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| JEWELS OF THE BALTICS and SCANDINAVIA (69302008)
A 17-Day tour starting from $CALL
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| About This Tour | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vacation Overview Denmark’s capital is the starting point of this vacation that explores the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. Begin with guided sightseeing of Copenhagen before a ferry crossing takes you to Rostock, Germany. Board your motorcoach and travel to the fascinating city of Berlin, Germany’s “once-again” capital. Continue to Poland, with overnights in Poznan and Warsaw, and arrive in Vilnius, Lithuania. A guided tour reveals how this city was influenced by the many invaders who left their marks. Visit the delicate baroque Palace of Rundale on the way to Riga, Latvia’s capital, one of the most beautiful cities in the Baltics. Guided sightseeing shows you the highlights, including the Riga Castle and the Dome Cathedral. Cross Gauja National Park before entering Estonia, with a stop in the seaside town of Parnu. Spend two nights in Tallinn and explore its Old Town before traveling into Russia to reach Peter the Great’s marvelous St. Petersburg. A guided sightseeing tour shows you the best of the city. Traveling on the stretch of land between Lake Ladoga and the Baltic Sea, cross back from East to West and reach Helsinki, Finland’s capital. See the Senate Square and the Cathedral before embarking on an overnight ferry to Sweden. Dock in Stockholm and enjoy the main city highlights on a guided tour, a perfect ending to a perfect vacation. |
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Meals 15 buffet breakfasts (B); 3 lunches (L); 7 dinners (D) Transportation Scheduled transatlantic flights and airport transfers in Copenhagen and Stockholm if Cosmos issues the tickets. Touring by private first-class air-conditioned motorcoach. Overnight cruise from Helsinki to Stockholm will be in shared (same gender) 4-berth cabins with private facilities; supplement for two-berth cabins, see Dates & Prices Hotels Listed below or equivalent. Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips, and service chargesCOPENHAGEN Park Inn (ST) at Kastrup, BERLIN Queens (F), POZNAN Novotel (ST), WARSAW Mercure Frederic Chopin (ST), VILNIUS Uniquestary Centrum (ST), RIGA Reval Latvija (F), TALLINN Uniquestary Mikhli (ST), ST. PETERSBURG Andersen (ST) or Azimut (ST), HELSINKI SAS Radisson (F) at Espoo, STOCKHOLM Scandic Alvik (ST) or Quality Nacka (ST) Guides Local Guides for city sightseeing in Copenhagen, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm. Services of a professional Tour Director while touring
Day 1:
Fri. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT. Day 2: Sat. ARRIVAL IN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free to explore the Danish capital. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers. (D) Day 3: Sun. COPENHAGEN-BERLIN, GERMANY. A morning to enjoy Hans Christian Andersen’s friendly city. Sightseeing includes the Little Mermaid sitting on her rock by the Langeline Promenade, and the rococo Amelienborg Palace. In the afternoon drive to Gedser for the two-hour ferry crossing to Rostock. Then past Lake Plaurer to Berlin for an overnight. (B) Day 4: Mon. BERLIN-POZNAN, POLAND. No longer divided but every bit as fascinating, Berlin is the new German capital shadowed by a tragic past yet clearly set for a bright future. The old West Berlin now merges with the new East Berlin into a harmonic blend of imperial and contemporary architectural styles. See it all on the optional sightseeing tour. Also take a stroll down the Kurfürstendamm, aptly described by novelist Tom Wolfe as the “longest coffee shop in Europe.” In the afternoon cross the River Oder into Poland for an overnight in Poznan. (B,D) Day 5: Tue. POZNAN-WARSAW. Travel eastwards this morning across the flat Polish lowlands to the country’s capital, Warsaw. This afternoon join the optional sightseeing with a Local Guide. This is an excellent introduction to Warsaw’s historic center, magnificently restored after massive wartime destruction. (B) Day 6: Wed. WARSAW-VILNIUS, LITHUANIA. Journey northeast by way of Bialystok towards Augustow and Suwalki. Cross the Lithuanian border for the relatively short drive to Vilnius for an early evening arrival. (B,D) Day 7: Thu. VILNIUS. Vilnius has been the capital of Lithuania since the 13th century and the old town reflects in its architecture the influence of the various peoples who have at different times been the dominant force. Lithuanians, Russians, Jews, Muslims, and Swedes all contributed to the making of this city. After breakfast join the included city sightseeing tour. The itinerary will take in St. Stanislav’s Cathedral, Gedeminas’ Castle, St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Church, St. Anna’s Church, the Gate of Dawn, and the old university. Later in the afternoon enjoy some leisure time or take the optional excursion to visit Trakai Castle. This evening there’s an optional folklore dinner. (B) Day 8: Fri. VILNIUS-PILSRUNDALE, LATVIARIGA. An interesting journey today as you travel right across Lithuania into Latvia for a stop in Pilsrundale to visit the baroque Palace of Rundale, the former summer residence of the Duke of Courland. The palace was built by the great architect Rastrelli, who also designed the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. More lovely countryside before reaching Riga. (B,L,D) Day 9: Sat. RIGA. The capital of Latvia is rightly considered one of the most beautiful towns in the Baltics. On the included tour of the old city with Local Guide, you will be briefed on some of the most eventful parts of the city’s 800-year history. Founded in 1201 by Bishop Albert, head of the Order of Teutonic Knights, the old town is a mixture of narrow streets, parks, river banks, and a canal flanked by old houses and lofty church spires. The main sights in the old town are Riga Castle and the Dome Cathedral. (B) Day 10: Sun. RIGA-PARNU, ESTONIA-TALLINN. A very interesting itinerary today since it will start with a drive through the Gauja National Park, known as the “Livonian Switzerland,” a land dotted with castles, parks, picturesque