Scandinavia Itinerary
 

Hi, I am planning to travel to Scandinavia in June for almost 2 weeks. Will be traveling by Euro Rail, however I am not sure how to plan an itinerary, where to start a trip and where to end with minimum travel times as I will be travelling with two children aged 10-12 year old. Could anyone there help me with that and also please recommend the best places to see.

Sarah123,

Don't know where you are traveling from but if you go to Helsinki I would definitely recommend a side trip to St Petersburg, Russia.

You can do it visa-free on St Petersburg Cruise Line. They offer 2 night 1 day deals that I think are definitely worthwhile. "Google" them and call directly for better rates.

Here's link I used: www.ferrycenter.fi/index. I did it a few weeks ago for $90. However, it might be more since you would be traveling during peak season. Still the chance to see St Petersburg is awesome!

Finland isn't Scandinavia.

Sarah which Scandinavian country/ies did you want to visit? What are you hoping to see and do with your children? What is your budget? Scandinavia is not a cheap destination, and food is very expensive. Denmark is the cheapest of the three.

There is no such thing as EuroRail. Each country has it's own rail company.
If you decide on a route you an usually get good fares by booking trains well in advance. It can make a huge saving on fares, which is essential in the expensive Scandinavian countries.

Do you mean you have Eurrail passes? If so -- which type?

OK - 2 weeks

Fly into Copenhagen - spend a few days there

Take train to Oslo - then the really scenic train to Bergen- do the Norway in a Nutshell excursion - one of the very best I have ever taken in Europe - boat ride on Norway's largest and one of its most scenic fjords

Take overnight train to Stockholm - kids will love that experience

Take overnight ferry to Helsinki - fly home from there.

Can ax Norway or Finland to make it more leisurely.

For great info on trains and boats check out these IMO fantastic sources: http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com and www.ricksteves.com. Look at the Scan Railpass that covers trains and boats as well - like the Stockholm to Helsinki one.

I wonder if PalQ and Man In Seat 61 are the same person - anyone ever see them post at the same time?

To the OP, look at the train schedules between the major cities. Copenhagen to Oslo = 9+ hours, Oslo to Stockholm = 8+ hours, Stockholm to Copenhagen = 5+ hours. That's three travel days completely shot out of the proposed 12 or so you have.

You need to hit the books to determine where YOU want to go and what YOU want to see. And be prepared to spend a LOT on food. TGIFridays hamburger meals cost more than $25 per person - that's the low end of the spectrum.

I wouldn't care if I had a rail pass. I would still travel between Copenhagen and Bergen on Norwegian air. Very cheap fares if you buy in advance. Then take the train the rest of the way.

One of the best ways to start planning a trip is to get a good guidebook or two. Check your local bookstore or library to see which ones are most to your liking.

PalenQ,

"Finland isn't Scandinavia" Scratch Helsinki off the suggestion list!

Thank you all of your great feedback. It is really useful.

I will have Eurail Scandinavia Pass (allowing me to travel to Denmark. Norwat, Sweden and Finland.

I am happy to to make a trip to St Petersburg (given it is not too long journey).

Can someone tell me what are the options to travel to Stockholm to Helsinki, Helsinki to St Peters Burg.

If I am starting my journey in Norway, where should I start it Bergen or Oslo (in order to minimise the travel times).

St. Petersburg is wonderful, but really deserves at least 6 days IMO. With only 2 weeks - a very reasonable amount of time for a basic trip through Scandanavia -- what will you give up to make time for it?

Kja, as it is school holidays I am flexible to add an other week to our holidays. The only issue is I am stuck on where to start and finish (itinerary), as I don't want to have long travels from point A to point B.

Can someone tell me what are the options to travel to Stockholm to Helsinki>

either fly or take one of the most dramatically scenic boat rides anywhere - the Stockholm to Helsinki overnight ferry which skirts a lovely rocky archipelago much of the way and in summer days are long so you can see the scenery - ScanRail Passes I believe are valid for free passage but it could be 50% but anyone there is coverage for the boat with a pass.

Helsinki to St Petersburg is an easy train trip - ScanRail will not cover it of course since it goes largely thru Russia.

Finland isn't Scandinavia.>

correct of course but it is included in the ScanRail Pass - yes Fins are more like Russians than Norse folks. In fact Finland was often a part of Russia in the past I believe.

If I am starting my journey in Norway, where should I start it Bergen or Oslo (in order to minimise the travel times).>

definitely start in Bergen and take the fantastic Norway in a Nutshell loop - one of the most awesome things I have ever done in decades of European travel - take a train from Bergen to Voss (Knute Rockne buried in local cemetery) and then thrilling mountain bus ride via the famous Stalfeim Hotel to Gudvagen, on Norway's largest fjord for a boat trip to Flam (good chance of seeing whales en route) - just awesome scenery the whole way - at Flam you take a mountain railway up to Myrdhal for trains back to Bergen or onto Oslo.

The Flam train makes a photo op at a roaring waterfall en route.

