Scandinavian tour - first time!
 

OK, I've traveled a lot to the UK and to Ireland, but now we're finally branching out. We're planning a late May trip for two weeks (16 days) to Iceland, Denmark, and either Norway or Sweden. I'm not certain what at this point, but here's what we like:

We are in our 40s. We can walk for a while, but we're not in great shape. I love walking through woods, though, and photographing waterfalls, landscapes, historical things, crumbling stuff.

We are both fans of history, especially of the Vikings and such. Husband is very much into the Vikings show, but we've been into that period of history for a long time. Places used in filming the show as well as true historical places would be great. Longships, stave churches, etc. are all good.

I was born in Copenhagen, and have never been back, so that's a definite.

Iceland - we would love to see a glacier, waterfall, volcano, etc. I've heard of the Golden Circle tour, which sounds pretty cool, though we're not much for group tours. We prefer going on our own to the sites a tour would normally go. However, I realize in Iceland this is 4-wheel drive territory, and going on our own probably isn't wise.

Yes, I know we're trying to do 3 countries in 2 weeks, and that's BAD. However, my current job doesn't give more than two weeks a year for vacation, so I've got to work with what I've got. I am thinking 3 days each in Iceland and Denmark, and the rest in Norway and/or Sweden.

No need to go super far north for the midnight sun, though it might be cool if there are other reasons to go north.

I've read through many of the suggestions already here, but the majority are about NiN, and I'm not that interested in NiN - it seems to be nothing more than a service to help you arrange transport? I can do that myself :)

Thanks!

And yes, I'm well familiar with this thread :) :) :)

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-september.cfm

Last year we did 4 nights in Copenhagen, 3 in Helsinki, 2 in Tallinn, 1 overnight ferry ride, and 4 in Stockholm.. yes, it was a lot of moving around, but for us, we like the adventure of discovering a whole new country every few days. I think you will be able to scratch the surface in each country and will be pleasantly surprised at all you can see if you plan well.

I would suggest checking out SAS to fly... We just paid US$65 from Copenhagen to Helsinki which to me is a great bargain. We were able to check in one suitcase with no extra fees, as well as bring in our carryons.

Have a great trip!! I want to go and do Iceland and Norway next :) maybe in 2016...

Enjoy the trip, whatever you decide. We've traveled to Iceland (2 weeks), Norway (10 days), and Denmark (10 days)... but haven't seen Sweden yet.

I really do think that you'll be stretching yourself really thin by trying to do all of these countries in a 2 week period.

There is plenty to see in each country to spend your entire vacation. My suggestion would be either 2 weeks in Iceland (this gives you time to do the entire ring road) or split your time between Denmark and Norway.

You could do the cities (Reykjavik, Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen) plus some of the smaller towns/wilderness in 2 weeks, but travel will eat into so much of the two weeks, I'd recommend against it.

and, yes, I'd skip NIN and do it myself...

> I am thinking 3 days each in Iceland and Denmark, and the rest in Norway and/or Sweden.

If you are REALLY committed to visiting all 4 countries in one 2 week period (and of course an alternative is to skip one for now), then Copenhagen and Stockholm might be the two that merit at least 4 days each - and even then, you might need to skip some very worthy sites just to see your highest priorities.

I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation and block out some time on either side (for getting to/from the airport or whatever, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, obtaining currency, and getting oriented). Then see how things fit together. You might end up deciding to cut a destination or two....

If you have the time, there is a viking museum (The Viking Ship Museum) in Roskilde, the train ride is between 20 and 30 minutes depending on which train and then a short bus ride.
Other than that Viking stuff in Denmark is a bit further away from Copenhagen. The same with picturesque woods and nature, you can find that with a 20 minute train ride to for example Klampenborg Station and see Dyrehaven, a forest/nature park. I May I think the deers are out with their little new ones. And there are a lot of them. You could bring a picnic of go in to Dyrehavsbakken, a small amusement park bordering a corner of the forest.

Copenhagen itself has a lot of spots for history fans and you can walk around to most of it. I personally would go to Stockholm if I had to choose between Sweden and Norway, I have always loved Stockholm, and I think they have great sights that would probably interest you too. But Norway is great as well, a lot of the older parts of Oslo and smaller towns around are so idyllic

I'm not a fan of hopping from one place to another a lot, so I'm hearing you!

How about this instead:

5 days in Iceland (I've had time to do the research on just that one so far).
3 days in Copenhagen (must return to my place of spawning!)
A week in either Sweden or Norway.

The Iceland itinerary so far:
2 nights in Akranes
2 nights in Vik
1 night in Reykjavik
This gives me a good exploration of the south coast, for the most part, and a little in the interior near Borganes for day trips. We'd rent a car and go exploring.

For someone who loves the history of the Vikings, would you recommend Sweden or Norway?

I like your new plan better.

You'll get a good overview of Iceland in that amount of time, but leave plenty of things to see for a return visit!

