Birka Cruises, the Stockholm based operator of short cruises, will operate cruises along the north east coast of Sweden in the summer of 2017 and call at Finnish Lapland in the forthcoming Christmas, the company said in a statement.

Three cruises of three nights each will follow Hoga Kusten, the rocky north east coast of Sweden, with calls at Harnosand and Lulea, the last named just 160 km from the Arctic circle. The cruises will include passage through the archiepelago in the region near Harnosand.

The Birka cruise liner will sail to the Finnish port of Kemi on its 2017 four night Christmas cruise, from where passengers can visit the home of Santa Claus in Rovaniemi, at the Arctic circle.

All cruises will depart from the Swedish capital, Stockholm