This 11-day tour starts in Stockholm and Uppsala with guided tours, museum visits and fine accommodations. Then travel south by train to Kalmar for an in-depth look at Oland, relaxing on a fully escorted cycling tour that will take you from the arid open and quieter southern steppes to the more varied landscape - beautiful beaches, protected forests and ancient villages of the central and northern regions. For the shorter tour see Tour II

TOUR STATS:

• 11 days, 12 nights
• Guided bicycle tour - Archaeology detection and study – Natural reserves exploration.
• 282 km total distance covered (175 Miles).
• Max - Min distance per day: 33-48 km (20.5 - 29.8 miles).
• Mostly back-roads, dirt roads and trails.
• Guided visit of Stockholm’s Old Town, main ancient historic sites and Uppsala
• Visit of Museum of Archaeology, Museum of Medieval History and Vasa Ship Museum in Stockholm
• Over 110 archaeological sites visited on Öland, mostly dating from Iron Age and Viking times.
• 9 natural reserves, 4 bird observation reserves, 4 museums (3 history + 1 ornithology).
• Accommodations and breakfast at best hotels available on the island.
• Transport of luggage and bags by van or taxi from one accommodation to another.
• 2 optional mornings of rest (days 5 & 6)
• Minimum: 4, Maximum: 10 persons per tour. If more need to be customized.

The Tour management reserves the right to modify the final itinerary if suitable and appropriate to the good conduct of the Tour.

DATES:

• May 25-June 6
• July 6-18
• August 3-15
• August 24-September 05
• September 14-26

DETAILS:

^{Arrival - Sunday - pick up at Arlanda airport and escorted to Hotel}

^{Day One - Monday}

<sup>We begin with the visit of the Medieval Museum, right underneath the Royal Castle and a guided tour of the Old City. The afternoon is open or offers an excursion to visit the ancient city of Uppsala hosting the very famous Silver Bible.

Day Two - Tuesday</sup>

^{A late morning start take us to the impressive Vasa ship Museum, presenting the Vasa, a 16th century war ship entirely recovered miraculously in the Stockholm harbor. After a lunch in the delicious gardens of Djugarden, we spend the afternoon at the Swedish Archaeology and History Museum, where most of the ancient treasures discovered on Öland and throughout Sweden are being preserved. The rest of the afternoon is open.}

Day Three - Wednesday

We board a very scenic train around lunch time in Stockholm central station to arrive in Kalmar and then on Öland 5 hours later. Dinner at the hotel and debriefing on the rest of the trip.

Day Four - Thursday

Starting from the small fish harbor of Byxelkrok in the North, we inspect a number of Viking coastal burial grounds before exploring the northern tip of the island and the natural reserve of Trollskogen (The Troll’s forest). Picnic at the most popular beach on the island and exploration of the remains of an Iron Age village covered by the forest. We stop at an open-air museum about life before the Viking times. We are staying at the residence hotel nearby the inner lake, with tennis, swimming pool and boating.

Day Five - Friday

En route to the other coast, we visit a number of Viking burial grounds and the early medieval Kalla Church. After a fish picnic over the Baltic, we stop at the “iAlvar” Iron Age site and detect a number of less known but much impressive archaeological sites before we stop for dinner at the relaxing “Harbor café” in Sandvik. After one hour ride on the sunset coast, we arrive at our charming *** hotel.

Day Six - Saturday

Riding along the Western Coast trail, we stop at a bird reserve to observe species of the moment, relax or swim at the Djupvik beach and continue our detection of Iron Age Stone settings and house foundations along the coast toward world famous Aleklinta, a fisherman’s village hanging on the cliff. After stopping at a surprising camel farm, we ride small roads in the inner part of the island to the oldest Iron Age/Viking defensive “ring fort” on the island. The archaeological wealth of the area obliges us to pay a visit to the nearby burial grounds. The road leads us to the Baltic Coast and to visit the remains of the seaside medieval monastery of Kappelluden and the “polish grave”. We are staying at the comfortable and traditional home / museum of Skedemosse Gard.

