How much does it cost?

From £3,299 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $4,456 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.

Is this an escorted or independent tour?

It is escorted. A UK Tour Manager accompanies you from London through the end of the tour, overseeing all logistics and guiding sightseeing.

Which trains are used?

Eurostar (Plus class, London to Brussels and return), high-speed rail (Brussels to Bremen via Cologne, First Class; Bremen to Copenhagen, Standard), standard rail (Copenhagen to Stockholm via Øresund Bridge, Standard), and First Class rail (Hamburg to Cologne, Cologne to Brussels, and the return Brussels to London leg).

How many nights does the tour run, and can I take the flight option instead of the ferry?

The full tour is 16 days and 15 nights. On day 13 in Helsinki, you may choose to fly back to London Heathrow (tour ends, 13 days total) or take the overnight ferry to Travemünde and complete the 16-day rail return.

What hotels are included?

Four-star hotels in Bremen (Maritim), Copenhagen (Scandic Copenhagen), Stockholm (Scandic Continental), Riga (Radisson Blu Latvija), Tallinn (Radisson Blu), and Helsinki (Radisson Blu Aleksanteri), plus a five-star Radisson Blu Senator in Lübeck and a hotel in Cologne. All are 4 or 5-star except where not named explicitly.

What meals are included?

Great Rail Journeys includes breakfast each day, one lunch (smørrebrød in Copenhagen on day 3), Eurostar light meals, and six dinners in hotel restaurants or partner venues. Other meals are independent.

Great Rail Journeys · Escorted tour

Highlights of the Baltics & Scandinavia

16-day escorted rail journey from London through Scandinavia and the Baltic capitals.

Great Rail Journeys' 16-day Highlights of the Baltics & Scandinavia is an escorted group tour from London through six countries via rail, coach, and ferry. You travel Eurostar Plus from London St Pancras to Brussels, then First Class rail through Cologne and Bremen to Copenhagen, where a guided tour includes the Nyhavn Canal by boat and Amalienborg Palace. The route continues north by high-speed rail to Stockholm for three nights, crossing the Øresund Bridge into Sweden and passing forests and lakes. A short flight carries the group over the Baltic Sea to Riga, where a three-hour guided tour reveals the 13th-century cathedral, House of the Black Heads, and medieval architecture. Coach travel along the Gulf of Riga leads to Tallinn's cobblestone streets, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and the oldest surviving town hall in northern Europe. A morning ferry crosses the Gulf of Finland to Helsinki, where the guided tour showcases Senate Square, the rock church, and the 1952 Olympic Stadium.

Price history

Across 5 checks, this price has held at £3,299 every time.

Each point is a day we checked this operator's own page, not a weekly average, and the line holds flat between checks rather than guessing at movement we did not see. 3 of 5 points are a live read of the operator's page. Hollow points are values shown when the trip was first listed here and never confirmed with the operator.

What to know before you look closer

The tour offers two return options: a flight from Helsinki to London on day 13 (13-day duration) or an overnight ferry from Tallinn to Travemünde plus rail back to London (full 16 days). Confirm which suits you before booking.
The single-room supplement is GBP 1,000 above the price of half a double room, a significant premium.
Group size can reach 40 travellers; confirm your departure date's expected group size with Great Rail Journeys.

Day by day

The operator's published day-by-day is incomplete (day 13: the operator offers a choice of hotels for this night; the town comes from its heading and the options are listed separately). Day counts and hotel changes are not calculated from it.

