Split by lakes and surrounded by sea, an energetic and hip waterside vibe permeates Copenhagen, one of Northern Europe’s most user-friendly (and trendy) capitals. Copenhagen city centre is waiting to be enjoyed on an MSC Northern Europe cruise excursion. It’s a welcoming, compact city with a centre largely given over to pedestrians (and cyclists) and an emphasis by day on café culture and top-notch museums.The historic core of the city is Slotsholmen, originally the site of the twelfth-centurycastle and now home to the huge Christiansborg complex. Just across the Slotsholmen Kanal to the north is the medieval maze of Indre By (“inner city”), while to the south the island of Christianshavn is adorned with cutting-edge architecture in addition to the alternative enclave of Christiania. North-east of Indre By are the royal quarters of KongensHave and Frederiksstaden, while to the west the expansive Rådhuspladsen leads via Tivoli Gardens to Central Station and the hotspots of Vesterbro and Nørrebro. Just off hectic Vesterbrogade outside the station is Copenhagen’s most famous attraction, Tivoli, an entertaining mixture of landscaped gardens, outdoor concerts and fairground rides. A shore excursion on your MSC Northern Europe cruise can be the opportunity to discover Helsingør’s Kronborg Castle too. The present castle dates from the sixteenth century when it jutted into the sound as a formidable warning to passing ships not to consider dodging the toll, and it remains a grand affair, enhanced immeasurably by its setting; the interior, particularly the royal chapel, is spectacularly ornate. Beneath the castle are the casemates, gloomy cavernous rooms that served as soldiers’ quarters during times of war.

Landing with your MSC cruise of Northern Europe to Hellesylt, the cosy little town on the shores of the Geiranger fjord, will make it appear like a natural extension of the mountains behind. There are plenty of opportunities to admire the fjord and the town from above during your vacation in Norway. Along the steep Eagle Route (Ørnevegen) you find two perfect observation posts – Dalsnibba, 1500 metres above, and Flydalsjuvet with terraces that open onto the ice valley – surrounded by impressive peaks. If you continue along the Ørnesvingen, as well as Geiranger and the fjord, you will come to the Seven Sisters Waterfalls (De syv søstrene) that offers a magnificent spectacle. If you want to know more about what it means to live on the shores of a Norwegian fjord, visit the Geiranger centre, about a kilometre from the town centre. If you enjoy hikes on foot but you don’t want to exhaust yourself, take the fjord’s southern coast route to Homlong, where you will find a small bar selling excellent, freshly made snacks. But to get a real taste of local cuisine during your MSC cruise of Northern Europe you should not miss a visit to one of the mountain farms where delicious local specialties are prepared. The Herald Summer Farm, for example, has been operating since the 18th century and still produces delicious foods and offers a pleasant experience also for the younger visitors. You can also visit one of the strangest glaciers in Europe, the Briksdal glacier (Briksdalsbreen)Northern Europe introduction, which often baffles experts because of its unconventional “behaviour” in expansion and erosion, often contrary to that of other glaciers at these latitudes. Part of the Jostedalsbreen glacier national park, the Briksdalsbreen ends with a delightful glacier lake, the Briksdalsbrevatnet, that appears and disappears according to the movement of the glacier front.

Molde is the most highly populated city in Norway which you can visit during your MSC cruise of Northern Europe. When you get to the city centre, you could visit the Romsdal museum where there is a model of a part of town as it was before the second world war and in which there were 35 buildings built between the 16th and 19th centuries. You can see for yourself on this vacation whether Norway has changed much or little! From Molde, a footpath takes you through the natural landscape to the panoramic viewpoint of Varden (407 metres a.s.l.) from where you can see the whole town and the splendid Romsdalsfjord. From Varden you have a full view of all 222 peaks, covered in snow all year round, that crown this area protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site. If you want to reach one of the most beautiful and wild settings found in these latitudes, during your MSC cruise, you can climb up Mount Romsdalseggen. The view is breath taking: mountains, waterfalls and rivers will appear in front of your eyes at every turn of direction; in order to allow everyone to take this excursion, different routes have been organized for both experts and families. And don’t miss the troll references: like the Trollstigen mountain road, one of the most popular routes amongst visitors or the majestic peaks and the Stigfossen Falls that seem to irrigate the Isterdalen valley. Half way between Trollstigen and the centre of Valldal, stop in Gudbrandsjuvet, a spectacular group of maelstroms about 5 metres wide and 20 metres deep that takes its name from the legendary outlaw who dived into it with the woman he had just kidnapped. Finally you reach the Face of the Troll, the largest vertical escarpment in Europe: 1,800 metres high to admire from the best viewpoint and picnic area not far from Åndalsnes.

