Explore Copenhagen on a shared tour before you embark on this Baltic Cruise. Set sail on a Baltic exploration from Copenhagen, cruising the waters of the Baltic Sea from Scandinavia to mainland Europe and back. Your cruise vessel will make calls to port along the way, including the striking city of Stockholm, Sweden's capital, spread across 14 interconnected islands. You'll make landfall at the medieval Hanseatic city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, with its UNESCO World Heritage-listed walled Old Town. You'll spend time exploring the "Venice of the North", St. Petersburg, a magnificent remnant of Tsarist Russia. Start and end your voyage in Copenhagen, the 15th century capital of Denmark, rapidly becoming a cultural hotspot of Northern Europe. There is much on display here as you cruise through, and explore, the history and culture of the Baltic Sea. Includes private shore excursions & Tours in Copengahen, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and premium accommodation. Available Cruise Departure Dates for Poesia Ship (2012): May 6, May 13, May 27, Jun 10, Jun 24, Jul 8, Jul 22, Aug 5, Sep 2 Available Cruise Departure Dates for Magnifica Ship (2012) Jun 30, Jul 14 & 28, Aug 11, Sep 8

Copenhagen is the largest city in Scandinavia and Denmark's capital and displays effortless grace and impeccable Nordic style. A bustling metropolis of 1.1 million, and one of Europe's most enjoyable cities, Copenhagen is situated on the island of Zealand facing the Oresund strait. With Sweden just minutes away by train, it is a link between mainland Europe and Scandinavia, and has a wealth of cultural and entertaining things to see and do. The city has a reputation for tolerance, the fascinating 'free city' of Christiania, a community of people who have tried to create an equal and just consensus-governed democracy for its people. There is more to here than Carlsberg and The Little Mermaid, and a trip to the wonderful Tivoli Gardens will leave the visitor in no doubt that this is a very special city.

Meet your driver for a private airport transfer with vehicle and English speaking assistant.

Scandic Palace Hotel (4*) is situated in Copenhagen's historic Town Hall Square, right in the heart of the city and only 15 minutes from the airport. Don't miss a visit to the nearby Tivoli Gardens and Copenhagen's popular shopping street Strøget. The hotel was renovated in 2008 and has a new, contemporary design. Scandic Palace Hotel offer 161 comfortable standard rooms. Enjoy a tasty meal in their hotel restaurant with views over Rådhuspladsen, the heart of Copenhagen.

Overnight at Scandic Palace (4*).

Cruise the waters of the Baltic Sea, enclosed by Scandinavia and mainland Europe. Explore beautiful port cities along the Baltic coast, offering window into the history of this region, as a truly European cultural experience awaits each time you make landfall.

Depart from Copenhagen and head north, for almost a whole hour, the coastline of Sweden follows us. We drive through the magnificent Danish countryside and pass the coastline to Elsinore and Kronborg Castle. It is quite easy to understand why William Shakespeare chose Elsinore Castle as the setting for his famous play 'Hamlet.' Enjoy the beautiful surroundings and feel the atmosphere taken through the Chapel and the Knights' Hall (the longest room in Northern Europe) and the dark casemates. Lunch en route (not included in the tour price). After the break, continue to Fredensborg. The Queen's summer residence of Fredensborg Palace is attractively located in the middle of a lovely park, bordering the idyllic Esrom Lake. The next of many highlights is Frederiksborg Castle, built by King Christian IV. This pearl of history, built in magnificent Renaissance style, is now a national historical museum. It contains paintings, tapestries, porcelain, silver and furniture of great historical value. This tour is the classic amongst all the excursions while visiting Denmark. Visit to Kronburg Castle and Frederiksborg Castle included in the cost.

Enjoy a transfer from airport to pier with private vehicle and English speaking driver.

Welcome aboard!
Take some time to get settled in and explore your ship's facilities. At your welcome dinner tonight, you'll have an opportunity to meet some of your fellow cruisemates.

The MSC Poesia offers the latest eco-technology to safeguard the environment, without compromising comfort and luxury. The beautiful ship is built to the highest and most demanding ecological standards, resulting in a truly modern cruise ship. Onboard you will discover luxury cruising at its best. Then imagine yourself on a private balcony stateroom overlooking the ocean and a star-filled sky. Designed with the hallmark Italian flair and elegance that guests associate with the MSC Cruises, staterooms onboard MSC Poesia are spacious and elegant and most have private balconies. Guests can stimulate the palate in a wine-tasting bar or relax in the casual Mojito bar.

Overnight at MSC Poesia (7N CPG).

Today is a relaxing day spent at sea as you cruise onward toward tomorrow's destination, Stockholm. Sit back with a drink in hand, or if you're feeling lucky, make your way to the onboard casino for some fun.

Overnight at MSC Poesia (7N CPG).

