Baltic cruises offer amazing opportunities to discover some of Europe's most interesting countries, like Germany, Poland, Russia and Scandinavia. There is an amazing history to learn about and breathtaking scenery to explore. A cruise is a quick and easy way to discover all that the Baltic Sea has to offer.

Cruises are ideal for people who aren't keen on flying, or are unable to because of health issues. They allow you to relax onboard as well as enjoy excursions ashore. Baltic cruises tend to only run through the summer as the Baltic Sea has been known to freeze. Companies like Princess Cruises, Holland America and Celebrity Cruises all run brilliant Baltic Sea cruises and are all on Cruise.co.uk, which offers the latest deals for cruises all over the world.

Cruises give you lots of options when picking your holiday, with many lines leaving from Southampton. There are lots of excursions to choose from as well as a wide range of onboard entertainment to enjoy like shops, restaurants and bars. These are just a few of the destinations you could visit.

Oslo

Oslo is one of Europe's most unique cities. Offering activities like boating, hiking and cross-country skiing, Oslo gives you the chance to be close to nature and discover wildlife. There are many theatres and operas, like the Norwegian Opera and Ballet, which is also a fantastically beautiful building.

Also visit the well known Holmenkollen ski jump, which has a ski museum. Oslo has many other museums and galleries, which have displays relating to Viking ships, Norwegian science and medicine and natural history. For adrenaline junkies there is TusenFryd, which has Scandinavia's most spectacular rollercoaster. It can go from 0 to 90 km in two seconds.

Helsinki

Finland's capital, Helsinki, is a magical city right on the Baltic coast. It has fascinating buildings that display architecture from the 19th and 20th centuries, like the Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral and Temppeliaukio Church. Other popular attractions include the Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress, which is one of the biggest in the world. Founded in 1748, it was named a unique monument in European history when it joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991.

Helsinki has many tourist attractions including the National Museum of Finland, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Ateneum Art museum, which has the largest collection of art in Finland. The cuisine is known for changing with the seasons, but the Finnish focus on using fresh and natural ingredients in their meals year-round.

St Petersburg

The beautiful city of St Petersburg is full of character and history. Although Moscow is now Russia's capital, many still refer to St Petersburg as the capital of culture. The famous Winter Palace is located in Palace Square and was the home of many great Russians, like Peter the Great and Empress Anna Ioannova. This beautiful building has an extensive history of its own. Other sights to see are the monuments that are dotted around the city representing the country's leaders and the cathedrals, of which most were built during the height of Russia's power.

One of Russia's leading classic ballet companies, the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, can be found in the city. The ballet theatre is a must see and has produced performances such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake.

With many other ports of call, like Stockholm and Copenhagen, these cities are just a few of the places you could visit when you travel on a Baltic cruise.

To discover the best deals and perfect itinerary for you, visit Cruise.co.uk.