When choosing where to go on holiday, with MSC Cruises the world is your oyster. From 2020, we’ll be literally cruising around the world, leaving only a few places not covered.
You may or may not know that the ‘M’ in our name means Mediterranean, so some people understandably assume we focus on countries like France, Spain, Portugal and our native Italy.
However, that’s not the case. Our stateside offering is constantly growing, while our Caribbean cruises are as busy as ever. Similarly, many of our customers venture into Northern Europe, demonstrating yet another string to the MSC bow.
Cities such as Stockholm in Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark are must-see cruise destinations, while the spectacular Northern Lights make for a unique and unforgettable experience.
Which Port Cities Can You Visit On A Northern Europe Cruise?
Over a 16-day/15-night cruise in Northern Europe with MSC Cruises, you can expect to stop off in many of the Baltic capitals including Tallinn (Estonia) and Riga (Latvia), as well as Klaipeda (Lithuania), Stockholm and Goteborg (Sweden), Warnemünde (Germany), Aarhus (Denmark), Gdynia (Poland), St Petersburg (Russian Fed.) and Helsinki (Finland) amongst many more.
What Are The Best Port Cities In Northern Europe?
Northern Europe is home to some absolutely amazing Scandinavian capital cities: Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Reykjavík.
The best news is that all of them are served by MSC on a cruise around Northern Europe and guests who visit Northern Europe with MSC Cruises are almost always the most wowed by these spots.
Now would be an opportune point to focus on all you can do in a Northern Europe cruise port like Stockholm.
Stockholm In A Nutshell
What To Eat
Sweden serves up some interesting food combinations. You may already be familiar with their penchant for mixing sweet and savoury (salty chocolate, anyone?) but they also gave the world the cinnamon bun. Okay, we can’t actually verify that claim but if the Swedes had a national food, this would be it - they’re everywhere in Sweden.
Toast Skagen is a more luxurious take on a prawn cocktail. Peeled prawns are mixed with mayonnaise, dill and lemon, topped with fish roe and served on crisp, sautéed bread.
The Swedes are world-renowned for their meatballs and if you enjoyed those meatballs at that humongous homeware store, you’re going to love the real thing. Stopping by Stockholm? Head to Den Gyldene Freden (translation: The Golden Peace) for upscale Nordic gourmet dining in an elegant, 18th-century restaurant with antique furnishings and arguably the best meatballs in the country.
Swedes love their dairy too - they’re the second-largest dairy consumers in the world per capita. If you’re big on dairy too, check out filmjölk. It divides opinion because it’s made from soured milk and boasts a slightly acidic, yogurty taste, but it is full of healthy bacteria and is said to be perfect with cereal and a bit of sugar.
What To See And Excursions To Do
One of the biggest attractions in Stockholm is Gamla Stan (aka the Old Town). This is where Stockholm was founded in 1252 and today, it is one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centers in Europe with several beautiful churches and museums including Sweden’s national cathedral Stockholm Cathedral and the Nobel Museum.
Like any decent capital city, Stockholm has a wealth of top-notch museums. The Vasa Museum is the most visited museum in Scandinavia and home to the only almost fully intact 17th century ship. The 64-gun warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628, but was salvaged after 333 years on the sea bed.
The aforementioned Nobel Museum, which sits in the Old Town’s Stortorget public square, showcases information about the Nobel Prize and its prizewinners, as well as information about the founder of the prize, Alfred Nobel. It welcomes exhibitions from all around the world so its offering constantly changes, but the museum's permanent display includes many artifacts donated by Nobel Laureates, presented together with personal life stories.
Sweden is of course home to Abba - one of the biggest selling musical acts of all time - so naturally, Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid get their own museum too.
Stockholm Palace is home to His Majesty the King of Sweden. More than 600 of the 1,430 rooms in the 18th century palace are open to the public.
Gröna Lund's Amusement Park - open from late spring (April/March) to September - packs in more than 30 exciting rides and no less than seven rollercoasters. Its central location means you can take in amazing views of Stockholm from the taller attractions.
You can experience all these amazing attractions and more during an excursion in Stockholm with MSC Cruises
See The Northern Lights With MSC Cruises
You’ve seen the photos, you’ve read the rave reviews, and now this is your chance to experience the famous Northern Lights for yourself.
Northern Lights can be viewed in the northern or southern hemisphere, over the southern tip of Greenland and Iceland, the northern coast of Norway and even over the coastal waters north of Siberia.
Your chances of seeing the Northern Lights are improved by venturing to areas not subject to 'light pollution', with experts recommending smaller communities in the north.
Book your cruise around Northern Europe today!