Day Seven - Sunday

After breakfast in the beautiful garden of Skedemosse, the day takes us to the most impressive archaeological sites of the island, including Odin’s raised stones, Noah’s Arch (a boat setting), Ismanstorp Borg (lost fortified city), and the West Coast collection of Rune stones. A stop at the open-air museum of Himmelsberga gives us the opportunity for lunch and coffee before riding to our newly renovated Swedish 18 century style residence hotel with its magnificent dining hall.

Day Eight - Monday

After the optional morning loop, including the detection of a few sites, a stop at the beach, the visit of the island’s largest field of Iron Age raised stones and the deciphering of a few rune stones, we are heading South to the seaside Viking fort of Sandbyborg. We then ride West across the “Alvaret”, this very peculiar Nordic arid steppe named in 1992 on the World Heritage list, with a stop to detect a few Iron Age villages foundations still visible thanks to this peculiar environment. We stop for coffee at Vickleby, named as the most charming village on the island and principally inhabited by sculptors and painters, before heading West to a natural reserve with bird observation posts and to the beach of Haga. The road then takes us to a number of prehistoric and Bronze Age sites as well as to another impressive Viking ring fort. We spend the night at Kastlosa, under the substantial comfort of the local clergy who happens to host one of the best accommodations on the island.

Day Nine - Tuesday

An optional morning loop takes us to the forest and trail of the West Coast and to detect the remains of Risinge, a Viking harbor that used to be a city of 3,000. The loop then takes us to a few sites and to Stora Dalby, the island’s most prominent burial ground with nearby traces of an Iron Age village. The loop ends with the gloomy detection of an Iron Age burial ground for children, following epidemics. After lunch at Kastlosa or a picnic nearby, we are crossing the “Alvaret” again to the Baltic Coast, crossing vast plains of wild horses, to detect a number of sites on our way South to the splendidly renovated hotel of Grasgard.

Day Ten - Wednesday

After a garden breakfast, we head south to the rebuilt ring fort, re-enactment and museum of Eketorps. By this time, you are already expert on the early medieval history of the island…We ride West and stop at a few sites before entering the King’s domain of the Southern tip, which hosts an impressive concentration of Iron Age raised stones, burial grounds, dears and other animals. At the Southernmost point of the island, we stop at Scandinavia’s most famous bird observatory and visit the small but instructive museum there. On our way back to the Grasgard hotel, we ride on small trails across the King’s natural reserve.

Day Eleven - Thursday

After a night spent at Grasgard and breakfast, the shuttle picks us up, stop at the Gettlinge burial ground for a short visit and drives you back to your scheduled train to Stockholm. Night spent in Stockholm.

Day Twelve - Friday

Depart Stockholm

Price:

o US $3000.00 per person (double occupancy)

o US$3500.00 singleo

Price Includes:

o Tours begin with Stockholm Arlanda airport pickups on Sundays and end with a Friday morning drop-off at the airport two weeks later

o Guided Tour in Stockholm by foot and on Öland by bicycle

o Round trip train transportation between Stockholm and Öland and Stockholm and Uppsala

o Daily transportation of bikes, supplies & belongings by taxi.

o 1st Class Accommodations (individual or double rooms with private shower & bathroom)

o Smorgasbord Breakfasts every morning + daily individual bottled water (1.5 L)

o Individual archaeological documentation brochure + Entrance fees to museums and sites

o Bicycle rental and servicing en route

Price does not include:

o Airfare

o Lunch & dinners

o Personal health insurance

 

PLEASE NOTE : The organization and delivery of the Stockholm and Oland Cycling the Viking Trail tour(s) are the sole responsibility of the Nature and Archeology Cycling Company of Sweden and are not in any way the responsibility of Cultural Expeditions MEC Canada Inc.

Cultural Expeditions MEC Canada Inc. is not a travel service and the participant and / or the Nature and Archeology Cycling Company of Sweden are responsible for making all transportation and accommodation arrangements related to the ArchaeoExpedition advertised.

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