Sweden / Norway / Denmark in October 2018
 

Hey, everybody

I was hoping for some insight. My wife and I are planning a trip to Sweden, and hopefully Norway and Denmark, in October 2018. We found some great flights to Stockholm. Normally, I like to fly into one city in a region and fly out from another. However, this time around, the best price on flights arrive and departed from Stockholm, so we (I, reluctantly) opted for that.

We arrive in Stockholm on September 30th at 12:40 pm. We're set to depart from Stockholm on October 13th at 2:20 pm.

The only event we have planned is taking place in Gothenburg the evening of October 6. Nothing is locked in other than that. I've looked at some travel company's itineraries. I understand wanting to make the most of your time in a different region of the world, but some of them seem rather rushed (like city, travel, city, travel), and I don't want to put my wife through that, since it's not so much her thing.

We're open to travel by train, ferry, and self-drive if need be. I'm interested in the overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo or vice versa, but I don't know where to put it in the intinerary.

You'll see there's sort of a spare day in there where, instead of going back to Stockholm for the last full day, we can squeeze something else in between.

10 second sketch:

September 30: Arrive in Stockholm
September 31: Stockholm
October 1: Stockholm
October 2: Train - Stockholm to Oslo
October 3: Oslo
October 4: Oslo
October 5: Train - Oslo to Gothenburg
October 6: Gothenburg
October 7: Gothenburg
October 8: Train (or ferry?) - Gothenburg to Copenhagen
October 9: Copenhagen
October 10: Copenhagen
October 11: Train - Copenhagen to Stockholm
October 12: Stockholm
October 13: Depart Stockholm

Any help is really appreciated.

Thank you so much!

I don’t see a trip around the Stockholm archipelago. I would recommend making time for it, maybe take the ferry to Helsinki and back (or work a night or two in Helsinki into your trip then onwards to CPH for example), or take a day cruise, subject to what’s running at that time of year.
You have a few long rail journeys, sometimes it’s better to fly, more reliable.

There is a lot to see/do in and around Stockholm. I would spend all the time before or after Gothenburg in Stockholm. Probably after - the day you arrive, fly to Copenhagen, ferry to Oslo, fly to Gothenburg, train to Stockholm. Or pick either Copenhagen or Oslo.

For flights see: https://www.skyscanner.net/

For my trip to those cities (including Gothenburg) see https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...ed-copenhagen/ - links at the top of the page.

For lots on trains and booking own discounted train tickets or perhaps getting a ScanRailPass is doing all those trips (covers some boats in full or part too)- www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. Odin has given great advice as usual.

Well consider going Oslo-Copenhgen by ferry then Gothenburg and Stockolm = might make train trips bit shorter to Stockholm?

So, based on your feedback, does this itinerary make more sense?

September 30: Arrive in Stockholm, Flight to OSLO
September 31: OSLO
October 1: OSLO
October 2: Oslo, Ferry - OSLO to COPENHAGEN
October 3: COPENHAGEN
October 4: COPENHAGEN
October 5: Train - COPENHAGEN to GOTHENBURG
October 6: Gothenburg
October 7: Gothenburg
October 8: Train - Gothenburg to Stockholm
October 9: Stockholm
October 10: Stockholm
October 11: Stockholm, Overnight ferry to Helsinki
October 12: Helsinki
October 13: Flight: Helsinki to Stockholm, Depart to Canada

Better, but I would skip Helsinki, it's nice enough, but Stockholm has more to see, and you're already doing a lot of moving around. You should include a day in the archipelago around Stockholm, and you could consider a day trip to Uppsala, which I didn't have time for.

Also, it is a bad idea to fly into a city the day you are leaving on an international flight. Unless your departure time is late afternoon, and really even then, you should be in your departure city the night before your flight home.Even if the flights are on the same PNR, and your connection is protected, the "next" flight is probably the next day, and there is no guarantee it will have space.

I think the revised itinerary is a bit all over the place. Flying onto Oslo when first arriving in Stockholm, not sure why you would do that . Then taking the ferry to CPH and then going back up to Gothenburg which is not that far from Oslo which you’ve just left doesn’t seem to make sense to me.
Taking an overnight ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki would mean you might not see much of the archipelago, you need to see it in daylight. If there is no time to take the trip to Helsinki for the purpose of seeing the archipelago you can take an organised boat trip from Stockholm for the day.
There is also an archipelago close to Gothenburg, not as famous as Stockholm but that might work better for you, there are boat trips you can take.

