7 nights. Norway

Day 1

rotterdam, netherlands

Departure: 15:00

Rotterdam maybe isn't the most beautiful Dutch city but it is vibrant, down-to-earth and cosmopolitan. Stepping out of Central Station it’s immediately obvious that this is no cutesy tulips-and-clogs traditional Dutch town, as the walls of shining silver skyscrapers and brightly coloured tower blocks rise up on every side of you. After wandering around the city for a while, you will soon discover why. Instead of rebuilding its historic centre, this forward-thinking port town employed an army of mad architects to completely redesign the city after it was flattened by German bombs in May 1940. They did a great job and created a new heart for Rotterdam that is not only modern and functional, but arresting and unique. But fans of cosy redbrick houses and canals needn’t dismay, Rotterdam also has plenty of architectural pockets that look ‘typically Dutch’. Although most of these lie a little outside the city centre, one welcome exception is the Oude Haven, Rotterdam’s oldest port and nowadays a popular hangout by day and night time. Sitting here the contrast of Rotterdam couldn’t be clearer, behind the old Dutch ships anchored steadily in the abandoned harbour, Rotterdam’s modern architecture gleams in the sunlight. Today Rotterdam has the third biggest harbour in the world, making it the industrial heart of the Netherlands, and with roughly 50% of citizens claiming a non-Dutch origin, the city is a truly multicultural composition. It is famed for its festive summers, which makes up for the long winter.

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Day 3

oslo, norway

Arrival: 07:00 - Departure: 17:00

Oslo is vibrant and modern with eclectic architecture, edgy nightlife and world-class museums. Located between the Oslofjord and the forests, nature takes centre stage in the capital, where you can sail, ski and hike to your heart’s content just a short distance from the city centre. This is definitely a place for outdoor and wildlife lovers. As you float past luscious green islands and towering rocky outcrops, the city unfolds before your eyes - sprawling out from its compact centre around the quays to the forested flanks of the surrounding hills. Made all the more beautiful by its diversity, Oslo boasts a jumble of modern and ancient buildings that give the city an eclectic feel, with the steel-and-glass Munch Museum giving way to the old-fashioned charms of the City Museum and the craggy medieval walls of the Akershus Fortress, which glowers out over the fjord. Most visitors will find themselves struggling to choose between Oslo’s numerous museums, which offer something for almost every taste: a face-to-face with the haunting image of Edvard Munch’s The Scream at the National Gallery, a chance to stand in the shoes of an Olympic ski-jumper at the Holmenkollen Ski Museum, or a window into history and culture at the unforgettable Viking Ship, Polarship Fram or Folk Museums on Bygdøy. And Oslo is certainly the cosmopolitan heart of Norway, with a rapidly growing café and bar culture, top-notch restaurants, and nightlife options ranging from world-class opera and jazz to indie rock. The capital’s thriving restaurant scene has seen it rewarded with four Michelin stars. The Grünerløkka district is close to the Munch Museum and is teeming with bustling little pavement cafés and chic bars. A thriving, truly vibrant city, the cosmopolitan heart of Norway really does have something for everyone.

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Day 4

kristiansand, norway

Arrival: 08:00 - Departure: 17:00

Kristiansand (formerly Christianssand) is a town and municipality in Norway, the capital of Vest-Agder Province. By its population, it is the sixth largest municipality in Norway and the fifth largest city in the country, behind Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger.

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Day 5

sandnessjoen, norway

Arrival: 07:00 - Departure: 15:00

Sandnessjøen is a town and the administrative centre of Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Sandnessjøen was granted special trading privileges in the late 1600s and it received town status in 1999. Sandnessjøen is located on the island of Alsta, just west of the De syv søstre (The Seven Sisters) mountain range. The town is a transportation hub for the Helgeland region, as well as a commercial and business centre for the region. The 4.09-square-kilometre (1,010-acre) town has a population (2017) of 6,043 which gives the town a population density of 1,478 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,830/sq mi). Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka is located south of the town. Beginning in late June 2011, the regional airline Widerøe launched direct flights in summer between Sandnessjøen Airport and Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. The town of Sandnessjøen was the administrative centre of the old municipality of Stamnes from 1899 to 1965. This municipality was also known as Sandnessjøen from 1948 until 1965. In 1965, the municipality was merged with Alstahaug Municipality. Helgeland Kammerkor, a mixed choir with members drawn from the region of Helgeland, was founded in Sandnessjøen in 1992 and has held many concerts there.

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Day 6

flam, norway

Arrival: 06:30 - Departure: 16:00

Flåm is a village in the municipality of Aurland, in the province of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located at the end of the Aurlandsfjord, which is in turn an arm of the Sognefjord. The town of Flåm has been a popular tourist destination since the late 19th century. It currently receives approximately 450,000 visitors a year. Major attractions include the fjord boat trip and the Flåmsbana, a 20km train between Flåm and Myrdal, being one of the most uneven railways in the world (including several spirals). An old train station houses a museum dedicated to Flåmsbana. The Rallarvegen route, linking Haugastøl with Voss, is also one of the main tourist attractions, especially for cyclists. Access by car to Flåm can be done by the European route E16 connecting Oslo and Bergen.

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Day 8

rotterdam, netherlands

Arrival: 07:00

Rotterdam maybe isn't the most beautiful Dutch city but it is vibrant, down-to-earth and cosmopolitan. Stepping out of Central Station it’s immediately obvious that this is no cutesy tulips-and-clogs traditional Dutch town, as the walls of shining silver skyscrapers and brightly coloured tower blocks rise up on every side of you. After wandering around the city for a while, you will soon discover why. Instead of rebuilding its historic centre, this forward-thinking port town employed an army of mad architects to completely redesign the city after it was flattened by German bombs in May 1940. They did a great job and created a new heart for Rotterdam that is not only modern and functional, but arresting and unique. But fans of cosy redbrick houses and canals needn’t dismay, Rotterdam also has plenty of architectural pockets that look ‘typically Dutch’. Although most of these lie a little outside the city centre, one welcome exception is the Oude Haven, Rotterdam’s oldest port and nowadays a popular hangout by day and night time. Sitting here the contrast of Rotterdam couldn’t be clearer, behind the old Dutch ships anchored steadily in the abandoned harbour, Rotterdam’s modern architecture gleams in the sunlight. Today Rotterdam has the third biggest harbour in the world, making it the industrial heart of the Netherlands, and with roughly 50% of citizens claiming a non-Dutch origin, the city is a truly multicultural composition. It is famed for its festive summers, which makes up for the long winter.

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7 nights. Norway

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