To get an overview of this charming town on Norway’s southern coast, make the trek up to Risørflekken, the famous landmark used by sailors to navigate their way into the harbor. It can be seen 12 nautical miles from land. Risør is known as a town of wooden houses thanks to its preservation of these quaint and historic structures. Wood also figures prominently in the town’s main industry, the building of wooden boats, which you can learn about on a visit to their cultural center.
Picturesque half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets, Denmark’s highest waterfall and third largest forest, historic round churches, castle ruins and photo ops everywhere you go – welcome to Bornholm, a Danish treasure that lies closer to Sweden than Denmark. With the island’s comparatively mild climate, beaches are the main attraction for the hardy Swedes, but visitors from everywhere are enchanted by medieval Rønne and the unique round churches that were used as fortresses as well as places of worship during the Middle Ages.
The yacht docks in Warnemünde, a charming resort town with a popular beach, a pretty promenade and gabled fishermen’s houses. Nearby Rostock enchants with its university established in 1419, St. Mary’s Church with its famous astronomical clock, the 13th-century Town Hall and the quaint Old Town. You might also travel inland to the quintessential fairy-tale castle of Schwerin Palace.
The former capital of Russia built by Peter the Great and known as The Imperial City, St. Petersburg is a great walking city with impressive royal architecture earning it a designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. A must-see is the palatial Hermitage Museum, a massive treasure trove of art and antiques that rivals the Louvre as one of the great museums of the world. Other sights include the imposing Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, with its colorful onion-domed cupolas covered in gold and mosaics, and the impressive fountains and gardens of Peterhof Palace.
The approach to Sweden’s capital city of Stockholm, through the untouched nature of the archipelago, is breathtaking. Spread over 14 islands, Stockholm is called “The City That Floats on Water.” Not surprisingly, 57 bridges traverse the city. Start your tour at Djurgården, an island that was once the hunting grounds of the king and is now home to the fascinating Vasa Museum, housing the world’s only preserved 17th-century warship. Stockholm has 70 museums, including the world’s oldest open-air museum, the Skansen.
This small town of well-preserved, 150-year-old wooden warehouses, shops and homes clustered around a deep natural harbor is the jumping off point for touring and hiking the picturesque peninsula of Snæfellsnes. The town seems frozen in time, as it is home to few people and has no traffic or pollution. Visit the Volcano Museum, a tribute to native son and volcanologist Haraldur Sigurdsson, who studied volcanoes around the world for forty years. The unique Library of Water Museum features melted glaciers from the island’s five largest icecaps.
Choral music rings out from old Lutheran churches in this magnificently restored Baltic city. Built by German merchants who grew rich on the flourishing Hanseatic trade, Tallinn is one of the best-preserved capitals in Europe. Its magnificent Town Hall is the oldest city hall in Northern Europe and the only one preserved in Gothic style. But two centuries of czarist rule and nearly half a century of Soviet domination added a distinct Russian flavor to its Germanic heritage.
Sheer cliffs and waterfalls carve Streymoy, the largest of the 18 Faroe Islands and home of Tórshavn, the capital and largest town of the archipelago. The old town of Tinganes was the home of the Faroese parliament for over a thousand years; the prime minister’s office is still located here. Stroll along narrow alleyways lined with black-tarred houses with grass roofs, some dating to the 14th century, and look for mysterious rock carvings believed to relate to ancient council meetings. But most of the pleasures involve the natural landscape.
Once called Man-es-ayd'ik, or “clam-gathering place,” by the Wabanaki people, Bar Harbor is relaxed and fun but still retains an air of elegance from its history as an enclave for elites including the Morgans, Vanderbilts and Astors. It was the Rockefellers who convinced big landowners to donate the land to create Acadia National Park – over 50 square miles of mountains, lakes, hiking, biking, scenic vistas and dramatic coastline. The restaurants and boutiques of Main Street and the neighboring villages on Mount Desert Island offer the simple to the spectacular.
Founded in 1630, Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States and arguably America's greatest walking city. Step along the cobblestones in any direction and you'll run into history. The Freedom Trail connects 16 significant sites, including the Paul Revere House, Boston Common and the USS Constitution. Once dubbed the “Athens of America,” this cultural capital is rich with museums, libraries, music venues and art galleries. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum houses a world-renowned art collection, famously heisted in 1990.
