We begin with a Stockholm departure, so you may want to arrive a day or two early, then spend a day at sea before arriving in St Petersburg.

Recognized as a leading influencer in the world of luxury travel, Jean Newman Glock recently described one of the advantages of sailing with Azamara in the Huffington Post. “Three full days to explore the former Imperial City is a gift,” she said. But choices must still be made. Here are a few of hers for St. Petersburg, the first port on the journey.

The Winter Palace and State Hermitage Museum, founded by Catherine the Great, are just steps from the ship. See the world-class art collection and visit some of the rooms in the living quarters of the Romanovs. “Sense the (very opulent) daily life of the Tsars.”

Next take the hydrofoil to the Peterhof Palace. After a tour, spend time in the gardens and stay to watch the fountains come on. The Catherine Palace, with the magnificent Amber Room, and the Carriage Museum nearby are must-sees. And “The Cathedral of Peter and Paul and the splendid mosaics inside the Church on Spilled Blood, both leave me breathless every visit.”

Of course on this voyage, there’s still more to see. Late stays in the best of the Baltic, Helsinki, with its Art Nouveau architecture, or travel the countryside to visit a horse breeding farm in the town of Sipoo.

This voyage also features four ports we’ll be visiting for the very first time. Riga, Latvia with its Baroque churches, a hidden gem, Klaipėda, Lithuania, the cobblestoned streets of Gdańsk, Poland’s old towne, and Rønne, Bornholm, Denmark, the pearl of the Baltic. All concluding in Copenhagen, where you may want to stay a little longer before you head home.