A Scandinavian Journey: Denmark to Sweden

Our Scandinavian journey begins in Denmark's vibrant capital: Copenhagen. Soak up the canals glinting in the afternoon light, copper spires turning green above cobbled streets, and the kind of easy confidence that comes from a city that's been getting things right for a very long time. This evening, you'll meet your Tour Leader and fellow travellers, before settling in for a welcome dinner that sets the tone for the journey ahead: good food, good company, and a sense of what lies ahead.

This morning we'll head north along the coast to Helsingør, where Kronborg Castle rises from a narrow sound with the kind of brooding grandeur that could only have inspired a playwright. This is Elsinore, the real-world fortress that Shakespeare immortalised as the setting for Hamlet, one of the most performed plays in history. Standing here, looking across the water to Sweden, it's easy to imagine Hamlet pacing the same stones. We'll explore the castle's grand halls and cool, vaulted cellars before continuing south to Roskilde.

At the Viking Ship Museum, five original Skuldelev ships await, raised from the seabed after nearly a thousand years beneath the fjord. They are extraordinary objects: the craftsmanship, the scale, the ambition of the people who built them. This afternoon is one of those rare moments where history stops feeling distant.

We'll end the day with a group dinner at Skjoldnæsholm – an elegant 18th-century castle set in sweeping green parkland, traditionally decorated and with a restaurant serving the best of Danish cuisine. It's the kind of place that makes arriving feel like a grand occasion.

What do a tin soldier, a paper ballerina and an ugly ducking have in common? They all stem from the imagination of Odense's most celebrated resident, Hans Christian Anderson. Born here in 1805, in a tiny house on Munkemøllestræde, Andersen grew up in a city that has never quite recovered from the attachment. Our Tour Leader will take us on a walking tour through the old quarter, past the quaint houses and the great cathedral, ending at the doorstep of Andersen's childhood home, where a cobbler's son became a king of storytelling.

We'll spend the afternoon at CLAY Keramikmuseum, where Danish ceramic art gets the beautiful showcase it deserves. Then we'll venture to Ribe – Denmark's oldest town, and tonight's base. Here, half-timbered houses lean over the cobblestones, the cathedral dominates the skyline, and the whole place carries that particular Scandinavian stillness that settles over you like a good coat.

There are towns that deserve a quick visit, and then there are towns like Ribe – places that ask you to slow down, to look closely, and to stay a little longer than planned. Today we'll do exactly that. This morning we'll visit the magnificent Ribe Cathedral, a Romanesque giant that has kept watch over the surrounding marshes since the 12th century. Its tower offers views across the flat Danish landscape that stretch all the way to the North Sea on a clear day.

The afternoon is yours to follow your instincts through the medieval streets – perhaps tracking down one of the local bakeries for a freshly baked wienerbrød pastry, or finding a bench by the river as the afternoon light turns golden. And as darkness settles over Ribe, something rather wonderful happens: the Night Watchman appears, lantern in hand, to lead us through the lamplit lanes with songs and stories from the town's long history. It's a tradition that has been running since 1932, and it still works its magic every single night.

Beneath the fields of northern Jutland lies a world that most people never think to look for. The Mønsted Kalkgruber Lime Pits invite you to discover deeper: the largest man-made limestone caves in the world, hewn by hand over a thousand years ago from the rock beneath the Danish countryside. The tunnels run for miles in every direction, the temperature drops to a permanent eight degrees, and the reach of what medieval people achieved here with nothing but hand tools and determination is staggering.

We'll roam through the caverns, past underground lakes and glittering rock formations, before returning to the surface and continuing north through rolling heathland to Hjørring – our base for the next two nights. The evening is yours to explore at your own pace: the pedestrian streets around Springvandspladsen are lined with tempting local restaurants and cafés, or you could visit the town's stylish local brewery, Bryghuset Vendia, for a meal paired with a range of local craft beers.

We'll head north this morning to Denmark's northernmost tip – Skagen, a place where the Skagerrak and Kattegat seas converge in a restless meeting of waves. This remote and windswept town has long drawn artists and writers who came searching for the particular quality of its light, and it's easy to see why: the dunes are vast, the sky is enormous, and the sense of standing at the very edge of things is impossible to shake.

There are two sides to Skagen, the one most visitors see, and the one our Tour Leaders knows. They'll take us beyond the galleries and gift shops, and through its distinctive yellow-painted streets and coastline before we reach one of Skagen's most remarkable sights: Tilsandede Kirke, the Buried Church. Over centuries, drifting sand engulfed the medieval church until only its tower remained, rising from the dunes like a monument to the unstoppable force of the landscape. Back in Hjørring this evening, the rest of the day is yours.

