Regent Seven Seas Explorer - Northern Europe

Where this cruise calls, day by day

9 ports and 4 sea days over 12 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Copenhagen

   DenmarkDepart

   Denmark's capital works as both a Baltic turnaround port and a day call, and which berth you get changes the day completely. The city is flat, cycle-mad and easy to cover on foot once you reach it: harbour swimming pools, the pastel warehouse fronts of Nyhavn, and a royal quarter at Amalienborg where the guard still changes at noon.

   • Nyhavn canal and a harbour boat tour from its head
   • Tivoli Gardens, opposite Central Station
   • Rosenborg Castle and the crown jewels
   • Christiansborg's tower, free and the best rooftop view in the city

   Getting ashore

   Most large ships dock at Oceankaj, about 6 km north of the centre and needing a shuttle or bus (roughly 20-25 minutes); smaller ships use Langelinie, a 10-minute walk from the Little Mermaid and 25 minutes from Nyhavn.

   Best months

   May-Sep

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Bergen

   NorwayPort

   The usual start or finish of a Norwegian fjord itinerary, wedged between seven mountains and a deep harbour. Rain is the default - locals hand out umbrellas without comment. The draw is Bryggen, the row of leaning wooden Hanseatic trading houses on the north side of the Vågen inlet, and the funicular that climbs straight out of the old town to a mountain plateau.

   • Bryggen wharf and the alleys behind its facades
   • Fløibanen funicular up Mount Fløyen, 8 minutes from the centre
   • The fish market at the head of Vågen
   • Troldhaugen, Edvard Grieg's lakeside villa and composing hut

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at Skolten, a 10-minute walk from Bryggen, or at Dokken/Jekteviken further south, which is 25-30 minutes on foot and usually shuttled.

   Best months

   May-Sep

4. Day 4

   Flåm

   NorwayPort

   A hamlet at the head of Aurlandsfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord, that exists almost entirely for the railway. The Flåm Line climbs 863 m in 20 km on adhesion alone, past the Kjosfossen waterfall where the train stops for photographs. Outside the station there is a brewery, a couple of shops and a great deal of scenery.

   • The Flåm Railway to Myrdal, about an hour each way
   • Stegastein viewpoint, a wooden platform 650 m above the fjord
   • A RIB or ferry into Nærøyfjord, the narrowest navigable fjord arm in Europe
   • Ægir BrewPub, built to look like a stave church

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock alongside at the Flåm quay, a couple of minutes' walk from the railway station and the village.

   Best months

   May-Sep

5. Day 5

   Geiranger

   NorwayPort

   The most photographed fjord in Norway and, on a busy August day, one of the most crowded. The ship spends the last hour of the approach threading a 15 km arm barely 250 m wide in places, past the Seven Sisters falls and the abandoned cliff farms. The village at the end has a few hundred residents and a road that switchbacks up to a viewpoint at 1,500 m.

   • Dalsnibba viewpoint and the Geiranger Skywalk at 1,500 m
   • Flydalsjuvet, the rock ledge with the classic fjord photograph
   • The Ørnesvingen (Eagle Bend) hairpins on the road toward Eidsdal
   • The Norwegian Fjord Centre in the village

   Getting ashore

   Geiranger is a tender port - ships anchor in the fjord and tender to the village pier, a few minutes' ride, and the tender queue on multi-ship days can eat an hour.

   Best months

   Jun-Aug (road to Dalsnibba usually opens late May)

6. Day 6

   Ålesund

   NorwayPort
   Ålesund port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   Edinburgh (South Queensferry)

   United KingdomPort

   Not Edinburgh - South Queensferry is a small burgh on the Firth of Forth beneath the three Forth bridges, and it is where ships anchor when Edinburgh is on the itinerary. The tender lands you by the Hawes Inn on a single cobbled high street. The city is a coach ride inland, and a short port day makes for a rushed Royal Mile.

   • Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile down to Holyrood
   • The Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed at Leith
   • Walking under the cantilevers of the 1890 Forth Bridge
   • Rosslyn Chapel, about 30 minutes south of the city

   Getting ashore

   This is a tender port - ships anchor in the Forth and tender to Hawes Pier, from where Edinburgh city centre is about 30-40 minutes by coach; weather in the Forth occasionally cancels the tenders.

   Best months

   May-Sep

9. Day 9 · At sea

10. Day 10

    Amsterdam

    NetherlandsPort
    Amsterdam port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
11. Day 11

    Bruges (Zeebrugge)

    BelgiumPort
    Bruges (Zeebrugge) port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

12. Day 12 · At sea

13. Day 13

    Southampton

    United KingdomArrive
    Southampton port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore