Step foot in the land of the Viking warriors, German merchants, seafaring wanderers and Tsars. Trade, wars and empire-building have united - and sometimes torn apart - the countries around the Baltic and a veritable feast of history and culture is waiting in fabled cities along its shores. Copenhagen and Stockholm - chic Scandinavian capitals once major players in the Baltic battlegound. Tallinn - Estonia's legacy of the Hanseatic League. St Petersburg - a showcase of Imperial Russia and Helsinki - today a modern amalgamation of both east and west.