14-day unesco world heritage fjords: Flam with storfjord

Your voyage begins in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The largest port in Europe, Rotterdam is an intriguing mix of the old and the new. The city's lineage is ancient - Count Willem III granted city rights to the sleepy fishing village on the Rotte in 1328, yet much of the city dates from the six decades following the end of World War II. An important industrial center and a major European port, Rotterdam was among the first targets of the Nazi blitzkrieg against the West. On May 14, 1940, the German Luftwaffe firebombed the city, Rotterdam was gutted. The post-war years saw a slow rebuilding but by the early 1960s the maze of port facilities extended all the way to the North Sea. Today, this city of over half a million is the economic powerhouse, not just of the Netherlands but of Northern Europe.The Nazi bombardment of 1940 gutted most of the old city. As a result, Rotterdam's architecture is an intriguing mix of old and new: modern glass skyscrapers often stand adjacent to 19th- and 18th-century buildings.

A full day at sea - time to enjoy Rotterdam's restaurants, pools and entertainment.

Your ship calls at Eidfjord, Norway.

Your ship calls at Scenic cruising Hardangerfjord.

By the mid-19th century, European travelers were cruising the waters of the Nordfjord and visiting the village of Olden. The Romantic Movement inspired this new taste for dramatic landscape - and Norway had plenty of dramatic landscape. Then as now, travelers were impressed, moved, and not frequently overwhelmed by the stark contrast between peaceful rural farmsteads and a towering wilderness of mountain peaks and glaciers.For many years Olden was home to American landscape artist William H. Singer (1868-1943). Scion of a Pittsburgh steel family, Singer provided Olden with a road and a regional hospital.

Your ship calls at Scenic Cruising Nordfjord.

Your ship calls at Alesund, Norway.

This quaint town perched on the North Sea boasts dual personalities. While renowned as the site where Viking king Harald Hårfagre united Norway as a kingdom in the 9th century, it's also one of the country's most popular destinations for the annual Sildajazz Festival and Norwegian Film Festival. Add in a thriving town center with hundreds of shops and cultural diversions to jaw-dropping scenery and thrilling excursions, your stay in Haugesund promises to be an enthralling experience you won't soon forget.

Continue your voyage aboard Rotterdam with a leisurely day at sea.

Your ship returns to Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Another day at sea to explore the ship at your own pace.

Your ship calls at Scenic cruising Oslofjord.

Forest-clad slopes plummet to an island-studded fjord. Welcome to Oslo, Scandinavia's oldest capital city. The commercial center of Norway, Oslo has been a major trading port for over a millennium. Its harbor is crowded with shipping that ranges from cruise ships to workaday shrimp boats. Though a relatively modest city in size - some 550,000 Norwegians call it home - Oslo is one of the largest capital cities in the world in terms of area. The hills and lakes of its outlying countryside are a paradise for lovers of winter sports. And the city itself boasts a sophisticated, yet cozy charm, with a blend of 19th- and 20th-century buildings, many decorated with woodcarvings and bright frescoes, and wide avenues dotted with public squares and parks.Oslo is the least populous capital in Scandinavia. The city offers excellent theater, great cafés and quality shopping.

Norway's fifth largest city was founded by Christian IV in the year 1641 as a market town and administrative center on Norway's then-strategic southern coast. The city is separated from Denmark by the Skagerrak, the long strait that connects the Baltic and North Seas. Today the capital of the Aust-Agder region is one of Norway's most popular vacation destinations: the city and the surrounding countryside boast the sunniest summer weather in Norway.

Your ship calls at Sandnes (Stavanger), Norway.

Your ship calls at Scenic cruising Sognefjord.

Your ship calls at Flam, Norway.

A full day at sea - time to enjoy Rotterdam's restaurants, pools and entertainment.

Your voyage concludes in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.