Arctic Circle & the Land of the Midnight Sun
Travel through spectacular scenery to the ‘top of Europe’, the North Cape, to witness the breathtaking sight of the Midnight Sun and Polar Ocean. Visit the Sami village to learn about how they have been living by fishing and hunting, boat building and reindeer herding for thousands of years and the city of Tromsø, famed for its viewing point of the Northern Lights. This grand tour allows you to uncover the hidden gems of the Scandinavian capitals, from Oslo, the capital of Norway, to the Swedish capital of Stockholm, and the capital of Finland, Helsinki. We also take a tour of Copenhagen and spend time exploring the sights on this unforgettable holiday.
16 days from £2999 pp
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your tour either online, or by telephone ( 01709 787 463 ), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can:
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to Belgium for an overnight stay.
Travel through Germany, to Copenhagen for an overnight stay.
To Stockholm, one of Europe's prettiest capital cities, for a brief visit before our overnight sailing to Finland. Stockholm, due to its temperate climate and great attractions, is a perfect place at any time of the year.
Arrive in Turku, then to Helsinki for an included visit. Surrounded by 315 islands, Helsinki's east-meets-west culture contrasts against the clean lines of Finlandia Hall and the rich, golden onion dome of Uspenski Cathedral. Why not join our optional sightseeing tour to see the highlights of Finland’s capital during our short visit. A local English-speaking guide will reveal the history and facts about this great city. We continue our journey north to Jyväskyla for an overnight stay.
Included Highlights
Optional Excursions
Our optional excursions are a great addition to enhance your holiday experience and are highly recommended.2023 | |
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£25.00 |
We continue north into the Finnish countryside this morning, with a vast area of dense forest and charming lakes. Be the first to spot a reindeer! They tend to hide for most of the time, but occasionally appear in small groups. You will soon get used to this elusive creature, which has helped in the development of this great country of traditions, both physically as a working animal, and also as a local delicacy. We pause for lunch in the town of Oulu on the Gulf of Bothnia, which separates Finland from Sweden. From Oulu we travel on north to the town of Rovaniemi, just below the Arctic Circle, for an overnight stay.
Although it is summer in Finnish Lapland be prepared to share the customs of a country where Santa Claus is “King”. We start with a visit to the imposing Santa Claus Village just outside Rovaniemi, where you can stand on either side of the Arctic Circle. Look out for the white line painted on the ground denoting the latitude! After lunch we continue north through charming forested countryside to Saariselka for an overnight stay.
Whilst there why not enjoy an optional Storgammon lunch. This really is an experience not to be missed. Step back in time and Sami culture and enjoy a typical Lappish meal of cured salmon, delicious reindeer stew, followed by cloudberry pudding. This delightful meal will be served in a Lavvu, the traditional summer home of the Sami people, which is very similar to the Native American tepee. A truly unique place to eat!
After experiencing the Sami way of life we continue our journey to Honningsvag for a two-night stay. This evening is the highlight of the tour as your drivers take you to the magnificent North Cape. The viewpoint is at latitude of 71 degrees 10 minutes 21 seconds north and you will be as close as you can get to the top of the world whilst remaining in mainland Europe. This really is an invigorating spot to be! We will leave late evening so that you will be at the Cape at midnight, so don’t forget your sunglasses! (Please ensure you take some warm clothing. Although we visit during the summer months, it can be chilly). The lure of the North Cape has drawn people from all parts of the world for centuries. The first tourist to visit was the Italian Francesco Negri, who stood here and surveyed the landscape in 1664. A lot has changed since that time and the magnificent 5000 square metre North Cape Hall is a vast complex offering every amenity from café facilities to a large souvenir area. We return to our hotel in the early hours of the morning.
Included Highlights
Optional Excursions
Our optional excursions are a great addition to enhance your holiday experience and are highly recommended.2023 | |
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£37.00 |
Spend the day at leisure in the quaint fishing town of Honningsvag. Alternatively, why not join the locally operated optional excursion to two of the municipality’s five fishing villages. Firstly to Skarsvag, the northernmost fishing village in the world where you will visit the Nordkapp Jul og Vinterhuis which is decorated in the Norwegian Christmas tradition and local crafts are for sale from the North cape area. We then continue to Kamoyvaer, the smallest of the fishing villages with only 110 inhabitants, a fish factory, a small fishing fleet, a little lighthouse and a picturesque harbour. See, also, probably Europe’s smallest school with six pupils and one teacher!
Included Highlights
Optional Excursions
Our optional excursions are a great addition to enhance your holiday experience and are highly recommended.2023 | |
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£54.50 |
Our journey today is by local coach as we leave our hotel and begin our journey south. We travel back along the scenic road following the shores of the Porsangen sea inlet, then travel through the hills of the northern Finnmark area to reach the sea again at Alta. There will be free time for you to obtain lunch before we continue to our hotel in the Storslett/Sorkjosen area for an overnight stay.
Today we re-join our Leger coach and follow the shores of the Lyngenfjord and cross the Karfjord and Ullsfjorden to Tromso, the capital of northern Norway and gateway to the Arctic. At a latitude of 70 degrees it is the same as Alaska and Siberia. After a short visit we travel south across the area of Troms, passing Fossbakken to reach the lovely town of Narvik and our hotel for tonight. The town is beautifully located on a peninsula between the Beisfjord and the Rombakfjord at the foot of the spectacular Fagernes Mountain.
Never far from the Swedish border or the sea, we travel south, and through the area of Nordland, crossing the Arctic Circle to arrive at Mo i Rana or Mosjoen for the night.