To reach Flåm, your MSC cruise ship will navigate into the Sognefjord, the longest of the hundreds of Norwegian fjords. Extending over 204 kilometres and 1,308 metres deep, it is a record breaking fjord in which your ship will head southward, to reach the southern end of the Aurlandsfjord. At this point of your MSC cruise of Northern Europe you will see Flåm, amidst mountains of dense forest reaching up to the sky. In this challenging and remote setting you can see how even a modern means of locomotion like the train can blend in with Norway’s pectacular natural landscape. Take a train ride from Flåm to Kjosfossen: 20 incredible kilometres inside the green coaches up to the station of Myrdal on the Bergen railway line. The landscapes you will admire are truly unique and will make your journey unforgettable. Nature is revealed in its most beautiful and wild landscape, with rock shaped by rivers that form gorges and rifts and waterfalls that plunge down dizzy heights, and, here and there, mountain farms, perched like mountain climbers, where cattle are raised and excellentcheese is produced. And to think that the current to power the train is actually a gift of nature. It is the imposing Kjosfossen waterfalls, that plunge vertically down almost as if to show off to the tourist’s camera, that move the turbines that produce the electric energy for the railway line. Don’t miss the excursion in rubber dinghies or kayaks in the waters surrounding the small port. You will have the opportunity to see the variety of animals and plants that inhabit these shores. Visit the protected areas of the Aurlandfjord and the Nærøyfjord to admire the majestic beauty produced by the activity of the ice and the sea on this land, from a privileged point of view.

Arriving on your MSC Cruise of Northern Europe, you will have the chance to visit Kiel, an expanding urban centre on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Kiel became the Imperial military port of Germany in 1871 and, when its canal was opened to connect the Baltic and the North Seas in 1895, the town began to control the largest artificial waterway in the world. Kiel is the ideal location for a relaxing vacation in Germany with an MSC cruise: it is simple and quiet, even during the Kieler Woche international regatta, an event not to be missed by sailing enthusiasts. The few city museums can be visited in one morning, however, if you want to get acquainted with Kiel you cannot ignore its waterways, to which the town is indissolubly bound: they can be visited by taking the Kiellinie footpath or taking a cruise along the Kieler Förde and along the canal. A spacious promenade along the pier will give you the chance to admire a variety of vessels of all sorts, amongst which the dinghies of the sailing school and, from the wet dock in front, the best view one can get of Kiel. 6 km south-west of the centre, in Molfsee, where we find the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Freilichtmuseum. This open air museum shows about seventy traditional buildings taken from the Lande and assembled in miniature villages: the colonial houses still maintain the original furniture – outstanding beds sleeping the entire family in order to keep warm in the freezing winters. While on vacation in Kiel with your MSC Cruise, an excursion will take you to Lubecca, one of the few towns on the northern coasts of Europe that has kept its Medieval glory. For more than two centuries it has been one of the wealthiest and most powerful European cities. The wealth deriving from trade is best expressed through its architecture: from the oldest Rathaus in Germany to the churches with the tallest bell towers and the merchants’ mansions.

Split by lakes and surrounded by sea, an energetic and hip waterside vibe permeates Copenhagen, one of Northern Europe’s most user-friendly (and trendy) capitals. Copenhagen city centre is waiting to be enjoyed on an MSC Northern Europe cruise excursion. It’s a welcoming, compact city with a centre largely given over to pedestrians (and cyclists) and an emphasis by day on café culture and top-notch museums.The historic core of the city is Slotsholmen, originally the site of the twelfth-centurycastle and now home to the huge Christiansborg complex. Just across the Slotsholmen Kanal to the north is the medieval maze of Indre By (“inner city”), while to the south the island of Christianshavn is adorned with cutting-edge architecture in addition to the alternative enclave of Christiania. North-east of Indre By are the royal quarters of KongensHave and Frederiksstaden, while to the west the expansive Rådhuspladsen leads via Tivoli Gardens to Central Station and the hotspots of Vesterbro and Nørrebro. Just off hectic Vesterbrogade outside the station is Copenhagen’s most famous attraction, Tivoli, an entertaining mixture of landscaped gardens, outdoor concerts and fairground rides. A shore excursion on your MSC Northern Europe cruise can be the opportunity to discover Helsingør’s Kronborg Castle too. The present castle dates from the sixteenth century when it jutted into the sound as a formidable warning to passing ships not to consider dodging the toll, and it remains a grand affair, enhanced immeasurably by its setting; the interior, particularly the royal chapel, is spectacularly ornate. Beneath the castle are the casemates, gloomy cavernous rooms that served as soldiers’ quarters during times of war.