Help with Scandinavia Itenary
 

I am planning to go to Scandinavia next year in Aug for three weeks. Needed some help with the itenary. Totally lost on which places I should not miss out on.

Wanted to cover Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Don't know if it is too ambitious. What are the best places to go during Aug ? We are three women about 25 years old and would like to have a mix of scenic sights and city life.

Would appreciate suggested itenaries.

Too ambitious IMO. I would at least drop Finland from your itenarie.

You could start in Denmark (Copenhagen), rent a car there a drive towards Sweden. In Sweden you could do parts of the lower part (Goteborg and environment). From there drive towards Olso and make a small round trip in Norway (oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and return to Oslo). Then either drive bakc to Copenhagen (doable within one day), or take the ferry towards Denmark and drive from there towards Copenhagen.

Copenhagen, Gotenborg and Oslo are great, vibrant cities. A round trip in Norway from Oslo to Bergen and then back takes you along some of the most scenic parts of the world; mountains, fjords, glaciers etc.

You can also start in Stockholm (or Olso) and then make a round-trip towards Olso, Bergen and back to Stockholm. Or Copenhagen-Stockholm, but then you miss out on the Norwegian scenic sights.

Don't miss Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen, Goteborg and Stockholm. We enjoyed the overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo. You could also take the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. We didn't get to Helsinki but I wish we had. We toured the above cities in 2.5 weeks so with a few extra days, we might have fit in Helsinki.

So in this I would miss out the nothern lights and midnight sun etc right because that would be at the northern most tip

Yes! But going up all the way north takes a lot of time! You could probalbly fly, but this is pretty expensive.

Don't try to jam everything in 3 weeks! There is more than enough to see without seeing the northern lights (of which I am not even sure if you can see this in August...).

The Northern Lights are a winter phenomena while the Midnight Sun is a summer solstice phenomena.

You might want to research taking the overnight ferry from Stockholm, spending the day in Helsinki and returning on the next night's ferry to Stockholm.

You could start your adventure in Stockholm (Helsinki), go to Copenhagen (car or train), overnight ferry to Oslo and then take'Norway in a Nutshell' to Bergen.

You have more great choices than time or money allows. You'll have to make choices that suit your interests. There is no one correct itinerary.

ttt

We have finally decided to go for three weeks in August..

Here is the tentative itenarary...Is there anything I should add or remove from it...Is Finland really worth going or should we skip it ?

Denmark

Copenhagen
Odense
Ferry From Aarhus/ Fredrikshaven to Gothenburg

Sweden

Gothenburg
Stockholm

Finland

Ferry to Mariam Island and then to Turku or Helsinki directly
Lapperanta/ Imarta/ Savolinna optional
Rovaniemi

Norway

Trondheim
Flam / Bergen / Lillehammer/ n da fjords
Oslo

What is the best way to go around ? Not too sure about driving there. We are planning to take the Eurail pass.

Do not neglect the ScanRailPass good in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway - has more benefits than a Eurail Pass in Scandinavia - like on many more boats and buses and is cheaper per day as it comes in 2nd class if over age 25, unlike eurail which comes in 1st class only if over 25. But if wishing to go first class then the Eurail Pass or Eurail Select Pass (good in any 3, 4 or 5 countries you chose) may be better. Anyway some great sites for info on Scandinavian trains and railpasses - lots of objective info besides just the usual pass prices many sites just have: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - on the latter you can download their free European Planning & Rail Guide that has a good chapter on Scandinavia trains and rail maps and itineraries. The Scandinavia Tourist Office in NY also has a lot of great info.

I am glad to see that you included Finland in your itinerary! Consider going to Turku (Finland's 2nd largest city) on an overnight ferry from Stockholm. Our favorite is Silja Line <http://www.tallinksilja.com/en/> and have done this several times. IMO, it is the most enjoyable way to travel to Finland from Stockholm. The buffet dinner is excellent and the view is unforgettable, as the ship pulls out of Stockholm harbor and winds its way through the archipelago.

I just did a month long journey through Scandinavia by public transport using ferries, buses and trains. I started in Helsinki and went to the northern most part of Europe to Nordkapp and made my way back down south to Stockholm, Oslo and Goteborg. I loved the trip, BUT if I ever did this again, I would rent a car to do the same trip. The public transport is very sparse and you are at the mercy of the limited times that everything travels. From Nordkapp, I went through Alta, Tromso and the Lofoten Islands, which are connected to the mainland by bridges and then you can catch a car ferry from Moskenes to Bodo. Went then to Trondheim before heading back south to the larger cities.

