OREANDA-NEWS. May 18, 2015. First call to Stockholm for the Costa Luminosa, a ship of the Italian Costa Cruises fleet (www.costacruise.com). Each week, up to 22 August, the Swedish capital will be the port of departure for the Costa Luminosa's new itinerary, “Jewels of the Baltic”, for a total of 15 cruises.

This new cruise, an exclusive of Costa Cruises, focuses on long stopovers in 4 amazing cities of the Baltic Sea. The ship's arrival in Stockholm was celebrated with a ceremony whose participants included Elena Basile, Italian Ambassador to Sweden, Stefan Hansson, Chairman of the board of Ports of Stockholm, Thomas Andersson, CEO Stockholm Visitors Board, Henrik Ahlqvist, Manager Cruise & Ferry & Deputy Harbour Master and Andrea Tavella, Sales & Marketing Director North Europe of Costa Cruises.

“Each year we work to propose something unique to our guests. Our aim, with the Costa Luminosa, is to offer a new way to enjoy North Europe. We have focused on quality, choosing few but select and incredibly charming cities in the Baltic Sea that guests can discover in the best way possible, thanks to the long stopovers that include overnight stays. Stockholm is the departure port and one of the strong points of this itinerary – states Andrea Tavella, Sales & Marketing Director North Europe of Costa Cruises – During the two-day stopover, our guests will be able to fully enjoy an extensive tour of this splendid city. In the summer we expect to bring about 30,000 visitors to Stockholm. While most of these guests will be Italian, Spanish and French, we also expect a good number of Scandinavian customers”.  

Costa Luminosa, entered into service 2009, is one of the most beautiful and elegant ships of Costa Cruises fleet. One of the highlights is “Reclining Woman 2004”, a wonderful sculpture by Fernando Botero, which is the focal point of the spectacular central atrium. The one-week itinerary, "Jewels of the Baltic", departs from Stockholm, with a one-day and one-night stopover; from there the Costa Luminosa will continue to Helsinki (Finland); then two days and one night in St. Petersburg (Russia); a day call to Tallinn (Estonia) and return with one day and one night again in Stockholm.

In Stockholm, guests can choose from among a wide choice of excursions: a boat trip to the 14 islands comprising the city; or a bicycle trip in the royal gardens of Djurg?rden; a visit to the Royal Palace and the old city; a panoramic tour from the 130-metre-tall Sky View; a visit to the Vasa Museum, with the world's only fully preserved seventeenth-century ship; an evening at the Ice Bar; or shopping in the many design shops. Helsinki (Finland) can be visited by boat or bike. Some of the many places of interest include the Parliament, the National Museum, Finlandia Hall, designed by the famous architect Alvar Aalto, and the new Opera Theatre. From Helsinki guests can discover the old city of Porvoo, with its historic centre and characteristic small wooden houses.

The two-day and one-night call to St. Petersburg, the Venice of the North, will allow guests to admire all its unique main attractions, including the Hermitage Museum, the beautiful palaces on the Neva, like the Winter Palace, the Nevsky Prospect, and The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. Guests can also attend a classical dance show or take a cruise on the city canals. Tallinn instead is famous for its medieval historical centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The heart of the capital is also its Town Hall, a Gothic structure dating back to the 1400s, and next to Raeapteek, Europe's oldest municipal pharmacy that's still open for business.