslo Panoramic City Tour.” During our tour, the Royal Palace, Parliament Building, City Hall, National Theatre, Oslo Cathedral, Karl Johans Street, Ski Jump Ramp, Vigeland Park, Opera House, and Akershus Fortress are among the sights to be seen. After the tour, transfer to the Oslo port where our ship is located. Following check-in and baggage procedures, settle into the cabins and enjoy free time. Our ship will depart from the port at 16:00. Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 02 COPENHAGEN
Our ship will dock at Copenhagen port at 09:00 in the morning. After breakfast, free time for personal activities. Guests who wish may join the “Copenhagen City Tour” organized as an extra by their guide. Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is located on Zealand, the country’s largest island. Amalienborg Palace, located in the city center, is famous as the current residence of the royal family. Copenhagen, one of the cities with the highest standard of living in Europe, also has a very vibrant nightlife. Described as one of the five best cities in the world to live in, our tour of Copenhagen will first include the city’s symbol, the “Little Mermaid,” Amalienborg, Christiansborg and Rosenborg Palaces, Gefion Fountain, Tivoli Gardens, the autonomous hippie district and “Christiana.” Afterwards, we will have free time in Kongens Nytorv (King’s Square), Copenhagen’s center, where you can shop on the famous Strøget or mingle with the crowds in Nyhavn. Return to our ship after the tour. Our ship will depart from the port at 18:00. Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 03 WARNEMÜNDE
Our ship will dock at Warnemünde port at 07:00 in the morning. After breakfast, free time for personal activities and shopping. Guests who wish may join the “Rostock & Lübeck Tour” organized as an extra by their guide. Lübeck, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the queen of the Hanseatic League, founded in 1143 as the first “Western city on the Baltic coast,” became a shining example for all Hanseatic cities in the Baltic region. You will have the opportunity to see the Gothic Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church), completed in the 14th century; the Romanesque cathedral, whose construction began in 1173 during the reign of Henry III; and the magnificent Town Hall (Rathaus), built in a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles. The Tower Gate and Holsten Gate are remains of the city’s medieval fortifications. After the Lübeck tour, we head to Rostock. Founded on the banks of the Warnow River in the 11th century, Rostock is Germany’s second most important port on the Baltic coast. Its structure from the Hanseatic era, which it joined in the 14th century, has been very well preserved to this day. On our panoramic tour of Rostock, we will see Rostock University, one of the oldest centers of learning and science in the world, Hanseatic-era buildings, St. Nicholas Church, City Hall, Alexandrien Road, and the 13th-century stone gate “Kuhtor.” You may spend your free time among the shops on Köpeliner Street. Return to our ship after the tour. Our ship will depart from the port at 17:00. Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 04 GDYNIA (GDANSK)
Our ship will dock at Gdynia port at 10:00 in the morning. After breakfast, free time for personal activities and shopping. Guests who wish may join the “Gdynia (Gdansk) City Tour” organized as an extra by their guide. Gdynia is a Polish port facing the Baltic Sea, located on the Bay of Gdansk. The city, with its colorful maritime history, is also home to an iconic statue of Joseph Conrad, one of the greatest novelists in the English language. This fascinating city is known for its modernist buildings and notable landmarks such as the impressive Kosciuszki Square. Further away, it is a remarkable region with various tourist attractions such as Malbork Castle and the lively town of Gdańsk. Return to our ship after the tour. Our ship will depart from the port at 19:00. Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 05 KLAIPEDA
Our ship will dock at Klaipeda port at 07:00 in the morning. After breakfast, free time for personal activities and shopping. Guests who wish may join the “Klaipeda & Palanga Tour” organized as an extra by their guide. Passing through the residential areas of Klaipeda, the port city of Lithuania, we head to Palanga, the country’s famous seaside resort city. In Palanga, we will visit the Amber Museum, located in an old palace built by Count Tiskevicius, and Palanga Botanical Park, one of the most beautiful and richest botanical parks in Lithuania. After a free time break on Palanga beach, we return to Klaipeda and explore this historic resort town. Among the places we will see are the old town and the Theatre Square, which we will explore both by bus and on foot. Return to our ship after the tour. Our ship will depart from the port at 15:30. Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 06 RIGA