The Stockholm-Turku/Helsinki ferry ride is extremely gorgeous as it goes for many miles along a rock archeapaelago on the Swedish coast - as the days are long in summer even though the boat leaves in the evening you can see the fab views. Boat is included with a Scandinavia Pass i believe (and Eurailpass as well)

Hi
Check Helsinki Information
was just posted recently.
Enjoy

Hi Salonee. We also will be in Scandinavia next August. Our 50th. With three weeks you could fly into Helsinki and go from there. A ferry to Stockholm. That's what we will do, but then join a tour group. You may get some good ideas for this site. http://www.tauck.com/tours/europe-to...dinavia-travel Go to land journeys. ENJOY Iris

Helsinki is great - don't miss it. One trip to Helsinki we took a 4 day train trip to St Petersburg, Russia, from Helsinki. Another trip we took the ferry to Tallin Estonia for a day trip. The Old Town is a short walk from the ferry dock.

From Helsinki, we took the Silja ferry overnight from Helsinki to Stockholm. Then went by train to Oslo.

Took the Norway in a Nutshell trip (another trip we did the Golden Triangle which is Oslo to Stavanger by train, then a ferry to Bergen and the Norway in a Nutshell tour back to Oslo).

Then we went by train to Copenhagen. 3 Weeks is long enough to do all of this depending upon what you plan to do in each country.

Have a wonderful time. Turku is a lovely city - the church is very interesting.

If you are using the trains I recommend that you invest in a Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable. Train service in Scandinavia is excelent but not frequent. You'll have to plan.

For three of you consider renting a car to save money and give you more flexibility. The drivers up there are the most courteous in Europe and the roads are excellent. You'll also have the option of staying in smaller cities for a lower room cost.

Your itinerary is pretty good, but I would probably chop out Trondheim. It's a nice city but you probably want to see only one fjord.

From Copenhagen the drive up the Jutland Pennisula is beautiful. I would stop in Arhus. It is a short ferry ride from Frederikshavn to Göteborg and you can bring a car. The drive up to Oslo and across to Stockholm is not spectacular. It looks like Michigan.

Just north of Stockholm is Uppsala, a nice university town with some ancient Viking mounds.

Definitely take the Silja overnight ferry to Helsinki. It is a party boat. The buffet dinner is fantastic. Take the second seating to avoid a bunch of kids. You get two hours of eating and drinking. Beer and wine are included in the price, about $50. The bar in the aft section has live music until the wee hours. You can stand out on the balcony to air out.

Places I like are Tivoli in Copenhagen, Gamla Stan in Stockholm (plenty of night life), and Viking boat and Kon Tiki museums in Oslo. By car you can easily get to Boda, Kosta, and Orrefors glass factories in southern Sweden near Växjö.

Restaurants are very expensive, especially in Norway. Consider grocery stores to fix your own. If you drink bring the maximum in duty free to avoid the astronomical costs in all these countries.

<i>If you drink bring the maximum in duty free to avoid the astronomical costs in all these countries.</i>

Not true in Denmark. Alcohol prices are reasonable, and there are the drunks to prove it. Indeed, many Swedes come to Denmark to buy their booze.

Beer and wine, in particular are readily available in the grocery store for American prices. Hard booze is a bit more expensive, but not terribly so. Go full-on Danish and buy your beer at 7-Eleven and just drink in public.

Thank you for all your recoomendations.

I had 2 more questions

1. We really want to go to Rovaniemi but I think its only possible to go from Oslo and to go to Norway from there is very complicated and takes time.So I'm not sure how to work that out. Maybe we could drive ? Is it a tough route ?

2. Since Im Indian I would need a Schengen visa but Ive heard its harder getting one for the Scandinavian countries that others. Any inputs on that ?

PalenQ : The scanrail website says its not available in 2008 so I don't think we would be able to take that. Since we are all 25 years I think we can take the Regional Eurail youth pass.

Orlando_Vic: We were planning to take the ferry from Stockholm to Aalnd stop for a bit and then forward to Helsinki or Turku (time permiting).

spaarne: I believe we will cut out Trondheim and maybe spend more time in Bergen and around. Being vegetarian I think we will have to rely a lot on grocery stores. Not sure if there are any local veg dishes I can try.

travelgourmet: Yeah I think we would prefer to try the local stuff rather than carry since we also want to travel light

>>> We really want to go to Rovaniemi but I think its only possible to go from Oslo<<<

Oslo? Are you getting Oslo and Helsinki mixed up? Rovaniemi is in Finland, and both Blue1 and Finnair fly Helsinki-Rovaniemi route. I think daily. Plus there are daily trains, but it is an overnight journey.

What is it that interest you in Rovaniemi? It is not quite Lapland yet, and if you want to see Lapland you should fly further north, for example to Ivalo (see that big lake up north, it is there). Rovaniemi is just a small town, and Finland has many towns that are prettier and more interesting. All of present day Rovaniemi is built after world war II. Germans burnt it during the war, and not a single building was left standing.

Yes sorry I meant Helsinki.

Actually had heard about the midnight sun and Santa Claus village etc. So Should I cut out Rovaniemei from the itenarary ? What other town can I add that would be easily accessed ?

Ok have kind of finalized an itinerary.

