Land of the Midnight Sun, Lapland & North Cape
Land of the Midnight Sun
8 days/7 nights
$2,595 per person double
$595 single supplement
2006 Departure dates:
Jul 4
A unique tour of Lapland, including raindeer spotting safari, membership of the Royal Polar Bear Club, caviar and champagne at the North Cape, and a Sami experience.
Day 1: Arrive Stockholm
Arrive at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Transfer to hotel in connection with your flight arrival. Your tour escort will meet you at your hotel during the evening. Dinner and overnight at the Sheraton Stockholm Hotel.
Day 2: Stockholm
The day starts with a 4-hour guided tour of the city. Famous sights include the Royal Palace, Parliament Buildings, Cathedral, Royal Theater etc. You will aslo visit the enchanting Old Town (Gamla Stan) with its narrow cobbled streets and numerous antique shops. Highlight of the tour is a visit to City Hall with its famous Blue and Golden Halls, where the Nobel Prize banquet is held each year. Afternoon free in Stockholm, with possibility to visit the famous Wasa Museum or take one of the popular canal tours. Dinner and overnight at the Sheraton Stockholm Hotel
Day 3: Stockholm – Helsinki
Morning free in Stockholm for exploring the beautiful city, often called the Venice of the North because of its many canals and waterways. Afternoon coach transfer for embarkation on a luxurious cruise ferry of the Silja Line. 5:00pm: Start of your cruise to Helsinki, sailing slowly down the Stockholm archipelago past numerous small islands. Dinner on board. Choice of restaurants, entertainment, shops, casino and bars on board. Accommendation is in 2-berth outside cabins (seaside) with shower & WC. We recommend you to bring an overnight bag for this cruise, to avoid having to carry suitcases to and from your cabin.
4: Helsinki – Ivalo
Enjoy your buffet breakfast as you sail into Helsinki harbour. After disembarkation, 3-hour guided tour of Helsinki. Famous sights include the Senate Square, Uspenski Cathedral, Parliament House, Finlandia Hall, Sibelius Park & Monument, Underground Temple, and much more. Afternoon transfer by coach to Helsinki Airport for Finnair flight depating at 5:05pm to the town of Ivalo (arrival at 6:45p), situated in Northern Finland above the Arctic Circle. You are now in the Land of the Midnight Sun. Dinner and overnight at Ivalo Hotel. Dinner tonight includes some specialties from Finnish Lapland, such as roast reindeer and mountain cloudberries.
Day 5: Ivalo - Hammerfest
Todays tour takes you across the beautiful wild landscape of Lapland to the northermost town in the world. Drive past Lake Inari, sacred lake of the Finnish Lapps with more than 3,000 small islands, to arrive in the town of Karasjok. The tour continues across the barren tundra of the Finnmarksvidda to the Sami town of Kautokeino. Visit the famous juhls Silver Gallery, followed by lunch in Kautokeino. In the afternoon your tour follows the Alta River through a mountainous landscape to the town of Alta, before arriving in Hammerfest, the norhtermost town in the world. Dinner and overnight at Rica Hotel.
Day 6: Hammerfest - Honningsvaag/Norht Cape
This morning you will be taken on a 2 hour Raindeer Spotting Safari with a local guide, who knows where herds of grazing reindeer are to be found. Returning to Hammerfest for a visit to the Polar Bear clubhouse, where you will be made a lifelong member of the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society. This is followed by "A Sami Experience" - a visit to a real Sami camp, to meet and learn about these nomadic people and their way of life. The visit ends with a traditional Sami lunch, served in the local "gammen"... Afternoon departure from Hammerfest and drive to Honningsvaag on the island of Mageroy. Dinner and overnight at Rica Hotel. After dinner you will be taken by coach (approx. 45 min. drive) to the North Cape plateau. From here during the months of June & July you can see the Midnight Sun illuminating the expanse of the Arctic Ocean - a marvellous spectacle of changing colors. At the nearby North Cape Hall you will celebrate your reaching the northermost point in Europe with caviar and champagne. You will also receive a colorful certificate to commemorate the occasion. Return by coach to hotel at approx. 1:00am.
Day 7: Honningsvaag - Ivalo - Helsinki
Enjoy your buffet breakfast before coach departs from Honningsvaag for the return journey to Ivalo, driving along the beautiful Porsanger Fjord with its miles of unspoiled nature. This is a land of tundra, where reindeer roam wild and the stillness is only broken by the call of some rare bird. This is the heart of Lapland, one of the last great nature reserves in the world. At midday you will arrive in the town of Karasjok, the cultural and political capital of the Norwegian Lapps. Lunch at Rica Hotel Karasjok. Time to visit this interesting town, often frequented by Lapps in their colorful costumes, before continuing the journey south back to Ivalo. Evening flight on Finnair to Helsinki departing at 7:10pm. Arrival in Helsinki at 9:35pm, followed by coach transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight at Radisson SAS Royal Hotel
Day 8: Helsinki - Departure
The tour ends after breakfast in hotel, with individual transfers to Helsinki Vantaa Airport in connection with your flight home.
This tour can also be taken as an extension to our
Scandinavian Capitals Tour - 14 nights.
Ask us for details and special rates!
Price includes:
- 6 nights accommodation in centrally located, first class hotels, including daily 3-course or buffet dinner and Scandinavian buffet breakfast
- 4-hour guided tour of Stockholm, 3-hour guided tour of Helsinki, all entrances included
- Overnight cruise Stockholm – Helsinki, incl. accommodation in 2-berth outside cabins (seaside) with shower/WC, dinner and buffet breakfast on board.
- Domestic flight Helsinki-Ivalo-Helsinki
- 2-hour Reindeer Spotting Safari with local guide
- 3-hour guided tour guided tour of Hammerfest, including entrance fee to the Post-War Reconstruction Museum
- Lifelong membership to the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society
- ”A Sami Experience” – visit to a Sami camp with local guide, including traditional Sami lunch in Mikkelgammen
- 3 lunches on days 5, 6 & 7
- Tunnel fees for crossing to island of Mageroy
- Entrance fees according to itinerary
- Champagne and caviar at North Cape & North Cape certificate
- Luggage assistance at all hotels
- Transfers between airports and hotels
- Experienced tour escort throughout
- Transportation by deluxe coach
We offer competitive airfare from most U.S. cities - ask us for prices!
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