Scandanavia with Teenagers
 

We plan to travel to Oslo in summer 2004 (yes, some of us DO plan that far in advance)and will be visiting relatives while in Oslo; we hope not to impose on them TOO much. Would appreciate suggestions for a 2 week trip; Sweden is a must because one of the teens has an intense interest. What can you recommend for a family traveling with this age (boy AND girl)?

Depending on their ages, you can probably let them loose for some time on their own to just walk around and explore. In summer, the sun dips down close to 11 p.m., so getting lost in the dark is not a concern. Everyone speaks English, making it very easy for them, and both Norway and Sweden are very safe cities.<BR><BR>In Stockholm, there are often free summer rock concerts in the area around King's park. You might also check out, right before you go, whatsonwhere.com and check out who's playing at any given time.<BR><BR>Almost any of the touristy things you might want to do (i.e. Viking ships in Oslo or the National Gallery -- a GREAT little art museum) will be equally enjoyable to the teens. If they enjoy shopping, you should go to the Wharf in Oslo or down Queens Street in Stockholm. Old town in Stockholm is also great. And finally, consider doing the Norway in a Nutshell tour from Oslo to Bergen and back.

I am into long-term planning too so I hoped to send you an e-mail and attach a lot of my notes and URLs for stuff I have done with photos. Fortunately I have learned from experience to test the sites given first and my Outlook Address objects to your address. So, if you e-mail me, I will send you a fair bit of reading!

If doing the Nutshell, try and stay one night in Voss. From there your teens can try out rafting, easy for those under 15 or more exiting for those over 15 of age. If not try out some guided horsebackriding in the mountains. Perhaps stay at a farm.

You could visit Summerland in Bo. It is a large water park, with some of Europe’s biggest waterslides. Easily reached by train from Oslo. You can travel to-from in a day. The daughter of my co-worker went with her high school class right before graduation, and had a lovely time despite the grey weather. Luckily it was warm, if not I don’t think it would have been that fun.<BR>sommarland.no<BR> Telemark is a very beautiful county, and if having a car you could travel to The Historic Dalen Hotel stay there or travel on to Vraadal. I remember staying there once, by the lake. Very nice. The valley is very popular with Norwegians on summer Holliday. <BR>www.vraadal.com/e/summer/<BR> Return to Oslo with a stop in Porsgrunn, the old town is well preserved and worth strolling. The trip is an alternative wanting to stay closer to Oslo, but I guess you’ll end up doing a loop to Fjord Country instead<BR>

Official Tourist info on Voss:<BR>visitvoss.no<BR>

I was through Oslo; Orebro, Sweden and Stockholm this past June. Bring your wallet and make sure it's stuffed with money. It was by no means my cheapest trip to Europe. To keep my hotel costs in line I stayed at a small, noisy hotel near the train station. For 80 USD a night, the bathroom was down the hall.<BR><BR>With kids I'd recommend a day on Bygdoy peninsula. Buy a ferry ticket and ride over, the view of the city is spectacular. Bygdoy has the KonTiki boat that sailed the Pacific. Get them to read “KonTiki” by Thor Heyerdahl before you go. Also on the peninsula is the Polar Fram museum that has a huge wooden ship in it that sailed the world. There's another maritime museum that is interesting too, if you haven't seen enough boats by now. There is a Folk Museum that has a lot of old buildings and examples of how people lived over a hundred years ago. It has a beautiful stave church that is a must-see. I spent a day on the peninsula rather than rush through it in a half day.<BR><BR>In Oslo itself there is the City Hall that is an incredible example of art deco. The wood sculptures out front are works of art. The Norway national art museum has a decent collection. On a nice day head out to the Vigeland sculpture park. He devoted his life to sculpting nudes doing ordinary things. OK, rolling down a hill in a tractor tire whether naked or not isn't ordinary in my world but the sculptures are beautiful. Take some time to visit the Munch museum and see the twisted side of Impressionist painting. I found it odd to see his painting of “The Sickroom” with his sister dying, then go downstairs to see the actual chair his sister died in. There are several versions of his famous “Scream” painting too. It's not all dark art, but it is interesting. <BR><BR>A must see is the WWII Norwegian Resistance museum by the old castle which is right on the harbor. All the signs are in Norwegian and English and it is a sobering and excellent portrayal of Norway during WWII. It was moving to see a sample of a man's writings who was in a prison camp. He would take his ten sheets per day of allotted toilet tissue and use a pin to poke holes and make words to chronicle his ordeal. See the castle too, it's huge, rambling and has great views. <BR><BR>I trained over to Orebro in Sweden on my way to Stockholm. It was a very pretty town with enough to do for a couple of days. It too had a Folk Museum as well as “Sweden's most photogenic castle.” It was much cheaper than Oslo. The same 80USD got me a huge room and my own bathroom in the only 4 star hotel in the city.

Thank you! Great information!