Grand Norwegian Fjords & North Cape Adventure - 30 nights, June 2013

See the bright lights of the Big Apple, international mecca and melting pot, with expensive brownstones, colourful neighbourhoods like Greenwich Village and the Upper West Side and the legendary Central Park. Explore some of the world's great museums. Some come just for the shopping: there’s Bloomingdale’s on Lex, Tiffany’s on Fifth, Barneys and the unique boutiques along Madison.

The United Kingdom's premier passenger ship port, Southampton was home to the great transatlantic liners of yesteryear. The port serves as your gateway to Southern England’s magnificent historic sites, national landmarks, charming villages as well as the great metropolis of London. Southampton is the ideal starting or ending point for a memorable voyage.

Established by Charlemagne, Hamburg owes much of its architecture to the rebuilding done in the late 19th and early 20th centuries after a massive fire. World War II also inflicted severe damage, but the city's medieval character is still evident thanks to post-war restorations. Water is a wonderful feature here – as you’ll notice when you arrive along the River Elbe, investigate quirky historic districts by canal and glide past highly desirable addresses lining the Alster lakes.

Unlock this fascinating ‘Gateway to the Fjords’, Norway’s second-largest city, Bergen is home to over 200,000 people. Maritime trade and oil industry are still vital to the city’s economy. Visit medieval wooden houses on the waterfront and peek inside the workshops of local painters, weavers and craftsmen where works of art – some better than others – await discovery.

Near this idyllic town, gaze up at the ‘Troll Wall’, whose immense grassy cliffs form the highest vertical mountain face in Europe. Or make an ascent of the ‘Troll Ladder’, a road whose hairpin bends zig-zag up a steep mountainside and reveal spectacular valley views close to the thundering Stigfossen Waterfall.

Explore regal pomp and ceremony, Norwegian style. The wooden ‘Stiftsagarden’ is the city’s official royal residence and under Nidaros Cathedral’s gleaming spire, monarchs are crowned to this very day. Noted for its timbered architecture, Trondheim retains much of its medieval past.

Touch shore deep within the Arctic Circle, closer to the North Pole than Oslo. Venture out to the isolated Stappen Islands, teeming with kittiwakes, puffins and cormorants. Then stand on the continent’s edge, the North Cape Plateau. Beneath the summer sun, reindeer roam freely on the hulking granite cliff, rising from icy seas and topped with a photogenic globe sculpture.

Nearly 250 miles inside the Arctic Circle, clues as to your location are everywhere. Bars stock Arctic Beer and the Arctic Cathedral resembles a geometric glacier. So too the Polaria Arctic Centre, whose exhibits recreate a polar bear den and Arctic snowstorm. You may also spot these landmarks from the cable cars that climb Mount Storsteinen and afford spellbinding views.

You'll have Kaiser Wilhem II to thank for this city. After all, when it was destroyed by fire in 1904, he decided to rebuild his beloved gateway in Art Nouveau style. Now its buildings dazzle with dreamy turrets and ornate carvings of dragons and mythical figures. Nature has played its part too, as calm waters and distant snow-capped peaks add to the charm.

Stavanger is blessed with history and natural beauty. From the old port, the city radiates across a network of islands interlaced with graceful bridges. Stavanger's Romanesque cathedral and old medieval lanes blend beautifully with the modern city and spectacular countryside. Journey back in time on a tour of Utstein Cloister, a beautifully preserved Augustin Monastery from the Middle Ages.

Established by Charlemagne, Hamburg owes much of its architecture to the rebuilding done in the late 19th and early 20th centuries after a massive fire. World War II also inflicted severe damage, but the city's medieval character is still evident thanks to post-war restorations. Water is a wonderful feature here – as you’ll notice when you arrive along the River Elbe, investigate quirky historic districts by canal and glide past highly desirable addresses lining the Alster lakes.

The United Kingdom's premier passenger ship port, Southampton was home to the great transatlantic liners of yesteryear. The port serves as your gateway to Southern England’s magnificent historic sites, national landmarks, charming villages as well as the great metropolis of London. Southampton is the ideal starting or ending point for a memorable voyage.

See the bright lights of the Big Apple, international mecca and melting pot, with expensive brownstones, colourful neighbourhoods like Greenwich Village and the Upper West Side and the legendary Central Park. Explore some of the world's great museums. Some come just for the shopping: there’s Bloomingdale’s on Lex, Tiffany’s on Fifth, Barneys and the unique boutiques along Madison.