Norway fjords and Scandinavian trip
 

We have three weeks in May, 2017.

We are planning to start from Copenhagen, stay three nights, then go on a one week Norway cruise to see the fjords; train from Copenhagen to Stockholm, stay six nights; train to Oslo for four nights.

We are in our 60's, we like train rides, to walk around, enjoy scenery, old towns, city centre and landmarks.

Is this a good itinerary? Any better way to the fjords? Do we have enough days in each city?
Thank you

Copenhagen has a wealth of neat day trips if you want to spend more time there - I'd spend less in Oslo personally.

Trains are great and with that much train travel look at the ScanRailpass which lets you hop on most trains in all three Scandinavia countries plus Finland.

I believe Scan Railpass is only 2nd class as many trains up there have largely second class but long-distance ones first too and if an aficionado of first class check out the Eurail Select Saverpass.

Actually I'd recommend thinking about taking the boat between Stockholm and Helsinki as it is an awesomely scenic ride - along a lovely rocky archipelago most of the way and with long nights you can see the scenery a lot- also covered by the pass either half-off or full.

Anyway for tons of great info on Scan trains and boats and places to go by them check www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com.

Two days is enoug for Oslo if yuo are doing the fjords separately. I would add the days to Copenhagen which has MUCH more to see and do.

And your order makes no sense.

Why return to Copenhagen and Norway, then go to Stockholm, then back to Oslo.

I would do all you Copenhagen time up front, then the cruise, then Oslo (just get off the boat early and train to Oslo), then Stockholm and fly home from there.

Avoids wasting a lot of time.

Our cruise is double back from Copenhagen, does not stop at Oslo.

Depending on what you want to see and experience, shifting a day from Oslo to Copenhagen might be well worth considering. OTOH, I'd encourage you to make sure you give yourself enough time to do everything you want to do in Oslo, as it is (for most of us) harder to reach than Copenhagen or Stockholm.

If you haven't already seen it, there's a wealth of information on this ongoing thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ice-please.cfm

Enjoy!

Since you like train rides, old towns, walking around etc, I would spent more time in Sweden and Denmark and reduce time in Oslo, if not remove it altogether.

You have 3 weeks so your time does not have to be concentrated just in cities. You could stop in Vadstena for instance (on the way from CPH to STO), or go to Visby in Gotland or visit Aarhus which will be a European city of culture 2017. North of Copenhagen are several small seaside towns which are nice to walk around and browse in antique shops.

6 nights IMO is along time for Stockholm , you could take a mini cruise from Stockholm to Riga and walk around the art nouveau old town or go to Helsinki. Be sure to visit some charming towns outside Stockholm eg Norrtälje.

Yes I would think about either doing both Oslo and more time in Copenhagen or going to Helsinki or axing Oslo - or can you end your float in Bergen - take the scenic Bergen-Oslo Railway, one of the most scenic in Europe IMO and do the Norway in a Nutshell Tour on your own - doubt the cruise goes to places like Flam and Norway's largest fjord but maybe it does?

Bergen is the second port of call, so cannot end the cruise there.

So we should stay 4 nights in Cph. What about the Vigeland park, Opera house and the Viking Museum in Oslo. Can they be seen in two days?

We also need suggestions on finding hotels in CPH and Oslo.
Should we book now or sometime next year?

Yes,along with the Royal Palace and Resistance Museum, which should not be missed.

Does the cruise not make any other stop you could get off and hop on a train to Oslo

To find hotels: booking.com

The ports of calls are in the order of Stavanger, Bergen, Alesund, Geiranger, then back to Copenhagen.

Maybe I should look for another cruise which ends in Bergen, train to Oslo, Stockholm then fly home.

BTW, are all the hotels rooms that expensive in CPH?
If I need to skip a city, should it be CPH or Oslo?

Hotels (whether in Copenhagen or elsewhere) differ in their prices.

As noted upthread, if you have any interest in visiting Oslo, my recommendation would be to visit it while you are in the area, as you can get to Copenhagen much more easily on a subsequent trip than you can get to Oslo. JMO.

<i>We also need suggestions on finding hotels in CPH and Oslo.
Should we book now or sometime next year?</I>

You should book now if you find something you like. Hotels in CPH vary in price obviously, just like anywhere else, according to stars, location, time of year etc. There are alot of bank holidays in May.

the Scan Rail Pass last I knew included nice discounts at chain hotels in Denmark, Sweden and Norway - check it out!

If I need to skip a city, should it be CPH or Oslo?>

though I am heavily partial to Copenhagen as a city and the plethora of awesome day trips close at hand I would cut which ever one that is most inconvenient for your itinerary and obviously that would not be Copenhagen- Gothenburg half-way to Oslo I thought was a wonderful old port town - another possibility.

Hi, a bit late reply :)

I see many of the comments suggest reducing Oslo and Norway.
I think this is depending of what you want to see.
If you like nature and beautiful scenery Norway is in another league than the others. So diverse and rich on impressions. You will get much more out of the fjords if you go to the northwestern part around Ålesund, Molde and Kristiansund. The scenery is much more breathtaking than in the Bergen area.

If you like to have an urban vacation, Stockholm and Copenhagen is bigger than Oslo, but all cities have a lot to offer. St and Os have more variation than Cph :)

From Copenhagen take the overnight ferry to Oslo - scenic travel up the Oslo fjord so get up early and grab a window seat in the breakfast room. Take the train from Oslo to Stockholm and fly back home from there.

https://goo.gl/photos/iQyLAXxYjEt9HHkr7

Here are scenes of Norway which could be helpful to your planning,

As usual great photos tower!