Baltic: Stockholm to Hamburg

Arrive in Stockholm. Board the Sea Cloud ll and attend dinner as the ship sets sail.

Enjoy the ship's luxurious amenities as it sails to Lithuania.

Together with the chic seaside resort of Sopot and the port of Gdynia, the old Hanseatic city of Gdansk has a young and confident vibe. With its eventful past, the queen of the Polish Baltic cities was already prosperous and respected in the Middle Ages and was a flourishing trading center for many years. Its reconstructed historic old town is a work of art in its own right with sky-scraping brick Gothic edifices and grand patricians' houses boasting magnificent façades and gables which betray Flemish, Dutch and German influences. Everything is overshadowed by the imposing medieval church of St. Mary which is the world's largest brick church. In the golden Hanseatic era, the route formed by the famous Long Market and Long Street between the Golden Gate and the Vistula was the lifeline of this prosperous city, which continues to trade successfully in Baltic amber to this day.

With its countless canals, lakes and harbor basin, water is an essential part of this city. The Inderhavnen (inner harbor) runs through the royal capital of Denmark like a wide river before flowing into the Sound. Once the boundary between the western and eastern districts, the harbor quays have now become the heart of the city. Streets, alleyways, parks and squares all remain from the days when kings had them built. Each period of history has left its mark on the magnificent cityscape which includes several castles. In the midst of modern-day life, you can take a ride on a carousel in the Tivoli Gardens, follow the royal bodyguards with their bearskin hats as they march through the streets, or visit the city's famous magical landmark, the Little Mermaid in the harbor.

Located at the northernmost tip of Denmark at the point where the Kattegat and Skagerrak meet, Skagen takes its name from the Norse word 'skaga' which translates roughly as 'to jut out'. Surrounded by long sandy beaches and two large wandering sand dunes, there is more to this pretty port with its photogenic warehouses on the harbor than just fishing. Drawn by the picturesque landscape and special light, artists and drop-outs founded an artists' colony here at the end of the 19th century, making the little fishing village famous overnight. Nowadays, the works of the Skagen painters are displayed in the Skagen museum.

Hamburg has seen many ships in its time. Richly laden Hanseatic cogs, famous 19th-century windjammers, and giant vessels have dropped anchor in its port. The beautiful banks of the Elbe form prominent cordons for ships sailing in or out of the port of Hamburg. Moving towards the mouth of the Elbe, they glide by the patrician villas on the Elbchaussee, the Treppenviertel in Blankenese, the Airbus site, and the picturesque banks of the Elbe with their green dykes and white beaches. You can catch charming harbor views of the little villages all along the banks of the Elbe.

Disembark after breakfast for your continued independent journeys.