2026 Solar Eclipse Cruise:

with Sarah Rugheimer

FRANCE & SPAIN

with Robert Greenberg

ITALY

ENGLAND & FRANCE

D-Day: Courage, Conflict, and History in England and France  with Ed Lengel

Great Music Masters of Vienna: The Romantics

with Robert Greenberg

Enchanted England: Folklore, Fairy Tales, and Wonder

with Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman

with Keith Huxen

Exploring Cuba: From Trinidad 

to Havana

with Joyce Salisbury

Great British Mysteries: Conan Doyle, Christie, and More

ENGLAND

ENGLAND

FRANCE

CUBA

AUSTRIA

Travel with Insight, Explore with Passion

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DEPARTURE DATE AND PRICING

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The Itinerary

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Day 1 – Arrive in Glasgow, Scotland

Day 2 – Glasgow Renaissance

Glasgow Cathedral

Historically identified with shipbuilding and heavy industry, Glasgow has recently reinvented itself as a center of culture, investing heavily in the arts and attracting designers, performers, and artists from around the world.

Your tour of this vibrant city begins with a visit to the magnificent Gothic Glasgow Cathedral, the only cathedral in Scotland to survive the Reformation intact, before traveling to the revitalized quarter. Here, among warehouses converted to studios, visit the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, a symbol of Glasgow’s embrace of the arts. A docent-guided tour of the museum includes the Art Nouveau Mackintosh tearoom, Scottish modernist paintings by the Glasgow Boys, and works of the French-influenced Scottish Colorists. Enjoy a lunch celebrating Scottish cuisine at Mharsanta Restaurant before transferring to the port to embark Le Champlain.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Champlain

Day 3 – Kilmartin Glen and the Stones of Time

Kilmartin Glen

Depart Oban for Kilmartin Glen, one of Europe’s most important prehistoric landscapes, shaped by over 5,000 years of human belief, power, and ritual. Densely packed with burial cairns, standing stones, and stone circles, many older than the Egyptian pyramids, the glen offers a remarkable window into ancient Scotland. The visit begins at Kilmartin Museum, introducing key archaeological discoveries before continuing into the glen itself, where monuments are encountered in their natural setting. Rather than viewing sites in isolation, the experience explores how they relate through alignment, movement, and landscape. The tour also traces Kilmartin’s later role in the medieval kingdom of Dál Riata.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Champlain

Day 4 – Prehistoric Stone and Preindustrial Wool

Weaving Harris Tweed

The Standing Stones of Callanish mark the first encounter on this voyage with prehistoric megaliths. The 32 stones in this structure were erected some 5,000 years ago—about the same time as Stonehenge. But unlike Stonehenge, the Stones of Callanish remain open and accessible. You are welcome to walk among them and muse about the role such a structure may have played in the lives of those who built it.

A short distance from Callanish is the Carloway Weaving Mill, where artisans produce iconic Harris Tweed in the traditional way. To be certified as Harris Tweed—the only cloth in the world protected by its own Act of Parliament—a garment must be hand-woven by a weaver living in the Hebrides and made from wool that was both spun and dyed in the islands.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Champlain

Day 5 – Orkney Islands and The Scottish Stone Age

Skara Brae

Discovery of the prehistoric world of the Orkney Islands begins with a visit to the remarkably well-preserved Neolithic village of Skara Brae. Inhabited over the course of six centuries from ~3180 to ~2500 BCE, it predates both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids. The site consists of eight stone-built houses, connected by covered passageways, with furniture (stone beds and chairs) still intact. Constructed partially underground to protect it against harsh winds, the settlement invites reflection on the resilience and resourcefulness of those who eked out an existence in such barren conditions.

From the shelter at Skara Brae, continue to two grand ceremonial sites nearby—the Ring of Brodgar, a circle of stones erected about 2500 BCE, and the somewhat older Standing Stones of Stenness—both of which were part of a massive ceremonial space that encompassed the isthmus on which they are located as well as the surrounding hills.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Champlain

Day 6 – Discovering the Astonishing Archaeology of the Shetlands

Jarlshof

Your morning begins with tales of Norse history from your expert guide as you drive south from Lerwick to beautiful St. Ninian's Isle, where panoramic views of the North Atlantic are breathtaking. Visit the chapel here, where a hoard of ornate silver—the most important collection of Pictish silverwork ever found—was discovered in 1958.

