Midnight Sun at the North Cape

Journey via Frankfurt to Hildesheim.

Drive past Hamburg to Puttgarden and on to Copenhagen. City tour with a local guide. The heart of Copenhagen is the busy Town Hall Square, dominated by the Town Hall with its 100 m tower. This is also where the extensive pedestrian zone of Strøget begins, with all its shops and stores. Not far away stands Christiansborg, the fortress that developed into the palace of the Danish kings and is still the centre of Danish politics, home to the parliament. The popular Queen Margrethe lives in the comparatively plain Rococo palace of Amalienborg, which consists of four palaces. Nearby you will find Copenhagen's best-known sight, the Little Mermaid. Towards evening, ferry crossing to Helsingborg.

On your journey through the scenic south of Sweden you will gain a first impression of Scandinavia's beautiful nature. The route continues across the broad plains of Scania and through the forests of Småland, past countless small lakes, along the vast Lake Vättern and through scattered villages amid large woodlands. Passing well-known cities such as Jönköping and Norrköping, you reach the capital, Stockholm.

In the late afternoon, short city tour with a local guide to Stockholm's most popular sights. The Swedish capital is the seat of the king, the government and parliament, a university city, an important Baltic port and of course the centre of the country's cultural life. "The city on the water" and "Venice of the North" are Stockholm's best-known nicknames. Night ferry crossing right through the island world of the archipelago.

Arrival in Turku in the morning and onward journey by coach to the Finnish capital, Helsinki, where a local guide awaits you for a city tour. The "Pearl of the Baltic" was founded in 1550 by the Swede Gustav Vasa and today, with its surrounding area, has approx. 1 million inhabitants. The main sights include Senate Square, the cathedral, the university and the government palace. A magnificent flight of steps leads up to the cathedral, which has four corner towers and a mighty dome. In the evening you reach today's destination, Jyväskylä. This town is the principal town of the Central Finland region. Finland's most famous architect, Alvar Aalto, designed over 30 buildings for Jyväskylä alone.

Today the journey first continues through the Finnish Lakeland with its numerous forests and dark blue lakes. The landscape around Lake Pyhäjärvi is particularly pretty, and in Pihtipudas you stop at an old wooden church. Lunch stop en route in Finland. The road now runs along the Gulf of Bothnia to Kemi, a large port town known for its timber industry. You then follow the Kemijoki river to Rovaniemi, the principal town of Lapland. The town was burned down in 1944. The architect Alvar Aalto designed today's town plan, which resembles a reindeer's antlers, something that is of course especially easy to see from the air.

Rovaniemi is also known as the "Gateway to Lapland". Shortly after Rovaniemi you reach the Arctic Circle, which lies 3,330 km from the North Pole and 6,660 km from the Equator. Past Lake Vikajärvi you continue to Sodankylä, the coldest place in Finland, where Lapland's oldest wooden church, dating from 1689, stands. The road now runs close to the west bank of the River Kitinen through almost uninhabited country to the Sompio Nature Reserve, then climbs through moorland and marshland to the watershed between the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Ocean.

As you continue, you cross the tree line and enter a tundra landscape where dwarf birches and stunted pines form the only tree cover. At Karigasniemi you cross the Inarijoki river to enter Norway. Lunch stop in Karasjok, the capital of the Norwegian Sami and a cultural hub in Finnmark. Between Honningsvåg and the North Cape lie 35 kilometres of Europe's only true Arctic landscape. The island may be bare and treeless, yet it radiates a rugged beauty, which the clear air heightens on sunny days. After dinner you drive to the North Cape, where you can enjoy a fantastic view of the sea far below. And if the weather plays along, you will experience the magical midnight sun.

Through the North Cape Tunnel you return to Kåfjord. What impresses visitors most are the uninhabited expanses: chains of mountains and fells stretch seemingly endlessly to the horizon, silent and awe-inspiring. The coast has a rugged beauty. Here and there the visitor's eye is surprised to rest on a patch of green or a pretty spot of land. No description of Finnmark, Norway's northernmost and largest county, is without superlatives.

Finnmark has only 75,000 inhabitants over an area of 48,000 km² and lies at the same latitude as Alaska and Siberia. Today's destination, Tromsø, is the starting point for many expeditions. Tromsø occupies a large part of the island of Tromsøya and, with approx. 50,000 inhabitants, is the largest city in northern Norway. It is also known as the "Gateway to the Arctic", the "City of the Northern Sea" and the "Paris of the North".

Along the Balsfjord to Bjerkvik for some island hopping to the Vesterålen and Lofoten islands. Get to know the austere beauty of these islands and be impressed by bizarre mountain ranges rising straight out of the sea and picturesque fishing villages. (Optional boat trip) The cruise on a Hurtigruten ship from Stokmarknes to Svolvær is an experience of a special kind. On the deck of this traditional and almost legendary postal steamer line, let the magnificent backdrop enchant you and enjoy one of the most interesting stretches of the "most beautiful voyage in the world".

You leave Svolvær and drive through numerous fishing villages. At Hamnøy you reach the last of the countless bridges on the Lofoten. In Moskenes you take the ferry in the morning and enjoy a crossing of several hours to Bodø. From Bodø, coach journey along the Skjerstadfjord to Fauske. The unique reddish marble known as Norwegian Rose comes from the quarries around Fauske.

Rognan, lying at sea level, is surrounded by lush, rich vegetation and flanked by imposing peaks. The Saltfjell road now climbs to an altitude of 707 m at Stødi. Shortly afterwards you cross the Arctic Circle again. The road then crosses the undramatic landscape of Dunderlandsdalen, past the Storforshei iron mine, to Mo i Rana. Even if this town seems too modern and industrial to visitors, its steelworks provide employment for many Norwegians.

Between Mosjøen and Trofors the broad but only 16 m high Laksfors waterfall plunges down, carrying particularly large volumes of water in June because of the snowmelt. You reach the border of Nordland county and with it the end of the true north. The first larger town is Steinkjer, which was a trading centre for over 1,000 years and, like so many other towns in northern Norway, was destroyed during the Second World War. Lunch stop en route in Norway. A thousand years ago Trondheim, then still called Nidaros, was the capital of Norway. Today Trondheim is a modern city with the charming appeal of bygone times.

The old town centre of Trondheim lies literally on an island between river and fjord. The only link is a narrow spit of land to the west, the former Western Fort. In the old harbour, the coloured wooden warehouses recall the city's medieval architecture, although they actually date from the 19th century. You then travel through the Dovrefjell to Dombås. This place is a transport hub and starting point for many mountain tours.

For 140 km the road follows the River Lågen to Lillehammer. In February 1994 this small provincial capital was at the centre of the action during the Winter Olympics. Later you reach Oslo. Oslo lies on a fjord shaped like a swan's neck, surrounded by gentle hills. Like an amphitheatre, the city spreads across the slopes between the sea and the mountainous hinterland.

City tour with a German-speaking local guide. There are few tall buildings in the capital, so the cityscape is dominated by the Rådhus, the City Hall. Not far away, right on the fjord, stands the medieval Akershus Fortress. The city's main reference points are Jernbanetorget in the east and Slottet (the Royal Palace) in the west. They are linked by Karl Johans gate, which is largely a pedestrian zone and shopping street. At midday embarkation on the Color Line, the world's largest cruise ferry. Enjoy the journey through the 70 km long Oslofjord and all the amenities of a luxury ship.

Arrival in Kiel. In Hamburg there is time for a longer stay. Onward journey to Hildesheim.

Direct return journey to Switzerland.