33-Night Northern Europe from Lisbon

Lisbon cruise port is one of the most atmospheric arrivals in Europe. Ships sail up the Tagus River past the 25 de Abril Bridge (a near-twin of San Francisco's Golden Gate) and the Christ the King statue, with the city rising up on seven hills to the north.

Bordeaux is one of France's great cities, a UNESCO-listed urban center on the Garonne River in southwestern France known worldwide for its wine but increasingly recognized for its architecture, food scene, and cultural institutions. The Bordeaux cruise port is unusual: ocean-going cruise ships dock at the industrial port facility at Le Verdon-sur-Mer at the mouth of the Gironde estuary, about 100 km from Bordeaux city center, or occasionally at Bassens or Pauillac closer to the city.

Paris (Le Havre) cruise port is the gateway from Northern European cruise itineraries to Paris and Normandy. Le Havre itself is a port city on the Normandy coast where the Seine River meets the English Channel, about 200 kilometers northwest of Paris.

Zeebrugge is a North Sea port about 15 km from Bruges, one of Europe's best-preserved medieval cities. Ships dock at Zeebrugge, but the destination is Bruges: a city of 120,000 people whose medieval center survived the centuries virtually intact because the city's commercial importance faded after the Zwin river silted up in the 15th century, and nobody had a reason to tear anything down.

Bergen cruise port is Norway's largest and the main gateway to the Norwegian fjords. The city sits on the country's western coast, surrounded by seven mountains and a network of deep, narrow fjords carved out by glaciers over thousands of years.

Oslo is Norway's capital, home to about 700,000 people in a city wrapped around the head of the Oslofjord with forested hills rising on every side. The city has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past two decades, with the harbor district rebuilt from industrial docks into a waterfront of museums, restaurants, and public spaces anchored by the angular white marble Opera House.

Copenhagen cruise port is the main cruise gateway to Scandinavia and one of the most important embarkation ports for Baltic and Norwegian fjord itineraries. The city has three cruise terminals.

Warnemunde is a seaside resort town at the mouth of the Warnow River on Germany's Baltic coast, serving as the cruise port for the Hanseatic city of Rostock and, more importantly for most passengers, as the gateway to Berlin, about 230 km (2.5 hours) to the south.

Tallinn's remarkably well-preserved medieval Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with cobblestone streets, Gothic spires, and the Toompea Castle all walkable from the cruise port. The city offers excellent craft markets, medieval restaurants, and Baltic charm.

Stockholm is Sweden's capital and the largest city in Scandinavia, built across 14 islands where Lake Malaren meets the Baltic Sea. The approach by cruise ship through the Stockholm Archipelago, a chain of roughly 30,000 islands stretching 80 kilometers east of the city, is consistently rated one of the most scenic port arrivals in Europe.