The Kattegat has been crossed by seafarers for thousands of years – Vikings, merchants, fishermen – and this morning it's our turn. We'll make our way to the port of Frederikshavn and board the ferry to Sweden. Out on the water, with the Danish coastline softening behind us, it's hard not to think back to those extraordinary Viking ships in Roskilde – these are the very waters their builders once commanded, though our crossing will be considerably more comfortable!

As Gothenburg comes into view, the city makes a strong first impression: a handsome waterfront, a skyline that catches the afternoon light, and a sense of ease that is very much the character of Sweden's second city. We'll arrive with time to get settled and find our feet before the evening, which is yours to explore a string of neighbourhood restaurants showcasing the day's catch from the west coast. A bowl of freshly cooked prawns on the harbourfront, served with warm bread and butter, is as good an introduction to Swedish life as any.

With a full day in Gothenburg ahead of us, we'll set off on foot with our expert Tour Leader, through streets lined with 17th-century Dutch-influenced architecture – a legacy of the city's trading history – and into the elegant avenues and canalside paths that give Gothenburg its particular unhurried charm. The city's famous avenue, Kungsportsavenyn, the Haga district with its traditional wooden houses, and the beautifully tended gardens all paint a picture of a place that genuinely rewards wandering.

Lunch today is at a local restaurant, giving you the chance to sample Swedish cuisine in a more relaxed setting. The afternoon and evening are then yours to explore at your own pace, perhaps finding a café, browsing the independent shops, or simply sitting by the water, where boats slip past and reflections blur the line between city and sea.

We'll leave Gothenburg this morning and head inland, stopping en route in Trollhättan – a town whose name translates loosely as 'Goblin's Hat' and which has rather more to it than the whimsical name might suggest. In local folklore, the goblins were said to haunt the dramatic falls of the Göta River, and standing here it's easy to see why the landscape fires the imagination.

We'll pass Koberg Castle keeping watch over the surrounding countryside and a striking neogothic church that ranks among the finest of its kind in Sweden, before reaching the real engineering marvel: the canal lock system, a series of dramatic locks that has been lifting vessels up and down the gorge since the 18th century and still operates today.

From Trollhättan we'll continue southeast to Gränna, our home for the next two nights, picturesquely positioned on the eastern shore of Lake Vättern. We'll settle in this evening over a group dinner – the perfect moment to reflect on the day's discoveries of goblin folklore, Gothic architecture and the impressive engineering of 18th-century Sweden.

Today is devoted to two of the more unexpected pleasures of the Swedish countryside. This morning we'll head to Skullaryd Moose Park, where a tractor-led wagon will carry us through the nature reserve in search of the great unhurried giants of the Scandinavian trees. Each moose here has a name and a personality to match, and before long you'll feel as though you're on first-name terms with them. Our local guide will share their stories while explaining how vital these animals are to the surrounding ecosystem.

From forest encounters to something a little sweeter, we'll continue to the Candy Stick Factory, where Gränna's most famous export – the distinctive red-and-white striped polkagrisar sweet – has been made entirely by hand since 1859. A local expert will guide us through the process with a demonstration, pulling and twisting the warm candy into its characteristic shape before cutting it to size: a craft that looks deceptively simple and is quietly mesmerising to watch.

This evening is free, with Gränna's restaurants yours to explore. As a town sitting on the shores of Lake Vättern, it has access to some excellent freshwater fish, and we suggest trying the perch or whitefish at a local restaurant.

The final full day of the journey begins with one of Sweden's quiet cultural treasures. The open-air museum of Wadköping in Örebro is a carefully preserved collection of historic farm buildings, alleyways and traditional workshops that brings an earlier era of Swedish life vividly back to life. Among the houses is the childhood home of Cajsa Warg, the 18th-century writer whose cookbook became one of the most celebrated works in Swedish culinary history – her famous philosophy of "take what you have" still shaping Swedish kitchens today.

After time to wander and explore at our own pace, we'll continue to our accommodation for the night: a beautifully restored manor house hotel in the Swedish countryside, the kind of place that feels like a discovery in itself – grand enough to impress, intimate enough to feel like a retreat. Here, we'll gather for a final group dinner, celebrating the journey and the people we've shared it with – who, by now, feel rather more like old friends than fellow travellers.

Few royal residences in Europe feel quite as liveable as Drottningholm Palace. The private home of the Swedish Royal Family and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it sits on the shores of Lake Mälaren just west of the city with a calm grandeur that makes it easy to linger. Formal baroque gardens stretch away from the main building, an 18th-century court theatre survives in remarkable condition, and the Chinese Pavilion tucked away in the grounds is a delightful surprise. Unlike many royal residences, parts of Drottningholm remain a working family home, which gives the whole visit an unusual intimacy.

From here, we'll board a canal boat for the final leg of our journey, gliding along the waterway as Stockholm gradually reveals itself around each bend – an aptly gentle ending. As the boat docks in the heart of the city, our Scandinavian adventure draws to a close.