Geysers and Glaciers - 15 nights, June 2013

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.

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.

When you leave this peaceful village on the picturesque Nordfjord, you’ll do so with any number of breathtaking visions etched into your memory. Giant waterfalls thunder down, mineral-rich Lake Lovatn glints with a milky turquoise sheen, and the Kjenndalen Glacier reveals a green-tinged glow.

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.

Established in the mid-17th century, Akureyri is home to Iceland’s largest fishing company and its biggest shipyard. Viking sagas, spectacular fjords, snow-capped mountains... Iceland’s ‘Capital of the North’ is also surprisingly mild and the so-called Green Town is made for those long summer days.

Keep your binoculars handy. Iceland’s western fjords are prime whale watching waters and, if your luck’s in, you may just spot a telltale spout of water.

A mass of brightly coloured corrugated iron roofs is a familiar sight here in the world’s most northern capital city. Experience the incredible views of the Golden Waterfall and wonder at the spouting geysers. Join in a national pastime – shopping! Designer labels, local wool, gourmet treats, even a flea market, it’s all right here.

A mass of brightly coloured corrugated iron roofs is a familiar sight here in the world’s most northern capital city. Experience the incredible views of the Golden Waterfall and wonder at the spouting geysers. Join in a national pastime – shopping! Designer labels, local wool, gourmet treats, even a flea market, it’s all right here.

There are few smaller capital cities in the world than Torshavn, whose name - literally 'Thor's harbour' - suggests its Viking heritage. It has plenty of character, especially the colourfully painted wooden houses of the old town with turfed roofs, and their modern counterpart - the Norse House constructed from gleaming glass with a grassy top.

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.