Why not join our optional guided sightseeing tour to learn more about this charming spot and enjoy the view from the Tyholt Tower – truly breathtaking! Situated by the Trondheim fjord, Trondheim is surrounded by lovely forested hills, with the River Nidelva winding through the town. It has been and still is a popular pilgrimage site, an ecclesiastical centre a regional capital and a centre for commerce and administration. Our local guide will reveal the highlights on this sightseeing tour.
We then continue to the village quaintly named Hell and our base for tonight. The small village has become a tourist attraction because of its name and people like to have their photograph taken in front of the station sign. What was possibly Norway’s most popular postcard, at least amongst English speaking tourists, showed the station with a heavy frost on the ground – Hell frozen over, although there was no caption to make the point. In actual fact the name Hell derives from an Old Norse word meaning overhang or cliff cave!
Included Highlights
Optional Excursions
Our optional excursions are a great addition to enhance your holiday experience and are highly recommended.2023 | |
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£29.00 |
We leave Hell and travel south to Oslo for an overnight stay. In the evening, after dinner, why not join our optional guided sightseeing tour to introduce you to the sights of the Norwegian capital. We will see the “Stottel” or Royal Palace, built between 1825 and 1848, the “Domkirke” or Cathedral, dating from the late 17th century, the Stotinget or Parliament and Karl Johans Gate, Oslo’s main street.
Optional Excursions
Our optional excursions are a great addition to enhance your holiday experience and are highly recommended.2023 | |
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£29.00 |
We continue our journey south to Helsingborg for the short ferry crossing to Helsingor and then on to Copenhagen. Watch out for the famous Kronburg castle used as the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet! On arrival in Copenhagen we include a short orientation drive showing you the fascinating landmarks and lovely architecture including the bronze statue of the Little Mermaid taken from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy-tale. Stay overnight in Taastrup or Copenhagen.
To Belgium for an overnight stay.
Return home.
Travel Insurance from £42.00 (16 days) (includes insurance premium tax, prices per person).
Book online OR call our friendly travel advisers on:
01709 787 463
If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.
No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.
We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.
We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.
You will stay for one night at the 3-star Quality Hotel Hoje Taastrup on the outskirts of Copenhagen, before an overnight ferry crossing from Stockholm to Turku, Finland in a two-berth en suite cabin. You will then stay for one night at the 3-star Original Sokos Hotel Alexandra in Jyväskylä, one night at the 3-star Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna in Rovaniemi, and one night at the 3-star Lapland Hotel Riekonlinna in Saariselkä. You will then stay for two nights at the 3-star Scandic Honningsvag, followed by an overnight stay at the 3-star Reisafjord Hotel in Sorkjosen. You will then have overnight stays at the 4-star Quality Grand Royal hotel in Narvik, the 3-star Fru Haugans hotel is Mosjoen, the 3-star Scandic Hell hotel, the Quality Hotel 33 in Oslo, and finally, the 3-star Quality Hotel Hoje Taastrup on the outskirts of Copenhagen.
Overnight stays in Belgium are in city-style hotels.
Front row seats can be reserved for £15pp (up to 6 days duration), £25pp (7 and 8 days duration), £30pp (9 to 11 days) or £35pp (12 days or more) on all European tours. This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on our Executive and Silver Service coaches and for one or two persons on our Luxuria coaches and is subject to availability. In addition to this, seats on the second row can be reserved for a supplement of £8pp (up to 6 days duration), £15pp (7 and 8 days duration), £18pp (9 to 11 days) or £22pp (12 days or more).
Guaranteed front or second row seats cannot be reserved on transfer journeys to/from the UK port. Occasionally, front and second row seats may be on a request only basis.
Please note: children under 15 years of age are not permitted to sit in the front seats of any coach.
On some coaches the legroom on front seats, central view seats and seats directly in front of the washroom may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.
If your tour is cancelled or merged for any reason and front or second row seats or central view seats or table seats are not available on your tour, you will be refunded any supplement paid. No other compensation will be payable.
Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.
Central View Seats are available to pre-book free of charge.
Table Seats are available to pre-book free of charge on our Luxuria coaches.
Transfer coaches are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure. The route taken depends on where paassengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.
With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.
When it comes to getting you to your destination, Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you to choose from.
We have hundreds of coach joining points throughout England, Scotland and Wales. To find your nearest joining point, search using your postcode below.
*Please note joining points are subject to availability.
Why not go the night before your tour for a relaxing start?
You can park for FREE for up to nine days at the Holiday Inn Ashford North and enjoy an overnight stay with English breakfast from just £41.50 per person (Based on 2 sharing a twin/double room on a B&B basis, subject to availability. Single supplements and terms and conditions apply.) We’ll then collect you from the hotel on the day of departure and return you there at the end of your holiday.
To book this package, please call the hotel on 01233 713333, select option 1, quoting ‘Leger Holidays’ and your booking reference. If your holiday is longer than seven days you can pay for additional days’ parking. Ask one of our friendly reservations team for more details when you book your holiday
On most holidays if you’d prefer to join your tour coach at Stop 24 services, you can park your car in the car park which is accredited by the Park Mark safer parking scheme and is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV. Payment for the parking is made on arrival using the self-service machines. Excludes holidays to Ireland and the U.K. and tours travelling via Brittany Ferries.
On Single Traveller holidays and coach holidays of 7 days’ duration or more, you don’t even have to think about getting to your local joining point. If you live within 20 miles of one of our free joining points we’ll pick you up from your home and take you to meet your transfer vehicle, then return you back home at the end of your holiday. The cost is from £40 per booking each way for up to four people per booking.
If you live a little further afield, you can also take advantage of this convenient option for an additional charge – please enquire at the time of booking.
To book this tour, just give our friendly team a call on 01709 787 463 or book online at www.leger.co.uk