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Advice for 5 Weeks in the Nordic Countries

Advice for 5 Weeks in the Nordic Countries

Old Jan 3rd, 2017, 05:29 PM
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Advice for 5 Weeks in the Nordic Countries

Hi there! I am currently planning a trip for a little over 5 weeks between the end of May and the end of June to see the nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) and am looking for lots of advice on my trip as I have not traveled to this region before. I have already booked a flight that will arrive in Copenhagen at 6:00am on May 21st and a return flight to the US that leaves Reykjavik at 3:30pm on June 27th, but am working on figuring out what I will be doing in between. I understand that these countries are expensive and have tried to budget accordingly, but because of the length of my trip I am trying to be careful to not spend an excessive amount of money each day. I am planning on packing lightly, staying in hostels & airBNBs, taking the most affordable transportation, and avoiding eating out in order to keep the costs down. When I arrive in Copenhagen I will be meeting a friend and we will spend 3-4 days in the city. After that I will be traveling solo until I meet another friend in Iceland (exactly when is TBD) for 7-10 days before returning to the US.

I am hoping to get advice on (1) overall itinerary, (2) most affordable travel within the nordics and approximate cost of transportation between each of the places I am visiting, (3) when I can/should book train/ferry/bus/plane etc for my trip and for when I can/should book hostels & airBNBs

Here is a VERY rough outline of my overall itinerary
5/21/17 Arrive in Copenhagen, spend 2 nights in Copenhagen
5/23/17 Spend most of the day in Copenhagen, travel in late afternoon to Mons Klint
5/24/17 See Mons Klint, travel in late afternoon to Aarhus & Stay overnight
5/25/17 Spend the day in Aarhus, travel overnight to Fjallbacka, Sweden
5/26/17 Spend night in Fjallbacka
5/27/17 Travel from Fjallbacka to Gothenburg, spend 2 nights in Gothenburg
5/29/17 Travel from Gothenburg to Stockholm, spend 3 nights in Stockholm
6/1/17 Travel from Stockholm to Helsinki, spend 3 nights in Helsinki
6/4/17 Travel from Helsinki to Bodo, Norway & spend night in Bodo
6/5/17 Ferry from Bodo to Moskenes, spend night there
6/6/17 Travel (public transportation) to Reine and spend night there
6/7/17 Ferry from Moskenes to Bodo, travel from Bodo to somewhere close to Geirangerfjord to spend the night
6/8/17 See Geirangerfjord, travel overnight to Bergen
6/9/17 Spend night in Bergen
6/10/17 Travel from Bergen to Voss via "Norway in a Nutshell," and then travel to Odda by bus to stay overnight
6/11/17 Hike Trolltunga, stay overnight in Odda
6/12/17 Travel back to Voss by bus, then resume "Norway in a Nutshell" to Flam, stay overnight in Flam
6/13/17 Complete last leg of "Norway in a Nutshell from Flam to Oslo, spend 3 nights in Oslo
6/16/17 Travel from Oslo to Reykjavik
6/17-6/27 Rent car and see iceland (Blue Lagoon, Jokulsarlon, Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Askja)

Thank you in advance!
rmnoyes is offline  
Old Jan 4th, 2017, 02:14 AM
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I'm looking a bit amazed. I see a lot of travel (I'd use public transport or bicycle whenever I can) for 35 days I see 16 moves (you lose on average half a day on a move so you just took 35 to 27). Not always a bad thing but travel eats time and money.

Cheap Acc, you'll find that the Cabinn range of hotels in Copenhagen will be cheap (the breakfasts are cheap and show it but the rooms are very clean). In Norway you can rent Hutte for the night out in the wilds, but in the city it is harder. I'd assume Norway will hit your budget hard.

Of all the things you are trying to do (and they are all the top sites) I'd cut the car hire in Iceland and just do a whole day golden tour by small tour bus, and the blue lagoon on the way to or from the airport (the buses nearly all stop there). I might also question time in Oslo, apart from two fantastic museums (you could do in one day) the place lacks the charm of your other stops.
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 03:00 AM
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If you can do Trolltunga then you might enjoy hiking in Iceland. You would probably need to bus the last few kilometres to this area, unless you rent a 4x4. Climb 2000 feet or so and the setting is spectacular:

http://www.volcanohuts.com/things-to...-in-thorsmork/
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 04:47 PM
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Unfortunately, I haven't been to most of the places you mention yet....

Two nights is not much for Copenhagen, especially if you are recovering from jet lag while there. You might want to add at least one night; that should give you time to take a day trip from Copenhagen to Roskilde.

Three nights is, IMO, very little for Stockholm. You might want to try to add some time there.

For your transportation, consult the Rough Guide and rome2rio.com for some good preliminary information. Follow up on whatever you learn from those sites.
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Old Jan 5th, 2017, 01:35 PM
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2 nights in Copenhagen is a little short. Why Mons Klint & Aarhus? Mons Klint is lovely but for a 1st time visit I can think of more interesting places to see in Denmark.

