Europas Best: Enjoyment In Its Highest Form

Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city with a history dating back to Charlemagne. A major port, this vibrant city is home to art and culture, extensive shopping facilities, Baroque buildings and waterfront vistas. With its well-known fish market, art galleries and Museums together with several beautiful parks including a botanical garden, this is a city with something for everyone. British visitors who remember the Swinging Sixties may like to visit the streets around Grosse Freiheit, where an unknown pop group called The Beatles gave their first public performances in various local clubs before achieving worldwide fame.

You’ll weave between glowing lighthouses and picturesque islands, as you approach the quaint Norwegian town of Arendal. Set on the southern coast, and spanning seven islands, Arendal is a place to slow the pace, and unwind surrounded by Norway’s easy-going beauty. Ferries – and boat hiring opportunities - make exploring easy, or you can get out on foot or two wheels to throw yourself into the thick of the area’s outstanding natural beauty. Arendal's twin lighthouses are the first thing you'll see, as your ship leaves the open ocean, and heads to Arendal itself. The perfect focal point for any photo, Store Torungen is still in working order - witness it flashing its warnings to passing ships, as they navigate the tricky islands and skerries that are scattered across the waters. Cafes and shell-fish sellers welcome you to the city centre as you step off the ship, and you’re immediately well placed to slow the pace, and wander beside glistening water. Or, why not stretch your legs by escaping to the countryside and cycling along wooden pathways that skirt glistening lakes?

Known for the Kiel Canal and Kiel Week, the city boasts an important maritime history. Kiel is also a great place to sight-see, do some shopping and take part in one of the many festivals taking place there.