The Legendary Postal Steamer Route 5 days on board the MS Castor heading south

Day 1: Switzerland - Hanover

Journey via Frankfurt to Hanover.

Day 2: Hanover - Kiel

Drive to Celle and city tour. In the evening, embarkation on a Stena Line ferry.

Day 3: Gothenburg - Stockholm

Arrival in Gothenburg in the morning. Your journey takes you through the scenic south of Sweden to Lake Vättern and on to the Swedish capital. Because of its location on islands, Stockholm is also known as "the Beauty on the Water",

Day 4: Stockholm - Sundsvall

On a guided city tour in the morning, you will get to know the magnificent metropolis of Stockholm. The island rises out of the water, and in the midst of it lies the charming old town with its narrow, winding lanes, its churches, the Stadshuset where the Nobel Prizes are awarded, the parliament island and the Royal Palace, Kungliga Slottet, which has 608 rooms. At midday, continue via Uppsala, the old capital of Sweden, to Gävle. The journey now leads north, at some distance from the coast, skirting the two coastal towns of Söderhamn and Hudiksvall in Hälsingland. Sundsvall, the northernmost city in central Sweden, is today's destination. The appeal of this industrial city lies in its beautiful setting - half on the mainland, half on the island of Alnö, which is reached by a bridge.

Day 5: Sundsvall - Luleå

You travel through the vast expanses of Sweden with its forests and red houses, towards the north along the "High Coast". The coast on the Gulf of Bothnia is still an insider tip among visitors to Sweden: deserted islands, hidden bays and historic towns line the way along the sea. In the south of the province of Ångermanland, a vast, almost uninhabited region, lies the province's largest coastal town, Härnösand. Halfway from Sundsvall to Luleå you reach the town of Umeå. The largest city in Norrland is known as the Birch City, because birch avenues were planted in 1888 as firebreaks. Towards evening you reach the charming Luleå, whose former old town, around 10 km away, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 6: Lapland

On the way from Luleå to the small Swedish town of Haparanda on the Finnish border, you are already in the land of the Swedish Sami, also known as Lapps. At Tornio you cross the border formed by the Torniojoki river. You then continue into the heart of the Pallas-Ounastunturi National Park. Overnight stay in the somewhat simpler, mid-range Pallas Hotel, in a magnificent position with views, in the middle of the park, above the tree line. It offers something you will search for in vain elsewhere: the peace of nature and the purity of air and water. Perhaps reindeer will peer in through your bedroom window?

Day 7: Lapland - North Cape

You travel through the birch tundra of Lapland to the "reindeer capital" of Kautokeino, in the heart of Sami country, where only 3,000 people but 80,000 reindeer live. It is the unofficial capital of the Sami and, at 9,704 km², the largest municipality in Norway, where even today around a third of the population lives from reindeer herding. The journey continues via Karasjok to Lakselv, where you reach the sea and follow the western shore of the Porsangerfjord for a good 100 kilometres. In the evening, excursion from Honningsvåg to the North Cape, where you can enjoy the dreamlike midnight sun. Between Honningsvåg and the North Cape lie 35 kilometres of Europe's only true Arctic landscape. The island may be bare and treeless, but it radiates a rugged beauty that is enhanced still further by the clear air on sunny days.

Day 8: Havila - Tromsø

Embarkation. Cruise to Hammerfest, the northernmost town in Europe. Via Ösfjord and Skjervøy you continue to Tromsø. In Tromsø you have the opportunity to celebrate the midnight sun in a very special way on the optional Hurtigruten excursion: in the Arctic Cathedral, a unique night-time concert of Norwegian folk music and classical pieces awaits you. (4 nights on board).

Day 9: Havila - Lofoten

The sight of the Risøyrenna strait and the passage through the Raftsund, only about 100 m wide, are certainly among the finest moments of the journey. In good weather, your ship sails into the extremely narrow Trollfjord, with its rock walls towering high on both sides. Stokmarknes is now home to the Hurtigruten Museum. While your ship heads for Svolvær, the main town of the Lofoten, and finally Stamsund, the majestic mountains of the Lofoten Wall glide past you.

Day 10: Havila - Arctic Circle

An early start is worth it: you pass the colourful backdrop of the fertile Helgeland coast and cross the Arctic Circle. The varied voyage along the Helgeland coast is described as "the most beautiful stretch in the world". A varied landscape of countless islands, mountains and waterfalls follows: the "Seven Sisters" mountain range (Syv Søstre), the "Bridal Veil" waterfall (Brudeslør) and the legendary rock island of "Torghatten", which has a 40 m wide hole at a height of 160 m.

Day 11: Havila - Kristiansund

The charm of the past is visible in Trondheim's old town with its wooden merchants' houses and warehouses and Nidaros Cathedral. Past the islands of Munkholmen and Hitra, you sail across open sea to Molde, which, thanks to its fertile Gulf Stream location, is also known as the "City of Roses".

Day 12: Havila - Bergen

A fantastic landscape unfolds before you: the Nordfjord below the huge Jostedalsbreen glacier, the mouth of the mighty Sognefjord and the archipelago gardens off the city of Bergen. Guided walk through the old district of Bryggen. This beautiful city was built on a peninsula with a harbour in the middle. Bergen, the capital of western Norway, has all these characteristics: a mild climate, lush vegetation and plenty of rain. Built on seven hills, the city extends from the coast and the harbour on the Puddefjord into the hills and across bridges onto the islands and headlands.

Day 13: Bergen Railway - Oslo

You travel to Hønefoss on one of the most fascinating railway lines in Europe. The Bergen Railway crosses Europe's largest high plateau, the Hardangervidda, running above the tree line for a distance of approx. 100 km. The line also crosses around 300 bridges spanning countless rivers. In Hønefoss, a little before Oslo, you will meet your Eurobus coach driver again, who will be waiting for you at the station. Onward journey by coach to Oslo.

Day 14: Oslo - Color Line

Guided tour of "Europe's greenest capital". There are only a few large buildings in the capital, so the cityscape is dominated by the Rådhus, the city hall. Not far from it stands the medieval Akershus Fortress, right on the fjord. The main points of reference in the city are Jernbanetorget in the east and Slottet (the Royal Palace) in the west. They are linked by Karl Johans gate, which is largely a pedestrian and shopping street. In the afternoon, embarkation on the luxurious Color Line cruise ferry bound for Kiel.

Day 15: Kiel - Hanover

Ship arrives in Kiel in the morning. Stop in Hamburg and onward journey to Hanover.

Day 16: Hanover - Switzerland

Return journey to Switzerland.