The Great Lakes stretch like a sea between the USA and Canada. They are framed by magnificent natural beauty, cosy coastal towns and living cultural history – separated by numerous locks. The waterway is your destination as the small HANSEATIC inspiration begins its cruise in Chicago on Lake Michigan.

Once a centre of brewing, Milwaukee now has a vibrant museum scene, as a city tour with a visit to the Milwaukee Art Museum* will prove. The Harley-Davidson Museum* explains how this vehicle – which is an unmissable feature of the American way of life – originated here and gained worldwide fame.

Traverse City awaits you in the western arm of Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay. In the “jewel of the north”, old Victorian houses with historic charm vie for your attention. The HANSEATIC inspiration will spend a day and a half here so that you can explore the region at your own pace or on excursions. The Sleeping Bear Dunes* form a spectacular landscape, with the imposing sand drifts rising up to 140 m (459 ft) high and offering a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan. Experience nature and pleasure in total harmony on the Old Mission Peninsula – Michigan’s wine coast*. The exquisite experience of a wine tasting contrasts beautifully with the scenery of the fruit plantations, which belong to America’s largest sour-cherry producers. Gaze down at the Michigan coastline from above with a flight* following the white seam of sea and sand.

Back on board, you’ll head for a natural gem in Lake Huron: Mackinac Island. Explore the car-free island at your own pace by bicycle or horse-drawn carriage before learning about the American Revolutionary War at Fort Mackinac.

Where the stars and stripes meet the maple leaf, one of the many lock experiences awaits you at Sault Sainte Marie. Once you have passed through Soo Locks, you can start exploring Lake Superior – half USA, half Canada.

On the shores of the world’s largest freshwater lake, the American city of Duluth greets you with Scandinavian charm. A city tour of Duluth* presents a living picture book of times gone by: visit St Louis County Heritage & Arts Center for fascinating stories of the settlers. Enjoy the scenery at Gooseberry Falls and the Split Rock Lighthouse* – as water cascades down the stony steps of the Gooseberry River, the lighthouse built in 1910 keeps watch from the cliff.

With these impressions in your mind, you will reach the Canadian Thunder Bay with its enchanting coastal landscapes. A tour to Ouimet Canyon and Eagle Canyon* hints at how the waters once channelled 150 m (492 ft) down into the rock. Watch water’s elemental force at work in the “Niagara Falls of the north” on an excursion to historic Fort William and Kakabeka Falls*: the water plunges nearly 40 m (131 ft) into the Kaministiquia River – an amazing natural spectacle. As you head back through Soo Locks, Lake Huron, which is also shared by the two countries, opens up before you.

Irish roots are echoed in the name of the small coastal municipality of Killarney. George Island is a green island that can be reached by ferry. Exploring the uninhabited island is just one of the many outdoor activities that you can enjoy from this base – with nature and tranquillity, water and hiking.

This unforgettable feeling of freedom also makes the region around Parry Sound so alluring – whether on a boat trip to the Thirty Thousand Islands* or from the air with a scenic flight above the island world*.

In a small bay on Lake Huron lies the fishing village of Tobermory. Reflecting this tranquil idyll, shops around the picturesque harbour invite you to while away the time, and an individual glass-bottom boat tour offers an unusual perspective of the lake landscape. Stroll around the town or walk along the Bruce Trail at your own pace.

The industrial history of the small city of Windsor is overshadowed by its neighbour on the American side of the Detroit River – the Motor City. The skyline of Detroit* heralds exciting excursions – charting the rise, fall and reinvention of the legendary car-making city. Follow in the footsteps of Henry Ford* at the museum that bears his name and see former masterpieces of the road and rails.

After cruising on Lake Erie, it’s time for this journey to come to an end with the passage of the Welland Canal – after eight locks, around 20 bridges and a change in height of 100 m (328 ft), your memories of the Great Lakes will be just as unique as their untamed magic.