Explore Northern Europe with SLIPSTREAM in 2022.

Anyone who has cruised in Scandinavia and the Baltic will know what an exquisite cruising ground this is. Stockholm's archipelago, for instance, has 24,000 islands within a day's sail of the majestic Gamla Stan in the heart of the city. Those closer to the city are dotted with red summer houses but further out there are beguiling granite islands that can be yours and yours alone.

Finland offers the 20,000 islands of the Turku archipelago, a protected national park, and most islands have a sauna to get a sweat on before your swim. There are 6,500 more to explore in the Aland islands, including the historic seafaring centre of Marienhamn, capital of the Aland islands. Other than island hopping, the favourite pastimes are fishing and golf - and there are some fantastic cycling trails.

Perhaps the biggest draw of yachting in these unique waters is the jewel of the Baltic, St Petersburg. This impossibly ornate UNESCO World Heritage Site, truly the cultural capital of Russia, has an embarrassment of architectural riches. From the onion-domed extravagance of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood and the Versailles-inspired Peterhof Palace to the ballet in the Mariinsky Theatre, the state museum in the Mikhailovsky Palace and the world-class gallery in the Hermitage. Formal gardens, expansive waterways: St Petersburg is completely unforgettable.