Ultimate Scandinavia and The Polar Express

After meeting at our Departure Office we leave London St Pancras by Eurostar, travelling to Brussels in Standard Premier Class. We continue in First Class to Bremen, where we stay overnight.

• Breakfast

On Day 2 we travel by Standard Class rail, via Hamburg, to Copenhagen for a 2-night stay.

On Day 3, our morning sightseeing tour features the magnificent Amalienborg Palace, a large octagonal mansion, surrounded by 4 identical Rococo palaces, one of which is home to the reigning monarch Queen Margrethe II. We also visit the famous Little Mermaid statue before taking a cruise through the colourful canal area of Nyhavn, once a maritime hub where sailors from around the world frequented the many bars on offer here. Your afternoon is at leisure.

Today, we join the X2000 train for the direct service to Stockholm. On arrival in Sweden's capital city, we transfer to our hotel for 2 nights.

• Day 4 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 5 - Breakfast

Day 5 begins with a sightseeing coach tour, the perfect way to get our bearings. Our tour includes the Royal Palace, the cathedral, the narrow streets of Gamla Stan (the Old Town), City Hall, and the tranquil island of Djurgården. Afterwards, we take a relaxing 'fika', the Swedish term for a coffee and cake break. Your afternoon is free to explore. Skansen, the oldest open-air museum in the world, gives an insight into how life once was here and is well worth a visit.

Today we head inland by rail to Östersund, nestled on the shores of Lake Storsjön, Sweden's fifth largest lake.

• Breakfast, Dinner

On Day 7 we join the Inlandsbanan to Sorsele, visiting the Inlandsbanan Museum here. Next, we visit a Sami village, home to the indigenous Sami people of Scandinavia, before we continue to Arjeplog for the night. Dinner tonight is enjoyed around an open fire in a traditional tipi.

We travel around lakes and forests of Swedish Lapland by coach today. Making our way to Jokkmokk, we cross the Arctic Circle into the 'Land of the Midnight Sun', marking the occasion with a small celebration en route.

• Day 8 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 9 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 10 - Breakfast
• Day 11 - Breakfast, Dinner

On Day 9 we continue on the Ofoten Railway to Narvik, after a free morning that includes entrance to the local Sami museum. The scenery that accompanies this journey is spectacular, and we enjoy passing views of dramatic mountain peaks.

On Day 10 we make a visit to Narvik's War Museum before time at leisure.

On Day 11 we take a trip on the spellbinding 'Polar Express', also known as the Nordland Railway. This incredible railway is rightly one of the world's most famous, passing unconquerable landscapes that are a delight to experience. The vast, ever-changing environment stretches as far as the eye can see, and from our comfortable carriages we watch as clear blue lakes, sparkling fjords, and the spectacular Svartisen Glacier roll by our windows. We disembark in Verdal, spending the night in Stiklestad.

We set off toward atmospheric Trondheim this morning, heading first to Stiklestad for a short guided tour, followed by lunch. We continue to Trondheim along the famous Golden Road, which is laced together by a multitude of scenic sights.

• Day 12 - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Day 13 - Breakfast

Day 13 includes a guided sightseeing tour. Founded in the 10th century, Trondheim is one of the oldest cities in Norway and boasts a rich Viking heritage.

We leave Trondheim by rail for Dombås, where we join the 71-mile long Rauma Railway for a journey to Åndalsnes. From here, we transfer to Loen by coach and ferry for a 2-night stay in Loen.

• Day 14 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 15 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 16 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 17 - Breakfast

On Day 15 we enjoy the beautiful scenery of Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site, during a morning boat cruise and scenic drive following a photo opportunity at the Dalsnibba viewing point.

Departing by coach on Day 16, we continue to Flåm, stopping off at Kaupanger's stave church along the way. In Flåm, we stay overnight at the Fretheim Hotel.

On Day 17 we enjoy a superb excursion on the Flåm Railway, which takes us up into the mountains along one of the steepest lines in the world. We reach Myrdal and return to Flåm, driving to Gudvangen where we embark on a luxury eco cruise across Sognefjord. Afterwards, we continue to Bergen by coach.

We enjoy a walking tour of Bergen today that includes Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lunch is a delicious meal of fresh seafood at Bergen's fish market, followed by a coach tour of Bergen's incredible bridges.

• Day 18 - Breakfast, Lunch
• Day 19 - Breakfast, Dinner

Travelling in Komfort Class on Day 19, we take a rail journey on Northern Europe's highest railway line - the Bergen Railway. The train climbs high above the tree line, across some of the most remote areas of western Norway before descending into elegant Oslo, where we stay overnight.

Day 20 is at leisure in Oslo before we transfer to the port and board the overnight ferry to Kiel*. 

*Please note: your luggage will travel on the ferry with you, as opposed to via our luggage service.

• Day 20 - Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 21 - Breakfast, Eurostar

On arrive in Kiel on Day 21, we join the train to Hamburg for an overnight stay. 

Day 22 takes us by rail to Brussels, via Cologne, where we join the Eurostar to London.