Continue to the extraordinary archaeological site of Jarlshof, uncovered by a violent storm in the winter of 1897. Years of excavation have revealed layer upon layer of stone structures spanning at least 5,000 years of human history: late Neolithic houses; a Bronze Age village; an Iron Age broch; several Norse longhouses; a medieval farmstead; and the 16th-century laird’s house.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Champlain

Day 7 – Bergen, Norway The Legacy of the Hanseatic League

Fantoft Stave Church

The consortium of merchants known as the Hanseatic League dominated trade in Northen Europe from the 12th century until the 16th, and Bergen owed its prosperity during those years to its role as the League’s northernmost member. Your visit to this still-vibrant city focuses on this medieval legacy. Begin with a visit to Fantoft Stave Church, a striking reconstruction of a medieval wooden church showcasing traditional stave architecture and Norse-inspired carvings. Continue with a guided visit to Bergen Cathedral, then walk to St. Mary’s Church, Bergen’s oldest surviving building, viewing its exterior and learning about its strong Hanseatic connections.

Proceed to Bergenhus Fortress to visit the interior of Håkon’s Hall, one of Norway’s most significant medieval royal buildings. A short walk leads to the Schøtstuene Assembly Rooms, where Hanseatic merchants once governed trade and commerce. Enjoy a guided walk through the Hanseatic Quarters of Bryggen, the UNESCO-listed waterfront of wooden warehouses and narrow lanes that vividly recall Bergen’s trading past. Visit the Archaeological Museum to view artifacts that place the Hanseatic era within the broader sweep of regional history. Then, walk to Bryggen Tracteursted for a three-course lunch in a historic setting. Following lunch, walk to the Fløibanen and ascend Mount Fløyen. Enjoy a guided panoramic view of Bergen, its harbor, and surrounding fjords before descending and walking back to the ship.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Champlain

Day 8 – Fjords—Up Close and Personal

Jøssingfjord

The Norwegian fjords are most often admired at a distance from the decks of ships. This excursion takes a different approach by driving through fjord itself. Before heading south along the North Sea Road, you’ll have an opportunity to witness Varberg, where Vikings had strategic watchtowers. Today, it’s a higher altitude viewpoint bridging ancient maritime history with modern coastal surveillance. Your day continues with visits to two charming villages along the way before the heart of this experience begins at Jøssingfjord. As you descend into the fjord, towering granite walls rise nearly vertically on both sides, and the road clings to the mountainside as if it were carved out of the rock. Around each bend, new angles of the fjord’s stark beauty are revealed, and you have the sense of being drawn into a monumental landscape shaped by ancient glacial forces.

On returning to Egersund you’ll have an opportunity to experience a guided walk through Sokndal village before heading to lunch at the Grand Hotel, with views of the surrounding area.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch ashore, Dinner 

      Accommodations: Le Champlain

Day 9 – Norwegian Rural Life

Village of Høllen

The picturesque fishing village of Høllen, about 12 miles southwest of Kristiansand, is a quiet community typical of rural southern Norway. A stroll along the waterfront gives a sense of the pace of life away from big cities, as does a brief stop in neighboring Søgne. But it is at the Vest-Agder Open Air Museum that the history of rural Norway comes to life.

 
Relocated and reconstructed farmhouses, stables, and cabins dating from the 17th to early 20th centuries are gathered at the museum and arranged in small “villages.” Combined with extensive exhibits on farming traditions, crafts, and domestic culture, these villages demonstrate how families lived and worked and entertained themselves in earlier times. The excursion ends with lunch at Sjøhuset Restaurant, featuring local flavors and coastal ambiance.

      Included Meal: Breakfast, Lunch ashore, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Champlain

Day 10 – Denmark's Skagen Artists’ Colony

Holger Drachmann Painting

From the 1870s to the early 20th century, the tiny Danish fishing village of Skagen— much like the French Riviera at roughly the same time—became a magnet for northern European artists drawn to its rugged coastline and luminous light. These artists, later known as the Skagen Painters, achieved international recognition and created some of Denmark’s most celebrated works.

 
Explore their legacy on a guided tour that includes the Skagens Museum, founded in 1908 by the artists themselves; Ancher’s Hus, the preserved home of painters Michael and Anna Ancher; Brøndums Hotel, where artists exchanged ideas and critiqued each other’s work; and Drachmanns Hus, the home of poet, author, and painter Holger Drachmann.

      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Champlain

Day 11 – Copenhagen | Disembark

After breakfast aboard, disembark and transfer to Copenhagen International Airport (CPH) for flights homeward.

      Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 12 – Disembark

After breakfast aboard, disembark and transfer to the Humberto Delgado Airport, is (LIS), in Lisbon, Portugal, for flights homeward.

      Included Meals: Breakfast

January 8–15, 2028

May 3–13, 2027

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Viking Age Scotland, Norway, and Denmark: Riches of the Ancient North

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