Hey, everyone. Thanks for the tips, especially in regards to the arrangement. Does anybody have tips as to what order Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Gothenburg should be visited in given the restrictions I laid out?

Thanks again!

See post #3.

Hey, thursday

I overlooked your link! I’ll check it out tonight.

If taking all those ferries and trains then strongly look at ScanRailPass which lets you chose which trains to take once there not book in stone far in advance. But, adding Helsinki is rather rushed -I'd spread days out elsewhere like more in Copenhagen which has a surfeit of great easy day trips by train.

Hey, team. I’m looking at flights for Stockholm to CPH. I’m guessing ARN is as efficient as any other airport and if we arrive there at 12:40 pm, it’s probably best to book the flight to CPH at 3:20 pm and NOT 1:30 pm.

I’m still finessing. Are we getting better or worse?

September 30: Flight - Stockholm to Copenhagen
September 31: Copenhagen
October 1: Copenhagen
October 2: Copenhagen // Ferry to Oslo
October 3: Oslo
October 4: Oslo
October 5: Train - Oslo to GOTHENBURG
October 6: Gothenburg
October 7: Gothenburg
October 8: Train - Gothenburg to Stockholm
October 9: Stockholm
October 10: Stockholm
October 11: Stockholm
October 12: Stockholm
October 13: Depart

Seems perfect IMO - relaxed itinerary.

Looks good but there is no 31 September. 3 nights in CPH is about right.

The flight at 3.20pm would likely be ok, you can always check to see if you can book an airfare that has some flexibility so you can rebook with a fee if the worst happens.

Haha! Sorry about the calendar error. I’m just excited. Thank you for pointing that out, because if I used that list to book things, that could have got disastrous.

Thanks for your input, Odin!

Because I added an extra day that doesn’t exist, I’m not sure what I should do about Oslo.

September 30: Arrive in Stockholm, Flight to Copenhagen
October 1: Copenhagen
October 2: Copenhagen
October 3: Copenhagen // Ferry to Oslo
October 4: Oslo
October 5: Oslo // Train to Gothenburg
October 6: Gothenburg
October 7: Gothenburg
October 8: Gothenburg // Train to Stockholm
October 9: Stockholm
October 10: Stockholm
October 11: Stockholm
October 12: Stockholm
October 13: Depart

You have two full days in Oslo but I'd maybe swipe a day away from Gothenburg and put in Oslo - could do Norway in Nutshell in a day out by train from Oslo and back - full day but so so wondrous - fjord boat remains one of my top most cherished membrances of decades of European travel. Involves train to Voss - mountain bus ride to fjord at Gudvagen - few-hour boat ride on Norway's longest fjord (we saw whales!) to Flam then thrilling mountain train to Myrdhal for train back to Oslo (or in reverse of course) - buy all-inclusive ticket in Oslo and do it easily on your own.

Been to Oslo twice but long ago but a few days there was enough for me though like any world capital could spend more.

I would switch one of the Gothenburg days for Oslo. However, we have an event in Gothenburg on October 6th. Would it be safe to take a train there in the morning and allow for more time in Oslo?

I'd be inclined to leave your itinerary as it is unless you feel that you need more than 1 night in Oslo or skip Oslo altogether. The ferry from CPH arrives Oslo at 9.45am on Oct 4 and the train journey from Oslo to Gothenburg is around 4 hours, latest one leaves at 6.02pm arriving GOT at 10pm on Oct 5. Is that enough time to see what there is to see in Oslo?

Well, I think that I’m satisfied if my friends here on the forum think I’m on the right track. I think the overnight cruise is a super cool idea and we do have friends in Gothenburg we can stay with for free. I think seeing the fjords would be really cool, but given the limitations and the need to be in Gothenburg on that particular day, I think I’m ok with it. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we find ourselves in Scandinavia.

Ok, on second thought, I think I'm willing to take the train into Gothenburg on October 6th in order to do Norway in a Nutshell, because I looked at a website offering that tour and it's affordable and looks amazing. What does everyone think of this? I think we've finally got the itinerary down. By the way, thank you for the excellent advice, everyone. I really appreciate you all helping me get this straight.

September 30: Arrive in Stockholm, Flight to Copenhagen
October 1: Copenhagen
October 2: Copenhagen
October 3: Copenhagen // Ferry to Oslo
October 4: Oslo (Norway in a Nutshell?)
October 5: Oslo (Norway in a Nutshell?)
October 6: Oslo // Early Train to Gothenburg // Evening Event
October 7: Gothenburg
October 8: Gothenburg // Train to Stockholm
October 9: Stockholm
October 10: Stockholm
October 11: Stockholm
October 12: Stockholm
October 13: Depart

Looks good! Do take a ferry ride through the archipelago in Stockholm, and don't skip the open air museums.

