Regal Copenhagen is our meeting point and a fine introduction to Scandinavia. On our introductory walk around the city, we’ll visit the Christiansborg Palace, home of the Danish Parliament and Royal Reception Rooms, and end the day with a lovely walk and lakeside dinner in the charming town of Fredensborg (2 nights).

A walk through the colorful countryside precedes a visit to the world-famous Fredericksborg Castle, known as the Danish Versailles. After lunch and a stroll past some half-timbered houses, we pick up a coastal trail that winds through seaside mansions and small villages, with dramatic views of the Øresund waters.  Our afternoon walk ends at the famous Louisiana Musuem of Modern Art, housed in a 19th century villa.

We take a morning visit to the Kronbørg Castle in Helsingør (Hamlet’s Elsinore). A brief scenic ferry ride lands us in Sweden for a walk through a lakeside convent, surrounded by beautiful gardens, filled with ancient herbs and medicinal plants used by the nuns for centuries. The medieval village of Ystad (2 nights) is beautifully preserved and home to a major artists’ colony. It’s our base for walks along the tranquil Baltic, past quaint fishing villages and to the mysterious Viking standing stones. We return to Denmark by way of the incredible Øresund bridge for a brief flight to Norway.

In the last 12 miles of our train trip from Bergen (2 nights) to the shores Songefjord, Norway’s most awesome fjord, we descend 2,580 feet past waterfalls and stunning views. We’ll lunch in a waterside village before a remarkable cruise through the sliver-thin fjord. On our last day, we go by funicular up to Fløyem and its huge views of the sea and mountains. Then ride back down—or take the spectacular trail overlooking the North Sea—before we part company in Bergen.