Svalbard Explorer: Best of High Arctic Norway

Helsinki, the Finnish capital and Scandinavian design capital, stands by the shores of the Gulf of Finland. This arctic city showcases magnificent architecture and urban design. Byzantine, neoclassical, and medieval Russian influences make for a unique cityscape. Helsinki is also a haven for contemporary design, found in the Musiikkitalo concert hall, the Kiasma museum of contemporary art, and the magnificent rock-carved church of the Temppeliaukio. A trip to Helsinki is incomplete without visiting its Design District, which is home to the Design Museum. If you’re a fan of avant-garde Finnish design, you’ll be thrilled with the creative glassware, textiles, and home fashion that spill out from the many stylish boutiques and galleries. With its arctic islands, sea beaches, parks, and public gardens, Helsinki also offers wonderful natural vistas. Ferry rides from the old Market Square to Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage site with walking trails, make for a delightful getaway for nature lovers. Adventure seekers flock to the city for hiking trips to the surrounding alpine forests and for winter sports like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and ice skating. When in town, feast on traditional Finnish flavors like grilled salmon and arctic char cooked with wild mushrooms and fresh cloudberries or lingonberries. What’s not to love?

One of the remotest and least explored destinations on the planet, the Arctic Circle is packed full of rich, breathtaking experiences. Covering nearly 4% of the Earth’s surface, the region is brimming with glaciers, icebergs, and snow-white islands, with colorful indigenous settlements nestled by its palatial fjords, and unique and diverse wildlife and marine life thriving in its vast expanses. Expedition ships take you to one of five awe-inspiring destinations beyond the Arctic Circle. Greenland offers a stark landscape teeming with animals as well as indigenous settlements on the West Coast. Spitsbergen and the Svalbard archipelago are the ‘land of the midnight sun’ with near-continuous daylight in the summer, and boast polar bears and rich history and heritage. In the Canadian High Arctic, stunning, rugged scenery and icy channels await you, once traversed by legendary explorers seeking a route to Asia. In contrast, the Russian High Arctic is steeped in history, where you can visit Soviet-era expedition centers and some of the Arctic’s remotest archipelagos. Then there’s the North Pole at the very top, reachable only by nuclear-powered icebreakers, a bucket-list destination like no other! No matter which part of the Arctic you visit, expect unparalleled diversity and adventure.

Helsinki, the Finnish capital and Scandinavian design capital, stands by the shores of the Gulf of Finland. This arctic city showcases magnificent architecture and urban design. Byzantine, neoclassical, and medieval Russian influences make for a unique cityscape. Helsinki is also a haven for contemporary design, found in the Musiikkitalo concert hall, the Kiasma museum of contemporary art, and the magnificent rock-carved church of the Temppeliaukio. A trip to Helsinki is incomplete without visiting its Design District, which is home to the Design Museum. If you’re a fan of avant-garde Finnish design, you’ll be thrilled with the creative glassware, textiles, and home fashion that spill out from the many stylish boutiques and galleries. With its arctic islands, sea beaches, parks, and public gardens, Helsinki also offers wonderful natural vistas. Ferry rides from the old Market Square to Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage site with walking trails, make for a delightful getaway for nature lovers. Adventure seekers flock to the city for hiking trips to the surrounding alpine forests and for winter sports like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and ice skating. When in town, feast on traditional Finnish flavors like grilled salmon and arctic char cooked with wild mushrooms and fresh cloudberries or lingonberries. What’s not to love?