countryside, and a variety of fauna and flora seen only here. The park is traversed by the Gauja River. Next, head to the Baltic coastline for the drive to the Estonian border and a stop in Parnu, Estonia’s most fashionable seaside resort. Then travel northwards to Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, for two overnights. (B,L) Day 11: Mon. TALLINN. Start the day with an included sightseeing tour to appreciate Tallinn’s history and beauty. The old town, now on the list of World Heritage Sites, is certainly the most interesting part of the city. Also worth noting are the Hanseatic merchant houses, the mile-long town wall, the medieval Town Hall, and the House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads. (B,D) Day 12: Tue. TALLINN-ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA. Drive east today towards the border town of Narva with the impressive Hermann Fortress. Then start the journey to St. Petersburg, considered by most travelers to be Russia’s most fascinating city. (B,L,D) Day 13: Wed. ST. PETERSBURG. St. Petersburg was created in 1703 by the iron will of Peter the Great. He made it the capital of all the Russias and ensured that it should rival any other European capital in splendor, beauty, and distinction. Palaces, parks, monuments, squares, wide boulevards, and 600 bridges delight visitors with their symmetrical beauty, and the River Neva adds to the city’s charm. During World War II the city was besieged for 900 days and much of it was destroyed, along with hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants. This morning’s included sightseeing excursion will acquaint you with the best of the city’s highlights. (B) Day 14: Thu. ST. PETERSBURG-VYBORG, FINLAND-HELSINKI. Realize the huge expanse of Russia as you take a last glimpse of St. Petersburg. Set off north, traveling between Lake Ladoga to the east and the Gulf of Finland to the west, before crossing into Finland and its capital, Helsinki. (B) Day 15: Fri. HELSINKI-BALTIC SEA CROSSING-STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN. The included tour of the Finnish capital covers the sedate Empire-style palace on Senate Square and the cathedral. The afternoon is free for your own exploration. In the evening embark on the Silja Line ferry to Stockholm. On board you can enjoy music, dancing, and shopping. (B) Day 16: Sat. STOCKHOLM. Dock in Stockholm, perhaps the most beautiful of the Scandinavian capitals. The effect of its crystalline waters flowing through the city’s intersecting canals gives a luminous appearance to palaces, castles, and parks. The best way to see and appreciate the highlights of Sweden’s capital is to join the included sightseeing tour with a Local Guide. (B,D) Day 17: Sun. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B)
Notes Security cruise regulations require clients’ family and first name, D.O.B., gender, and nationality at time of booking. Scenic Highlights Gauja National Park City Highlights Visits to Berlin, Warsaw, Pilsrundale, Parnu Price Details US Air inclusive prices are based on departure from New York. Prices for departures from other cities will vary and can be obtained from your travel agent or by visiting www.cosmos.com. Air-inclusive prices do not include a September 11th fee of up to $10, passenger facility charges of up to $18, Federal domestic flight segment fees of up to $3.40 per segment, and U.S. and International arrival and departure fees of up to $300 depending on your itinerary. Air inclusive prices are subject to change and not guaranteed until payment is made in full. Restrictions apply. Single room supplement: $560Guaranteed shares.No triple room reduction.Supplement for 2-berth cabin on overnight ferry Helsinki-Stockholm: $75Single accommodation not available on overnight ferry; singles will be asked to share. Single accommodation not available on overnight ferry; singles will be asked to share. CURRENT SPECIALS: Europe Vacations Special Offers Whatever treasure you seek, Cosmos will unveil Europe’s most cherished masterpieces. From the Tower of London to the flavors of Spain and Italy, the possibilities are never ending when you travel with Cosmos.
Now, Cosmos is making it even easier for you to explore the very best of Europe. Book a 2009 Cosmos Europe vacation before December 15, 2008, and save!
$250 off per person on air-inclusive price of 2009 Cosmos Europe Vacations.*
*Offer is combinable with past passenger discount. Book a 2009 Cosmos air-inclusive European vacation to receive the $250 per person discount. Booking must be made, under deposit and discount applied between October 23, 2008 and December 15, 2008 for travel commencing between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. Offers not valid with any other offers except Journeys Club and applies to new 2009 European bookings only. Offer reliant on space availability. Full cancellation penalties will apply. Additional restrictions may apply. Special Offers from Cosmos Discount for young travelers Cosmos grants a 10-percent discount on the land-only price to travelers who are under 18 years old on the departure date, provided they are accompanied by an adult. On escorted vacations, we do not accept children under eight years old because we’ve found that they are too young to enjoy these vacations.
Pay less for your second and subsequent vacations Our vacations are designed and scheduled so you can combine them almost any way you want. We charge you list price for your first vacation in 2008, but for every additional Cosmos trip you take in the same year, you pay US $25 under list price. |
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| Note: All prices are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability. These pages are not endorsed or supported by the tour operator in any way. All information presented is based on promotional material provided by the tour operator. All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the tour operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. The prices on this website are not guaranteed. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in pricing. Please call us toll free at 1-800-942-3301 to confirm availability and pricing. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||