Göta Canal the complete cruise excursions
Enjoy an unforgettable 6-day cruise on the most spectacular waterway through the heartland of Sweden plus eat out in Sweden's two great 'foodie' cities, Stockholm and Gothenburg.
Take the slow road through Sweden on the vintage steamship, MS Diana. This tour, Göta Canal the grand cruise, includes a night in Stockholm and a night in Gothenburg at either end of the cruise plus stops along the Göta Canal each night. The staff are friendly, courteous, knowledgeable and helpful, all local Swedes passionate about their home country. The atmosphere relaxed and there is plenty of time to converse with fellow passengers or just enjoy the scenery & excursions. The food is certainly gourmet and the saloons, libraries & lounges quaint. The cabins are small but of another world - the world of 140 years ago.
The cruise offers land excursions: the gorgeous 16th century town of Soderkoping, Karlsborg Fortress, the UNESCO World Heritage remains of the eighth-century Viking port of Birka, Sweden’s oldest town. Every set of locks was a chance to disembark and explore rural communities and back roads. Cycle one of vessel's mountain bikes around the idyllic town of Berg, home to a set of 11 locks that takes the cruise boat down a whopping 18.8 metres into Lake Roxen.
On the Grand Sweden Cruise and the Classic Canal Cruise (from Stockholm) and Göta Canal Highlights (from Norsholm), visit the old Sjötorp warehouse, where you can find a shop selling, among other things, clothes and home décor, a café and the Sjötorp Canal Museum.
You will also have an included sightseeing train guided tour of Vadstena Abbey Church, built according to St. Bridget's plans and was consecrated in 1430. Also visit the castle which was built in the 1540s by King Gustav Vasa.
On the cruises Grand Sweden Cruise and Göta Canal Highlights you have the chance to visit the Motala Motor Museum, with its large exhibition of antique cars and motorcycles in authentic surroundings.
Credits: Ulf Rathsman and Rikke Lind.