Eliana

My husband and myself will be arriving in Gothenburg in July for 12 days in Scandinavia. We would like to visit: Oslo, (Is Bergan worth including?) Stockholm, and will be flying home from Copenhagen. We were planning on traveling by train from Gothenburg to Copenhagen. Is that a good idea? Could we get some thoughts on routing and how many days to stay in each city. We also love shopping ,scenery and unique travel experiences. Thanks so much for the help!

bilboburgler

IMO Bergen is better than Oslo unless you have a thing for ship museums. Certainly the train Bergen to Oslo is worth looking at. You might also like to drive, just to see how empty the place is.

nytraveler

IMHO Stockholm as by far the most to see/do and deserves at least 5 nights (4 full days) and Copenhagen the next most (4 nights/3 full days). Does that leave you 5 days if you really have 12 - but I'm not sure how you are counting days/night (have you included the day you arrive and the day you depart - if so you really only have 10 days).

Not sure why you are into Gothenburg instead of Stockholm - but it seems to make a nonsense of trying to organize travel between cities.

Oslo is worth 2 days and you need to leave 2 or 3 days to get to/fro Bergen and see some fjords.

PalenQ

Gothenburg itself is a gem - old historic port - take train to Copenhagen

Train Copenhagen to Stockholm

Stockholm to Oslo - train or fly or take overnight train

Oslo to Bergen over the awesomely scenic Oslo-Bergen railway, ubiquitously listed amongst Europe's top scenic railways

From Bergen do the fantastic Norway in a Nutshell loop - from Bergen by train to Voss, mountain bus to a large beautiful fjord at Gudvagen - boat to Flam (we saw whales!) and Flam to Myrdhal by scenic mountain railway - Myrdhal back to Bergen.

Fly out of Bergen

The Norway in a Nutshell excursion is one of my very top travel memories in years of European travel - buy an all-inclusive ticket in Bergen and do your own tour - easily done in a day - will be a highlight of your trip and Bergen is an old Hanseatic Port with character.

for train info check these informative sites: www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com and www.ricksteves.com. If doing all legs by train check out the ScanRail Pass which also gives discounts on major chain hotels and lets you hop on just about any train anytime.

PalenQ

https://www.google.com/search?q=norw...w=1920&bih=955

Fodorite018

We had a full day and overnight in Oslo and that was more than plenty for us. I agree that the Norway In A Nutshell is a must! We loved Bergen, both the main city area as well as hiking some trails up at the top of the funicular area. Copenhagen is wonderful, and we had a week there and that was about right for us.

jakeydog

Yes on Bergen! And yes on Norway in a Nutshell -- it's a breathtaking and not too expensive way to see the fjords and get yourself from Oslo to Bergen:

https://www.norwaynutshell.com/origi...in-a-nutshell/

In Bergen, the Bryggen (medieval wooden houses, right on the harbour) are not-to-be missed!

And I agree with MMS that a day in Oslo is plenty -- while you're there, it's worth getting the "Oslo Card", a 24-48 hour pass that covers public transportation (both buses and boats!) and all city museums.

I absolutely loved the Viking Ship Museum, Kon Tiki Museum (home of the original Kon Tiki raft, that Thor Heyerdahl famously sailed from Peru to Polynesia!) and the sailing museum (can't remember the exact name of it, but it's right next to the Kon Tiki Musem).

nytraveler

It sort of depends on your interests. In Oslo you must see the Vigeland Sculpture Park and the WWII Resistance Museum (a must for those inetrested in history). We had 2 days there and it was barely enough.

thursdaysd

I finally visited Scandinavia last year. Stockholm was easily my favorite city, although I did enjoy Gothenburg as well. I didn't do the "Norway in a Nutshell" excursion, as I was doing a Hurtigruten cruise up the coast, but I would not think Bergen worthwhile on its own.

Click on my name for my TR, or start here:

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...s-in-roskilde/

dyoll

You can do the Norway in a Nutshell route between Bergen and Oslo, still includes best bit of Bergen line and saves you a day for other sightseeing.
There is an overnight ferry between Oslo and Copenhagen, which will also save you a day. So perhaps fly Stockholm-Bergen.

Eliana

All the comments have been so helpful!! Thanks so much for helping me out!

Eliana

Are you able to get on and off the train from Oslo to Bergen?

thursdaysd

See:

http://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/norw...un-on-a-fjord/

PalenQ

Are you able to get on and off the train from Oslo to Bergen?>

With a full fare ticket or Scan Pass you can and you can get off at Myrdhal and do the NIN extravaganza that day and end up late in the day in Bergen. (Or return from Voss to Oslo that day.)

dyoll

If you have a ticket from Oslo then that is for a reserved seat on a particular train, if you get off the train then you will have to pay to get on any other train. Forget Rick Steves - well out of date.

PalenQ

even if you reserve a seat with a railpass? The worst then would be to have to reserve a seat on the next train?

dyoll

With a Eurail pass you can of course get off and on trains, but for long distance trains you are supposed to book a seat at a cost of around NOK 50. If you don't book you could take a vacant seat, but if the train is fully booked you risk having to stand.
Note that the cheapest tickets are usually discounted minipris tickets available 90 days in advance - however these are not flexible - you could check if trains are getting fully booked on https://www.nsb.no/en/frontpage (make a trial booking).

PalenQ

Thanks dyoll!