Day 1railovernight: Bremen
By rail from London to the Hanseatic city of Bremen
Meeting the Tour Manager at London St Pancras, we board the Eurostar in Plus class to Brussels with a light meal at our seats, then continue by First Class rail via Cologne to Bremen. This evening, we enjoy our first dinner together in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 2railovernight: Copenhagen
To Copenhagen by high-speed rail
We travel by train via Hamburg to Copenhagen, crossing the Kiel Canal via the Rendsburg High Bridge and passing through Odense. Arriving this evening, we check in to our hotel overlooking the city hall before a three-course dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Day 3overnight: Copenhagen
Discovering the delights of the Danish capital
A guided tour of Copenhagen takes in the Amalienborg Palace and the Little Mermaid statue, followed by a cruise along the Nyhavn Canal and a traditional Danish smørrebrød lunch. The evening is free to explore.
Day 4overnight: Stockholm
Copenhagen to Stockholm via the Øresund Bridge
We cross the Øresund Bridge into Sweden, travelling through the Swedish interior to Stockholm. We check in to our central hotel for three nights and have dinner in the hotel's restaurant.
Day 5overnight: Stockholm
Uncovering the old-world beauty of Stockholm
A guided coach tour of Stockholm takes in the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan and the red-brick City Hall, with free time to lunch independently and explore in the afternoon and evening.
Day 6overnight: Stockholm
Day at leisure in cultural Stockholm
A free day to explore Stockholm's museums, including Fotografiska, the Vasa Museum or the ABBA Museum, or explore the city's metro art gallery stations.
Day 7overnight: Riga
Across the Baltic Sea to Riga
After breakfast we transfer to the airport for a short flight over the Baltic Sea to Riga, Latvia. After checking in to our four-star hotel, there's free time to unwind or explore, with dinner this evening at our landmark hotel.
Day 8overnight: Riga
Stepping into history on a tour of Old Riga
A three-hour coach tour of Riga's Old Town takes in the House of the Black Heads and Riga's 13th-century cathedral, with a free afternoon to explore the Art Nouveau buildings of Albert Street.
Day 9overnight: Tallinn
Along the Gulf of Riga to Estonia's charming capital
We travel by coach along the Gulf of Riga into Estonia. On arrival in Tallinn, a guided sightseeing tour takes in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Toompea district, St Mary's Cathedral and the House of the Black Heads. Dinner this evening is in our hotel's restaurant.
Day 10overnight: Tallinn
Discovering the medieval sights of Tallinn
A free day to explore Tallinn's cobblestone streets, Master's Courtyard, the Niguliste art museum and the Kiek in de Kök tower and Bastion Tunnels.
Day 11overnight: Helsinki
Ferry across the Gulf of Finland to Helsinki
A morning ferry across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki, followed by a guided coach tour taking in Senate Square, the 1952 Olympic Stadium and the Temppeliaukio rock church. We check in to our central hotel with the rest of the afternoon at leisure.
Day 12overnight: Helsinki
Free time to explore Helsinki
A free day to explore Helsinki's archipelago at leisure, perhaps visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress or the Uspenski Cathedral in Katajanokka.
Day 13rail
Overnight ferry to Germany, or flight back to London
A leisurely morning in Helsinki. On the fly-home version of this tour (13 days total), you transfer to Helsinki airport this afternoon for a flight back to London Heathrow, arriving in the early evening, and the tour ends here. On return-by-rail departures, you instead transfer to the ferry terminal for an overnight ferry crossing to Travemünde, Germany, with ensuite cabins and lunch and dinner provided on board.
Hotel options: On board overnight ferry to Travemünde (rail-return version only)
Day 14overnight: Lübeck
Arrival in Travemünde and a night in historic Lübeck
Brunch is enjoyed onboard the ferry as it crosses the Baltic Sea. Disembarking in Travemünde this evening after dinner aboard, we transfer to our five-star hotel overlooking Lübeck's Old Town for the night.
Day 15railovernight: Cologne
Inland to the Rhine by rail
A leisurely morning to explore Lübeck's UNESCO-listed centre, including the Holsten Gate. Around noon, we transfer by coach to Hamburg and board First Class carriages direct to Cologne for the night, gathering for our final dinner together.
Day 16rail
Homeward bound
We transfer to Cologne station for a morning train to Brussels in First Class, then change to Plus class on the Eurostar for a light meal in our seats back to London St Pancras, where your exploration of Scandinavia and the Baltics concludes.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 1Board Eurostar Plus class from London St Pancras to Brussels, with light meal at your seat, then continue First Class rail through Cologne to Bremen on the Weser.
Day 3Guided tour of Copenhagen's Amalienborg Palace, the Little Mermaid statue, and a cruise along the Nyhavn Canal, with lunch of traditional Danish smørrebrød.
Day 4Cross the Øresund Bridge from Copenhagen into Sweden, travelling through red wooden houses, boreal forests, and lakes to Stockholm.
Day 5Guided coach tour of Stockholm's Royal Palace in Gamla Stan, medieval old town streets, and City Hall where the Nobel Prize ceremony is held.
Day 11Ferry across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki and guided tour of Senate Square, the green-domed cathedral, the 1952 Olympic Stadium, and the Temppeliaukio rock church.

Included

Expertise of a UK Tour Manager from start to finish
12 nights' 4 & 5-Star hotel accommodation
Eurostar Plus First & Standard Class rail travel
All rail, ferry and coach travel throughout your tour
Flight from Helsinki to London Heathrow
All internal flights
Eurostar light meal
Breakfast each day, 1 lunch, 6 dinners
Group luggage transfers between hotels from Copenhagen to Stockholm
All guided tours and excursions

Not included

Cancellation & Travel Insurance

Questions travellers ask

How much does it cost?: From £3,299 per person, the operator's advertised from-price, read on its own page on 12 Sept 2026. About $4,456 at ECB reference rates. Departures, room types and dates can price differently; the operator's page is the final word.
Is this an escorted or independent tour?: It is escorted. A UK Tour Manager accompanies you from London through the end of the tour, overseeing all logistics and guiding sightseeing.
Which trains are used?: Eurostar (Plus class, London to Brussels and return), high-speed rail (Brussels to Bremen via Cologne, First Class; Bremen to Copenhagen, Standard), standard rail (Copenhagen to Stockholm via Øresund Bridge, Standard), and First Class rail (Hamburg to Cologne, Cologne to Brussels, and the return Brussels to London leg).
How many nights does the tour run, and can I take the flight option instead of the ferry?: The full tour is 16 days and 15 nights. On day 13 in Helsinki, you may choose to fly back to London Heathrow (tour ends, 13 days total) or take the overnight ferry to Travemünde and complete the 16-day rail return.
What hotels are included?: Four-star hotels in Bremen (Maritim), Copenhagen (Scandic Copenhagen), Stockholm (Scandic Continental), Riga (Radisson Blu Latvija), Tallinn (Radisson Blu), and Helsinki (Radisson Blu Aleksanteri), plus a five-star Radisson Blu Senator in Lübeck and a hotel in Cologne. All are 4 or 5-star except where not named explicitly.
What meals are included?: Great Rail Journeys includes breakfast each day, one lunch (smørrebrød in Copenhagen on day 3), Eurostar light meals, and six dinners in hotel restaurants or partner venues. Other meals are independent.