We spent 1 1/2 days in Copenhagen and did a whirlwind walk thru the city. We didn't get to any of the museums, but did see a lot of castles, fortifications, crown jewels, etc. Then we spent the evening at Tivoli (highly recommended to go at night). In 3 days, you should get a good glimpse of the city. There is a Copenhagen museum pass that covers a lot of the sights (and Tivoli) that is worthwhile.

I can't comment on Sweden but, in a week in Norway, I'd probably do an Oslo, Flam (NIN on your own), Bergen, Balestrand, Oslo loop (we had a few more days, so went up to Geiranger). You could also skip going north (to Balestrand) and do a more southern loop (Stavanger).

Sounds like a good plan, thank you astein. My husband prefers Norway, so we'll likely do that.

Definitely must visit Tivoli. My mom lived in Copenhagen when I was born (in February) and she said the place lit up like a fairy's dream in the winter. I was planning on going to Roskilde and Fredericksbourg as well.

Good plan... we liked Fredericksbourg (did it at the need of our loop of the country).

I'm not an amusement park guy, but really did enjoy Tivoli (didn't ride the rides, but saw some musical shows, had dessert, etc.). Just a great place to spend a couple of hours on a nice night.

We only had 1/2 a day in Oslo on our Norway trip, but really liked that city as well. We basically walked from our hotel to Akershus Fortress and then across the city to Vigeland Park (go here around sunset) making stops along the way.

And, as much as we loved Denmark and Norway, Iceland was definitely our favorite. Just a great place to visit if you like the outdoors.

We arrived in Copenhagen on the last night Tivoli would be open for the season (on a Sunday, September 23rd or so) and we paid half price admission. It was drizzly (and even raining quite a bit at moments) but we thoroughly enjoyed our evening... it was magical at times... the orchestra, the light show over the lake, then the beautiful fireworks...

Pricing out cars - yikes! But I knew this would be an expensive trip...

For your 5 days in Iceland I would recommend heading out on Route 1 along the South coast towards Vik/Kirkjubæjarklaustur and staying around there. Akranes and surrounding area is very nice too, but you only have 5 days and I personally think you are trying to spread yourself too thinly in such a short space of time...

In terms of car hire you could try these...

http://www.carsiceland.com/

http://www.islandiacar.com/

And for an excellent blog about Iceland that is constantly updated with news and events..

http://www.iceland24.blogspot.com/

Thanks, mikeyred!

Car rental is not hugely expensive in Denmark or Sweden. I find economycarrentals.com very reasonable for Denmark and Autoeurope for Sweden.

We visited Stockholm, Norway and Iceland in 17 days last summer. Your schedule looks fine to me.

I am far from an expert on Iceland having spent most of our time on a spectacular hike. But take a look at Porsmork, which you could reach by bus from the main highway. The bus ride itself is quite the experience. The scenery is amazing.

http://www.volcanohuts.com/how-to-ge...cano-huts/map/

Odin - they don't appear to allow renting in one country and dropping in another, which is what I was finding so expensive :)

Thanks, Colduphere, I'll check that out.

Yes that would be expensive. You can drive your rental car between Scandinavian countries but one way drop offs will be expensive.

Exactly. I'm trying to figure out the best mix between cost, time, and enjoying the countryside. Get a car in Copenhagen, we have that part down. Return it in Copenhagen - ferry, plane, fly? Then we miss so much. Drive up the Swedish coast and return in in Bergen? Costly, but more interesting scenery. Drive up the coast, through Oslo to Bergen, come back and return it in Oslo? Lest costly, but backtracking a bit. (I'm thinking the latter)

Years ago I took the Copenhagen-Oslo ferry. I seem to remember people having a good time on the overnight ferry. \:D/

Swedish friends have always advised against driving up from Copenhagen to either Stockholm or Oslo claiming the drive is boring. I can't say as we have taken their advice.

We rented a car in Oslo last summer and returned it in Stavanger over nine days for $800. There is a direct flight from Stavanger to Reykjavik, though I am not sure which order of places you have settled on.

It's looking like Reykjavik - Copenhagen flight, driving to Oslo - Bergen - Stavanger and then back to Oslo, flights from Oslo to Reykjavik and home.

The flights and rental cars went up markedly in price (and bad schedule) flying out of Stavanger or Bergen. We're still fiddling. It may still change.

Good luck. I am seeing fares of less than $1000 for Boston (I know you don't live in Boston) - CPH, STA-REK, and REK-BOS next May. That is about what we paid last year out of Toronto on Icelandair. But the devil is in the details.

I'm coming up with about the same (we could fly out of DC, Baltimore, Pittsburgh or Philly, it's all about 1.5-2 hours from us). Flying out of Stavanger, though, doubles the car rental cost even if I pick it up in Bergen.

One way rentals in Norway are expensive and I'm not sure cross-border (Denmark-Norway) one-ways would even be considered. Taking the overnight ferry Copenhagen-Oslo, and hiring car in Oslo and doing a round trip Oslo - Bergen - Stavanger - Oslo (or v.v.) would save you lots.