I would confine your visit to Copenhagen and then North Sjælland, then take the ferry from Helsingoer to Helsingborg and go northwards to Gothenburg. Have you checked the distance from Mons Klint to Aarhus to Fjallbacka? Are you getting the ferry to Gothenburg from Jutland? What's in Fjallbacka that is of interest?

Too many nights in Helsinki, reduce Helsinki and add to Stockholm to give you time to see places like Norrtälje. Take the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. Are there direct flights from Helsinki to Bodo, doubt it.

At least you are there for midsummer, which is always a special time to be in Nordic countries.
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Old Jan 5th, 2017, 02:22 PM
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In any case with half that travel look into the ScanRailpass that covers not only trains but some ferries and buses- for lots of info on Scandnavian trains and the pass check www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com. and www.seat61.com.

There are also overnight trains you can take to save time (much of Scandinavian scenery I've see- especially inland -is tedious -and save on the cost of a hotel.

Bring anything you can carry with you from home that you will need as yes this is an expensive place -especially if you drink booze.
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Old Jan 5th, 2017, 04:00 PM
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I thought 3 nights -- so 2 days or a bit more -- perfect for Helsinki. To each his/her own!
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Old Jan 17th, 2017, 11:04 PM
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Trolltunga probably not possible in early June - still too much snow. Season is from July. You could possibly do a guided tour with snowshoes.
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Old Jan 18th, 2017, 12:26 PM
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I thought 3 nights -- so 2 days or a bit more -- perfect for Helsinki. To each his/her own!>

2 full days were good enough for me - took overnight boat from/to Stockholm so really was one night.

but yes each to their own - you could obviously spend days in any large European city.
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Old Jan 19th, 2017, 10:24 AM
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At least you are there for midsummer, which is always a special time to be in Nordic countries>

and a huge party for locals all over.
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Old Apr 27th, 2017, 11:04 AM
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Some ideas what to do in Finland:

-visit Suomenlinna (UN heritage site)
- go to Fazer cafe
- visit a pub/ buy finnish beer
- buy lots of finnish candy (like fazer chocolate)
-
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Old Apr 27th, 2017, 11:59 AM
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I've been to most of the locations that you have planned, my only comments would be :

1. Cut time in Helsinki and Oslo (they are fairly functional) add it to Stockholm (vicinity) and The Lofotens (stunning).

2. Can I come !

It's an unbelievable trip and one you will not forget.

I found Iceland to be more than a little rammed with "world tick off tourists " . It MAY be a disappointing end to the trip, although I did find a walk on a glacier to be a lifetime experience.

I don't know about the level of your budget but double it : Stockholm, Norway and Iceland can be shockingly expensive with Iceland at the extreme.
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Old Apr 27th, 2017, 12:41 PM
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Alcohol especially dear in Norway -bring in any duty free you can if you need it.
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Old Apr 27th, 2017, 11:34 PM
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7th and 8th June do not seem very realistic - have you planned these journeys according to available transports or just fantasy?
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Old Apr 28th, 2017, 11:23 AM
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If you have USD you may not find Sweden that expensive, in the past 3 years SEK has depreciated considerably against the dollar. Not sure how expensive Iceland is now but they did have a major financial crisis 2008-2011 and their currency collapsed. They are doing better now but following the crisis it was terribly cheap and I doubt prices have returned to pre-crisis levels. Norway will be more expensive than Sweden but they are suffering from lower oil prices and NOK is also down against USD.

Air travel within Scandinavia is fairly cheap, Norwegian is usually slightly cheaper than SAS. You can look at train prices here: www.sj.se

I don't think Gothenburg is worth a visit, it's like an uglier, smaller Stockholm. I don't like Helsinki either, but I like Oslo. I always stay in Tjuvholmen which is a very nice new area.
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Old Apr 28th, 2017, 02:23 PM
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https://www.statista.com/statistics/...for-a-big-mac/

The Big Mac Index for 2017 yes shows Sween just behind Switzerland and Norway in Europe in terms of costs of a Big Mac but not that much more than the U.S. (which is now higher than many European countries).

This is a fairly well respected index of costs.
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Old Apr 30th, 2017, 01:17 PM
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I don't think Gothenburg is worth a visit, it's like an uglier, smaller Stockholm.>

I thought Gothenburg was a real gem - oh well. Different strokes for different folks.
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Old Apr 30th, 2017, 01:36 PM
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PalQ

Wasn't the US Big Mac devalued recently? something to do with the over supply of Wendys in the monetary system.

Ticino

After visiting Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Dubai, Singapore, Turks and Caicos, Australia and The Bahamas in the last 4 years , I can assure you that Iceland tops the "how to financially cripple the unprepared tourist" league. It's cheaper to burn British pounds in Iceland than buy a BBQ from the local supermarket.
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Old Jun 1st, 2017, 03:11 AM
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Old Jun 1st, 2017, 11:28 AM
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PalQ

Wasn't the US Big Mac devalued recently? something to do with the over supply of Wendys in the monetary system.>

Beats me -but thanks for mentioning that. Interesting.
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