9-day cruise through the Baltic Sea

Day 1: Departure from Helsinki

Your cruise starts in Helsinki, on the southern coast of Finland. Before departure, you still have time to explore the city. Around Senate Square, large neoclassical buildings overlook the streets while the harbour is filled with market stalls selling fish, cinnamon buns and local specialities such as graavilohi, marinated salmon with dill. In the Kallio district, small design shops, cafés and restaurants work with products from Finland and the Baltic region. Later that day, you board the ship and leave the Finnish coast behind as you sail towards Estonia. Along the way, small islands, lighthouses and wooden summer houses pass by along the Baltic shoreline.

Day 2: Tallinn

In Tallinn, you walk through one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Northern Europe. Behind the old city walls lie narrow streets, merchant houses, courtyards and church towers that have shaped the skyline for centuries. From Toompea Hill, you look out over the red rooftops of the lower town and visit landmarks such as Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Toompea Castle. On Raekoja plats, Tallinn’s central square, terraces sit between Gothic façades and old merchant houses dating back to the Hanseatic period. Small shops sell Estonian design, wool products and handmade chocolate while cafés hide in old cellars beneath the city walls.

Day 3: Saaremaa

Today, you dock on Saaremaa, the largest island in Estonia. The road towards Kuressaare passes forests, wooden windmills and small villages where stone houses and old farmsteads still belong to everyday life. In the centre of Kuressaare stands the episcopal castle, one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in the Baltic States. Around the island, limestone cliffs, beaches and nature reserves attract thousands of migratory birds travelling across Northern Europe. Along the route, you also pass traditional farms and meteorite craters that reveal part of the island’s history.

Day 4 & 5: Stockholm

Over the next two days, you discover Stockholm, built across several islands between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. In Gamla Stan, you walk through narrow streets lined with colourful façades, cafés and antique shops. The Royal Palace overlooks the waterfront while historic ships lie beside modern ferries travelling towards Finland and the Baltic States. On Djurgården, you visit the Vasa Museum where a seventeenth-century warship has been preserved after centuries beneath the sea. Travellers looking for panoramic views head to SkyView for wide views over Stockholm and the surrounding islands. In the evening, the city stays lively with waterfront restaurants, wine bars and terraces along the quays.

Day 6: Visby, Gotland

On the island of Gotland lies Visby, a former Hanseatic town still entirely surrounded by medieval city walls. Inside the walls, you walk past cobbled streets, merchant houses and the ruins of old churches that reflect the city’s rich trading history. In Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Gothic details and high towers rise above the rooftops. Between the stone houses, small cafés serve saffron pancakes with red berries, one of Gotland’s best-known specialities. Along the harbour, fishing boats leave for the Baltic Sea while rose bushes fill the streets during the summer months.

Day 7: Gdańsk

Today, you discover Gdańsk, one of Poland’s most important port cities. Along the old quays stand colourful merchant houses with richly decorated façades that reflect the prosperous days of the Hanseatic League. On the Long Market, you pass historic buildings such as Artus Court and the city museum. In Mariacka Street, amber shops attract attention with jewellery made from amber found along the Baltic coast. St. Mary’s Church immediately stands out in the city centre and inside hangs an astronomical clock admired by visitors for centuries. In the afternoon, you take a seat on a terrace along the Motława River while ships and historic harbour cranes move through the port.

Day 8: Christiansø & Bornholm

In the morning, you visit Christiansø, a small Danish island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. The old fortress towers and cannons recall the wars between Denmark and Sweden that were fought here for centuries. Today, fewer than a hundred people live on the island and it mainly attracts birdwatchers and nature lovers. Later, you continue sailing towards Bornholm and dock in Gudhjem, a fishing village with red rooftops and old smokehouses along the harbour. Around the village, granite cliffs, forests and sandy beaches shape the landscape while small workshops and glassblowing studios are scattered across the island. In the harbour, you can smell smoked herring, one of Bornholm’s best-known specialities.

Day 9: End of the cruise in Bornholm

After breakfast, the cruise comes to an end in Gudhjem. Before departure, you still have time to walk through the village along the harbour and the narrow streets climbing towards the cliffs. Small cafés open their terraces while fishing boats head back out onto the Baltic Sea. Afterwards, disembarkation follows and this Baltic cruise comes to an end.