Help with duration spent in Nordic Countries
 

Hello again - it feels like a long time since I reached out to you guys! My wife and I had a wonderful trip to Greece and a number of Central European countries last year.
However, this post is about our next major trip in May, 2020 to Russia and the Nordic Countries. We would like some feedback on the number of nights recommended to stay in each of our planned Nordic destinations. We have 30 nights planned for this leg and will be arriving in Helsinki from St Petersburg by train. Our planned destinations are:

• Helsinki - including a day trip to Tallin, Estonia
• Oslo
• Bergen
• Iceland
• Stockholm
• Copenhagen - including a day trip to Odense
• Aarhus

Before finally flying out of Billund to Amsterdam.

A little information about the type of travellers we are and what our interests are:

We like to stay in "Old Town" type places and we usually rely on walking and public transport to get around each place we stay
We try to stay in self-contained apartments rather than hotels if possible
Other than the odd day-trip, we like to travel independently

We certainly like to visit "touristy" sights like the Little Mermaid and Tivoli Garden etc, but our main focus is natural beauty (Plitvice Lakes, Lake Bled, The Matterhorn, Swiss Oberland, Lake Wolfgang etc). Also history and architecture like Rome's Historic Centre, Alhambra, Dubrovnik, Brugge, Hallstatt and Dresden etc

We plan to "do" the Norway in a Nutshell day trip
We plan to see The Golden Circle, Thingvellir and Jökulsárlón in Iceland

However, all other suggestions and advice about how many nights to spend in each destination will be gratefully accepted.

Thank you in advance, Steve

Hi Steve - to get a good feel for Iceland and to get away from the overun and IMO underwhelming Golden Circle, you might consider renting a car and driving yourself around the island via the Ring Road. Lots to see and a heck of a lot fewer tourists once you get away from the usual suspects.

But then again, with those other great looking options on your itinerary, you might not want to spend that much time in Iceland (I wouldn't anyway).

My trip report may or may not be of help:

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...-trip-1453922/

I have not been to all these places, but for the ones we have, this is my take on them:)

Oslo for a full day was enough for us.

Bergen we loved! We had 2 days there and would have loved more to explore more of the nearby area.

We did the Norway in a Nutshell and loved it.

In Iceland we did the Golden Circle Tour and enjoyed it very much. It was not crowded when we were there (mid October) and then our kids went at the end of December and they loved it as well, FWIW. Our first day in Reykjavik we did the free student led tour and highly recommend it. You just tip what you think it is worth at the end, and they will accept any currency. You do not need any cash there, so this can be nice in that you can tip in your own currency and not have to deal with the ATM if you want. We did hit the ATM our first day for this, not knowing.

Copenhagen we had about a week there and loved it. Our son was doing a study abroad semester there so he was our guide and took us to the usual places, but others as well which was nice. Out in Lyngby the deer park is really interesting.

Haven't been to Iceland or Aarhus, but this is my take on the other places.

Tallinn - it's a pity you're not going to Riga, which I thought was easily the most interesting of the Baltic capitals (but then I am a big Art Nouveau fan).

Helsinki - not especially interesting

Stockholm - worth as much time as you can give it

Oslo - at least two days if you have any interest in museums

Copenhagen - I found Copenhagen disappointing, but a side trip to Roskilde was worthwhile

Bergen - one day at most. Consider spending a couple of nights on a Hurtigruten cruise.

For details go here: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur.../#post12298373

And here: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...altics-904071/

Or here and put the city name in the search box: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com

Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities - and have several great easy day trips - if doing all of that by public transportation check out the ScanRailpass which also covers key ferries like the astounding voyage between Helsinki and Stockholm - for lots of info on trains, boats and passes check www.wseat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts - ScanPasses also give discounts on some chain hotels.

Helsinki is nice with a few things to see but would not stay more than 2 nights.
Stockholm is beautifully situated, more things to do/see there than HEL, taking the ferry between HEL and STO is highly recommended, or at least trip around the Stockholm archipelago, minimum 4 nights, more if you can.
Copenhagen has many sights worth seeing and the northern part of the city is very nice, as is the coastline north towards Helsingoer & beyond. Hornbæk & Gilleleje are worth visiting for a taste of local life. Lots to see, lots of interesting areas to stay, Kongens Lyngby which was mentioned above is a really nice area with Bakken and the deerpark, close proximity to the beach and the beautiful villas along it. Denmark has pretty villages with pastel coloured houses, Copenhagen has some yellow houses called Nyboder which are interesting. Food scene is much better in Denmark than Sweden.
Tallinn is fine for a day trip.

Denmark is also cheaper IME than other Scandinavian countries and Finland.

Odin--Our son was at DTU so we got to spend quite a bit of time in/around Lyngby. It was really nice to see something off the usual tourist path. It was such a wonderful area!

