If you happen to’re heading to Northern Europe, you could be dreaming of excessive tea, historic castles and quaint villages. Or maybe you envision refined cities with connoisseur eating places, artwork museums and purchasing. What may shock you, although, is simply how untamed this area turns into the farther north you go, with landscapes formed by prehistoric forces of nature and sights you gained’t see wherever else on earth.
Volcanoes smolder in Iceland, goliath fjords abound in Sweden, big cliffs tumble into Eire’s tough seas, forests develop into frozen in Finland, glaciers pierce French wilderness, towering mountains and fields of waterfalls mark Norway, and serrated mountains soar in Scotland. Witnessing these pure wonders offers an exquisite distinction with Northern Europe’s historic websites and cultured city experiences.
All informed, Windstar has 40 Northern Europe itineraries beginning with the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Eire) and Eire. Persevering with east, locations embody France, Belgium and the Netherlands, whereas to the north they incorporate the Baltic Sea nations of Estonia, Lithuania and Poland, together with the Nordic nations of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Greenland.
If you happen to’d like a exact focus centering on only one Northern European nation, contemplate Countless Days in Norway, or Belgium: A Candy Getaway. Must you want a wider-ranging itinerary, lots of our Northern Europe voyages join two, three or 4 nations. For instance, the 25-day Fjords and Fireplace pairs Britain and the Nordics.
There’s additionally an epic 80-day Grand Europe Journey, which docks in 20 European nations. What higher ship for such a dream journey than Star Legend, an intimate all-suite yacht which serves simply 312 friends, and has a health club, spa, infinity pool, two bars, on-deck sizzling tubs, and 24-hour room service.
Every Northern Europe itinerary could be tailor-made to private tastes by choosing from a trove of day excursions: sea kayaking in Finland, seafood cooking classes in Estonia, or exploring World Conflict II historical past in Poland. Try scenic helicopter flights in Norway, citadel explorations in Scotland, and volcano trekking in Iceland. Such selection ensures every itinerary can cater to a various vary of friends. In reality, many ports on this voyage have 10 or extra such excursions to select from.
Deciding which Northern Europe voyage to take is a part of the enjoyable. Because the area grows in reputation, there are extra choices than ever earlier than. We’ll allow you to select with our Passport information.
Finest for First-Time Northern Europe Vacationers? Begin Quick
If you happen to’ve by no means been to any a part of Northern Europe — and/or you might be new to cruise journey — strive a shorter cruise (ten days or much less). Different itineraries final from 10 days to virtually three weeks. What’s nice about Seven Gems of the Baltic is that, in seven days, you get an outline of main cities within the area.
Why?
It’s a good way to cowl a number of floor in a short while with out the trouble of packing and unpacking. And the itinerary incorporates a number of lesser-known cities along with marquee city locations.
You’ll go to three of Northern Europe’s most dynamic cities — Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki — together with Poland’s Gdansk, Estonia’s Tallinn, Denmark’s Bornholm and Latvia’s Ventspil.
Highlights
With an itinerary that begins in Stockholm and ends in Copenhagen, contemplate including a number of days pre- and post-cruise in these dynamic cities, actually two of probably the most charming in Europe. In Stockholm, favourite components of town, which stretches over 14 islands linked by 57 bridges, embody the traditional previous city of Gamla Stan, relationship again to the thirteenth century, and Sweden’s Royal Palace. Within the energetic neighborhood of Djurgårdsvägen, you’ll discover Grona Lund, a superb amusement park with rides, eating places and music; ABBA, the Museum, which options reveals and movies of reside performances, and possibly a very powerful, the Vasa Museum. It celebrates a seventeenth century warship that really sank on its approach out of the archipelago. The Royal Nationwide Metropolis Park is right here, too.
Past Stockholm, Helsinki has a burgeoning design tradition (Marimekko relies in Finland), a fantastic harbor, with daytrips by ferry to the Suomenlinna Island fortress. Go kayaking within the Finnish archipelago, store in one-of-a-kind boutiques downtown, and sip espresso and people-watch alongside its central, tree-lined and art-inspired Esplanade. Gdansk, recognized for its amber commerce, is Poland’s most necessary port metropolis. It was rebuilt after World Conflict II and was the bottom for the Solidarity Motion. And Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, is likely one of the greatest preserved medieval city facilities in Europe.
If Copenhagen might be greatest recognized for the beloved fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, one in all my favourite locations in any metropolis on the earth is Tivoli Gardens. Believed to have impressed Walt Disney when he was creating Disneyland, Tivoli brings collectively eating places, amusement park rides, pedal boats on a flower-fringed lake, live shows, performances and extra.
