The Gulf of Bothnia, at the Gateway to the Arctic

Kemi is a town on Bothnian Bay in Lapland, Finland. It’s known for the massive Sampo icebreaker, a giant ship built to ply the Arctic waters. At Kemi’s harbor is the SnowCastle, a seasonal carved-ice complex. Kemi Lutheran Church is a Gothic Revival structure with an ornate, red-brick exterior. To the north, Bothnian Bay National Park has old fishing huts, rare plants and abundant birds, including Arctic terns.

Kemi is a town on Bothnian Bay in Lapland, Finland. It’s known for the massive Sampo icebreaker, a giant ship built to ply the Arctic waters. At Kemi’s harbor is the SnowCastle, a seasonal carved-ice complex. Kemi Lutheran Church is a Gothic Revival structure with an ornate, red-brick exterior. To the north, Bothnian Bay National Park has old fishing huts, rare plants and abundant birds, including Arctic terns.

Oulu is a city in central Finland, where the Oulujoki River meets the Bay of Bothnia. Its waterfront square, Kauppatori, is home to food stalls and the Toripolliisi, a squat policeman statue. The Tietomaa Science Centre offers interactive exhibits and a large cinema screen for 3D films. Nearby, the Oulu Museum Of Art showcases regional works. The Northern Ostrobothnia Museum chronicles the city's cultural history.

From this genuine and well-preserved city in the Great North of Sweden, you will make your way to the medieval village of Gammelstad. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site notable for its stonebuilt church, the only surviving relic from the 15th Century giving us some idea of the region’s cultural wealth in those days. The Arctic Circle is a stone’s throw from here with its stunning landscapes and almost uninhabited territory where the indigenous nomadic Sami people still herd their reindeer.

With some 600 wooden houses from the 18th Century the old district of Rauma is the main attraction of this ancient maritime city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Enjoy a promenade round the heart of the town with its delightful cafés, antique shops and lace boutiques, a Rauma speciality.

Without a doubt Stockholm is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and a vacation in Sweden with an MSC cruise will prove it. Built on no fewer than fourteen islands, where the fresh water of Lake Mälaren meets the brackish Baltic Sea, clean air and open space are in plentiful supply here. An MSC cruise of Northern Europe will give you the opportunity to appreciate its port front, reach the Baltic Sea and experience the atmospheres with a tour of the town where broad boulevards lined with elegant buildings are reflected in the deep blue water, and rows of painted wooden houseboats bob gently alongside the cobbled waterfront. But Stockholm is also a hi-tech metropolis, as you will find out on your excursion on land during your cruise, with futuristic skyscrapers and a bustling commercial heart. The old town, Gamla Stan, is a district with cobbled streets and narrow alleyways huddled together on a triangular-shaped island. Today the area is an atmospheric mixture of buildings surrounded on all sides by a latticework of medieval lanes and alleyways. The district of Norrmalm swaps tradition for a thoroughly contemporary feel: this is downtown Stockholm where you’ll find shopping malls, huge department stores and conspicuous, showy wealth. In the green island of Djurgården you can see an extraordinary 17th century warship, the Vasa, rescued and preserved after sinking in Stockholm harbour. Cross Norrbron or Riksbron from the Riksdagshuset and up rears the most distinctive monumental building in Stockholm, Kungliga Slottet – a low, square, yellowy-brown construction, with two arms that stretch down towards the water. It’s uniform and sombre outside, but with a magnificent Rococo interior that’s a swirl of staterooms and museums. Itssheer size is quite overwhelming: you should not miss the Royal Apartments and the Treasure Room. The former are used for royal receptions and the second keeps a collection of crowns studded with precious stones.

"A thriving, flawlessly-designed seaside city, Helsinki is famously livable and inspiring. A regional powerhouse of outstanding design and creativity, Helsinki lies across a confetti scattering of 300 islands and skerries in the Gulf of Finland. Known for the light granite hue of its buildings - which lend the city a bright, whitewashed appearance - traditional buildings mingle seamlessly with bold new structures, showcasing Finland's celebrated design outlook. Helsinki Cathedral is the crowning glory - rising high over the city's waterfront with its pearly white domes gleaming. View less A city that reveres knowledge and creativity above all else, artworks and statues litter the streets and parks, honouring creative minds of the past. Open parks offer space to lie back and soak up summer's sun, while sculptures like the abstract organs of the Sibelius Monument celebrate national heroes like composer Jean Sibelius - whose music gave Finland national identity in the quest for independence. Feel the stunning acoustics of the incredible Rock Church deep in your gut, as you witness a performance in this collaboration between man and nature. Built into the rock underground, the amphitheatre's soaring copper bowl roof is suspended dramatically on a bed of glass windows. One of Helsinki's many incredible buildings, the Design Museum offers a comprehensive insight into the city's balance of style, function and form. Helsinki's easy-going, forward-thinking way of life was hard fought for, and the spectacular Suomenlinna fortress rears out of the waves as a reminder of the historical struggles that have played out in this stretch of sea. The chain of forts covers six islands and was built to defend the archipelago when it fell under Swedish rule. Sail out to the quaint little beaches, and waterfront pathways that now lend a calm, peaceful ambience to this UNESCO World Heritage Site."