Finland’s lovely capital Helsinki is a maritime city, with the sea on three sides and almost 100 kilometres of shoreline, as well as around 300 islands. Its contemporary architecture and focus on modern design sit surprisingly well alongside its four hundred year history.

Longyearbyen is the largest settlement in Svalbard, remotely located in the high Norwegian Arctic, and originally built as a mining town. The locals continue to make the best of this hostile environment, and brightly painted wooden buildings line the main street. The surrounding area is breathtakingly beautiful.

Spitsbergen is the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago, a land of snowy peaks, frozen tundra and glassy seas. You’ll likely have no fixed itinerary here, due to the unpredictable nature of an Arctic expedition; be prepared to drop everything and rush up to the top deck for the chance of a polar bear sighting!