The Itinerary
Our adventure begins! Landing in Glasgow, we'll be based at the Melvin Estate โ enjoying the cuisine, comfort, and full-on chillaxing before venturing out to explore castles, highlands, whisky country, and celebrate Auntie Anna's 90th. Ailie and Parker โ kayaking on Loch Lomond is calling! ๐
- ๐ฐ Edinburgh Castle & Arthur's Seat
- ๐๏ธ Isle of Skye โ Fairy Pools & Old Man of Storr
- ๐ฅ Glenfiddich Whisky Distillery tour
- ๐ฃ Loch Lomond boat trip & kayaking
- ๐ Auntie Anna's 90th birthday celebration
- ๐ Loch Ness boat tour & Jacobite experience
- โฝ Kick-about at local Glasgow pitches โ bring the ball!
- ๐๏ธ Glasgow Barras & Byres Road vintage shops (Ailie!)
A quick but meaningful stop on the south coast of England to visit family before crossing to Denmark. Hastings is a charming seaside town โ famous as the site of the 1066 Norman conquest, with a beautifully preserved Old Town, fishing boats on the beach, and a castle ruin perched on the cliffs above.
- ๐ฐ Hastings Castle & 1066 Story visitor experience
- โ Stade fishing beach โ largest beach-launched fishing fleet in Europe
- ๐๏ธ Hastings Old Town โ antique shops, independent cafes, winding lanes
- ๐ East Hill & West Hill cliff railways (Victorian funicular!)
- ๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Quality time with family before the big continent leg
With 6 full days before the cruise boards, we have serious time to explore โ 3-4 days in Copenhagen, plus a day trip (or overnight) across the รresund Bridge into Sweden! Then we board the MSC Magnifica for 7 nights sailing the spectacular Norwegian coast. โฝ
๐ฉ๐ฐ Copenhagen (3-4 days)
- ๐ข Tivoli Gardens โ rides, Friday Rock concerts & Saturday fireworks
- ๐ Nyhavn harbour walk & canal boat tour
- ๐ Reffen Street Food โ waterfront market with 50+ stalls from around the world
- ๐ฐ Rosenborg Castle โ crown jewels & royal gardens
- ๐ CopenHill โ ski slope & climbing wall ON TOP of a power plant (Ailie + Parker!)
- ๐ฒ Bike the city like a local โ Copenhagen is the world's best cycling city
- ๐ฅ Danish pastries & kanelbullar โ bakery crawl (Parker!)
- ๐๏ธ Amager Strandpark โ Copenhagen's urban beach
- ๐๏ธ Torvehallerne market โ gorgeous food stalls & local vendors (Ailie!)
- ๐ฐ Kronborg Castle โ Hamlet's castle in Helsingรธr (45 min train)
๐ธ๐ช Sweden Side Trip โ Malmรถ (35 min train!)
Cross the iconic 8km รresund Bridge into Sweden for a day โ another country stamp for the passports! ๐ Malmรถ is completely different from Copenhagen: relaxed, colourful, and way cheaper for food.
- ๐ Turning Torso โ Scandinavia's tallest building, stunning waterfront walk at Vรคstra Hamnen
- ๐๏ธ Ribersborg Beach โ sandy beach + Kallbadhus (traditional Swedish open-air sauna & sea plunge!)
- ๐ฐ Malmรถhus Castle โ oldest Renaissance castle in Scandinavia
- ๐ฝ๏ธ Malmรถ Saluhall โ Swedish food hall (great lunch, half the price of Copenhagen)
- ๐งฑ Lilla Torg โ charming cobblestone square with cafรฉs & street performers
- ๐๏ธ Malmรถ flea markets & design shops โ Swedish vintage finds (Ailie!)
- ๐ธ รresund Bridge views from the beach โ incredible photo spot
๐ก Bigger Sweden option: Train from Malmรถ โ Gothenburg (3h) for 2-3 nights. Gothenburg has Liseberg amusement park (Parker would LOVE this โ it's Scandinavia's biggest!), archipelago boat tours, and amazing seafood. Then train back to CPH for the cruise.
๐ข Norwegian Fjords Cruise โ BOOKED! โ
Beds: 1 pullman + 1 single sofa bed
๐ฉ๐ช Sun Jul 12 โ Warnemรผnde, Germany (7amโ5pm)
๐ Mon Jul 13 โ Sea Day (relax & explore the ship!)
๐ณ๐ด Tue Jul 14 โ Eidfjord, Norway (8amโ6pm) โ deep in the fjords!
