Emerald Isle to Nordic Gold

It’s easy to fall in love with Scotland’s eccentric capital, where royal heritage and warm hospitality imbue the city once known as 'Auld Reekie'. Times have changed since Edinburgh’s industrial heyday, but the old charm remains in the cobbled laneways of medieval old town and its ancient taverns overlooked by the historic monuments atop Calton Hill. Sample a dram of whisky on the Royal Mile before scrambling to the top of Arthur's Seat or wandering the battlements of Edinburgh Castle, which stands on an imposing volcanic outcrop. Georgian facades and leafy squares distinguish New Town, which rolls down to the old mills and galleries of Dean Village and the picturesque Water of Leith. Bold, proud and full of good cheer, Edinburgh is a welcoming refuge on the North Sea coast. 

There’s a raw, wind-swept charm about Aberdeen, the Highland city that grew up from medieval roots into a hub of higher education and oil energy. Old Aberdeen unfurls past ancient colleges and botanic gardens from St Machar’s Cathedral, towards the grand Victorian facades of Union Street and its museums and cafes. Beyond, the North Sea crashes over miles of golden beach where lilac sunsets set skies ablaze, and a string of picturesque fishing villages line the coast towards Dunnottar Castle, a hilltop eyrie of stone and siege. Inland, the Highland spirit can be found in Speyside distilleries and windswept golf courses, flowing along the winding River Dee, past Balmoral Castle to the wild and rugged landscape of Cairngorms National Park. 

Cradled in the calm Oslofjord and once the heartland of Viking expansion, Oslo has forged a unique identity over 1,000 years. Remnants of its proud past remain in the Museum of the Viking Age but modern Oslo makes its mark through artistic endeavor and tireless creativity. The old shipyards of Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen are today home to art galleries, creative kitchens and Scandinavian design boutiques; the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually behind the modernist red facade of Oslo City Hall; and summer sun shines on the 700-year-old walls of Akershus Fortress. Anchored by the ultra-modern Oslo Opera House, Bjørvika waterfront is the human heart of the city, where floating saunas and beach clubs overlook the iconic MUNCH museum, and the medieval old town trails back into yesteryear. 

Modern design and sustainable thinking entwine in Copenhagen, the culinary and cultural capital of a country steeped in history. City of canals, cobbles and church bells misted by the salty air of the Øresund Strait, its neighborhoods are a patchwork of architectural mastery, from the Rococo façades of Frederiksstaden and the colorful 17th-century townhouses of Nyhavn, to the contemporary lines of waterside concert halls and opera houses. Danes are some of the happiest folks in the world: follow their lead and stroll in leafy gardens, embrace hygge in cozy canal-side cafés and cool off with a plunge in the harbor. The reward is a buttery smørrebrød heaped with fresh herring or culinary artwork at Michelin-starred tables like Noma and Alchemist.