AlessandraZoe

Hi all,

I will have a zillion questions for people who have traveled to Copenhagen and/or Bergen and/or Oslo and/or Stockholm within the past few years. I've been reading up, watching some great and some really bad videos, read blogs, and studied my maps. Now I need experienced people on this forum to advise me--if any of you are willing, that is.

We are pretty old (he'll be 79; I'm a whippersnapper at 70) but we are experienced travelers and packers, and we hope knowledge will make up for infirmity.

I've booked our international flights and made some hotel and Airbnb reservations for our four-city, 14-day trip to Scandinavia. I'm limited to booking places with two beds because of being married to Mr. Restless Legs (just realized it doesn't matter if he's awake OR asleep--he's always moving), so finding hotels and Airbnbs has been hard. I made a noble start.

Plans so far:
Tuesday--Arrive Copenhagen via PHL for three nights around noon. Booked into NH Copenhagen. Considering Copenhagen Card.

Friday--Fly to Bergen to spend three nights. Time of day TBD. Have a hotel reservation (don't really like anything there, even the one I have) and an Airbnb on hold. Will release one of these within one month. Trying to weigh the advantages of getting to do laundry in a super clean AirBnb with the low cost and convenience of a hotel ready-made breakfast and other perks. Oh well. Considering Bergen Card. Plan to do a DIY Norway-in-a-Nutshell Bergen to Bergen.*
*Hope husband will not hate me at end of day. Again, this entire trip is a labor-intensive substitution for doing the typical Scandinavian cruise, so I shall remind him to be grateful. Often.

Monday--Train Bergen to Olso for three nights. Have a hotel reservation near train station. Considering Oslo Pass, but given hotel location, am not sure if we'll need it.

Thursday--Train (probably) to Stockholm, time of day TBD, for four nights. Have a lovely hotel reservation in Sodermalm near public transport but worried about time to airport; have an Airbnb near the train station. Will release one of these within one month. Serioiusly considering Stockholm Transport Card (yes, I know it does not include Arlanda Express).

Tuesday--Must be at Stockholm Arlanda before 8 am to return to US via JFK. Wondering whether to take taxi to station and getting Arlanda; wondering if should take taxi all the way to Arlanda.

City cards--which ones did you feel were worth it?
If you bought them, did you have any glitches buying them with American credit cards (some people reported having to use PayPal!)?
Any phone app problems? We have Samsungs, and I have both Google and Samsung Pay installed.
Cards under consideration...
1. Copenhagen Card
2. Bergen Card
3. Oslo Pass
4. Stockholm Travel Card (transport only). I know that Stockholm SL is closing ticket offices right and left at the same time people are reporting phone app glitches. However, given that I'd like to explore a wide area of Stockholm, I think a senior discounted travel pass sounds awfully good.
5. Stockholm Pass or GoPass. I am going to assume this pass is a rip-off, but perhaps I'm wrong.

Advise away! Thank you for your input!
(Be kind please)

AZ

Michael

We stayed in a hotel half way between the train station and city hall and did everything on foot. However, that excluded what we had visited previously, such as the skansen and the Viking Ship museum, currently closed. Still, no matter how restless your husband's legs, I am not sure that the pass is necessary to visit these sights.

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAJnuC

Not within walking distance:

cdnyul

We just arrived in Stockholm today.
Planning on using the water trams.
Will know more tomorrow.

traveler318

We traveled to Copenhagen and Stockholm last month, and are close to you in ages. A few ideas:

Stockholm--we didn't buy a transit or other pass and used our mobile pay credit cards to board transit. We each registered a credit card in advance (SL website) to get the "pensioner" discount. We stayed on Skeppsholmen Island, so took Uber more than you might, but it worked there (so did Bolt), and we never waited very long for cars (except in heavy rain). Prices similar to home, usually $10 +/-, more to a couple places.

Having a washer (airbnb) would be good. Hotel laundry was very expensive. But hotel breakfasts are good/nice. Really good bread and pastries in both countries.

