THE TOUR INCLUDES: 13 nights deluxe accommodations (including 1 overnight cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki). Hotels: Grand Hotel Stockholm; Hotel Kamp Helsinki; Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg Top Category seats for 9 performances Full breakfast daily, 5 lunches, 5 dinners Private guided tours in each city (plus Tallinn) as listed Private airport-hotel transfers First class private car on Sibelius train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg On site Tour Direction Comprehensive Tour Guidebook TOUR PRICE Full Tour: $10,975 US (Single Supplement: $1750 US) Stockholm & Helsinki only: $6875 US (Single Supplement: $1175 US) Helsinki & St. Petersburg only: $7845 US (Single Supplement: $1350 US) Deposit Full tour: $3000 US Partial tours: $2000 US Balance due: February 11, 2010

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. For those partaking in the full tour, outbound flights should be booked to Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) for arrival on May 12, with inbound flights from St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport (LED) on May 25. For partial tours or early arrivals, late departures, please book accordingly. AIRPORT-HOTEL TRANSFERS We include airport-hotel transfers (group) on the published tour dates. Transfers are not included for early arrivals or extended stays, although we can easily make these arrangements for you. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

This spectacular tour includes two Scandinavian capitals, a Baltic jewel (also a capital), and the city that made Russia a great power. This is a remarkable opportunity to visit four of the great cities that straddle the divide between Western and Eastern Europe, and to gain insight into what that divide has entailed over the centuries. Each city that we visit has a wealth of historic monuments and world-class cultural institutions, and each has a beautiful Old Town. Stockholm's Royal Opera and Royal Palace are a stone's throw from our hotel; Helsinki's historic Esplanade is right outside our hotel door, and let's not forget Alvar Aalto's Finlandia Hall and the Church in the Rock; Tallinn, a UNESCO Heritage city, with its stunning medieval and Russian Empire architecture; and St. Petersburg, the "Venice of the North", with so many historic wonders (Peterhof, Catherine Palace) and such a plenitude of artistic masterpieces (in the Hermitage alone) that even a five night stay seems too short.

All of this, and we have yet to mention the performances: two operas in Stockholm's marvelous Royal Opera, as well as performances at Finnish National Opera and Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, and, of course, the superb Festival of the White Nights in St. Petersburg under the direction of maestro Valery Gergiev. A luxurious overnight cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki and Deluxe carriage in our own private car on the Sibelius train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg add the finishing touches to this exquisite Scandinavian Saga.

THE ITINERARY

Tuesday, May 11
Departure from North America for Stockholm.

Wednesday, May 12.. Stockholm
Arrival in Stockholm and transfer (included) to the majestic Grand Hotel in the Gamla Stan (Old Town), one of the finest hotels in the world, with views of the Royal Palace and Opera House. In the evening, gather for introductions and a Welcome Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant Mathias Dahlgren, recently named one of the fifty best restaurants in the world.

Thursday, May 13.. Stockholm
Today we enjoy a guided tour of the Old Town, including the Royal Palace (with the Treasury and the changing of the guard), the City Hall (Stadshuset), and the Konserthuset, where the Nobel Prize ceremony is held each year. This evening we attend a performance of Verdi’s Falstaff at the Royal Swedish Opera.

Friday, May 14.. Stockholm
Today we offer a full-day trip to Uppsala, temple of Scandic gods, ecclesiastical centre of Sweden and site of the oldest university in Scandinavia. This evening, we enjoy dinner at Fem Små Hus (Five Small Houses), before a performance of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at the Royal Swedish Opera.

Saturday, May 15.. Overnight Cruise to Helsinki
Enjoy the morning at leisure in Stockholm. In the afternoon we depart for the quay where we board our luxury Silja liner for an overnight cruise to Helsinki. Deluxe cabins. Dinner included.

Sunday, May 16.. Helsinki
Upon arrival in Helsinki, we check in at the elegant Hotel Kamp, perfectly situated on the Esplanade in the heart of Helsinki. Once checked in, we enjoy a guided tour of Helsinki (Senate Square, cathedral, Church in the Rock, Uspenski Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Sibelius Park and Monument). This evening we gather for dinner in the Kamp Café.

Monday, May 17.. Helsinki
Today we visit the shores of Lake Tuusula, where Jean Sibelius made his charming home at Ainola. We also visit Villa Kokkonen, the home of the Composer Joonas Kokkonen, designed by famed architect Alvar Aalto. Lunch is included. Evening at leisure.

Tuesday, May 18.. Tallinn Day Trip
Today we take the short ferry ride to Tallinn, where we will spend the day touring the Estonian capital, a true jewel of the Baltics. We see medieval and classical buildings (Toompea Palace, Gothic cathedral, Russian cathedral, town hall, church of the Holy Ghost). Lunch is included. Return to Helsinki late afternoon. Evening performance: Lehar’s The Merry Widow at Finnish National Opera. *We may instead be able to overnight in Tallinn, attending Verdi's Un ballo in maschera at the Estonian National Opera. Details tba.

Wednesday, May 19.. Helsinki
Enjoy the day at leisure. This evening we attend a concert (Brahms, Hakola) by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra at the renowned Finlandia Hall.

Thursday, May 20...Helsinki to St. Petersburg
After check out of the hotel, we take the early morning Sibelius train to St. Petersburg. Lunch is included en route. Upon arrival (mid-afternoon), we transfer to the unforgettable Grand Hotel Europe, an historic and luxurious property in the heart of the city. Once settled into our rooms, we meet our guide and the afternoon is at leisure for personal exploration. This evening, we gather for a White Nights performance at the Mariinsky Theatre (tba).

Friday, May 21...St. Petersburg
This morning we walk to the remarkable Neo-Classical buildings of the Synod, Senate and Admiralty. We then visit the Hermitage, one of the world’s greatest art collections, housed in Rastrelli’s Winter Palace. Afterward, the afternoon is at leisure (you may extend your stay at the Hermitage if you wish). Evening performance tba.

Saturday, May 22...St. Petersburg
This morning we visit the Cathedral of St Nicholas, with its gilded domes and cupolas, and the late 19th-century Yusupov Palace, one of the finest in the city and scene of Rasputin’s murder. After lunch (included), we take in the Marble Palace (exterior), designed by Rinaldi in Baroque and Neo-Classical style—and the wonderful Smolny Convent and Cathedral, also by Rastrelli. Evening performance tba.

Sunday, May 23...St. Petersburg
Full-day excursion to two of the summer palaces. Tsarskoye Selo, formerly Pushkin Palace, has as its main building the Rococo Catherine Palace by Rastrelli, its richly ornamented interiors painstakingly restored after war damage. At Pavlovsk, also well restored, the graceful Neo-Classical Great Palace with encircling wings was in part built by Scotsman Charles Cameron. Lunch included. Performance tba.

Monday, May 24...St. Petersburg
Enjoy the entire final day at leisure in St.Petersburg. This evening, we gather in the hotel's Restaurant L'Europe for a sumptuous Farewell Dinner.

Tuesday, May 25...Departures
Group departure to the airport is included for return flights.