Date
Port
Info
Arrive
Depart
04 Aug 2024
Hamburg
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19:00
Located between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, Hamburg will fascinate you from the moment you first set eyes on its elegant and austere buildings looking onto the port, one of the largest in Europe. When you reach this destination on an MSC Cruise of Northern Europe, you can get a taste of its glorious history. Hamburg is a cosmopolitan, wealthy and fashionable city, with an aggressive economy, that still prides itself of the title “free Hanseatic city”. It has, in fact, never cut its umbilical cord with maritime trade that has its heart in the port where your cruise liner will be waiting for you. Many tourist come here to visit the Reeperbahn, the red light district, but if you want to take in the atmosphere of the city, you shouldn’t miss an excursion to Speicherstadt (Warehouse Town), where the cobbled streets, gables and turrets combine to make the area on the other side of Zollkanal (Tax Canal) a world apart from the city opposite. Another city icon, St Michaelis, at the western edge of the city centre by Ludwig-Erhard-Strasse, is Hamburg’s iconic church and no wonder. More than any other building, the “Michael” mirrors the city’s irrepressible spirit. Burned down after a lightning strike in1750, it was rebuilt in Baroque style under Ernst Georg Sonnin but it again accidently caught fire in1906. In 1945, the Allies obliterated the roof and decor of church number three. Reconstructed again to Sonnin’s plans, it is now the finest Baroque church in North Germany. Probably the most gratifying attraction during an excursion on an MSC Cruise is the scenery you can admire from one of the best views over Hamburg: the 360-degree panorama takes in Speicherstadt, the container port and shipping on the Elbe, the Alster lakes, and the five spires of the churches and Rathaus.
06 Aug 2024
Molde (Norway)
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Molde has been a popular destination for touristssince the late 19th century. Nestled between theRomsdal Mountains and southern Norway’s surrealstretch of western coastline, Molde is known asthe “Town of Roses” originating from the numberof large gardens and flowers that sit amongst thepredominantly wooden architecture. Every July,Molde is host to the oldest international jazz festivalin Europe. Music greats like Miles Davis, BB King andRay Charles have performed at the festival.
08 Aug 2024
Tromso, Norway
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Tromso was known as the “Paris of the North” inthe 19th century, because people of the area appearedfar more cosmopolitan than foreign touristshad expected them to be. The city center has thebiggest concentration of historic wooden housesnorth of Trondheim. Some of the houses date backto the 17th century. Tromso is the largest city abovethe Artic Circle and invites visitors to enjoy nightlifein the light of the “Midnight Sun”.
10 Aug 2024
Longyearbyen
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The Svalbard islands form the most remote province of northern Europe. Arriving in Longyearbyen on an MSC cruise therefore means reaching the northernmost municipality in the world. Small but vital, the town offers interesting collections of old maps and books on the Svalbard in the town gallery, as well as slides by photographer – composer Thomas Widerberg and a display of paintings by Kåre Tveter. Longyearbyen was founded for extraction purposes due to the abundance of coal, so one often comes across abandonedcoal mines. The pylons that support the funicular are also vestiges and part of the local culture that still highlight the local coal extraction methods. The Svalbard museum offers insight into this activity, as well as hosting examples of local flora and fauna and illustrating the hunting methods used in the islands, where man had to compete with polar bears, the king of these lands and still present in the wild (all excursions in the wild are tackled following the local safety indications). A curious feature of this remote locality is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an underground, anti-nuclear vault where all known and classified seeds are preserved. In Longyearbyen there are plenty of places where you can enjoy a relaxing beverage, but if you’re looking for something unique we advise you eat in one of the hunting lodges. You will only have the embarrassment of the choice of possible excursions. You can go looking for marine birds, wander about the fjords on a kayak looking for seals, or even take a ride on a dog sleigh, either on the snow or on wheels. Some routes instead lead you to the peak of Mount Sarkofagen, from where you can enjoy a staggering view of Longyearbyen and its fjord.
12 Aug 2024
Honningsvag
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The village of Honningsvaag is just 1,200 miles fromthe North Pole, visitors can stand on the 1,000 feetcliffs at Europe’s northernmost point, the NorthernCape, to see the incredible natural phenomenonknown as the “Midnight Sun”, where the sun shinesall night, hanging low above the Arctic Ocean.
13 Aug 2024
Honningsvag
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The village of Honningsvaag is just 1,200 miles fromthe North Pole, visitors can stand on the 1,000 feetcliffs at Europe’s northernmost point, the NorthernCape, to see the incredible natural phenomenonknown as the “Midnight Sun”, where the sun shinesall night, hanging low above the Arctic Ocean.
The village of Olden lie around the spectacular Nordfjord. The 100 kilometres-long fjord is situated in the centre of Norway, between Sognefjord and Geirangerfjord. Combined with surrounding lakes, glaciers and mountains, the fjords offer dramatic scenery. Nordfjord stretches from the Stryn Mountains to the region of Stad. Its width varies between 800 metres and two kilometres, with an average depth of 300 metres. It is also an area known for a hardy equine breed, which through the ages have been used to transport people and goods. According to historical research, the area was once a place where hordes of Viking horsemen would gather. Some 8.000 people live in Olden and surrounding district, the majority earning their living from agriculture and tourism. Of particular note in the town is a wooden church dating back to 1772, built 26 years after the original structure was destroyed by gales. The village’s lakeside valley setting is quite spectacular
16 Aug 2024
Stavanger
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Founded in the 8th century and one of Norway’s oldest towns,Stavanger is situated along the Byfjord, an arm of the Stavangerfjordin southwestern Norway. Echoes of its proud heritage liveson amid the evocative cobbled streets of Gamle (Old) Stavanger,whose whitewashed 18th century houses are probably northernEurope’s best-preserved community of wooden houses.
18 Aug 2024
Hamburg
06:00
–
Located between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, Hamburg will fascinate you from the moment you first set eyes on its elegant and austere buildings looking onto the port, one of the largest in Europe. When you reach this destination on an MSC Cruise of Northern Europe, you can get a taste of its glorious history. Hamburg is a cosmopolitan, wealthy and fashionable city, with an aggressive economy, that still prides itself of the title “free Hanseatic city”. It has, in fact, never cut its umbilical cord with maritime trade that has its heart in the port where your cruise liner will be waiting for you. Many tourist come here to visit the Reeperbahn, the red light district, but if you want to take in the atmosphere of the city, you shouldn’t miss an excursion to Speicherstadt (Warehouse Town), where the cobbled streets, gables and turrets combine to make the area on the other side of Zollkanal (Tax Canal) a world apart from the city opposite. Another city icon, St Michaelis, at the western edge of the city centre by Ludwig-Erhard-Strasse, is Hamburg’s iconic church and no wonder. More than any other building, the “Michael” mirrors the city’s irrepressible spirit. Burned down after a lightning strike in1750, it was rebuilt in Baroque style under Ernst Georg Sonnin but it again accidently caught fire in1906. In 1945, the Allies obliterated the roof and decor of church number three. Reconstructed again to Sonnin’s plans, it is now the finest Baroque church in North Germany. Probably the most gratifying attraction during an excursion on an MSC Cruise is the scenery you can admire from one of the best views over Hamburg: the 360-degree panorama takes in Speicherstadt, the container port and shipping on the Elbe, the Alster lakes, and the five spires of the churches and Rathaus.