Scandinavia: The Capitals of North

TOUR DAYS: 12 DAYS  

ITINERARY:

1st Day: Italy – Germany
Departure from your own city; crossing through Austria we will arrive in the central part of  Bavaria, in Regensburg. The historic centre from the roman Ratisbona is very beautiful, literally: fortress on Regen. Dinner and overnight in hotel. Free night at disposal for a lovely illustrative walk through the city. Curiosity: there is no other European city that could brag with so many nicknames, it is defined by seven different names in the tragedy “Doctor Faustus” of Marlowe where Mefistofele, flying towards the Danubian city, calls it Tiberia, Square, Hyaspolis, Reginopolis, Imbripolis, Ratisbona and Regensburg.

2nd Day: Hamburg
After the breakfast departure towards Hamburg, a city that is a symbol of the night life and the paradise of the feelings. The arrival is predicted to be in late afternoon after the lunch in a restaurant. Dinner and overnight in hotel with an evening at disposal for a walk long the central streets and to Reeperbahn (the lively and licentious neighborhood of the city). Curiosity: it was actually in Reeperbahn where in the beginning of the years ’60 the “4 young people of Liverpool” started to play to the German audience. The Beatles showed of in the Street of the Grosse Freiheit (in other words “grand liberty”).

3rd Day: Hamburg – Copenhagen
After the breakfast, departure towards north. The days, if it is summer, are longer so in this latitude you can note the phenomenon of the day stretched towards the evening. From Puttgarden we take a boat to Ronyhavn, with an arrival in the evening in Copenhagen, a worldly  city rich with contradictions between innovation and tradition, ultramodern buildings and historic palaces. Dinner and overnight in hotel. Copenaghen or Copenhagen? Both of them are correct. Copenhagen is called by the Danish people (or more exactly København) and the rest of the world. Copenaghen is the way we Italians call it, Italianizing the name of the city.

4th Day: Copenaghen
After the breakfast, we have a morning dedicated to the guided visit of the most famous monuments and buildings in the city, such as: Real Palace, Marble church, Castle of Rosemborg, the Castles of Kronborg to Helsingore, the one of Frederiksborg to Hillerod. Lunch in a restaurant, dinner and overnight in a hotel. Curiosity: the 55% of the citizens of the capital of Denmark moves by bike. Copenaghen has the most frequented cycling tracks in the world, paths for more than 36.000 cyclists every day.

5th Day: Copenaghen – Göteborg
In the morning, after the breakfast, time at disposal for one wak in the centre, or for a shopping, or for one greeting to the Siren, the bronze statue which is a symbol of the city on the dock of Langelinje. Lunch in a restaurant. In the afternoon departure to Göteborg where we arrive late in the evening with dinner and overnight in a hotel. Free evening for a first touch with the city known as “the green pearl of Sweden ”, or for a beer in one of the beer clubs in the centre. Avenyn is the boulevard of the Light that begins in Gotaplats with the statue Poseidon and finishes in Kungsportsplatsen: it is the street of shopping, of restaurants and night clubs, popular also in late night.

6th Day: Göteborg – Oslo
After breakfast departure towards Oslo, only after having completed a good walk through the city of Göteborg. Expected arrival in the Norwegian capital for lunch time, an afternoon dedicated to a guided visit. A free evening for one walk in the wonderful central street that brings you from the traffic zone to the insane train station, with a very animated life, street artists and stores for shopping. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Curiosity: Norway is one of the most cultured countries in the world. The University is free and the government was encouraging the publication of books buying the first 1000 copies and distribuiting them in all the libraries in the country.

7th Day: Oslo
The morning is dedicated to the guided visit of the city, countless are the parks and the monuments. The park Vigelandil one of the most visited destination of the tourists and the citizens of Oslo, animated by the rollers that splash , by the guys that sunbath on the  lawn and by other 212 granite and bronze statues from the sculptor Gustav Vigeland, a real outdoors museum. Between the museums, the most curious for us is the one of the Viking ships, at , in Oslo, with these imbarcations they have also arrived to Sicily, very interested is also the museum Kon-tiki with the same raft. We proceed with the king’s castle, Akerskud, a fortress from 16° century, to finish with the beautiful modern art of the new municipality. Lunh in a restaurant. Dinner and overnight in a hotel, an evening at disposal.

Curiosity:  oslo is the city where Edvard Munch was raised and formed like an artist and where he passed the last years of his life. Today Kristiania (in the era of the painter Oslo was named like that) host the biddest part of the artistic production of Munch, including Skrik (the Shout), one of his most famous arts.

8th Day: Oslo – Stockholm
Departure in good time to Stockholm, the beautiful capital of Sweden, little more than 500 km far away from the one of Norway, and it has a breath-taking nature with ith enormous parks and forests, developing itself on 14 islands and more than 50 bridges. Lunch during the travel, arrival in hotel in the afternoon, with dinner and overnight. In the evening we recommend a walk through the characteristric and picturesque zone of Gamla Stan rich with restaurants, monuments and shops.

9th Day: Stockholm
A day dedicated to a guided visit of the city. Between very surprises that this city offers, we will see the museum of the people of north and the church of Saint Chiara. After the lunch in a restaurant we will dedicate to the isle of the old city, Gmala Stan. On the archipelago of the historic centre of Stockholm, that was pronounced for a capital kingdom in 1252 year, we wil pass the central streets and the characteristic square Stortorgett with its singular historic edifices where there is also the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

Curiosity: in the Nobel Museum every person has a possibility to experiment personally the ideas, the instruments, the physical and chemical laws which have given glory to the winners of the prestigious Prize.

10th Day: Stockholm – Malmö
After the breakfast departure towards south, to Malmö, which original name was malmhaug, that means “”pile of gravel. Malmö is a welcoming port city, in the most southerner part of Scania, in front of Copenaghen where in clear the days and nights you can see silhouettes and lights on the opposite bank. Lunch during the trip, so dinner and overnight in a hotel. Free evening at a disposal.

Curiosity: Malmö is separated from Copenaghen, the Danish capital, only with one long bridge, that is a host for one rail and automobile transit. The bridge (Oresundsbron) is 16 km long. The population is characterized by one strong multiethnic presence, if you note that 30% of the citizens are from a foreign origin.

11th Day:Malmö – Kassel
Departure on time and pass to the bridge (paid toll) towards the near Copenaghen, which means we proceed to Robyhavned another boarding to Puttgarten, after that by land  we will go to the heart of Germany, where we will overnight in Kassel. During the travel free lunch, dinner and overnight in a hotel. Free evening.

12th Day: Kassel – Italy
After the breakfast departure still towards south with a return to Italy in the afternoon, to the respective cities in the origin.

PODIUM