Arrival at Hamburg hotel, by own arrangements, and meet programme leader. Welcome dinner included.    

The group will start the tour with a guest lecture, to set the scene for the touring to come and to provide an introduction into the Hanseatic League and its legacy. This afternoon they take a guided city tour of Hamburg, including a visit to the International Maritime Museum in Hafen City. Overnight Hamburg.    

Today the group will take a full day guided excursion to Lauenburg and Lueneburg.  

  The group will head to another of the League’s main ports, Bremen, but en route will stop in Stade and Bremerhaven to visit some excellent museums which highlights the region’s maritime history.  

A half-day guided tour of Bremen to start the day, before transferring to Lubeck this afternoon. Along with Hamburg and Bremen, Lubeck was one of the last member cities before the league’s demise.  

  A full day taking in one of the principal cities in the Hanseatic League, including a visit to the Hanse museum and the Holstentor Gate museum.    

A half-day this morning visiting further sights in Lübeck, with the afternoon at leisure. Lübeck is also known for its Niederegger Marzipan, so we do visit to the museum and a coffee and cake package, with the remainder of the day free.  

A day trip to nearby Kiel. We then travel onto Lubeck for the night. Group evening meal.  

The group will continue east along the north coast, stopping for a city tour in scenic Wismar I have also included a traditional steam train ride on the Molli Railway between Bad Doberan and Heiligendamm, which sits on the Baltic coast.  

A half-day tour of Rostock, as well as a stop to view the nearby beach of Warnemuende, before continuing on to Stralsund.    

A half-day city tour of Stralsund, including entrance to the Museum of Cultural History, which is housed in the former St. Catherine’s Monastery. Afternoon free. If they like, the group could use the coach to head to nearby Greifswald to view the hall church and merchants’ houses.    

Travel further east this morning, crossing the border into Poland, and taking a guided city tour of Szczecin. Group evening meal this evening.  

Continue east, with a stop in Kolobrzeg to break the journey, to Gdynia. The Emigration Museum in Gydnia is a reasonably new museum, cataloguing the emigration of Polish citizens across the world. A stop in Sopot before heading to Gdansk (known previously as Danzig). Group meal this evening.    

A full day of guided sightseeing in Gdansk, another of the League’s key port cities. The pax will explore the key sights and museums relating to the city’s maritime heritage. I have also included entrance to the acclaimed Museum of the Second World War.  

A free day in Gdansk during the day. Tonight, the group will transfer to Gdynia to take the overnight ferry across the Baltic Sea to Karlskrona. Overnight aboard the ferry.    

Disembark at Karlskrona and continue northwards up the coast of southern Sweden, to catch another ferry to Visby, Gotland, a key member of the League.  

A half-day guided city tour in Visby, followed by an afternoon at leisure.    

Free time in Visby, before taking the ferry back to Nynashamn on mainland Sweden, driving up to Stockholm from there.    

A full day of guided sightseeing in Stockholm, highlighting the city’s significance in the region across the centuries.      

Today we take a morning boat excursion out into the Stockholm archipelago to visit Bjorko island, home to the medieval Birka settlement. The afternoon at leisure for you to explore the city at your own pace.  

Transfer to Arlanda airport to catch a flight to Bergen, with coach transfers at each end.

A full day of guided sightseeing learning about one of the Hanseatic League’s most important trading partners, Bergen. Overnight Bergen.      

Tour concludes after breakfast.