Scandinavia

[a1ring23]

I'm headed to Scandinavia for 3wks in July.

My partner and I want to go to Copenhagen, Stockholm and most of Norway.
Any tips for places not to miss, amount of time to stay in each place, costs, how to get around etc?

 

[Isochronous]

Norway is supposed to be obscenely expensive.

VAT in the Scandinavian countries is 25%. Eating out etc gets expensive very quickly. Definitely not places you go to shop.

 

[mimishat]

I haven't been to Copenhagen, but have been to Stockholm and Norway. We had a scandanavian rail pass for the week and jumped on and off as we went along. I can recommend the Vasa museum and ice bar in Stockholm city - both worth a visit. If you have time suggest a trip to the fjords in Norway and a trip up to lapland (it won't be christmas but is still quite cold), catch the northern lights and ice fishing is a must. Bergen is a nice little town to stop and relax. We visited the massive ski jump in Oslo and the museum attached which was interesting. Thats all I can remember off the top of my head Enjoy your trip.

 

[kremin]

If you devote 1/2 your time to Norway at a pinch you could do overnight ferry Cph to Oslo. I night. Train to Flam 1 night. NIN to bergen 1 night. Hurtigruten to kirkenes 6 nights. Then fly out. Norway is geat but yes very expensive. The hurtigruten is

 

[kremin]

<cont>
..reasonable value as includes full board ( food is deathly expensive!) It stops heaps and a lot of the towns you can do your own walking tours and mix it up with the ship ones.

K

 

[Alanslegal]

I really enjoyed Helsinki definitely should b one your list, also can make a day or two trip into Tallin, Estonia.

 

[smit0847]

Have done Stockholm, Helsinki and Iceland.
Stockholm was absolutely beautiful- i didnt know before arriving the city is a series of islands. Beautiful architecture on the harbour.
It was however, by far the most expensive place ive ever been. Food, drinks, transport etc were extremely expensive as they dont have the €.
I highly recommend a restaurant called Pubologi. Very $$$ but worth it.
Helsinki was cheaper (about the same as melbourne).
I love the region and the people i just wish it was better value!

 

[Katie]

We spent three days in CPH in December. Do a canal tour, get a CPH visitor pass - go to the royal palaces, maybe the art museum (but of a hike from downtown CPH, and includes a bus ride from the train stop). We also had a lovely night at the Tivoli gardens.
The Little Mermaid is underwhelming. I was glad my Little Miss 8 didn't want to get closer to it than from our canal boat!

Oh, and if you're a foodie, a meal at Noma (booking months in advance on the day bookings are released is required) is an absolute bucket list item!

 

[Paul_PER]

Norway is supposed to be obscenely expensive.

Delete the "supposed to be".

In terms of cost Norway is the most expensive, then Sweden, then Denmark (generally speaking).

a1ring23 - if you have any specific questions please ask - otherwise I'll ramble on.....what's your preferences - cities or landscapes? If it's just cities you can get by via trains, planes, and ferries. If you want to see the country-side you will need to join tours or rent a car.

In Norway if you are short of time you need to choose between the south-western fjords (between Flam to Bergen) or the Northern fjords (out of Geiranger). Both are beautiful and taking a fjord cruise is recommended.

The Oslo to Bergen train ("Norway in a Nutshell") is one way to see a little of the fjords if you don't have a car and you are really short in time.

I always tell people to pack for cold weather, but then when I was over last July / August they had the hottest summer in 30 years. i.e. 35 degrees in Stockholm.

Northern Norway empties in July / August as Norwegians take summer holidays. No problems unless you want to hold business meetings. You can see the midnight sun if you have patience and pick the right dates - and go North far enough, e.g. Hammerfest and further up.....(that far up North it will be cold, regardless of time of year).

Scandi hotel rooms tend to be very spartan, many lack bar fridges, a lot don't have airconditioning....usually the fridge / freezer is open the window.... if you are free traveling book hotels with inclusive buffet breakfasts. They tend to be uniformly good and a heavy breakfast means a cheaper / lighter lunch. As for dinner in Norway think $35 for a pizza and softdrink and you get into the starting ballpark. If you want to drink heavily consider a second mortgage on your house.... (if you do want to / need to drink definitely buy duty free on arrival, and on the ferries, and anywhere else duty free is offered).... Norwegians that live close to the border drive to Sweden to stock up....

Picnic dinners from the supermarkets are definitely an option - as a bonus they tend to stay open to 9pm or 10pm.