Different Discoveries
If you wish to add a brief voyage to an current itinerary in Europe, Windstar affords a three-night mini-break-style getaway from London to Bruges, Belgium. Additionally tempting is a barely longer, seven-night intensive cruise from Rouen to Bordeaux in France.
Finest for a Deep Dive into the British Isles: Bordeaux to Edinburgh (17 days)
The 5 nations of the British Isles — England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Eire and Eire — have had an outsize impression on historical past and tradition all over the world. Take a deep dive into the area and its roots on the 17-day French Nights and UK Delights voyage on Star Legend, departing June 3, 2026.
Why?
The expansive itinerary affords loads of time to discover the area’s wealthy cultural heritage and to let Britain and Eire soak deep into your soul. Locations embody busy cities (Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Swansea), quaint cities (Fort William, Portland) and stylish islands (Guernsey, Outer Hebrides), plus six days of land excursions in France.
Highlights
Experiences vary from visiting Stonehenge in England and Edinburgh Fortress in Scotland, to wildlife-spotting in Wales and studying to mix whiskey in Eire. On a guided tour to Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, you’ll study St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Eire 1,600 years in the past. Adjoining to this magnificent, 800-year-old church is a park the place the holy man carried out baptisms.
In Northern Eire’s Belfast, you’ll see the once-mighty shipyards the place the Titanic was constructed. When this notorious cruise liner sank in 1912, it triggered the shipyard’s decline. However in 2012, the world was reborn because the spectacular Titanic Quarter. This billion-dollar precinct boasts motels, bars, eating places, historic vessels, and museums, together with Titanic Belfast. An eight-story attraction, it tells the ship’s tragic story by way of artifacts, movies, archival pictures, recreated Titanic cabins and immersive experiences.
Favourite Discoveries
Delve into this area’s extraordinary literary legacy by visiting low-profile but rewarding sights. They embody Dublin’s spectacular 318-year-old Marsh’s Library, as soon as frequented by legendary authors akin to James Joyce and Bram Stoker, or Edinburgh’s Scottish Poetry Library, a contemporary facility which showcases this nation’s best writing.
Test Out These Potentialities
Complement a British Isles go to with explorations of Norway and Iceland on this 11-day cruise on Star Voyager, or enterprise even wider, pairing the U.Ok. with Portugal, Spain and France on this 25-day itinerary on board Star Legend.
Finest Complete Tour of Northern Europe: Stockholm to Edinburgh (17 days)
The Nordic and Baltic areas are generally grouped collectively, erroneously suggesting a uniformity of tradition, folks, historical past and language.
In reality, their record of variations could also be so long as any tally of their similarities. For instance, you possibly can’t be taught phrases previous to your journey to make use of in all these nations, as a result of Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Greenland every have their very own nationwide language, as do Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The meals in your plate may even look completely different relying on the place you might be. Denmark is crazed for baked items, whereas Sweden is thought for seafood. From a historic perspective, Latvia and Estonia had been enormously formed by intervals of Swedish rule, whereas Lithuania had stronger influences from Germany and Poland. And every of the Baltic states has retained distinctive cultures regardless of 5 a long time of being managed by the Soviet Union, which tried to dissolve their nationwide identities till it collapsed itself in 1991.
Luckily, you’ll have loads of time to unravel all of the threads throughout this 17-day Legends of Scandinavia and the Baltics voyage on board Star Legend, departing July 15, 2026.
Why?
Chilly Conflict historical past in the future, fjords the following. Windstar has tons of itineraries which characteristic Scandinavia and the Baltic, however none fairly as diversified as this, with its outstanding depth of sights and experiences.
Ponder the methods during which Armageddon was narrowly averted throughout a Chilly Conflict missile silo tour in Lithuania. Stare in marvel on the lush and towering Norwegian fjords. Squeeze grapes and pattern wine in a Danish winery go to. Think about the carnage as soon as spawned by a Viking warship in Norway. And awaken your senses whereas mountain climbing Lithuanian dunes.
Highlights
This voyage begins with stops at a collection of splendid, historic cities: Stockholm, Tallinn, Helsinki, Ventspils, Gdansk, Bornholm and Copenhagen. Company will end this part of the cruise with vivid recollections of Swedish palaces, Lithuanian Previous Cities, Danish museums, Finnish markets, Latvian church buildings and Polish fortresses.
Then the crowds and cityscapes begin to get replaced by tranquillity and wilderness, because the itinerary reaches its scenic zenith in Norway. For eight days, Star Legend will hint Norway’s rugged west coast. Within the fairly port city of Haugesund, for instance, passengers can alight to witness thunderous waterfalls, monumental fjords and serene islands marked by Viking heritage.
