Maps of Northern European Countries Visited by Cruise Ships

The perfect summer weather and long days make Northern Europe a marvelous summertime cruise destination. Dozens of cruise ships sailing the northern Atlantic Ocean or the Baltic Sea stopover in several of these 17 countries of northern Europe. In addition, river ships cruise the Russian waterways, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

Northern European cruise itineraries most often feature the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, but others cruise the Norwegian fjords or the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Late summer repositioning cruises sometimes cross the northern Atlantic route and include stopovers in Iceland or Greenland as they sail between Europe and North America.

Learning something about the ports of call in northern Europe before you sail can make the cruise experience even more memorable. These maps will provide a good start to help you "get your bearings".

More Resources for Planning a Northern Europe Cruise

Cruise ships visit 17 countries in northern Europe and all of the countries on the Mediterranean. River cruises sail many of the great rivers of Europe.

If you are planning a trip to Europe, a cruise is the best way to get an overview of many of the great cities on this diverse continent. You can visit almost every country in Europe on an ocean-going or river ship. The only European country with no ocean or river ship port of call to be found was landlocked Belarus! Other land-locked countries such as Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland feature marvelous river cruise ship ports of call.

This photo gallery focuses on 17 countries of northern Europe, and cruise ships often sail from Amsterdam, Copenhagen, England, or Stockholm on cruises to the Baltic Sea or the North Atlantic. River ships sail Russian waterways or on spring tulip cruises in the Netherlands. River cruises also visit Belgium, Poland, and Germany.

Cruise ships often stopover in Zeebrugge for tours to Bruges or in Antwerp, Belgium. River cruise tours also visit Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, and Bruges.

Copenhagen is a very popular Danish port of call in northern Europe, and ships also stopover at small cities such as Aalborg. Check out this shore excursion from Copenhagen where you can see castles and the Danish countryside.

Baltic cruises often include Tallinn, Estonia as a port of call. The old city is beautiful!

Ships dock almost in the center of the city of Helsinki, Finland.

France is actually in the center of Europe, but cruises to northern Europe often stopover at Le Havre for excursions to the Normandy Beaches, or in Bordeaux.

In addition to Atlantic and English Channel ports on the northern coast of France, travelers have many options for cruises. First are the river cruises on the Seine River between Paris and Normandy or in the south of France on the Rhone. Next, ocean-going ships often port at Cannes, Marseille, or Nice on the French Riviera. Read about shore excursions to Eze and St. Paul de Vence.

Finally, cruise ships sometimes sail up the river to Bordeaux on cruises between northern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.

Baltic Sea cruises sometimes port in Germany so that cruisers can take day trips inland to Berlin or see the scenic countryside.

In addition to Baltic Sea cruises that port in Germany, river cruises also sail the Danube, Main, Moselle, Elbe, and Rhine Rivers of Germany.

Greenland is visited by cruise ships sailing the northern route across the Atlantic or by Arctic expedition ships. 

Iceland is a popular tourist destination, and several cruise lines sailing northern include ports in Iceland. These cruises usually include two or more days on the small island of Iceland, and some ships circumnavigate the island, stopping to see some of the amazing volcanic activity or interesting birdlife.

Cruise ships sailing from London often stopover at Dublin or Cobh (Cork) on cruises to northern Europe.

Latvia, on the Baltic Sea, has an interesting capital city named Riga, which is a good stopover on the way to or from St. Petersburg.

Cruise ships stopover in the port of Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Large cruise ships port in Amsterdam​ and small river ships sail the canals and rivers of the Netherlands in the spring during the flower season.

Cruises to Norway stop in Oslo, in small towns like Lillesand, or visit the Norwegian fjords of western Norway via Flam, Bergen, Alesund, or Geiranger. Hurtigruten features cruises along the western coast of Norway.

Gdansk on the northern coast of Poland is the home of the Solidarity movement and a lovely reconstructed city.

St. Petersburg in northern Russia is a favorite northern European port of call for many cruisers. River ships also sail between St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Russia is a massive country that stretches from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The country crosses two continents--Europe and Asia. St. Petersburg on the Neva River at the Baltic Sea is the most well-known port of call in Russia, but Russian river cruises also can sail all the way from St. Petersburg to Moscow.

Stockholm is the best-known port in Sweden, but ships also stopover at Visby or sail up the Gulf of Bothnia that separates Finland and Sweden.

Since the United Kingdom is an island nation, ships have many ports of call from which to choose. Small ships can even sail up the Thames River to London.