Obviously, it depends on one's interests (as this thread illustrates), and I would strongly – very strongly! – encourage you to research what you want to see and do in each location and then plan accordingly. But FWIW, here are my thoughts:

· Helsinki– 2 days for Helsinki itself
· Oslo – I haven’t been there yet
· Bergen – I haven’t been there yet
· Iceland – I haven’t been there yet
· Stockholm – at least 5 nights, to include 1 day on the archipelago
· Copenhagen - at least 3 days for Copenhagen, including a day trip tor Roskilde
· Aarhus – I haven’t been there yet

And you asked about Russia: I’d say at least 6 days for St. Petersburg and at least 6 days for Moscow.

My OH studied there for 8 years. Too late now maybe, but a lovely place for lunch in Lyngby is at Sophienholm which is an old country house
https://sophienholmcafe.dk/sophienholms-historie/

Thank you all for your insights and suggestions. As mentioned, there are personal interests at hand, but it seems everyone is in agreement regarding Stockholm.

Kja – in this post I was really only seeking help about the Nordics leg of our trip. Our trip starts in Moscow and, happily, we are planning 5 nights there and then a further 6 nights in St Petersburg which is very close to your suggestion.

Thursdaysd – so far this trip is only in the concept phase, nothing booked yet so we are open to suggestions like Riga. Quick research suggests a medieval Old Town in addition to the Art Nouveau city centre. We are fans of both. We first saw Art Nouveau in the small city of Napier on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It’s a lovely place! With regard to our planned itinerary, what would be the easiest way to accommodate a visit to Riga?

PalenQ , Odin and Mms – sounds like Copenhagen is also well worth at least 4 nights. I am looking forward to visiting Roskilde as a side trip.

From my research so far, it seems Iceland is not as easy as some other European countries to get around – very little accommodation other than farm stays and very little public transport (we are train fans and there are none there). We were planning on 6 or 7 nights to have an adequate look around the main sights. Any further suggestions for Iceland or the rest of the itinerary would be very welcome.

Just jumping on the bandwagon to also declare my love of Stockholm. When we went to Scandinavia, Copenhagen was the main draw and we did enjoy it. But we all loved Stockholm so much more. Also, agree that Oslo just needs a day, the western coast of Norway is where you should spend your time. After Bergen, consider taking the Hurtigruten from Bergen to Trondheim to see that town plus Alesund and some of the spectacular scenery along the way.

There are direct flights from St. Petersburg to Riga on AirBaltic. Then you can take a bus to Tallinn and the ferry to Helsinki. I thought AirBaltic was in trouble, but perhaps not.

Alternatively, you could go Helsinki - Tallinn - Riga, and then take the overnight ferry (Tallink) from Riga to Stockholm.

Note that https://www.rome2rio.com is a good first stop for planning transport, although you should always check its suggestions. BTW, Napier is Art Deco, the successor style to Art Nouveau. I like both, although I definitely prefer AN.

Oslo- loved it. Unexpected. Two to three nights to see all the wonderful museums and sites.
Stockholm was our favourite Scandinavian city. Great public transit, beautiful city on islands, little ferries and bridges, magical place.
Liked Copenhagen button as much as the others mentioned above.

Maybe not do NiN, but look for alternatives e.g. from Bergen you can do a good excursion to Hardangerfjord. Every Norwegian city has its own "villmark" , an extensive natural area close to town where people go for that most Norwegian of Norwegian pastimes: Friluftsliv, the life out of doors.

If I had to do a short tour, for me it would be this one:
https://www.norwaynutshell.com/rosen...olltunga-tour/

Mostly, people consider not to be that exciting, but I'd say: give it more than a day.
Frankly, I'd cut down on Iceland. 3 nights is more than enough.

Lolfn – the Hurtigruten PLUS NIN from Bergen sounds like a great trip. We could do that over a 5 night stay in Bergen.

Thursdaysd – Riga does sound appealing! BTW, thank you for pointing out the Art Deco vs Art Nouveau styles. I hate getting things wrong!! I remember a few years back I used the term Medieval to describe the English city of Bath (I used Medieval as a synonym for “old and enchanting”) and was promptly enlightened by Janisj that Medieval means “Middle Ages”, not the Roman, Georgian or Victorian eras. Ha ha.

Menachem – it is interesting that you don’t rate Iceland all that highly. When researching the country many travellers suggest at least 7 days there. What would you recommend we visit during a 3-day stay?

https://guidetoiceland.is/you-guide/3-days-in-iceland

That Hurtigruten - NiN combo sounds great. Bergen itself is also good to explore btw.

