Gardens of Scandinavia

Welcome to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Meet with your Tour Leader, Brendan Moar and fellow passengers for our Welcome Dinner this evening in your hotel.

A city tour this morning to see Little Mermaid, Opera House, Amelienborg Palace, the winter residence for the Danish Royal Family and Rosenborg Castle built by Christian IV as a pleasure palace filled with treasures, and a beautiful garden. Lunch is included.

Travel to North Zealand this afternoon to Frederiksborg Castle at Hillerod, a magnificent Renaissance castle built by Christian IV in 1600. It’s the largest Renaissance complex in the Nordic region, built to enhance Christian IV’s status as a powerful European monarch. A guided tour of the palace is included.

Christian IV also built a Pleasure Palace, which was demolished to make way for an elaborate Baroque garden. This garden was recreated in 1990. Return to Copenhagen.

Travel north this morning to Fredensborg Palace in Fredensborg.
This royal palace is the summer residence of the Danish royal family and serves as a venue for important state visits and family events. Built as a country seat for Frederik IV, construction began in 1719. Elegant Baroque architecture and expansive, meticulously designed gardens and park. Guided tour of the palace and gardens is included.

The main axis, Brede Allé, that originates from the garden hall of the Palace, was restored and re-opened in 2013. The Orangery was built in 1995 as an extension of the Kitchen Garden. The Reserved Garden, the royal family’s private garden behind the main palace, is normally closed to the public. However, during the height of summer, guided tours are offered through both the garden and the palace’s chambers.

Lunch today at Fredensborghusene; an extraordinary community housing project designed by Jorn Utzon in 1963.

Return to Copenhagen with the remainder of the day at leisure.

Travel south today over the famous Storebaelt Bridge to the island of Fyn to the restored historic Gardens of Sanderumgaard, near Odense. This ‘Romantic’ garden was established by Johan Bülow in the period 1793-1828. The rescued and restored garden opened to the public in 2010 due to the wealth of documentation in the archive. Of the original design, the cottages Tankefuld and Sommerlyst still exist.

The area is bounded by a larger canal system of approximately 2 km, which connects islands and parks. This 40-hectare area including marsh eventually became one of the most beautiful gardens in Denmark. Included lunch in Odense.

Afternoon visit to Egeskov Castle, built in 1554 in the middle of its lake. The expansive park is laid out as a French Garden, characterized by clear symmetry, cut hedges and avenues of beech, hornbeam and lime. In 1962 the Renaissance Garden was created with fountains, red gravel, box hedges and topiary figures.

Depart by coach and ferry from Denmark across the Oresund to Sweden and on to Sofiero Palace. The former summer home of the royal Swedish family, Sofiero has a rich history and an expansive array of gardens. The land of the Sofiero Palace was first a farm before it transformed into the present-day palace. Built in 1864 by Crown Prince Oscar for his wife Sofia, and named for her, he gave Sofiero to his grandson Gustav Adolf.

King Gustav and Margareta brought their love of gardening to Sofiero. Margareta, having grown up around luscious English gardens, helped develop Sofiero’s landscape and plotted its walkways and flowerbeds. She and Gustav created rock gardens, built a greenhouse and planted gardens, which would go on to shape Sofiero’s legacy. On his death Gustav bequeathed Sofiero to the city of Helsingborg.

Lunch is included today. Travel on to Gothenburg. Check into your boutique hotel for two nights.

A canal cruise this morning to discover the rich history of this city. This cruise passes under numerous bridges and explores the harbour area, including traditional shipyards and the maritime museum.

Lunch in the Garden Society Park established in 1842 and considered one of the best-preserved examples of the genre in Europe. It is home to a spectacular Victorian glass house, beautifully planted flower beds and one of the largest rosariums in Scandinavia. This park is now a listed historical site.

Afternoon visit to Gothenburg Botanic Garden, 20 hectares of horticultural diversity, including Rock Garden, Japanese Glade and Rhododendron Valley. The Horticultural Gardens are planted with dahlias, daylilies, peonies, kitchen plants, extensive perennial beds and Herb Garden.

We are heading to Stockholm with a scenic stop at the small town of Mariestad  on the shores of Lake Vanern.

Lunch stop in Orebro then a walk through Piet Oudolf’s Dream Park in Enkoping, one of his early planting triumphs. Paths meander through large panels of perennials, 220 varieties and tall clipped beech hedges punctuate spaces.

Arrive in Stockholm, check in to Elite Hotel Adlon in city centre.

The Royal Domain of Drottningholm, situated on the island of Lovön close to Stockholm, is an exceptionally well-preserved ensemble of gardens and buildings with original interior furnishings. It includes Drottningholm Palace, the Palace Theatre, Chinese Pavilion, Canton Village. It has been used for pleasure and summer recreation from the Baroque era until today. As the current home of the Swedish Royal Family, Drottningholm upholds a cultural continuity with the original purpose of the site.

Afternoon boat trip across Lake Malaren back to Stockholm. Visit Vasa Museum to see the world’s best-preserved 17th century ship which capsized and sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. Most of the ship is original, decorated with hundreds of carved sculptures.

The remainder of the day is yours to enjoy.

Travel by coach to Uppsala to visit Linnaeus Garden Museum. 2007 was the 300th anniversary of the birth of Carl Linnaeus, Sweden’s greatest scientist. The formal garden with geometric layout has been restored according to his plan from 1750. Walk through ornamental double border to his laboratory where Linnaeus developed his binomial system of plant naming, now applied to all living creatures.

Free time in the city for lunch before we visit Uppsala University Botanic Garden, where Linnaeus taught botany. It was donated to Uppsala University where Linnaeus taught botany and was developed after his death. The garden contains 8000 species, for teaching, research, and biodiversity conservation.

This Botanic Garden aims to be a living textbook with inspiration, movement and play. As Linnaeus put it, “When you are learning, all the senses must be engaged”. The garden is a popular venue for concerts, theatrical performance and events. Travel back to Stockholm.

Morning visit to Tantolunden, an allotment garden of 111 spaces. It’s the oldest of the Stockholm allotment gardens. Tanto is located on Sodermalm, one of the 14 islands that make up central Stockholm. This picturesque collection of miniature cottages surrounded by vegetables and flowers is among the oldest of 150 allotment gardens scattered throughout Stockholm. Together, they create a total of some 10,000 spaces available to city dwellers.

Late afternoon board your overnight ferry cruise between Stockholm and Helsinki, sailing out through Stockholm’s dramatic archipelago, watching the setting sun, before a smorgasbord dinner.

Disembark the overnight ferry in Helsinki this morning and join our guide for a tour of this vibrant city known for its stunning architecture and rich history.

Take the ferry to the UNESCO-listed Fortress of Suomenlinna. Built 1748 to defend Finland from the Russian Empire, this sea fortress stretches over six islands. It was renamed Suomenlinna (Fortress of Finland) when Finland gained independence in 1917.

The afternoon is yours to explore Helsinki before checking into our hotel with dinner included this evening.

Morning visit to Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden with its ten interconnected glasshouses including the Waterlily Room, Palm House, Mediterranean and Rainforest Rooms.

Time out for lunch (own expense) in the historic Market Hall to taste traditional Finnish delicacies.

Free afternoon before our Farewell Dinner tonight.

Your tour finishes in Helsinki after breakfast.