Nordic Sea Treasures

Brest is a port city in Brittany, in northwestern France, bisected by the Penfeld river. It’s known for its rich maritime history and naval base. At the mouth of the Penfeld, overlooking the harbor, is the National Navy Museum, housed in the medieval Château de Brest. Across the river stands Tour Tanguy, a medieval tower. To the northeast are the National Botanical Conservatory and the Océanopolis aquarium.

Ostend is a city on the Belgian coast. It’s known for its long beach and promenade. Docked in the marina, the Mercator is a 3-masted 1930s ship that now acts as a floating museum. The Mu.ZEE displays Belgian art from the 1830s onward. The neo-Gothic–style Church of St. Peter and St. Paul has soaring spires and distinctive stained-glass windows.

On a peninsula jutting out into the North Sea from a jagged coastline, we discover Stavanger. This picturesque city has a magnificent 12th Century cathedral and over 173 wooden buildings, dating back to the 18th Century. Pretty cobbled streets only add to its particular charm.

Located at the end of Byfjord, Bergen was the capital of Norway in the 12th and 13th Centuries and has preserved some very beautiful monuments from the time when it was home to royalty. Wandering through Bergen’s streets means going back in time, in search of the hidden treasures that have been listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. A veritable openair museum, Bergen is home to a thriving artistic community of painters, potters, jewellers. The Bergen cable car offers you a splendid panorama over the port and the surrounding fjords. Do not miss the visit to the old quarter with its narrow streets, a testimony of the power of the hanseatic League that controlled trade in Northern Europe at the end of the Middle Ages.

Ålesund is a port town on the west coast of Norway, at the entrance to the Geirangerfjord. It’s known for the art nouveau architectural style in which most of the town was rebuilt after a fire in 1904, as documented at the Jugendstilsenteret museum. There are panoramic views of Ålesund’s architecture, the surrounding archipelago and fjords from the Mount Aksla lookout.

City of Viking kings and historic capital of Norway, trondheim is to be found in the largest of the Norwegian fjords. The city’s modern pedestrianised centre, historic districts, museums and Nidaros Cathedral, home to Norway’s crown jewels, make this a port of call not to be missed.

Way beyond the Arctic Circle, Lofoten Islands are truly considered to be in “another world”. A jewel of nature in its most pristine state, this archipelago with its jagged coastline offers you majestic settings of high alpine summits, sandy beaches, green prairies and fjords of a deep blue, where countless bird colonies make their nests. Whether you visit Å, or Nusjford, listed by UNESCO, enjoy authentic and memorable moments.

A former whale hunting capital of the Arctic, Tromsö (Norway) is better known these days as the Paris of the North. A young and vibrant city, it has retained its authentic cachet thanks to the typical yet not so common wooden dwellings. The Arctic Cathedral, whose stained glass windows are among the highest in Europe, and the polar museum, are just two of many sites worth a visit.