travel32

I need to visit Berlin for a few days for work in August'17 and then I have about 12 days in Scandinavian countries Denmark, Norway, Sweden and maybe Finland (if time permits). I am into site seeing, visiting few historical sights and sampling local cusine and doing few activities that are 'must' for the quintessential experience for that city/country. I like to visit mix of big cities and towns/villages to experience life of the locals. Ideally i visit one (or two) big cities in a country and then do a few day trips or tours and then move on to a different country. This way I experience a mix of different cultures, different natural landforms, different cusines and that is what enjoy. I do not like to spend all my time in different parts of the same country as it gets a bit monotonus for me.I dont like visiting museums i am more interested in natural beauty and scenery, historical sights and any place that is asthetically pleasing and relaxing.
We are a couple in our 30s and we will mostly be using public transport.
So based on that, here is a very rough sketch of what i have planned after reading different threads on this forum

Day 1 reach Copenhagen from berlin via early morning train or flight and spend the day exploring Copenhagen.
Day 2 Day trip from Copenhagen (??? please recommend )
Day 3 Another Day trip from Copenhagen (??? please recommend )
Day 4 Take early morning flight to Oslo and explore for the rest of the day
Day 5 Oslo
Day 6 Take Norway in a nutshell tour
Day 7 Norway (???? please recommend)
Day 8 Norway (???please recommend)
Day 9 Take early morning train to Stockholm
Day 9 Stockholm
Day 10 Boat ride from Stockholm to Helinski
Day 11 ????
Day 12????
I hope the experts on this forum can advise what needs to be added to this itinerary and what am i missing. What are the must visit places in Norway, Sweden and FInland that I am missing. Also what would be your favourite day trips from Copenhagen.

PalenQ

I'd add a day to Oslo and in Bergen - take Oslo-Bergen Railway to Bergen then do NIN from there - can do on your own no problem. The rest sounds perfect. And a few days in Helsinki -can take day trip over to Tallinn, Estonia if want.

Trains are great -check out the Scan Railpass valid in all 3 Scandinavian countries plus Finland and on Stock-Hel boat -either half-off or full not sure. For lots on trains check www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com.

greg

>>> Day 1 reach Copenhagen from berlin via early morning train or flight and spend the day exploring Copenhagen.

Have you actually looked at the train logistics at www.bahn.com? You are talking about a 7+ train ride.

SAS, AirBerlin, Easyjet, etc, all have direct flights at cost similar or less than the trains even with luggage but in one hour plus airport logistics time at both ends.

travel32

@Greg you are absolutely correct, we will be flying from Berlin to Copenhagen.

travel32

@palenQ this is the Norway in a Nutshell tour from Oslo
https://www.norwaynutshell.com/origi...nutshell/oslo/

and here is the one from Bergen https://www.norwaynutshell.com/origi...tshell/bergen/

They both cover the same places from what I understand. So any specific reason to take the train from Oslo to Bergen and then take the NIN tour from Bergen instead of starting the tour from Oslo??

kja

“I like to visit mix of big cities and towns/villages to experience life of the locals. Ideally i visit one (or two) big cities in a country and then do a few day trips or tours and then move on to a different country. This way I experience a mix of different cultures, different natural landforms, different cusines and that is what enjoy. I do not like to spend all my time in different parts of the same country as it gets a bit monotonus for me.”

Fascinating! Your decision, of course, but part of what intrigues me about traveling within a single country is seeing how very different places that are so near to one another can be – different cultures, different histories, different cuisines, sometimes different natural landforms…. When I jump around, I completely lose the sense of the enormity of the differences between areas that are now only an hour or two apart, but were once separated by a distance that might have taken days to traverse and might have involved crossing into different kingdoms.

I enjoyed a day trio to Roskilde from Copehnahgen.

A boat from Stockholm to Helsinki? Not my cup of tea! A half-day through the Swedish Archipeligo to Vaxholm was enough for me.

It sounds to me like you would benefit enormously from a good guidebook or two.

Good luck!

Cali

I would spend more time in Stockholm and surrounding area. We spent 6 days there last August and we still didn't see and do everything we wanted to see and do. I think I would skip Finland on this trip if it was me.

PalenQ

They both cover the same places from what I understand. So any specific reason to take the train from Oslo to Bergen and then take the NIN tour from Bergen instead of starting the tour from Oslo??>

No if just wanting to do the NIN thing. But Bergen is nice - an old Hanseatic port and closer to NIN than Oslo but if just doing the NIN yes Oslo would be fine too if you're doing a guided tour on your own would be a very long day -much easier from Bergen.

travel32

Ok another thing, if I get the eurail global pass, it would cost me 507 Euros per person for continuous 15 days pass that is valid in all 28 countries. Would this be a good deal for me? And would i be able to do the NIN tour on my own using this pass or would I have to pay separately for that??

PalenQ

No to any Eurailpass - ScanRailpass covers more and is valid in all 3 Scandinavian countries plus Finland and on boats between Sweden and Finland -would cover most of NIN but only give a discount on the NIN boat and nothing on the short bus ride but would cover trains!

Are you going to non-Scan countries?

PaulRabe

As previously noted, you only need the Scandi pass, and only for the days you'll actually be traveling by train. For example, your original itinerary shows a mere two days of significant travels -- between Copenh & Oslo, and between Oslo & Stockh. If you can plan well, you may need only a few days of a Scandi Pass. Day trips can often be done via commuter rail, or with a rail ticket less than the cost of an extra day on your Eur-Rail Pass.

However, if you're the kind of traveler who likes to make last minute plans on the fly, a completely flexible begins to make sense. It's not the way I like to travel, but others prefer the freedom.

dyoll

Consider overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo.
Rail pass unlikely to save you much and would mean you have to book all legs of NiN yourself. Difference in time NiN Oslo - Bergen and round trip Bergen is not much, and doing from Bergen would involve backtracking if you took the rail to Bergen from Oslo. Save a day for Bergen. Other possibilities from Bergen are Hardangerfjord in a Nutshell.
Fly Bergen - Stockholm.

PalenQ

Rail pass unlikely to save you much and would mean you have to book all legs of NiN yourself.>

So it is not possible anymore to just show up with a railpass and ride the trains and bus and boat? Was when I did but long ago.

PalenQ

Yes the efficacy of a pass is if your taking several long train trips and desire total flexibility to chose which trains to take once there - you may need reservations on long-distance trains in Norway (but I do not believe on Bergen to Voss and Myrhdal to Bergen if doing that as (they used to at least) have seats for local travel which those were. Flam train used to be OK to hop on too - do your research about it if you want to do it on your own and not be with a group -but if you go the discounted ticket route on your trains a pass would not be merited for sure. Scan does cover boats 1/2 fare I believe but you may not have to use a day on your pass.

Doll - who is Norwegian I believe can correct me as I am stating policies in effect at least a few years ago. I of course defer to him/her on everything.

dyoll

Tourist numbers have increased dramatically and the days you could just turn up and get a ticket for the Flåm rail are long gone. For the summer you need to book well in advance. Even the Oslo - Bergen line is often fully booked for the departure that the NiN uses. Booking seats on long distance trains is essential.