They will additionally peer down in amazement on the Sunnmøre Alp mountain vary throughout helicopter excursions from Alesund, the picturesque Norwegian city whose structure is an homage to the artwork nouveau interval of the twentieth century. Or hop in an off-road car known as a “troll” automobile, after docking at Norway’s tiny Olden city to succeed in the foot of the world’s largest glacier, Jostedal. And, lastly, catch a prepare from close to Bergen port, via Flåmsdalen Valley, to see Kjosfossen waterfall plunge and explode. All of that is Europe in its most unvarnished kind.
Favourite Discoveries
Some of the genuine souvenirs you possibly can carry dwelling from this area is glowing Baltic amber, a sort of tree resin which, when fossilized, turns into a clean, glowing substance resembling a gemstone. Baltic amber has been harvested in Gdansk for hundreds of years and is now extensively bought as jewellery or as ornamental cutlery trim. Gdansk can be dwelling to the Museum of Amber.
Test Out These Potentialities
If you happen to’re pushed for time, see seven Baltic and Scandinavian nations in simply seven days with the fast-paced Seven Gems of the Baltic Cruise. Or begin in Scandinavia earlier than exploring Scotland and Iceland in the course of the 16-day Fjords and Fireplace itinerary on board Star Satisfaction.
Iceland at its Fullest: Reykjavik to Reykjavik (10 days)
Iceland’s setting is excessive and unique, and its booming reputation is pushed by one of the vital widespread appeals of journey: feeling very removed from dwelling.
In all places you go in Iceland, savage pure forces are on show. Big glaciers shift and crack. Volcanoes rumble and spew molten rock. Scorching springs bubble from geothermal options. Rivers plunge over precipices and detonate into mist. Make no mistake, that is our planet in its rawest state.
Why?
Ten days in Iceland might sound extreme for a cruise to a rustic that’s smaller than most U.S. states and 80 % uninhabited. However Iceland isn’t actually that small. It simply appears to be like that approach on maps, dwarfed by colossal Greenland and marooned within the Norwegian Sea. Iceland’s shoreline is definitely huge, at 4,800 kilometers, longer than the gap from Los Angeles to New York.
Windstar’s Complete Iceland Cruise Tour skirts this complete coast throughout a seven-day ocean voyage. That approach you possibly can witness Mom Nature’s Icelandic gildings: steaming geysers, black sand seashores, commanding sea cliffs.
Complementing these pure encounters are three nights on the Grand Resort Reykjavik to savor Iceland’s extra urbane sights. They embody Viking World Museum, which unravels the historical past of the Scandinavian conquerors who pillaged Europe from the ninth to eleventh centuries; the Árbær Open Air Museum, which recreates an historic Icelandic village; and Hallgrímskirkja, the distinctive 75-meter tall church that looms above Reykjavik and hosts summer season live shows. Ascend to the steeple by way of elevator for a chook’s-eye view of Reykjavik, from mountains to sea.
Highlights
Nature photographers have develop into obsessive about Iceland due to its other-worldly landscapes. Cruise excursions will invite you to expertise these by strolling via the ice tunnels of Langjokull, dipping into the effervescent sizzling springs of the Blue Lagoon and Secret Lagoon, feeling the thunderous impression of Gullfoss, Barnafoss and Hraunfosser waterfalls, and marveling as geothermal water erupts into the air from the Nice Geysir.
You’ll even have the chance to spend a whole day amid the startling fantastic thing about Þingvellir Nationwide Park, the place geological forces cast plunging gorges and the Silfra Fissure, a niche between the tectonic plates of Europe and North America. Vacationers may even dive or snorkel within the fissure’s clear, contemporary water.
Discoveries
Like Mexico’s tequila, Eire’s whiskey or Japan’s sake, Iceland has a signature alcohol as properly: brännvin. The phrase interprets as burned wine. Standard for hundreds of years within the Nordic nations, it’s a potent, clear spirit distilled from potatoes or wheat. You’ll be able to be taught in regards to the historical past, manufacturing and styles of brännvin throughout a guided tour of Reykjavik’s Eimverk Distillery.
And do not forget that Iceland isn’t nearly pure magnificence and Viking historical past. It additionally has a vibrant arts and cultural scene, with bustling downtowns, artwork galleries, museums and musical performances from Reykjavik and the nation’s second-largest metropolis, Akureyri, to villages like Isafjordur, Heimaey and Seydisfjordur.
Test Out These Potentialities
If you happen to’re time-crunched, Windstar’s signature Round Iceland voyage travels across the nation in simply seven days.
Make Iceland simply one in all 20 European nations you go to in your subsequent cruise by becoming a member of our final Europe cruise: the epic, 80-day Star Collector: 2026 Grand Europe Journey. Or delve deeper into wild, frosty landscapes by reserving our 25-day Greenland Fjord, Canadian Maritimes voyage, which brings collectively Iceland, Greenland and remoted components of jap Canada.