Except my husband wants to meet up with a friend in Malmo...:(

I would not drive from Copenhagen to Oslo or Stockholm. Have done the drive from Copenhagen as far as Gothenburg many times and it is boring, mostly farmland and have done the drive from Copenhagen all the way to Stockholm, also mostly farmland and very flat farmland around Linkoping. Sweden is beautiful but you need to get off the motorway to see the country. The train journey is more scenic as it passes very close to lakes and through forests.

Rent a car in Copenhagen, drive around North Sjælland and the northern part of Copenhagen which are the best areas, return the car in CPH and ferry to Oslo, rent a car there, return it in Oslo and go to the next destination by air.

So...

Fly to Iceland, spend 5 days there, fly to Copenhagen. 1 night in Ribe, 2 nights in Copenhagen. Overnight ferry to Oslo.

Do I need a car while staying IN Oslo? Or is it superfluous?

2 nights in Oslo, drive to Bergen, 2 nights in Bergen, drive to Stavanger, 2 nights in Stavanger, fly home from there.

Having a car in a city is usually more of a nuisance than a benefit. First you will be paying lots for parking both day and night if you are staying in the centre. If you are not staying in the centre then finding your way in a strange city and parking will be a problem. With strict drink driving laws the car is not much use in the evening either. Oslo has good public transport - easy to find your way. Bergen is very compact and you can walk most places. If you are just planning on using one day driving Oslo-Bergen then it would be better to take the train and do the Norway in a Nutshell route through Flåm - then you can concentrate on the scenery. Same with Bergen-Stavanger, there are scenic routes you could take by bus. Hardly worth the extra cost of one-way rentals to drive there yourself in the limited time you have.

What is in Ribe? It's a long drive from Copenhagen and you only have 2 nights in Copenhagen which is a very short amount of time for a city with much to see.

Having a car in Copenhagen is not an issue for parking. You can park overnight in the street for a few krone which you pay at a meter, valid until 8am the next day. Weekends are free, similar situation with Sweden. I find a car a benefit especially when vacation time is at a premium plus you get to see alot more. With GPS, it is even easier.

Malmö is very easy to get to from Copenhagen, across the Øresund bridge. The fee for crossing the bridge in a car is expensive. You can drive your Danish rental car into Sweden and back. You could even drive to Helsingoer and take the ferry across to Helsingborg and then drive down to Malmo and then back across to Denmark using the bridge. The bridge is very close to Copenhagen airport.

I agree with Odin -- give yourselves more time in lovely Copenhagen!

. You could even drive to Helsingoer and take the ferry across to Helsingborg and then drive down to Malmo and then back across to Denmark using the bridge.>

You could do this Round the Sound excursion very easily by train and boat - I did it in reverse of Odin - took train over awe3some bridge/tunnel to Malmo
changed trains for Lund - a really nice old university town that is the highlight of this part of Sweden IMO - the train to Helsinborg to Helsingor (Hamlet's Castle) and S-tog train back to Copenhagen.

If you have a railpass it is fully valid on all trains and boats involved - a sweet day trip that slices thru a rural part of Sweden - redolent to me of Minnesota where so so many Swedes immigrated to.

I wouldn't dismiss NIN so quickly. I liked it a lot. I did not go to Bergen, I got off and spent the night in Flam. Next day I went back to Oslo. But if I did it over, I would go to Bergen, use buses/trains to go North as far as I desired or rent a car in Bergen. It's just another piece of the puzzle that is already mapped out for you and you can use however much you want and skip the rest.

I like PalenQ's trip through Helsingoer - I come down from Goteborg and did the ferry to Odenese into Copenhagen. And loved that part of Denmark. You can't go wrong - but you may just have to comeback because you are missing a lot.

Norway in a Nutshell is one of the very top five things this veteran veteran veteran traveler has done in decades of European travel - as Dick Vitale would be want to say "Awesome baby!"

I don't think you need a car in Oslo.

The drive to Bergen will be a long day.

Our friends dropped off their car in Bergen (after an adventurous drive - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...of-heights.cfm) and then took the ferry to Stavanger, although the bus might have been more scenic. Doing so might save you a few $ unless you plan on touring around Stavanger.

The Oslo to Bergen train ride is ubiquitously listed amongst the very most scenic train rides in Europe - so if not wanting to make the long grueling drive hop the train.

The ferry between Stavanger and Bergen has ceased operating, but there are interesting and scenic bus routes.

Thanks, all! I'll be back with more questions as I refine the plan. Great points so far!

Husband is now concerned about the volcanoes in Iceland. Sigh.

OK, here's a thought. What if I were to make the whole two weeks in Iceland? If we wanted to drive around the Ring Road, would we need a guide? I'm looking at expense and keeping my husband entertained. I will be thrilled with the photography, regardless :D

Just out of curiosity, what does a green dragon breathe? Not sure this was covered in How to Train Your Dragon . . .