Thank you Menachem - the guidetoiceland link you gave me is a great resource! Still seems a lot to see and do there - we might be able to cut it back to 5 nights - 4 full days ;)

Really depends on what you want to see and do in Iceland steve - Iceland is bigger than some seem to think, and it takes a lot of driving to get from point A to point B (as demonstrated in the trip report I posted above). If you're just interested in the usual suspects closest to Reykjavik, a few days is fine, whereas if you really want to see the place, including the more remote bits, more time is naturally better.

I personally wasn't wowed by Iceland, but many seem to love it, even those who never stray very far, so as with all things its pretty subjective.

I would not recommend a five night stay in Bergen. When I mentioned Hurtigruten I meant for you to spend two or three nights on the boat.

Thursdaysd - the Hurtigruten trip I saw just mentioned a one-night stay on the way to Trondheim. I will research further to find a 3-night cruise. Sounds good.

You make a number of valid points Mel (?) I'm not adventurous enough to want to spend 10 days circumnavigating Iceland, but being from Australia, I doubt I will get back that far again so would like to have a good look around the usual suspects to the West and South of Iceland. As far as likes and dislikes being subjective - our favourite country is Italy - but my wife doesn't like Venice! Go figure??

I must confess that I think the Trondheim-Bergen stretch on Hurtigruten is the most boring part of the journey, frankly.

You can book individual stretches on hurtigruten.no
Or at a Hurtigruten office in any Hurtigruten port. If your journey is shorter than 24 hours you don't have to book a cabin.

From Copenhagen a nice short train trip takes you to Bakken, the world's oldest amusement park and for natural beauty walk around the deer park near it - also popular beach area. Bakken is free entry and has shows, rides, etc like Tivoli but also a lot more active rides that younger folk may like.

https://www.google.com/search?q=bakk...ih=625&dpr=1.5

Also don't miss the Carlsberg beer tour of old buildings that once produced the famous beer - The Elephant Gate is a landmark and there is a museum there too but just a neat area.

https://www.google.com/search?q=carl...w=1280&bih=625

You make a number of valid points Mel (?) I'm not adventurous enough to want to spend 10 days circumnavigating Iceland, but being from Australia, I doubt I will get back that far again so would like to have a good look around the usual suspects to the West and South of Iceland.

In that case, I'd allow about 4-5 nights, which will give you 3-4 full days. Not much time for an entire country, but enough for a taste.

I wonder if after bank crash in Iceland it is still super super expensive on everything but fish!

A true blast from the past, PalenQ!

IME everything is expensive in Iceland.

Still is - what I thought as most things must be imported from far distances. So if going bring from Europe as much as you can - including food - buy booze at duty-free at Keflavik Airport.

Yes, thanks for that tip PalenQ. From what I hear there's no such thing as "discount" booze. All outlets are government-controlled and priced the same - HIGH!

Melnq8. Yes, 5 nights is about what I was thinking when reviewing my original 7 nights. I don't think we could see much of anything with less.

You'll find plenty of Happy Hours in Reykjavik, but otherwise your best prices on libations will definitely be at KEF - and the duty free limit is pretty generous.

Use the Appy Hour app on your phone for Reykjavik. We used that and loved it. When our adult kids went, they bought liquor at the duty free store at the airport and just kept that in their hotel room and it helped keep their costs down. FWIW, we did not think food was expensive at restaurants there. A few items in the grocery store were expensive.

NiN booking site improved recently and much easier to tailor to your requirements. If that still doesn't help then just give them a call.

Dyoll - that's a great suggestion, I will investigate tailoring the NiN for a longer exploration of the west coast. We have decided that 2 nights should be enough in Oslo and five nights in Iceland, which will give us longer to explore the west coast of Norway and more time to spend in Stockholm and Copenhagen.

We will still be taking a day trip to Tallinn and spending only a few days in Helsinki, but still not sure about fitting in Riga.

Just had another revision for our trip. Thinking now of flying from St Petersburg to Riga. Then bus to Tallinn and ferry to Helsinki.
After a few days in Helsinki we would then like to take the ferry to Stockholm. From what I have been able to scope out, the cost of the ferry, a nice cabin, buffet breakfast and dinner is way cheaper than flying and a night's accommodation in Stockholm.

One thing I am unsure of however, is the timing of cruising into the Stockholm archipelago. Most travel posts recommend taking the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki rather than the reverse. This is because they say you will miss the amazing vista of sailing through the archipelago because you would be asleep. However, a ghost booking on Viking Lines shows us leaving Helsinki at 17:15 and arriving in Stockholm the next day at 10:00. How long would we need to be out of bed prior to our 10:00 arrival to not miss the archipelago?

I'm looking now at the AIS tracker for that cruise ferry and at 5.30 AM CET, the ship is now just entering the Archipelago. If you get up by 7 AM you will see most of it, I reckon.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...46e5e2adc2.png

Wow, thanks Menachem - very high tech! We are normally up at that time on vacation so works out fine. Thanks for the research and update.