There are enough museums in Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen to take up a lifetime. Personally I love the Munch Museum in Oslo. The new Opera House in Oslo is also very nice to wonder around - the roof for the view - and you can go into the lobby for free. Walking around all the Scandi cities with a camera is free and one of my favourite past-times. Vigeland Park, Oslo is my favourite park / open space in the world. The Vigeland Musuem nearby is less well known and well worth a visit.

Skip the "Changing of the Guard" anywhere in Scandi - no one matches the Brits at Buckingham Palace!

Shopping wise I can't afford a Scandi wardrobe - so I try get one or two small sale pieces from local iconic shops like H&M.

Enjoy!!!

 

[amaroo]

if you have any specific questions please ask <snip>

Hi Paul_PER we're looking at going to Oslo/Bergen early Jan 16 :shock: Around 7 days all up, but that is flexible, train trip between the two appears to be ok for that time of year ... advice/tips would be very well received.

 

[a1ring23]

I'm going next weekend!

Copenhagen, Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, Lofoten and Tromso!

 

[amaroo]

I'm going next weekend!

Copenhagen, Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim, Lofoten and Tromso!

Trip Report....please!

Have a great trip.

 

[Fifa]

If you devote 1/2 your time to Norway at a pinch you could do overnight ferry Cph to Oslo. I night. Train to Flam 1 night. NIN to bergen 1 night. Hurtigruten to kirkenes 6 nights. Then fly out. Norway is geat but yes very expensive. The hurtigruten is

<cont>
..reasonable value as includes full board ( food is deathly expensive!) It stops heaps and a lot of the towns you can do your own walking tours and mix it up with the ship ones.
K

I second this suggestion!
We did a Hurtigruten voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes (on the Russian border) in September 2014 and absolutely loved it!
The price Hurtigruten charges depends on time of year with summer being really expensive.
In Jan 2016 I am planning an 11 day round trip voyage which should be very picturesque with all the snow and of course the Northern Lights.

 

[smit0847]

Norway is supposed to be obscenely expensive.

VAT in the Scandinavian countries is 25%. Eating out etc gets expensive very quickly. Definitely not places you go to shop.

I havent been to Norway but Stockholm was by far the most expensive city Ive ever visited. Be frugal!

Helsinki was more reasonable and similar to australian prices.

 

[pyffii]

Just returned from 7 days hiking in the Lofoten and we were blessed with fantastic weather and scenery to "die for"....an amazing part of the world where everything works including the Internet...enjoy and hope the weather is favourable

 

[blu]

... Stockholm was by far the most expensive city Ive ever visited. Be frugal! QUOTE]

I think our hotel cost was about 40% more expensive than similar elsewhere. I paid about $15 a medium glass of beer, standing at the bar (from memory last October). The Vasar musuem, I thought we were going to see some sort of "Viking boat", got quite a surprise. It's an amazing exhibit.
(our extended family is Swedish)

 

[ALH]

A beautiful part of the world. I didn't drive myself, but the roads weren't busy. I would hire a car next trip. The biggest challenge is Reindeer on the roads and our bus hit 2 at the same time. Both got up and ran away.

Definitely get to Helsinki, and of course day trip to Talin by ferry as well. Much cheaper. Hakaneimi Market Hall in Helsinki had great food. The Suomenilinna Fortesss is worth the visit.

..And as mentioned above, the Vasa museum is REALLY worth the visit! ....Sweden & Norway are very expensive but I bought some good cooked meals in the supermarkets when I didn't feel like a restaurant.

Tell me when to stop..

 

[drron]

I agree driving a car is not a problem.The roads are good and signage (road numbers) easy to follow.
Though I only drove in Sweden and around Copenhagen but no hesitation doing it again.

 

[Kaiser]

We were in Scandinavia last July. Just so happened they were having record high temps at the time - and most accomodation does not have A/C or fans, nor does any of the public transport - so it got stifling hot at times, particularly in Copenhagen. We really loved Stockholm and did not find the prices too bad. We generally opt for smaller B&Bs over big hotel chains and we balance eating out with buying groceries and having our own picnics. It was fun to get on the ferries and explore some of the islands, including the theme park with some rollercoasters if you're so inclined.

 

[drron]

But this year was the coldest May/June in over 60 years in Scandinavia.We arrived in Helsinki on 9/6 and for the next 3 weeks had one day that reached 20C.