Secret Scandinavia

Experience Norway's capital, Oslo, known for its parks, gardens, and cultural attractions. Walk through Vigeland Sculpture Park, featuring hundreds of outdoor sculptures, and visit the Munch Museum to view works by Edvard Munch. Explore Akershus Fortress to learn about the city's history, then browse Norway's largest public collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures at the National Gallery. Head to the Holmenkollen district to visit the Ski Museum and enjoy panoramic views from the iconic ski jump overlooking the city.

Visit Arendal, a coastal town in southern Norway known for its mild climate and maritime heritage. Learn about the area's 19th-century iron ore mining industry, which produced high-quality magnetite. Explore nearby Raet National Park, the only protected coastal park on eastern Norway, where forests, rocky shores, and long pebble beaches create a distinctive natural landscape.

You will sail into the heart of one of Norway’s most breathtaking fjords, its marvellous décor dominated by pristine nature, between vertiginous granite cliffs, crystal-clear waters and luxuriant vegetation. Very close to Stavanger, the quiet waters of Lysefjorden stretch out over around forty kilometres, beneath impressive rocks. Admire the world-famous site of Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), a majestic cliff in the shape of a pulpit that rises to more than 600 metres above the waters. A bit further on, Flørli, from the top of its 4,444 steps, is the world’s longest wooden stairway, whereas the Kjerag, with its mythical boulder wedged between two rock faces, provides an unusual and unforgettable spectacle.

At the far end of the country, stands the harbor town of Stavanger, with its warm, friendly atmosphere. A friendliness you’ll notice in the little old town cobbled streets, which has some 170 old wooden houses, as well as in its modern city centre, always bustling. Strategic place during the Viking era, you will be able to discover a recreated traditional village as well as the famous Swords in Rock, three granite swords standing 10 metres (33 ft) tall, symbolising the last victory of the King of Norway Harald I, in 872. 

Eidfjord is nestled in one of the last branches of the beautiful Hardanger Fjord, 'the Norwegian orchard', which has been famous for its fruit production since medieval times. All the forces of nature seem to come together in this ancient glacial valley. Imposing and majestic mountains border the Hardangervidda National Park, the largest high-altitude plateau in Europe. The serene waters of the fjord and Lake Eidfjord are matched by the roar of the Voring Falls, one of Europe's highest waterfalls and Norway's main source of hydroelectric power.

Located at the end of Byfjord, Bergen was the capital of Norway in the 12th and 13th Centuries and has preserved some very beautiful monuments from the time when it was home to royalty. Wandering through Bergen’s streets means going back in time, in search of the hidden treasures that have been listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. A veritable openair museum, Bergen is home to a thriving artistic community of painters, potters, jewellers. The Bergen cable car offers you a splendid panorama over the port and the surrounding fjords. Do not miss the visit to the old quarter with its narrow streets, a testimony of the power of the hanseatic League that controlled trade in Northern Europe at the end of the Middle Ages.

Like a painter’s palette, the former industrial town of Egersund unveils its colors as if to better charm its passing visitors. Its small wooden houses, among the best conserved in Norway, certainly display colorful façades that distinguish them from the other municipalities of the southern Norwegian coast, which opted for white at a time when this was a sign of wealth. Admire the façades of Strandgaten, the former main street of the town, and wander the old district of Hauen, which is now full of cafés, galleries and boutiques. Also make a detour to the Heidningeholmen Church, whose foundations date back to the 17th century, and dive into Egersund’s past.

Located on the Jutland peninsula at the tip of Denmark, where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea come together, the charming seaside resort of Skagen will enchant you with its immense white sandy beaches and its magnificent dune landscapes. The site is renowned for its extraordinary light and, at the end of the 19th century, was home to many Scandinavian artists, known as the Skagen Painters. Many of their works are exhibited in the town’s museum today. These paintings, realist representations of the area’s stunning natural setting, also provide an opportunity to discover how the inhabitants of this small fishing port lived in the last century.

Dynamic, open and forward-looking, Aarhus is also one of the oldest cities in Denmark. Nestling on the Jutland peninsular, the “city of smiles”, as its inhabitants have nicknamed it, has a gentle lifestyle and is an invitation to discovery. Voted the European Capital of Culture 2017, it is home to multiple styles of architecture, from traditional Danish houses to the wildest futuristic constructions. During your port of call, make sure you visit the ARoS Museum: one of the largest art museums in Northern Europe, it exhibits many avant-gardist works, such as “Your Rainbow Panorama”, a spectacular installation that seems to be floating in the air and offers breathtaking views over the city.

Connected to the far eastern side of Sealand island, a few kilometres away from the Swedish coasts, Copenhagen offers you the high colour of Scandinavian capitals. You can discover the city's riches that weaves through the canal networks through the historical districts of Christiansborg and Nyhavn. Many palaces provide an apercu of Danish history. For eating, you can try out the smorrebrod, traditional danish sandwiches made with ham, cheese or smoked fish.