Nick04

We are planning a visit to Scandinavia this summer for 2 weeks. We are young couple and like to make the most of our trip as far as sightseeing is concerned.

Among other things this region has to offer - we are interested in seeing the Norway fjords and the mid-night sun.

We only have 2 weeks and have on the list the following places to see on our list.

Copenhagen,Oslo, Stolkhom, Helsinki & Bergen in Norway to see the fjords.

I HAVE 2 questions:

1. From what I have read to see the mid-night sun we need to travel to the northmost point in Europe at NorthCape. Do you recommend traveling up north to experience the mid-night sun? Is it a must to do or it’s okay to skip as other places also have long summer days and sun is shining till late in the day anyways. Is it really cold up-north even in summer?

2. Is there any other must places to visit in Scandinavia other than the big cities? From our itinerary above we are only touching big cities other than Bergen. Do you recommend going to other places like Upsala or country side in Sweeden or any other must attraction in Scandinavia?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Michael

You might want to take a look at my trip reports on Norway and Stockholm; click on my name to find them. But there is no substitute for guidebooks, Fodor's and Michelin are good standards.

expat54

Two weeks is too short for visiting four countries. If you want to see the midnight sun (or at least experience 24 hour daylight, as it is often cloudy in these parts) I recommend a visit to the dramatic scenery of the Lofoten Islands off the west coast of Norway. Much more interesting than the North Cape, and at even more mysteriously beautiful than the fjords further south.

Surfergirl

I've done this twice, once at 20 (on my own!) and again 10 years ago. I found the itinerary for my last trip, and I guess if I took out the Amsterdam part, it was about 2 weeks.

Day 1 Copenhagen
Day 2 Copenhagen
Day 3 Copenhagen
Day 4 All day Copenhagen. Took night train to Stockholm
Day 5 Stockholm
Day 6 Stockholm
Day 7 All day Stockholm. Night ferry (Silja line) to Helsinki
Day 8 All day Helsinki. Night ferry to Stockholm.
Day 9 All day in Stockholm. Night train to Trondheim, Norway
Day 10 Trondheim
Day 11 All day Trondheim. Night train to Oslo
Day 12 Arrive Oslo at 7:10 a.m.; dept. for Bergen -- Norway in a Nutshell at 8:11 a.m., Arriving Bergen at 8:35 p.m.
Day 13 Morning in Bergen; train back to Oslo in afternoon (straight route)
Day 14 Oslo
Day 15 Day Oslo, night ferry back to Copenhagen.

OK, this sounds super rushed AND we had a 12 year old with us, but we just made the most of the time we had, and we really didn't feel all that rushed!

Now -- for the Midnight sun. When I was 20, I was considering going all the way up to Bodø, just north of the Arctic circle, but that was going to be a 2 day train trip. So instead, I looked at a map of Norway and thought, okay, Trondheim looks good -- it's up high enough so the sun will just dip in summer below the horizon, but the sky will remain light. And it turned out I was right; it gave me everything I really wanted to see; it was an absolutely stunning town (a big college town) that was simply the highlight of my Scandinavian travels. And it didn't disappoint the last time I was there either.

By the way, if you do follow this trip, and take the night train from Stockholm to Trondheim, you change trains at the Norway/Sweden border at Storlien, then pass through Hell (I kid you not!) on your way to Trondheim. the name of the town is good for a photo op.

Nick04

Thank-you Michael, expat54 & surfergirl for your vaulable inputs. We will soon finalize our tinerary.