Eastern PROMISE
The Baltic is a sea of change. It’s where the Europe that we know gradually gives way to the mysteries of the east, finally lapping up against the coast of Russia and the pièce de résistance, St Petersburg. Yet it’s not such a far-flung ocean, first making waves between Germany, Denmark and Sweden before rolling onward, to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and, across the Gulf of Finland, Finland itself.
It’s a world where Vikings once sailed and can be about the infinite wonders of Scandinavia or more distant spots.
As such it is the setting for any number of cruises, voyages that almost all make St Petersburg their goal (with up to three days there). Some sail from the UK, many dive straight in from Copenhagen or Stockholm. Most are in the summer months when, while we might not actually be in the Land of the Midnight Sun, days are long – delightful for both evening excursions and on-deck sailaway drinks.
THE EUROPE WE KNOW GRADUALLY GIVES WAY TO THE MYSTERIES OF THE EAST
Copenhagen is often chosen for an overnight stay, its Tivoli Gardens, dating from 1843,
