jo

I will be in Stockholm for a conference in mid-June, and then have 4 days free before catching my plane home from stockholm. I will be able to see the city between conferencing, and was thinking about doing some side trips during this time (Oslo vs. Helsinki vs. Copenhagen vs. countryside) Please help me decide!

mpprh

Hi

Before doing the side trips, explore Stockholm.

We enjoyed the Wasa museum, and the evening restaurant boat trips. The archipelago under summer light (almost 24 hr in June) is spectacular.

Maybe, after that, it may be be interesting to take a boat to Helsinki or St Petersberg.

Peter

Heather

Peter, would you recommend 3 or 4 nights as a minimum for a first trip to Stockholm? I'm working on our itinerary and keep feeling like - from what research I've read - that 3 nights isn't enough.

Kim

Stockholm is fabulous, but so is Helsinki. Maybe you could divide your time between the two. Lucky you!

Heather

Kim, just when I decided that I could live without Helsinki (my time off is so limited) your post makes me start questioning my decisions again. Well, back to the research. But, would love opinions on allocating time to either/neither Stockholm and/or Helsinki ... I don't want to divide our time so that we can't really settle into either spot before uprooting and moving on.

Thanks, in advance, for any input!

Linda

Three days in Stockholm...one in Helsinki IMHO.

Elizabeth

If you feel you'll be able to see enough of Stockholm during the days of your conference, I really really really recommend you get into the countryside for mid-summer night, if you're lucky enough to be there then. Or get there anyhow.

Go to Dalarna and Mora, one is a place in the other, and go see Carl Larsson's house, it is the most visited site in Sweden and pure joy. Also the house of Anders Zorn, another Swedish artist, also a wonderful place. This district is the most folkloric, I think you'll find Midsummer stuff going on a bit even if you're there before it.

And you can enjoy the wonderful midnight sun. It is a light unlike anything else.

Grandma

i agree with Elizabeth. There are also lovely side trips out to Drottingholm and Gripsholm. I remember a lovely lunch at an inn near Gripsholm.(if you're an opera fan, check to see if anything's on at Drottingholm while you're there.) If you want to add another city I'd opt for Copenhagen. Have been to Helsinki twice... once too many -

b

What about a channel cruise in the Goteborg direction?
Bjorn, Oslo

mpprh

Heather

My first visit was 5 days, and it was about right (didn't run out of things to see, but ready to move on). I've been back a few times, but just odd days with business trips.

Trouble is......... time is short, and there are so many things to see in the world !

Better to see all you want in one place than miss lots of things in many places ?

Peter

mpprh

Hi

Most tourists head for Stockholm, but the West coast is magnificent.
It is never crowded, and can have 25C, with 22 hr daylight in June.

From Gothenburg, visits could be -

City trips by boat
Oslo by train or car
Western archipelago by car & ferry
Skagen (Denmark) by Ferry and car
2 day trip Copenhagen by ferry
Dalarna by car
Lake Vannern

For the real (wealthy ?) Swedeophile, take the historic hotel boat from Gothenburg - Stockholm via the Gotha canal and lakes. It takes about 4 days.


Peter

Heather

<Better to see all you want in one place than miss lots of things in many places?>

Peter, thanks ... you put it exactly and I couldn't agree more.

Thank you to everyone for your feedback. We should be in Sweden during midsummer night (hopefully), so I'm going to do more research on what goes on.

yeadonite

Any other thoughts? I will start a new post but needed a little help.

holley

I am in a similar situation. We'll be spending a week in Stockhom in mid-May, but we've pretty much decided after that to stick to the countryside. Does every one agree that Darlarna is the best area to see the sites and relax a little?

yeadonite

holley are you renting a car?

joegri

holley: Go back to your original post. There are a number of responses there. I'll top it for you.

hopscotch

Helsinki is a reach. Same with Oslo. Copenhagen is good if you are flying back from there.

Stockholm has a nice museum, old town, view tower, and its own version of Tivoli. Go up to Upsula, an old university town with Viking burial mounds and artifacts. You could reach the Boda and Orefors glass factories for an interesting visit, and get bargain prices at the factory stores. Rent a car to drive there and continue on to Copenhagen, again if you are flying out of Copenhagen.

oakey

Stockholm is a breathtakingly beautiful city, so you should enjoy it there. As far as side trips go...well if it does not have to be a city I would take some time to explore the Swedish countryside. But if you want a city then beyond a doubt Copenhagen. Helsinki is a rather small without much impressive architecture and somewhat grey. Copenhagen is beautiful and very continental and the Danes are by far the friendliest people in Northern Europe. Copenhagen is also very vibrant with loads of attractions and you easily spend a week there alone without getting bored.
No doubt about it Copenhagen is a much nicer city to visit than Helsinki.

wrld_trvlr

I agree with oakey that Copenhagen is a better trip that Helsinki. Although I have taken the ferry from Stockholm over night arriving in Helsinki and spent the day in Helsinki before getting back on the ferry for Stockholm. That was really great but you only get about 8 hours total in Helsinki. But it was a lot of fun on the ferry and it covered 2 nights that would otherwise have been spent in hotels.

yeadonite

wrld_trvlr so it is worth the trip to Helsinki?