lululemongirl

I have always wanted to see the Scandinavian countries. I am thinking of planning a trip for the month of June. Any ideas or suggestions on what I should see, but more importantly what I shouldn't waste my time with. How easy is it to rent and drive a small care between countries. Any suggestions on safe, very clean hotels at modest prices would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

PalenQ

For a solo traveler I would suggest taking the excellent train system that will take you everywhere the average tourist will want to go in all Scandinavian countries. I have traveled by train there for years - nice clean modern punctual and frequent train service between all key tourist cities. If doing more than a handful of train trips then investigae the Scan Railpass, good for rail travel in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland (though technically Finland ain't a Scandinavian country! It is also good on several useful boats, such as the tremendously scenic IME ferries between Stockholm and Helsinki, Finland. Anyway for loads of great info on Scan trains, passes, etc I always spotlight these tremendous IMO sites - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www. ricksteves.com.

arvin

There is no problem in renting a car in, say Denmark, and drive it in both Sweden and Norway. All the big rental companies allow this. Try to avoid a one way rental as the fees for this is high.

Before making any more suggestions on what to see: Are you planning to spend a full month on this trip?

Kay2

For more detailed suggestions, you will have to provide a little more about your interests and dislikes (my must sees would be my sister's don't waste your time and vice versa because our interests are so different).

Most people seem to think the must-sees are
(1) the fjord region in Norway with the Norway in a Nutshell route the easiest for tourists, but many other options possible. Some want to see a glacier, others stave churches, some want to kayak on the water while others are happy on the ferry, some like taking the slow boat up the west coast, I know a fellow who thinks the somewhat northern train route from Norway to Stockholm is one of the most beautiful landscapes he has seen but I haven't been there.
(2) Oslo for a short stay to see museums etc.
(3) Stockholm for a few days to experience the city
(4) a boat ride somewhere in the archipelago, the Stockholm-Helsinki ferry mentioned above or even a ferry to an outlying island for a hike and lunch
(5) Copenhagen and the easy day trips to castles

Hotels and food are very expensive in Scandinavia. Several folks here will be glad to give specific suggestions once you settle on your main stops. One rather different option in some hotels to save money is a "cabin", a room without any windows. Also look for an included buffet breakfast else factor that cost onto rooms that do not include a meal. There are some websites that offer specials such as www.destination-stockholm.com/ and several of the Scandinavian hotel chains run specials listed on their websites.

Kay2

Lulu,
I just noticed you only tagged your post for Denmark, not also for Sweden and Norway. I'm not sure how, but if you can add the tags for all the countries you might want to visit in Scandinavia, your post will be pulled up more often once it leaves the front page.

lululemongirl

Thank you all for the great advice. I will be spending most of the month on vacation so I should have time for most important sights. I will invstigate scan railpass as I hope to use the trains a lot. I would like to take a couple of longer ferry trips but I don't want older ferries , i get seasick if there is too much movement and I hear some of the very new ferries are much calmer.Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen Helsinki and a few other major cities will be on the agenda as well as day trips from those cities by rental car for some historical venues. Tried to tag mulitple countries but couldn't figure it out will go back to that soon. Cabin sounds like a smart idea as I will spend very little time in my room and I can use the money saved on food. Thanks guys, I will post my itinerary once I have it down pat so I can get some more specifics

Michael

You might want to take a look at my trip reports, one for Norway and one for Stockholm; just click on my name to find it.

AutoEurope does offer one-way rentals with no extra fee.