Images of Norway in a Nutshell - you can buy an all-inclusivew ticket in Bergen's train station (last time I took it anyway) and do it by yourself - no reservations needed on any component except perhaps if doing Myrdhal to Oslo.

https://www.google.com/search?q=norw...=1600&bih=1074

And instead of flying from Bergen to Oslo take what is called one of Europe's Top Ten scenic train rides by many - the Bergen to Oslo line

https://www.google.com/search?q=berg...=1600&bih=1074

If you can spend 3 weeks, you can probably come up with an itinerary that includes most of the core destinations in the area (whether technically in Scandinavia per se or not) -- Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, and St. Petersburg, with perhaps a day trip or two from at least a couple of these destinations. If you want to cover all of these places, then likely entry/exit points would probably include either Oslo OR Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. Once you get a guidebook or two, sit down with a map to identify some options. A great resource on train options is
http://www.seat61.com

thanks all for our valueable information.

<<Can someone tell me what are the options to travel to Stockholm to Helsinki, Helsinki to St Peters Burg. >> Just repeating the recommendation, Stockholm to Helsinki should be by ferry as the scenery is very beautiful, going thru all the small islands of the Swedish archipelago. And as you are going in June, the nights will be light.

If you are spending anytime in St Petersburg, you will need a visa unless you are doing one of those visa-free cruises. The White Nights are from 11 June to start of July so is a popular time to visit St Petersburg with all the festivals etc.

It used to be at least that a ScanRail Pass (Eurailpass that is) got free sleeping berths on some Stockholm-Helsinki boats - check conditions of use to see if that is still true or to see if coverage is 100% or 50% - 50% could actually be better as with discounts you do not use a day on your flexi pass and 50% off the fare on these boats may be less than using an unlimited travel day could be to your maybe it won't!

Oh yes, seeing St. Petersburg during the White Nights is wonderful!

Stockholm is a must in my opinion--one of the most beautiful cities I have visited. You can take a night ferry to Helsinki: start in one city early evening and arrive in the other in the morning.There is a ferry every day. Check Viking line for this.
Oslo and Copenhagen are more ordinary.

Ferries also go to Turku, on the western Finnish coast and a nice city - then trains take you in a few hours to Helsinki so Stockholm to Helsinki is not the only option.

http://www.siljaferry.com/

Silja runs really nice services IME Stockholm to Helsinki and many other services in Scandinavia and Finland.

I have done home exchanges in Lahti, Finland; Taby, Sweden (suburb of Stockholm) and Fredrikstad, Norway (one hour south of Oslo by train). If you have only 2 weeks, I would hold Finland and St. Petersburg for another trip. With 2 kids you don't want to over schedule yourself and end up with everyone being a grouch. Oslo city is not that interesting, but the Bergen to Oslo fiord cruise and train ride (goes through Finse, which is supposed to be the highest train station in Europe; you might see snow out the train window in summer!). The Finse station is not open off season.

I would fly from Oslo to Bergen, go across to Oslo. Train connections to Stockholm are difficult and you might want to fly. It does depend on how much you want to ride trains. When I did my Norway-Sweden home exchanges (one after the other) in 2012, I found it cheaper to fly than to dither with the train (which required a connection).

To get from Stockholm to Finland, you can take the Silja Line to Helsinki or Turku and rent a car, if you want, after you arrive. The ferry ride is a full day deal. While the scenery is awesome when the weather is nice (lots of islands), there are also amusements for children on the boat that require no specific language so that all can enjoy them. Your train passes might be good on the ferry. Since I never buy train passes (individual fares for me are always cheaper than the pass), I don't know and you would need to investigate. As is true in the US, flying is often cheaper than the train.

I think you need to narrow down your choices and see if you can possibly have more than 2 weeks. Each country in Scandinavia (and, for this statement, I include Finland) is worth more than 2 weeks by itself.

Thanks again everyone, your suggestions are really appreciated. Could you also please suggest best places to stay in Copanhegan, Oslo,Stockholm, Helsinki. As I will be traveling by train, I would prefer to stay as close to train stations as possible. Would really appreciate if you name the area/suburbs.

I have no suggestions as I am always traveling through home exchanges. With all 4 cities in 2 weeks, you will spend a lot of time in transit.

For accommodations, you might check booking.com and use the map feature to see where they are in relation to the trains and major sites.

If you're buying a Eurail ScanPass that pass does or at least used to grant discounts at some major hotel chains in some of the four countries it covers. check out details on the pass info sheet or at www.raileurope.com - originator of the pass and who lists the conditions of use on its web site.

Helsinki city Hall and the surroudning market square is a must stop. Many scenic view points and sights are near by. They had the "flush" exhibit in the city hall while we were there last year, most interesting ...

hetismij2: Is Denamrk Scandinavia? I thought Finland definitely would be ..

Denmark is considered Scandinavia but Finland is not. They are both considered Nordic countries though.

We did the following two week trip in 2011:

- Day 0: Fly into Copenhagen
- Day 1: Arrive early morning in Copenhagen, full day of sightseeing
- Day 2: Copenhagen
- Day 3: Copenhagen in morning/afternoon. Evening ferry to Oslo
- Day 4: Arrive in Oslo early morning, full day of sightseeing
- Day 5: Oslo
- Day 6: Norway in a Nutshell (Oslo->Bergen via train/boat/bus)
- Day 7: Bergen
- Day 8: Fly to Stockholm
- Day 9-10: Stockholm
- Day 11: Fly to Copenhagen. Afternoon in Dragor.
- Day 12: Fly home!

Hectic but fun schedule. If you have extra days, add them in Oslo and Copenhagen.