Copenhagen and the Gems of Denmark and Sweden

Depart the UK

Travel to Dover and take the ferry across to Calais.  Continue through France and into Belgium for an overnights stop near Antwerp.  Dinner is included at the hotel.

Travel to Germany

Depart after breakfast for the onward journey travelling into Holland and Germany, heading north towards Hamburg for a second overnight stop.  Dinner is included at the hotel.

Travel to Denmark

Continue travelling north through Germany to the port of Puttgarden where we take a short ferry crossing over to Rødby in Denmark, before continuing  to the island of Sealand and on to Copenhagen our base for the next 5 nights.  Dinner will be at the hotel this evening.

Copenhagen Sightseeing – Walking Tour and Canal Cruise (drivers rest day)

Meet up with local guide for a 2 hour introduction to Copenhagen walking tour to hear about its history whilst admiring such landmarks as Amalienborg, Nyhavn, and Christiansborg Slot.  Continue with a 1 hour boat trip along the picturesque canals where you can see the iconic Little Mermaid Statue and the stunning Opera House.  The rest of the day is free to explore before returning to the hotel for dinner.  Maybe visit the world-famous Tivoli Gardens historical fairground or the Carlsberg brewery for a taste of Denmark.

Hamlet’s Castle and Frederiksborg Castle

Depart after breakfast and drive north to the Baltic gateway port of Helsingør, the location of Denmark’s famous Kronborg Castle, which was the setting for Shakespeare’s epic Elizabethan drama, Hamlet. Built in 1574-1585, Kronborg’s elaborate renaissance and baroque interiors will send you back in time. In the afternoon we visit the picturesque Frederiksborg Castle, one of Europe’s grandest Renaissance castles and the largest in Scandinavia. Built across three islands in a lake with more than 70 richly decorated rooms, this castle also houses the Danish Museum of National History.

Return to the hotel for dinner.

Sweden: Malmö and Lund

Travel to Malmö in Sweden via the impressive **Øresund Bridge, the longest combined  road and rail bridge in Europe (and ‘star’ of the popular TV series ‘The Bridge’). First stop is the 13^th century city of Malmö, Sweden’s gateway port to Europe, with its attractive old town where we shall have a short guided tour of the city’s highlights.  After some free time, continue to Lund, a charming but little known university town where an astronomical clock strikes twice a day in the cathedral. Explore the impressive Cathedral and stroll around the cobblestone streets with half-timbered houses or the Botanical Gardens.

An optional visit could be made to ‘Kulturen’, a fascinating open-air museum with a collection of original Swedish rural houses.

Return to the hotel for dinner

(**Note:  A bridge toll will be required to be paid locally)

Roskilde, Viking Ship Museum and Old Fisherman’s Village

The Viking town of Roskilde is home to a remarkable cathedral where almost all Danish kings and queens are buried. The Viking Ship Museum displays the remains of five original 11^th century ships, through which you can experience what life as a Viking was like. Later, drive to the pretty 18^th century fishing village of Dragør and enjoy some sea air on the harbour side. A walk among the half-timbered thatched cottages with their postage stamp-sized gardens offers a vivid impression of what life was like a couple of centuries ago.

Depart Copenhagen

It’s time to leave Copenhagen and return to the UK retracing our steps across Denmark, taking the short ferry crossing over to Germany and stopping overnight again in the Hamburg area.  Dinner is included at the hotel.

Travel to Belgium

Depart after breakfast on our homeward journey, through Germany and Holland and into Belgium for a final overnight stop in the Antwerp area.  Dinner is included at the hotel.

Travel to the UK

The final leg of the journey takes us across Belgium and into France and the port of Calais where we take the ferry across to the UK, and home.