๐ณ๐ด Wed Jul 15 โ Bergen, Norway (12pmโ8pm) ๐ Parker's 14th birthday!
๐ณ๐ด Thu Jul 16 โ Kristiansand, Norway (1pmโ9pm)
๐ณ๐ด Fri Jul 17 โ Oslo, Norway (8amโ4pm)
๐ฉ๐ฐ Sat Jul 18 โ Copenhagen (arrive 9am)
- ๐๏ธ Eidfjord โ tiny village at the end of Hardangerfjord, waterfalls everywhere, Vรธringsfossen falls
- ๐๏ธ Kristiansand โ charming southern Norway town, Posebyen old quarter, great beaches
- ๐๏ธ Oslo โ Viking Ship Museum, Vigeland Sculpture Park, Karl Johans gate
- ๐ฉ๐ช Warnemรผnde โ seaside resort town, lighthouse, optional day trip to Berlin (2h train)
- โฝ Live football on the big screen on board!
- ๐ Pools, waterslides, mini-golf & teen zone on sea days
๐ Parker's 14th Birthday in Bergen โ Fun Activities! tap to expand โพ
We dock at noon, leave at 8pm โ 8 hours to make this birthday epic! Here are the best options:
Fairytale castles, beer gardens, the Alps on the doorstep, and FC Bayern's Allianz Arena. Munich packs a punch even in 3 days.
- ๐ฐ Neuschwanstein Castle โ THE Disney castle
- โฝ Allianz Arena tour (FC Bayern!)
- ๐ English Garden โ watch the river surfers!
- ๐๏ธ Zugspitze โ Germany's highest peak (cable car)
- ๐บ Augustiner beer garden evening
- ๐ฅจ Bavarian pretzel & bakery tour โ fresh Brezen everywhere!
- โฝ Kick-about in the English Garden โ locals play pickup all summer
- ๐๏ธ Viktualienmarkt โ Munich's famous open-air farmers market since 1807 (Ailie!)
Jaw-dropping mountain scenery in the Italian Alps. Via ferrata climbing, the iconic Tre Cime hike, sunrise photography, and lunches at mountain huts with speck & polenta. Ailie & Parker โ there's a high ropes adventure park! ๐งโโ๏ธ
- โฐ๏ธ Seceda Ridgeline โ most iconic Dolomites view
- ๐ง Via Ferrata for beginners (Ailie + Parker!)
- ๐ฅพ Tre Cime di Lavaredo circuit hike
- ๐ข Adventure Park โ zip lines & high ropes
- ๐ธ Sunrise photography at Seceda
- ๐ฆ Italian gelato in Ortisei village โ best in the Alps
- ๐๏ธ Ortisei woodcarving shops & local artisan vendors (Ailie!)
Villa life in the south of France! Lavender fields at peak bloom, turquoise calanques, cliff jumping, Provenรงal markets, and the most beautiful kayaking in Europe through the Gorges du Verdon. This is where we slow down and soak it all in. ๐ฟ
- ๐ Valensole lavender fields โ peak bloom in July!
- ๐ถ Gorges du Verdon kayaking โ French Grand Canyon
- โต Calanques boat trip from Cassis
- ๐ง Canyoning at Gorges du Loup (Ailie + Parker!)
- ๐ท Wine tasting in Cassis (Jen + Paul)
- ๐จโ๐ณ Provenรงal cooking class
- ๐๏ธ Solanas Beach โ steps from our villa!
- ๐คฟ Capo Carbonara snorkeling & boat tour
- ๐๏ธ Quad/ATV excursion (teens will love this!)
- ๐ Sunset boat tour with aperitivo
- ๐๏ธ Day trip to Cagliari old town & markets
- ๐๏ธ Beach hopping: Costa Rei, Cala Pira, Porto Giunco
- ๐ฆ Gelato every single day โ this is Sardinia, it's the law
- โฝ Beach football at sunset โ Solanas has perfect flat sand
- ๐๏ธ San Benedetto market in Cagliari โ biggest covered market in Italy! (Ailie!)
- โ๏ธ View Flight Details โ Aug 5-6