Rick Steves - Rick Steves Scandinavian & Northern European Cruise Ports

SCANDINAVIAN & NORTHERN EUROPEAN CRUISE PORTS

Rick Steves with Cameron Hewitt

SCANDINAVIAN & NORTHERN EUROPEAN CRUISE PORTS

Travel is intensified livingmaximum thrills per minute and one of the last great sources of legal adventure. Travel is freedom. Its recess, and we need it.

I discovered a passion for European travel as a teen and have been sharing it ever sincethrough my tours, public television and radio shows, and travel guidebooks. Over the years, Ive taught thousands of travelers how to best enjoy Europes blockbuster sightsand experience Back Door discoveries that most tourists miss.

For each major destination, this book offers a balanced, comfortable mix of the predictable biggies and a healthy dose of intimacy. Along with marveling at masterpieces in the Louvre, Hermitage, and Rijksmuseum, you can sip a pint in a trendy London pub and sweat with the Finns in a working-class sauna.

I advocate traveling simply and smartly. Take advantage of my money- and time-saving tips on sightseeing, transportation, and more. Try local, characteristic alternatives to expensive hotels and restaurants. In many ways, spending more money only builds a thicker wall between you and what you traveled so far to see.

We visit Europe to experience itto become temporary locals. Thoughtful travel engages us with the world, as we learn to appreciate other cultures and new ways to measure quality of life.

Judging by the positive feedback I receive from readers, this book will help you enjoy a fun, affordable, and rewarding vacationwith the finesse of an independent, experienced traveler.

Bon voyage and happy travels!

Imagine yourself lazing on the deck of a floating city as you glide past the spiny skylines of Tallinn, Copenhagen, or St. Petersburg; the jagged fjords of Norways west coast; or the thousands of picture-perfect islands topped by quaint red vacation cottages in the archipelago between Stockholm and Helsinki. Each day, stepping off the gangway, youre immersed in the vivid life of a different European city. Tour some of the worlds top museums, take a Scandinavian-style coffee break while you people-watch from a prime sidewalk caf, bask on a surprisingly sunny and sandy Baltic beach, and enjoy some of Europes most expensive cities on the cheap. After a busy day in port, you can head back to the same cozy bedroom each night, without ever having to pack a suitcase or catch a train. As the sun sets and the ship pulls out of port, you have your choice of dining optionsfrom a tuxedo-and-evening-gown affair to a poolside burgerfollowed by a world of nightlife. Plying the Baltic and North Sea waters through the night, you wake up refreshed in a whole new cityready to do it all again.