nelcarp

Just to clarify, our friends in southern Sweden are very near Växjö. We would likely stay there and take some time to tour glass country.

kja

Well, the OP is the person who asked about including Helsinki....

Odin

Växjö is in my neck of the woods, close to where my summer house is. You can reach it easily by rail from Malmö and if you need to rent a car whilst there, you can do so from the railway station with Sixt or from a local rental company. Or if you prefer to get there from Helsingoer (ferry from Helsingoer to Helsingborg then train to Växjö), you'll probably have to change trains somewhere like Hässleholm. There are some public holidays in Sweden during May (10th & 11th) so things (eg rail tickets) can get booked up in case you are there at that time.

BTW Växjö has a small airport with flights to Stockholm Bromma (& to Amsterdam on KLM during the summer season.).

nelcarp

Finally have locked some initial pieces of our trip. We are flying into Copehagen on May 12th and out of Amsterdam on Friday May 25th mid afternoon. We plan to be in Copenhagen Monday-Thursday. We also plan to stay one night in Vaxjo Sweden for one night to visit an exchange host family we know in Lammhult. We plan (tentatively) to fly to Amsterdam the Tuesday morning of the week we fly home to the U.S. on Friday. This leave us Thursday-Tuesday for travel in the middle. Where are torn (since we have not traveled at all in Scandinavia), do we, 1) travel mostly in Denmark with a side trip to see our friends in Sweden, or do we, 2) work from our way into Sweden through Sjaelland, to Vaxjo, see our friends, to Stockholm and fly from Stockholm to Amsterdam?

We hope to see some very different communities and sites, etc.

Appreciate the final guidance here. Thank you.

kja

One thing you might consider is whether you might be able to route through Stockholm on a future trip, and so include time there (or near there) at that time. That's generally an option with (and ONLY with) major international airports, and you've already "covered" two of the major air hubs in the area (Copenhagen and Amsterdam). If including some time in / around Stockholm is a likely option for a future trip, that would (I think) tilt the balance in favor of seeing more things in / around Denmark....

Hope that helps!

Odin

I would suggest continuing on to Stockholm as per your option 2. You can stop at Vadstena on the way to Stockholm or see the aircraft museum outside Linköping if that’s interesting to you or see part of the Göta canal etc. but those things might be difficult without a car. You could stay more than 1 night in Växjö or stay in a B&B or cottage in the forest to get the feel of Swedish nature.

You’ll already see some of Denmark outside of Copenhagen by visiting Sjælland, I would not backtrack, don’t underestimate the distance and time it would take to get back - you have plenty of time to see Stockholm which is really beautiful & a pity to miss.

nelcarp

Any recommendations for areas to stay in Stockholm? It is at all realistic to be staying near the Stockholm Archipelago for the beauty of the location...and yet close enough to travel into the city for touring? Recommendations for areas to stay in Amsterdam would also be appreciated.

Thanks!

Odin

Sheraton Stockholm is in a great area, as well as Radisson Blu Waterfront which is close to central station. Radisson Blu Strand and the Grand are very nice hotels but depends on your budget. Södermalm is another area which is a good location, easy to get to Gamla Stan (old Town.) I'm sure others will chime in with their recommendations of areas and hotels.

nelcarp

Hi, after a few days in Copenhagen, we plan to rent a car in Malmo for our drive to Vaxjo and then on to Stockholm. We're debating whether to stay an additional night in Copenhagen or travel to Malmo the later afternoon before picking up our car. Any suggestions? Is Malmo worth a later afternoon/evening visit and a stay prior to heading out early morning with our rental car?

Odin

Malmö is not worth a visit IMO, there's a nice town square but that's about it. I don't think picking up a rental car in Malmö is the best option for a drive to Växjö either. I'd take the 15 min ferry from Helsingoer to Helsingborg and take the E4 until Ljungby. I've driven the E22 from Malmö several times and road 23 after Hörby and much prefer the E4, the other route is slower with more cars, speed cameras and lower speed limits. If you have to go thru Malmö, I would visit Lund.

nelcarp

Odin...where would you recommend picking up the rental car? The cost is much lower when you rent within Sweden vs. picking up in Denmark (we're dropping the car in Stockholm)

Odin

Can you pick up the rental car at Växjö railway station, if you get a train from Copenhagen to Växjö, then drop off at Stockholm?

Or Helsingborg (which is in Sweden), although you might have to get a taxi to the car rental office from the ferry port (if they don't deliver to the port) but the route is much easier to Växjö than from Malmö.

Or just keep to your original plan and pick up from Malmö, it's not the end of the world is it takes 30 mins or so longer to get to Växjö, personally I find it an easier drive from Helsingborg because it is a much smaller town without all the ring roads of Malmö and less traffic. If you want to see the Øresund Bridge, you should go thru Malmö.