The Arlanda airport is far from the city. We took taxis, fixed rate, large rank of them (or call an Uber going to the airport, it will likely be a taxi anyway and might be a bit cheaper). I don't know how long it will take at the crack of dawn, but took ~45 minutes during normal times. There is a hotel at the airport--personally I hate early flights and might consider that for the one night before. But it is nice to not move hotels, too.

We got the Copenhagen Card and found it easy to use and worthwhile, but we bought the five day pass and used it on trains to several sights outside Copenhagen (Frederiksborg, Louisiana, Ordrupgaard, Roskilde), and if you don't, I am not sure of the value. Use the website to calculate. We went to LOTS of museums. We had no problem buying with US credit cards. Bought it in the app, each on our own phone. Was easy to use, but you typically had to wait in the same line as those buying tickets. We never got any cash and didn't need it--they take cards for the smallest purchases and don't like cash (true in both countries).

Have a great time. We liked both cities a lot, probably preferred Stockholm slightly (cleaner and prettier we thought).

AlessandraZoe

Thanks for the input so far.

Michael, I think you are confirming my gut feel about the Oslo Pass. It's one that I don't think is a BAD deal, but it may not be a needed item. A few days of rain could change that outlook, though. Where did you guys end up staying?

cdnyul, Great to know you will be my "advance team" in Stockholm.

traveler318--It's great that you hit two of "my" cities.
I was inclined to get the Copenhagen because of included airport transportation. Even if we ended up breaking even on it, it seemed to be darn convenient.
The SL website seems to be down right now, even the one in Swedish. I wanted to know more right away about how your registered your credit card with the system, and I can't believe the website I've been on daily for the past week is taking a break on me. Can you tell I'm taking it personally?
I don't think we'll stay at the airport, but it IS an idea we should consider. We will have fulfilled our "3 nights per city" quota for Stockholm by that last night, so...

Thank you!

HappyTrvlr

We took the Arlanda Express from the airport to city center, got the senior discount as advised by our Swedish friends.

Michael

Where did you guys end up staying?

I'll be posting a trip report shortly.

mjs

When is this trip?

AlessandraZoe

Happy Trvlr--Thanks. I was pretty sure we would take Arlanda Express into town. No matter where we stayed within Stockholm, taking the Express in and at least walking through Central Station seemed to be the best way to get up to speed with all local public transport. There are some pretty cool videos that walk one all through the Central Station, and I'm looking forward to checking it out personally.
Using Arlanda Express on the way back, however, will be up in the air. If I keep the Airbnb reservation 7 mins away from the station, we'll certainly use the Express back to ARN and in fact, I'd buy a discounted round trip ticket for us at the airport when we arrive. If I use the hotel in Södermalm, we will at least consider using a taxi for our return.

mjs--Our trip will be in June 2024. Yeah, I have awhile.

traveler318--The SL transport website is back up and running. Yay!!! And I now I can see where I can register the card. THANK YOU. I might have missed that detail. For anyone else planning a similar trip, https://sl.se/en/in-english/tap-your...journey-ticket has the details.

AlessandraZoe

Happy Trvlr--I should have said we'd use the Arlanda Express IF we decided to fly to Stockholm. I did not make my indecision clear in my initial post.

I planned to give my power-point presentation of flight or train closer to our travel to my husband and let him decide if the cost differential plus getting to and from Oslo and Stockholm airports is worth being stuck 5+ hours on a train. It's just not a fare differential--If we bought an Oslo Pass, it wouldn't cover the transport to the airport, and we know Arlanda Express isn't covered either.

I really don't care which we choose--I always have my Kindle.

I hereby open up the Oslo-Stockholm discussion of "fly or train?" to anyone with an opinion.

Fyris

Time of day should be decided by when you can find a direct flight at a good price in my opinion. SAS has direct flights between Copenhagen and Bergen, usually a few times per day. Book at www.flysas.com

If you're doing the NiN from Bergen and back to Bergen, you will already be halfway to Oslo. So to avoid backtracking you can just go all the way to Oslo with the NiN. Doable in a single day, but you can also make a stop along the way.

