Under Swedish rule it was the capital of Finland, but after the country was ceded to Russia in 1809 that role was transferred to Helsinki. Today Turku is a charming university town with a good 50 museums, a huge medieval castle and a glorious, 900-year-old cathedral that is one of Finland's finest churches.How to do it? Specialised Tours (01342 712785; specialised tours ) offers a 10-day city tour of Scandinavia with three nights spent in Turku. The name means marketplace in Finnish - and indeed there is still a lively market square here. This evocative harbour town on the Baltic Sea also has a Swedish name, Abo, or settlement (bo) on the River Aurajoki (just "A" in Swedish). Best Served Holidays (020-3119 3022; bestserved holidays.co.uk) offers a cycling break here as part of a trip that includes a visit to Stockholm.
The five-night holiday costs from £469 per person which includes return flights, a ferry crossing to Visby, two nights' b&b hotel accommodation on the island, bike rental, and three nights' cabin-style accommodation near Gotland's long beach of Tofta 4. To market, In medieval Finland The oldest city in Finland, Turku dates back to at least the 13th century. Traditionally it was the home (or at least one of them) of the ferocious Goths and it is known to have been an important base during Viking times. The medieval town of Visby, with its cobbled lanes and ancient walls, is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Today sees the start of its annual Medieval Week, a festival with jousting tournaments, minstrels, markets and more. The island is dotted with standing stones as well as medieval churches, 70 of which have frescos and stained glass dating back to Middle Ages.How to do it? There is an extensive network of quiet roads so one of the best ways to explore the island is by bicycle. uk) has a six-day itinerary on a choice of three such steamers. The cost, from £890 per person, including flights, three nights' full-board accommodation on the steamer; and two nights' b&b hotel accommodation at either end of the canal trip 3. Go where the Goths once gatheredThe largest and sunniest of the many islands in the Baltic Sea, the Swedish island of Gotland, 90km off the south-eastern coast, has a winning combination of great beaches, pretty scenery and absorbing ancient sites.
Built between 1810 and 1832, the route officially starts (or ends) at Mem, south of Stockholm, and passes through 58 locks to finish at the huge inland sea of Lake Vanern. Most visitors begin (or end) their trips at Stockholm, their boats meandering to Mem through the city's outlying archipelago, and on reaching Lake Vanern continuing on to Gothenburg.How to do it? You can make this trip in a 19th-century steamer, beautifully maintained and offering a mahogany-clad saloon where excellent food is served The cabins, though small, have elegant, Art Nouveau styling Scantours (020-7554 3530; scantours.co. By boat, from sea to shining seaThe Gota Canal is a 190km waterway - effectively a series of man-made links between exceptionally lovely lakes - providing an inland water route between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea in southern Sweden. It is regarded as a national treasure by the Swedes and provides a picturesque route through Swedish landscape at its best. Accommodation is, for the most part, in former fishermen's cottages converted into guesthouses. The price, from £1,298 per person, includes flights from Heathrow via Oslo, transfers, six days' car hire, and eight nights' half-board.2.
co.uk) has an eight-night break combining driving and hiking across some of the most spectacular parts of these islands. The "Journey to A" trip starts on the island of Skrova and proceeds westwards, ending at the village of A (pronounced "Oh"), which was named after the final letter of the Norwegian alphabet. The islands are dotted with lakes and dominated by a range of mountains, the breathtaking 100km Lofotweggen or Lofoten Wall. At this time of year they are bathed in near-mystical Arctic light nearly 24 hours a day. How to do it? Walking holiday specialist Inntravel (01653 617906; inntravel. According to myth, the islands were created by the Viking god Thor, when he threw handfuls of rock into the sea, and at times they have an appropriately elemental and brooding quality. * KlausK (00 358 20 770 4700; klauskhotel ) is one of Helsinki's new generation of ultra-chic, sleek residences.* Sparse, minimalist and visually thrilling, that's Stockholm's Nordic Light Hotel (00 850 56 30 00; nordiclighthotel.se).. 1.