Day 1: Reach Copenhagen. Spend day in Copenhagen
Day 2: Copenhagen
Day 3: Spend day in East Denmark (Cliffs of Mons Stevns). Stay in Copenhagen
Day 4: Spend day in Odense. Stay in Copenhagen
Day 5: Reach Gotenburg. Spend day in Gotenburg
Day 6: Gotenburg, West Sweden archipelego. Stay in Gotenburg
Day 7: Reach Oslo. Spend day in Oslo. Take night train to Stavanger (Next day being saturday so no train)
Day 8: Spend day in Stavanger. Stay in Bergen
Day 9: Bergen
Day 10: Flam, Fjord cruise on the Sognefjord
Day 11: Geirangerfjord and Trollstigen Road
Day 12: Jotunheimen
Day 13: Oslo
Day 14: Oslo
Day 15: Stockholm
Day 16: Stockholm
Day 17: Stockholm
Day 18: Take ferry to Marianhamna. Spend day there and take night ferry to Helsinki
Day 19: Helsinki
Day 20: Imatra/ Lapperanta/ Savolina
Day 21: Helsinki

Please do critique it.

Have one extra day so would love suggestions on whether to spend it in Copenhagen or go to Turku or some other place.

Not sure which place to stay on Day 10, 11 and 12. How is driving in Norway ? May do Day 11 and 12 by car due to no connections by train.

Thanks.

&gt;&gt;&gt;Day 19: Helsinki

Day 20: Imatra/ Lapperanta/ Savolina

Day 21: Helsinki&lt;&lt;&lt;

Look, why this one-day-in-a-place itinerary? Think about the distances.

Train trip Helsinki-Imatra is almost five hours one way. So day 20 would mean 10 hours in a train, and that would not even include Savonlinna. How much it would leave for seeing/doing? For example both Lappeenranta and Savonlinna offer wonderful lake cruises on old steamboats and some great views and beautiful nature. You don´t have time for any of that.

For day 20 why don´t you just take a boat from Helsinki to old Porvoo. There are also lunch cruises. You can choose between an old steam boat and a modern one. And then take a bus back. Even that is a whole day program.

Do not skip over Roskilde, Denmark. The cathedral is the Danish version of Westminster Abbey where all the Danish monarchs are interred. You'll get thoroughly confused by all the "Christians" and "Fredericks", but it's quite fascinating. Own a cell phone? Harald Bluetooth is buried there too. It's the oldest Gothic brick cathedral in Europe.

Very nearby is the Viking ship museum which features a bunch of old boats excavated from the bottom of the nearby fjord. They have been painstakingly restored and demonstrate just how brave (crazy) the Vikings were to venture out into the open seas. These sights can be done in a few hours on your trip from Copenhagen to Odense.

Hi, Salonee -

I second Otzi's recommendation to visit Roskilde.

Enjoy!

Ok I guess the extra day I have we can do Roskilde.

We would have one more day since we would be flying back on Day 22 so maybe I can stay in the place we visit on Day 2 and come back to Helsinki the next day.

Thanks for the suggestions..

Oh - did not see this thread before. But it seems you (salonee) have had some dreams about seeing the midnight sun on your scandinavian tour? So why don't you?

I must say, it is magical. And the scenery in northen norway is at least as breathtaking, as that of Bergen and the fjords. (I've lived both in Bergen and Northern Norway.)

If you have not set yout itinerary, i suggest you take a look at norwegian.no. (cheap plain tickets) oslo - harstad/narvik is about 70-90 dollars in august.

you could go from harstad/narvik to stockholm for about 115 dollars (still flying norwegian)in august.

ITINERARY

Three weeks sounds perfect to me. Denmark is the must see city. I wouldn't even think of the capital of Norway (very boring) and go to the northern part of Norway to see the Fjords in Trondheim or Mo i Raina. Stockholm, the capital of Sweden is beautiful. And I do recommend visiting Finland as well, because it is little bit different from the others (it used to belong to Sweden until 1809 and then to Russia 1809-1918). The places to see in Finland are the lakes are in the middle and Lapland in the north but in August the weather might be a problem. So I would pick Helsinki only, the capital of Finland.
So my plan would be Denmark (7 days) - Trondheim (3 days) - Stockholm (7 days) - Helsinki (4 days).

You can get the most out of Norway in a short period of time, just visit http://www.nordic-experience.no

They got a good value for money when it's up to see a lot and experience the true and intense side of Norway. They have different tours, if you want to do the most on your own. It's has to planned really well and in advance, and you may have to focus on some main areas. Most likely the one closest to the major airports or close to train connections.

I wish you good luck and it's better to be ambitious and reach some of your goals.

Fly out to the easternmost destination and drive/ferry/train your way back west. For examply fly out to Helsinki, ferry over to Stockholm, rent a car drive to Norway, loop around the western fjords, ferry over to Denmark, depart from Copenhagen. This way you avoid backtracking and looping around unnecessarily.