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Once the site of an annual Viking gathering, Tórshavn is today one of the smallest and most pleasant capital cities in the world. It sits on the southern tip of Streymoy, one of eighteen islands in the Faroese archipelago. Tinganes is the old part of the town where characteristic, red wooden buildings with turf-covered roofs cluster on a narrow peninsula. It juts into the natural harbour around which the modern town has been built. The Faroe Islands have a wild and dramatic landscape, which is a magnificent backdrop to optional excursions showing how islanders live on this remote and unspoiled archipelago.

Akureyri lies at the head of the 60-kilometre long Eyjafjördur, which is the longest fjord in Iceland. The capital of the north, which was founded as a trading post, is today an attractive town with colourful houses and well-kept gardens. It is also home to both the northernmost botanical garden and northernmost golf course in the world. Optional excursions highlight Iceland’s extraordinary landscapes including surreal rock formations, the lunar-like pseudo-craters at Skutastadir and the stunning, crescent-shaped Godafoss Waterfall. Laufas Folk Museum, or Myvatn Nature Baths, Iceland’s newest spa, are relaxing alternatives.

Part old Norse, part modern city, the Icelandic capital has a quirky character of its own. Although Reykjavik is one of the world’s smallest capital cities, it is home to almost half of Iceland’s population. Mosaics, murals and sculptures are found throughout the oldest part of the town where brightly coloured houses with tin roofs are watched over by the towering Hallgrimskirkja Church. The classic ‘Golden Circle’ featuring vast lava fields, bubbling mud pools, crashing waterfalls and spouting geysers, is a popular optional excursion along with the chance to bathe in the famous geothermal Blue Lagoon.