Norwayn in Nutshell - yes you can do group and all in all would be easier for day trip though doing on own is easy and cheaper of course. Check several competing tours too and not just 'official' NIN site.

Hey, team. Thanks for the help. So far, I’ve booked the flight to Copenhagen and the ferry from there to Oslo. Let me know if you have any other suggestions or must-sees. I’m doing research online and in some guides as well. Do you think AirBnB presents the best choice of accommodations? And must-stay boutique hotels or other experiences?

I am boycotting AirBnB because of the damage it has done to neighborhoods.. If I lived in an apartment block the last thing I would want is a bunch of strangers getting access.

Fair point. I’ll have to look at districts for these cities. I think we generally like being close to the action.

I've stayed in a neat B&B in Copenhagen that was about a mile from center - suppose it is an airbnb now - some of those are old B&Bs and some are in flats - hard to tell but check on B&Bs - lots of sites such as:

https://www.bedandbreakfast.eu/bed-a...nmark/c2618425

Copenhagen has a large range of different styles of hotels, eg old converted warehouses with quirky rooms such as the Admiral or 71 Nyhavn. Or Babettes Guldsmeden (there are several Guldsmeden hotels in CPH, apparently one recently opened call Manon les Suites which looks very nice) or if you are into Danish designers such as Hans Wegner or Arne Jacobsen you might like the Alexandra, the Phoenix has a great location.
Some B&Bs in Copenhagen and Denmark generally have shared bathroom facilities.

Thanks, PQ / Odin. I'm working on booking the trip now. I have most of it planned out. I'm waiting on a tour operator in Norway. I also need to book trains, and I see some helpful links in the posts above for that. I have a friend at work from Sweden and after you all helped me work the itinerary out, she suggested the same thing. I feel like we're really on the right track and I'm super excited for those two weeks in October.

Copenhagen has plenty to see in it but it also has wonderful day trips as mentioned - no advance planning needed for those so keep in flux. And really look into ScanRail Pass which also covers ferries in part or full - then just make train reservations as you go along - no need to pre-book. Yes you'll have a wonderful time - as things are expensive vis-a-vis U.S. bring anything you can from home - toiletries and especially booze from duty-free shops.

Swedish rail should only be booked on the official rail site:
https://www.sj.se/en/home.html

Thanks, PQ. I'm a beer guy and my wife likes wine, so I'll keep that in mind.

Odin, I looked at that rail website, and I see they have a train leaving Oslo at 13:01 and arriving in Gothenburg at 16:50. Do the trains normally run on time? We having something going on in Gothenburg at 19:00, so I wouldn't want to be too late. On the other hand, we're not normally morning people and the train before that one leaves at 7:00. Do you think this would work out?

Odin who uses Swedish trains all the time has repeatedly said that they are notoriously late but I think on a 4 hour ride can't be too late for your plans. Too bad no trains between 7 am and 1pm one.

I do find the trains unreliable but yours might be ok. I mean they can’t be late every single time. Hopefully your one will run on time, even if it’s a bit late it shouldn’t impact your evening.

Guess Sweden like USA is a car culture - so few trains Oslo-Gothenburg for example.

How much is the average delay on a trip like the one from Oslo to Gothenburg? An hour? Two hours?

The reason why there are only two trains on each direction between Oslo and Gothenburg is not so much a car culture but a lack of infrastructure, a significant portion of the route has only one track. More trains would be very much welcomed, in Gothenburg at least. Faster trains too, now it's a local service with many stops especially on the Norwegian side. There are have been many plans but nothing gets done.

I think you should consider taking a bus. The bus ride should be less 4 hours, as Gothenburg-Oslo is only 2,5 hours by car.
Here you have a few bus companies, I wouldn't be too surprised if there are more:
https://www.swebus.se
https://www.nettbuss.se
https://www.flixbus.se/bussresor/oslo-goeteborg

I'll have to take a look at the buses. I did purchase train tickets, but they're fully refundable. What does everyone else think of switching the Oslo-Gothenburg train to a bus?

Buses are popular in Sweden and there are lots of operators and routes. I sometimes use Flybussarna for their routes from various cities to airports I use.
Think it’s too early to book a bus for October, maybe wait until you can see the options before booking & cancelling rail tickets.