Our ship will dock at Riga port at 07:00 in the morning. After breakfast, free time for personal activities and shopping. Guests who wish may join the “Riga City Tour” organized as an extra by their guide. We will explore Riga, the capital of Latvia. Your tour will begin with visits to the Orthodox Cathedral, the Freedom Monument, and the Museum of Fine Arts. When you reach the old town area, you will take a walk toward the Theater Square. With a short break overlooking the city, you will have the opportunity to shop, buy souvenirs, and stroll around. Passing through Town Hall Square, you will see St. Peter’s Church, St. George’s Church, and St. John’s Church. One of the most interesting parts of this tour will be a short recital you will listen to accompanied by a church organ. You will have the chance to see buildings such as the Swedish Gate and Riga Castle from the outside. Don’t forget to bring your camera, because this historic city, with its Art Nouveau buildings, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and you will want to photograph every corner of it. Return to our ship after the tour. Our ship will depart from the port at 14:30. Dinner and overnight on board.
DAY 07 STOCKHOLM
Our ship will dock at Stockholm port at 09:00 in the morning. After breakfast, we complete our disembarkation procedures and transfer to our hotel by the vehicle waiting for us. After hotel check-in, settle into the rooms and enjoy free time.
Guests who wish may join the “Vasa Museum & Stockholm City Tour” organized as an extra by their guide. We will begin exploring Stockholm, known as the Venice of the North, from Fjällgatan Street in the Södermalm district, one of the highest points in the city. Here, after a short photo break, we will enjoy a beautiful view of Stockholm and the harbor. We will then move on to Gamla Stan (the old town), the historic part of the city, located on 3 islands and home to the Royal Palace and the Cathedral, and walk with our guide through the narrow cobblestone streets. After free time in the old town, we will continue our tour by bus and have the opportunity to see Kungsgården, the Royal Opera House, the National Museum, the Royal Theatre, the Grand Hotel, and the Royal City Hall from the outside, where the Nobel Prize dinner is held every year after the awards. Finally, we will visit the Vasa Museum, where the old Vasa ship that sank in 1628 is located, outside the city. After the museum visit, we return to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.
DAY 08 STOCKHOLM – ISTANBUL AIRPORT
After breakfast at the hotel, we complete our check-out and transfer to Stockholm Airport by our private vehicle. Since our flight is in the evening, guests who wish may join the “Drottningholm Palace Gardens & Uppsala & Sigtuna Tour” organized as an extra by their guide. We will depart for Drottningholm Royal Palace, located on Lovön Island and built in the late 16th century, the private residence of the Swedish royal family. The parks and gardens surrounding the palace are among the favorite places visited by tourists every year. The English garden in the northern part of the grounds and the antique stone statues in this garden, brought from Italy by Gustav III, will enchant you. Then we head to Uppsala, 80 km north of Stockholm. According to the medieval writer Adam of Bremen, it was one of the pagan centers in history. Our first stop will be Uppsala Cathedral, built in Gothic style, with towers over 118 meters high, one of the largest cathedrals in Northern Europe, where the old Viking kings are buried. Afterwards, we will see Uppsala Castle, built in the 16th century. Uppsala University, the country’s first university, opened in 1477, will also be among what we see. Pleasant moments await you on the shopping street of Uppsala, Sweden’s fourth-largest city. Leaving Uppsala, we head to Sigtuna, a lakeside town with 7,000 inhabitants, mentioned in Icelandic sagas from the 11th century. As a medieval town known for having been a royal center for more than 250 years and with a history dating back 1,000 years, we will enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of this charming town famous for its lace before transferring to the airport. After passport and baggage procedures, we depart for Istanbul at 18:30 on Turkish Airlines flight TK1796. Arrival in Istanbul at 23:15 local time. End of our tour