Stockholm is located on the islands between the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren, in Sweden. You’ll want to take a boat ride under the bridges of Stockholm, and you’ll think you’re in Venice!

Be adventurous on your trip to Stockholm and indulge in some great excursions, such as the harbor islands or to Lake Mälaren’s Royal Palace of Drottningholm, with its lovely grounds and 18th-century theater. Or visit one of the many museums, there are over 50 in the city!

Delight your palate with the wealth of culinary offerings in Stockholm. For wonderful food and a taste of history too, don’t miss Den Gyldene Freden, an 18th-century Swedish restaurant in Gamla Stan.

To reach Stockholm, you can board a City Night Line overnight train from Venice to Munich (approximately 7.5 hours). From Munich, you can take another City Night Line overnight train to Copenhagen (approximately 15 hours).

From Copenhagen, you can travel direct by train to Stockholm (approximately 5.5 hours).

In all, this rail adventure will take about 28 hours by rail. The great part about this trip is that two rail segments are overnight trains, meaning you can spend the day in Venice and Munich sightseeing before you board the train. Click here to get more information about Stockholm.

A Norway Pass can help you get from city to city while in Norway, giving you access to the Norwegian rail network. Plus, with the Royal Fjord Tour, visitors will get to experience a combination of trains and express boat, providing spectacular scenery including mountains, sea and of course, fjords. The tour offers several routes combining several cities in Norway. For this issue of Explorer we will take a closer look at what Oslo has to offer it’s travelers.

Travelers often overlook Scandinavia as dream vacation plans are drafted. However, this region of Europe has much to offer.

Norway is one of the largest countries in Europe. Aside from its breathtaking scenery, it offers spectacular fjords, mountains and peaceful valleys. Art, music and literature create the pleasant atmosphere visitors come across in Norway.

Oslo is the capital of this intriguing country. As you read on, you will discover some of the great things that make Oslo a terrific tourist destination.

Let’s begin at the Kon-Tiki Museum. Housed within the walls of this museum are a collection of boats and artifacts from Thor Heyerdahl’s expeditions. It is here where you can see the original Kon-Tiki raft with a 30-foot whale shark underneath. Also, various statues and a secret family cave from Easter Island. Kids and adults enjoy the interactive touch screen with CD-ROM facilities and the cinema with its non-stop showings. This truly is a great museum to explore.

The Vigeland sculpture park is one of Norway’s most visited attractions with more than 1 million visitors every year. This unique sculpture park displays the life work of the sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). Here visitors will find more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and cast iron. Vigeland, himself, was responsible for the design and architectural outline of the park. This park is truly a monumental artistic creation with a human message, which should not be missed.

Moving on now to the Viking Ship Museum. This museum is part of the University Museum of Cultural Heritage. In this museum, visitors will encounter Great Viking-ship discoveries from Gokstad, Oseberg and Tune as well as other finds from Viking tombs around the Oslo Fjord. It is here where the world’s two best-preserved wooden Viking ships built in the 9th century can be found. Interesting and historical, this is a great museum to spend an afternoon in.

After a visit to the Viking Ship Museum, stop by the Polar Ship Fram. The FRAM was a safe haven for some of the most famous polar explorers and adventurers. This ship holds the title of being the strongest wooden ship ever built. It continues to hold the records for sailing farthest north and farthest south. FRAM and stories from its expeditions continue to create excitement among audiences from all over the world almost 100 years after the ship retired from active duty. Be sure to climb aboard the ship to get a good idea how the crew and their dogs lived and managed to survive in the coldest and most dangerous places on earth – the Arctic and the Antarctic. You will leave this museum in awe!

We’ll end our journey to Oslo at the TusenFryd. This is considered to be Norway’s number one amusement park. Here visitors can enjoy a ride on one of thirty-three carousels and attractions. If you’re not much of a thrill seeker, no worries, there are many games that you can try your luck at or visit one of twenty-three restaurants. This park offers something for everyone, including Scandinavia’s most amazing rollercoaster that takes you from 0 to 90 in 2 seconds! Definitely a MUST on your trip to Oslo!

We hope you enjoyed reading about Oslo in this issue of Explorer. It really is a city that you should give some consideration to as you plan your next trip. You can get a Norway Pass and explore all this magnificent country possesses. Plus, enjoy a scenic adventure with the Royal Fjord Tour, if you take this tour, don’t forget your camera!