The train is the better option from Oslo to Stockholm in my opinion. Takes roughly the same time as flying from city centre to city centre. And the train is much cheaper as well as more comfortable. Book in advance at www.sj.se (avoid 3rd party resellers).

The train is much faster and cheaper. Where in Södermalm are you considering? If it's near Stockholm Södra station you can take the commuter train direct from that station to the airport.

Single tickets are a bit expensive in Stockholm, but a 3 day pass or 7 day pass is usually very good value and allows you to travel on all SL-transport within Stockholm county (extra fee though if you want to go to Arlanda). Can be bought in their app or at Pressbyrån or similar stores.

AlessandraZoe

Thanks for weighing in, Fryis.

Re: Flight to Bergen
I'm leaving my timing up in the air not only because of price but also because of things we might want to do in Copenhagen before we leave.
By the way, I considered the DFDS overnight ferry option Copenhagen to Oslo when setting up my skeleton experience and 86ed it right away. Too early in the trip to have a marriage-ending journey. My husband hates boats. Hence we're doing Copenhagen to Bergen and working our way eastward.

Re: NiN DIY
Quote: "If you're doing the NiN from Bergen and back to Bergen, you will already be halfway to Oslo. So to avoid backtracking you can just go all the way to Oslo with the NiN. Doable in a single day, but you can also make a stop along the way."

Yep, your statement makes sense. However, it so happens I'm married to Mr. 3-Night Stay. I still think we will route it out to Voss and then backward to Bergen. I have created a compare-contrast routing for my husband, and closer to when I have to make purchases, he'll get to choose. I'm pretty sure what he'll do. I'm sympathetic to my husband's need to just stay put a tad. When one gets older--he describes himself as "old as dirt"--every time one lifts even the lightest roll-on results in an increased nightly dosage of Tylenol and Motrin. Plus I think I have found the Bergen bar (and IPA) he'll really like. We like to "move in" to any place we visit. Plus we might have laundry drying in our hotel bathroom then.

Re Train to Oslo
Quote: "The train is the better option from Oslo to Stockholm in my opinion. Takes roughly the same time as flying from city centre to city centre. And the train is much cheaper as well as more comfortable. Book in advance at www.sj.se (avoid 3rd party resellers)."

Your statement, Fryis, will be part of my future power-point presentation to husband as date nears. As I wrote above, I have no dog in this fight.
Yep, I know to avoid Rail Ninja, even though I swear Rail Ninja seems to take over every booking search just Viator takes over every guided tour search.

Re: Stockholm transit to Arlanda
Quote: "The train is much faster and cheaper. Where in Södermalm are you considering? If it's near Stockholm Södra station you can take the commuter train direct from that station to the airport."

Wow, this option did not come up in all my "Directions" research. It's pretty obvious now that I look at it. THANK YOU. Big time!

RE: Stockholm Travel Card
Quote: Single tickets are a bit expensive in Stockholm, but a 3 day pass or 7 day pass is usually very good value and allows you to travel on all SL-transport within Stockholm county (extra fee though if you want to go to Arlanda). Can be bought in their app or at Pressbyrån or similar stores."

I really DO, heart of hearts, want a discounted multi-day SL card. In a big way. I have a lot of wide-ranging areas I want to see.
Explanation: I adore many many Scandinavian authors, but I have a special place in soul for those that were from or lived in Stockholm. And I plan to worship at their shrines, and those are all over the place. And I'm going to take a literary walking tour!
Note: My husband doesn't get a vote on this.

Back to SL...
Unfortunately, I keep reading about all kinds of glitches with the SL app and even with purchases at Pressbyrans. I suspect it's a growing-pains issue--as SL closes their ticket offices and their reliance on app-based purchases grows, a lot is going on. And I can tell you that I was not comforted when the SL website was down for over 12 hours yesterday. Time will tell if they can shake out all the cyber pixies before our trip.

