Nordic Journey: Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn and the Arctic Circle

From Stuttgart, we flew to Stockholm – the start of a trip that would take us straight across the North.

Stockholm doesn’t need a warm-up. The old town, Gamla Stan, pulls you in immediately – narrow lanes, colorful facades, cobblestones, and hidden courtyards everywhere. The second must-see: the Vasa Museum. Here stands a faithfully preserved warship from 1628 that sank just minutes into its maiden voyage and was recovered from the water 333 years later. Standing in front of it – five stories tall and almost entirely intact – your first thought is simply: how is this even possible?

From Stockholm, we continued by sea to Helsinki – overnight by ferry, an experience in itself. And Helsinki immediately inspired a detour: Tallinn is just two and a half hours away by ferry, and once you’re in Helsinki, skipping the Estonian capital would feel careless. Tallinn’s medieval old town is one of the best-preserved in Europe – almost too perfect to be real.

Back in Helsinki, we boarded the night train from the central station to Rovaniemi – right on the Arctic Circle. If you travel this far north, you don’t skip Santa Claus Village. Yes, it’s touristy. Yes, it’s staged. But when you actually stand with one foot north and the other south of the Arctic Circle line, you forget about that for a moment. And the sign marking the exact latitude is worth setting the skepticism aside.

For the return journey, we took the Santa Claus Express back to Helsinki – a night train with private sleeping cabins that makes the long stretch effortless. From Helsinki Airport, we finally flew back to Stuttgart via Munich.