Cruise and Maritime Voyages

Approximately one hundred years ago the farmers’ village of Crampas and the fishermen’s village of Sassnitz united marking the beginning of the Sassnitz of today. The only harbour town on the island of Rügen sits in a terrace-like valley that was washed out of the chalk cliff by the little river Steinbach. A modern bridge connects the charming old quarter with the picturesque fishing harbour. Rügen Island is home to seaside resorts popular with visiting Germans and the beautiful Jasmund National Park with the spectacular Königsstuhl chalk cliffs.

Estonia’s capital is a fascinating mix of Scandinavian sleek, Soviet-era concrete and medieval Hanseatic city. Tumbling down Toompea Hill, the historic Old Town is a maze of narrow, cobblestone streets and alleyways, turrets and spires. Wrapped within the original medieval wall, which is studded with imaginatively named towers, the Castle, onion-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Town Hall Square and Gothic Town Hall survive along with the aura of the 14th and 15th centuries. Just outside the city Rocca al Mare is an open-air museum of Estonia’s rural architecture from the 18th to the 20th centuries.

Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg in 1703 as his ‘Window on the West’. Drawing inspiration from Europe, the Russian Tsar and his successors created an extraordinary city on the banks of the River Neva with opulent palaces, ornate churches and splendid parks all part of the supremely elegant architectural ensemble. The magnificent Hermitage and its priceless treasures of art, grandeur of Catherine’s Palace at Pushkin and gilded fountains in the gardens at Peterhof illustrate the lavish lifestyle of Russia’s former ruling elite. The birthplace of Russian ballet, St. Petersburg is the perfect place to take in the performing arts.

Approached through an archipelago of some 24,000 islands and islets, Sweden’s stately and spacious capital is itself built on 14 islands connected by some 50 bridges. Founded in 1252, Stockholm grew up around Gamla Stan. The charming Old Town is a maze of medieval alleys and tiny lanes lined with 16th century buildings some of which feature wrought-iron signs symbolising ancient craft workers’ guilds. A delightful mix of parkland and forest, Royal Djurgården is Stockholm’s city park. The island is home to the magnificent Vasa Museum housing a salvaged 17th century Swedish warship that sunk on its maiden voyage.