Northern countries Cruise - from Southampton - 130967

Southampton is the largest port in Great Britain. It is from here that the Mayflower set sail for the New World, as commemorated by the Mayflower Memorial. The town's landmark is the 'Bargate', a city gate built by the Normans. Southampton is also known as the entertainment capital on the South coast. Cinemas, theatres, museums, bars and pubs, art galleries and all kinds of watersports attract thousands of visitors.

Aberdeen is a town built almost entirely from granite - even the roads. This Scottish town is one of the most important ports for the oil industry of the North Sea and has the largest off-shore oilfields in the world. Aberdeen's busy harbour also has a picturesque fish market. Close by the main street, Union Street, you will find the "Castlegate", the late medieval Provost Skene's House and the Aberdeen Art Gallery, which has an important collection of pre-Raphaelite and modern Art. Other attractions inlude the City Chambers, Marischal College, St. Machar Cathedral, Seaton Park and the Brig o'Balgownie.

Kirkwall is the capital of the northern Scottish island council area of Orkney, where visitors can expect to find a landscape made up mainly of craggy cliffs and strange sandstone formations. The pretty capital and business centre is famous primarily for its whisky distilleries and St. Magnus Cathedral. The cathedral dates from the 12th century and is one of the most beautiful examples of Norman architecture in the British Isles. Other sights include: Tankerness House, a 16th century town house that houses the local history museum of the Orkney Islands, and the Stone Age village of Skara Brae, which is more than 5,000 years old.

Bergen is one of the most charming cities in Norway, not least due to its unique setting between seven hills. With a population of 218,000 it is the second-largest city in the country and the capital of "Fylke Hordaland". The town of Bergen was granted the city charter in 1070 by Bishop Olav Kyrre. Not that long after, in 1217, King Hakon IV. declared the town to the Norwegian seat of government. Today, the oldest and most famous wooden houses of the city are at the "Bryggen", the former dock of the Hanseatic League. These unique buildings were among four properties in Norway to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Sights include: the Hanseatic museum, the Bryggen Museum, Bergenshus fort, St. Mary's Church and the Leprosy Museum, and the aquarium.

Norway's fourth-largest city grew important through herring fishing. At the beginning of the 20th century it was also home to the largest canned foods industry in the world. Today, Norway's oil capital is characterised by a mixture of Nordic rustic charm and a cosmopolitan atmosphere, which visitors can experience during a visit to the fish market in particular. Since the city has been spared any fires, entire districts with the original old wooden houses have been preserved. Almost 200 of these restored white wooden buildings in narrow steep cobbled streets with gas laterns in the Gamle Stavanger area are a reminder of the time of the city's founding. Sights include: Canning Industry Museum, the Maritime Museum, Utstein monastery, Lysefjord, Romanesque-gothic cathedral.

Norway's number one holiday destination - that's what the people in Kristiansund proudly call their city. Kristiansund is known not only for its attractive location at Skagerrak, the must-see fjord coastline with its skerries offshore and the attractive hinterland; the city also has the greatest number of sunshine hours per year in all of Norway. Kristiansund has lots to offer both in the cultural and the educational sphere. A stroll through the city centre reveals the strict rectalinear street plan. The streets look like a chess board, reminiscent of the American cities, although on a much smaller scale. It was in Kristiansund that town planners first came up with this idea. The reason for the striking arrangement of the streets is the planned construction of the city. At the time it was founded in the Middle Ages, this type of layout was the ideal. Old, well-restored wooden houses, which today are under preservation order, are a reminder of Kristiansand's past. The marketplace in the centre, surrounded by the cathedral, the town hall, the city hall and Wergeland park forms the genteel suburb of the city.

Copenhagen is not only the capital of Denmark, but also the most multifaceted city in Scandinavia. A quarter of all Danes live in and around Copenhagen and yet the city remains, essentially, clearly laid out and easy to navigate. The massive bridge over the Bresund connecting Denmark with Sweden means Copenhagen has become an even more important hub in Scandinavia in the new millenium. Visitors from all over the world come to Copenhagen to have fun at Tivoli, to see the mermaid, the changing of the guard at the Queen's castle and much much more besides. Sights include: Vor Frelser Kirke (Our Saviour's Church), the round tower, the town hall, the little mermaid, Tivoli, the commodity exchange, Denmark's Royal Library, Thorvaldsen Museum, Amalienborg castle, and Tycho Brahes Planetarium.

Copenhagen is not only the capital of Denmark, but also the most multifaceted city in Scandinavia. A quarter of all Danes live in and around Copenhagen and yet the city remains, essentially, clearly laid out and easy to navigate. The massive bridge over the Bresund connecting Denmark with Sweden means Copenhagen has become an even more important hub in Scandinavia in the new millenium. Visitors from all over the world come to Copenhagen to have fun at Tivoli, to see the mermaid, the changing of the guard at the Queen's castle and much much more besides. Sights include: Vor Frelser Kirke (Our Saviour's Church), the round tower, the town hall, the little mermaid, Tivoli, the commodity exchange, Denmark's Royal Library, Thorvaldsen Museum, Amalienborg castle, and Tycho Brahes Planetarium.