Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea – a diverse, exciting, and cool cruise destination!

It is no secret that the current geopolitical situation has affected Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region with less cruise calls and turnarounds to the marque ports planned for 2023. Cruise Baltic wants to reassure cruise lines that there is still a lot to offer in this very wonderful part of the world and we will be here to help you tell the stories to your guests.

New and old - Royalty and history

The region is rich in history. The three Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden are all monarchies – the Danish monarchy is one of the oldest in the world in fact. Right next door to the old monarchies are some of the youngest democracies, Estonia, and Lithuania – creating an interesting mix of old and new, Western and former Eastern cultures, architecture and history. Even though Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, and Finland are not monarchies, this does not mean that there are no castles, impressive cathedrals, or beautiful old buildings! Walking around in Tallinn Old Town makes you feel like you are in a real-life fairytale. And if you want to experience fairytales Copenhagen is a great place to go. Visit The Little Mermaid or walk past Amalienborg castle and say hello to the Danish Royal family …or watch the changing of the guards.

Passengers can witness the changing of the guards at Amalienborg castle

The happiest region in the world?

The region includes four countries on the top 10 list of the happiest countries in the world. When looking into why Northern Europeans are voted some of the happiest people in the world things such as the low crime rates, the sense of community and social responsibility is mentioned. Northern Europeans have a certain lifestyle where nature and taking it slow is a big part of everyday life. The Swedes have fika, the Danes and Norwegians have hygge, Finns love their saunas, and Lithuanians are heavily into basketball!

A sauna in Helsinki in summer

Hidden and unique gems in nature and cities

During a cruise in Northern Europe, your guests can visit up to five capitals. The capitals are filled with amazing museums, world-class restaurants, and impressive architecture. But the smaller and more unknown gems of the region offer unique local traditions, cosy towns, and breathtaking nature. Nature is important to Northern Europeans. For instance, almost 50% of Estonia is covered in forest! So, we take good care of our nature both on land and at sea. Sustainability is therefore an integrated part of a cruise to the region.

Northern Europe is the perfect place to take a break and explore amazing nature – there are 31 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the region all a maximum drive of three hours from a Cruise Baltic partner port. This not even counting natural phenomena such as the northern lights or the midnight sun. How’s that for a WOW? The region is perfect for the soft expedition cruise segment.

Lastly, we encourage interested cruise line representatives to join our FAM Trips in October next year to see the region and all its experiences first-hand and reassure you that it will be more than possible to sell cruises here.

Contact Ida Katrine Skaarup at [email protected] for more information.