Thank you so very much, Fryis. I took notes!
AZ

Fyris

I can understand that. SAS usually has 5-6 daily flights between Copenhagen and Bergen and they can vary a bit in price. Often the morning and evening flights are more expensive. But it varies, have a look and see what suits you.

Also understandable. It's your trip, so your choice. I just want you to be aware of the options

In this case, I'm going to say that the train is objectively better for a trip from city centre to city centre. Book a train ticket in advance and you can pay around 300-400 kr for it. A plane ticket will probably not cost less than 600 kr, more if you want to bring luggage. Then you need to add the cost of getting to and from the airports. Regarding time, the train takes a bit over 5 hours, flying will maybe save 30 minutes at most. And the train trip is 5 hours in a comfortable seat that is actually useful, time that can be used to have lunch, plan your visit in Stockholm, write postcards (if people still do that) or just enjoy the view. Flying won't give you the same opportunity.

Then you should get one! They are great value and the metro, trams, buses and ferries are the best way to get around Stockholm. What authors do you adore? If you have the time you should make a day trip to Uppsala and visit the Uppsala English Bookshop, a bookshop that specialises in books in English with a good selection of translated Scandinavian authors. And very helpful staff!

They will probably sort out any problems. For what it's worth, I've never had a problem with the SL app.

AlessandraZoe

Fyris Quick answer to Swedish authors--

Just turn to Wikipedia page "Swedish crime fiction" and you get the idea. And then there's the fact that as a 70s Communication major, I fell in love with Swedish film. Could not get enough.

As to Uppsala, you read my mind. Sort of. I swear there's always one character in every Swedish book I read who lives in Uppsala. I've therefore always wanted to see Uppsala. But I want to see a lot of small places all over Scandinavia I'm not going to get to visit.

It's sad that I don't need an English book shop, though. Kindle has a great selection of translated works. I always used to haunt English bookstores in every city in Europe we ever visited, and I feel guilty.

On the flip side...
I remember the days when I would carry ONE roll-on and a backpack, and the roll-on was full of books because I don't sleep when I travel, and I can easily read more than a book a day. When I got my first Kindle (2nd generation), I could not believe I could actually pack CLOTHES.

HappyTrvlr

The first of the Stieg Larsson Millenium Series books was released while we were in Sweden so I started reading them there. Gripping mysteries!

Fyris

Being a large university city (with Sweden's oldest university, founded in 1477) it's a place many authors have spent time in. And it's 30 minutes by frequent train from Stockholm so easy to visit.

Are you sure you don't? Does Kindle have amazing staff to give you recommendations?

But there are other things to see and do in Uppsala as well.

mjs

We were in Norway, Sweden and Denmark last June. Third trip for me over many years. I must say that the best part of our trip was driving around the countryside of Norway from Bergen. If you look up Scenic drives of Norway you will see lots of options. You can cover a lot of ground even with as little as 3 days.

AlessandraZoe

HappyTrvlr--Talk about irony---Stieg Larsson's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was the FIRST book my husband, my youngest and I read with our brand new Kindles eons ago. It's so much fun to read things in their settings right? I remember reading "Poldark" and re-reading "Rebecca" and "Jamaica Inn" while we were tramping around Cornwall.

Fyris--I'm checking out how to fit in Uppsala.

mjs--I believe you, but we don't drive in Europe. Keeps the citizens safer, believe me.

adkmud

My wife and I are also thinking about Denmark/Norway/Sweden for next May or June. Our plan was to fly into Copenhagen, spend 3-4 days in Denmark, then drive through Norway for 7-8 days and then drive over to Stockholm for 2-3 days. Does it make sense to rent a car in Denmark and return it in Sweden, or should we tack on another day to get from Stockholm back to Copenhagen to return the car and flight out of there? We have flexibility and are just starting our research. Also, are we better off starting in Mid or late May or early June? Thanks in advance!

Fyris

No, it doesn't make sense. Apart from the one way rental fee that can be high, a danish car might not be equipped with the electronic device needed to pay road tolls in Norway. Rent a car for when you need it in Norway, return the car there and take the train to Stockholm and then the train to Copenhagen.