Help with duration spent in Nordic Countries
Mar 8th, 2019, 06:07 AM
#21
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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??
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??
Mar 8th, 2019, 06:52 AM
#22
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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??
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??
Mar 8th, 2019, 06:58 AM
#23
Hurtigruten ships provide a ferry and cargo service, as well as non-fancy cruises. You can decide how far you want to go and book accordingly, rather than buying one of their preset trips.You'll probably have to call to do that.
Mar 8th, 2019, 07:02 AM
#24
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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.
Mar 8th, 2019, 08:06 AM
#25
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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
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
Last edited by PalenQ; Mar 8th, 2019 at 08:09 AM.
Mar 8th, 2019, 09:44 AM
#26
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.
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.
Mar 9th, 2019, 05:59 PM
#31
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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.
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.
Mar 10th, 2019, 07:06 AM
#33
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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.
Mar 10th, 2019, 08:22 AM
#34
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Looking at the numerous responses, my only suggestion would be to skip NiN and plan your trip on your own. NiN is basically a ticket facilitator. By doing it on your own ( booking train tickets which can be cheaper ) and ferry tickets you can take 2 to 3 days doing the trip with overnight stops (much more relaxing ) and can include some great places not on the NiN itinerary. If one has very limited time then NiN is fine but much better to spend a night or two enroute. I did this several years ago and was very glad I gave NiN a miss and created my own itinerary. It’s very easy and you avoid the large crowds of NiN passengers.
Mar 10th, 2019, 10:09 AM
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I agree that if you have the time then take a few days to explore the area. That said we were very happy with the NIN. It is a full day but we loved it. We could have spent more time in the area but chose to allocate that to other areas. You can’t go wrong either way😊
Mar 10th, 2019, 06:45 PM
#37
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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.
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.
Last edited by steve_Australia; Mar 10th, 2019 at 06:59 PM.
Mar 11th, 2019, 08:54 PM
#38
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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?
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?