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Strikingly pretty, it is arguably one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world. The city is made up of 14 islands connected by some 50 bridges on Lake Malaren, which flows into the Baltic Sea and passes an archipelago with some 24,000 islands and islets). The city is a very lively, cosmopolitan place with both modern Scandinavian architecture including lots of brass and steel, along with fairy tale towers, a captivating Old Town (Gamla Stan) and lots of green space. Over 30% of the city area is made up of waterways and another 30% is made up of parks and green spaces, giving Stockholm perhaps the freshest air and widest lungs of any European capital. Most attractions in Stockholm are found in what Stockholmers call "innerstaden", the inner city - historically the zone within the city tolls. The geography of Stockholm, with its islands and bodies of water, makes for a natural division of the inner city into three major zones. Outside the inner city, the city has a mainly suburban character.

Overnight at MSC Poesia (7N CPG).

Take a transfer from the port with your own private guide, to the intruiging medieval quarter of Tallinn. Upon arrival at Upper Old Town, begin your walking tour of the narrow cobblestone streets, passing Tall Hermann Tower on your way to the 17th century Russian Orthodox Church of St. Alexander Nevesky for an interior visit. Continue with a visit of the famous 13th century St. Mary's Cathedral before coming up to a wonderful panoramic view of Lower Old Town, with steeples and towers rising above the tiled roofs. Head to Lower Old Town and pass by the Church of the Holy Spirit, completed in 1316. Admire the Town Hall Square, completed in 1404, and centre of the network of streets in the medieval quarter. Return transfer to ship.

Tallinn is an ancient Hanseatic city and the capital of Estonia, Tallinn has a wealth of historical and architectural monuments, particularly in the old town center which is dominated by the soaring steeple of the medieval Town Hall (14th to 15th centuries), the oldest in northern Europe. More than two-thirds of the original City Wall still stands and a superb view of the narrow streets, the gabled roofs and the towers and spires of old Tallinn is afforded from Toompea Castle, situated on a cliff top. A favorite recreation spot is Kadriorg Park, which contains the palace built for Peter the Great. The Open Air Museum offers visitors a glimpse into the way of rural life in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Overnight at MSC Poesia (7N CPG).

St Petersburg is known as a cultural center and for its elegant buildings, and is spread over 42 islands in the delta of the River Neva. In comparison to Moscow, which tended to be more Eastern in character, St Petersburg has always retained a European flavor and was intended as a ‘Window to the West’. It was built by Peter the Great in 1703 and remained the capital of Tsarist Russia for 200 years. Wide boulevards, tranquil canals, bridges and some of the best examples of tsarist architecture gave rise to the epithet the ‘Venice of the North’. The Palace Square and the Winter Palace (Hermitage Museum) are among the most popular attractions for enthusiasts of Russian history.

Escorted by your private english-speaking guide and driver, take a panoramic tour and get acquainted with the main architectural and historical monuments of St Petersburg, ride along its main streets and prospects, and enjoy its splendid parks and gardens. Drive along world famous "Nevsky Prospect" lined with marble palaces of Russian royalty and aristocracy, with most fashionable boutiques. View Monastery of Alexander Nevsky with its magnificent Trinity Cathedral and its cemetery where Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and other world celebrities were buried. Visit St. Peter and St. Paul's fortress, view St. Isaac Cathedral with "The Bronze Horseman". Drive by Summer Garden with the oldest royal stone palace and breathtaking collection of Italian statues and sculpture set in a natural surrounding. Stop in the Field of Mars with the eternal flame lit in the centre of the monument to victims of revolutions and wars, at the Resurrection Cathedral on the Spilt Blood at its background, one of the most unusual monuments of Russian Orthodox. Drive through the Square of Arts which is a perfect classical ensemble of the city, enjoy an overwhelming beauty of the third largest square in the world, the Palace Square with the Alexander Column, the Triumphal Arch of the general Staff building, and the Winter Palace complex. Entrance fee to Peter and Paul's Fortress is included in the tour price.

Overnight at MSC Poesia (7N CPG).

Today is a full day spent at sea as your vessel continues onward toward your next destination, Kiel. Spend some time at one of the many bars and lounges aboard MSC Poesia, or if you're looking for more relaxation, visit the onboard Aurea Spa.

Overnight at MSC Poesia (7N CPG).

Kiel is the capital, the largest and most populous city of the northern German state Schleswig-Holstein. Kiel's Holstenstrasse is one of the longest shopping miles in Germany. The Rathaus (town hall), which was built in 1911, was designed after a model from Venice, Italy. As Kiel is situated near the sea, the beaches to the north of Kiel such as Kiel-Strande, Kiel-Schilksee, Moeltenort and Laboe are also popular places to visit in spring and summer. Kiel also features a number of museums, including zoological, geological, historical, fine art, industrial, and military museums.

Overnight at MSC Poesia (7N CPG).

This morning you'll bid farewell to your fellow cruisemates and disembark your cruise ship in Copenhagen as your Baltic Sea voyage has come to its conclusion.

Upon arrival you will be transferred to your airport.

 End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart .