Ten Best/Ten Worst Tourist Sites in Nordic Countries- Lonely Planet's Lists
 

Here's Lonely Planet's rundown:

Ten best sites
1. The Geiranger Fjord, Norway
2. Fredriksborg Castle, Denmark
3. Myvatn nature preserve, Iceland
4. Gamla stan (Old Town), Stockholm
5. Ice Hotel Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
6. Lofoten, Norway
7. Ice breaker safari, Finland
8. Tasermiutfjorden, Greenland
9. Hurtigruten, Norway
10. Ilulissat community, Greenland

Ten Worst sites
1. Badly behaved children, Sweden
2. Smelly paper mills, Finland
3. Seal hunt exhibit at the Polar Museum in Tromsoe, Norway
4. Bloodthirsty mosquitoes in the forests of Sweden and Finland
5. Cigar smoke in cozy cafes in Denmark
6. Statue of "The Little Mermaid," Denmark
7. Legoland without children, Denmark
8. The Blue Lagoon, Iceland
9. Pub brawls, Greenland
10. Swedes getting drunk on tax-free booze on the Baltic ferries

Not surprised not to see the Vasa Museum among the 10 Best; more like a Disneyland exhibit of a Dutch warship built for the Swedes that sank in 20 minutes. So overated.

Apparently the Finns, Danes, and folks from Norway who get drunk on Baltic ferries are more polite, is that it?

Hi

I think most of us associate remote Norwegian fjords with crisp and fresh mountain air. Well, a new study shows that the air quality in Geiranger, maybe the most famous of the Norwegian fjords, can be as bad as the air quality in major European cities like London, Barcelona, Glasgow etc on some days. And the reason? The number of cruise ships that visit the fjord during the summer of course :-o But hopefully this will improve in the future...cars have gotten better over the years so I'm sure lots can be done to reduce the exhaust from cruise ships. This is Geiranger by the way: http://www.geiranger.no/english.html

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Gard-- are you referring to cruises and ferries? I am quite shocked of what you mention on air quality. I have to say Norway is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. A stop in Oslo is nowhere near sufficient to really grasp the beauty of this amazing country.

Christiana in Copenhagen to me is one of my Top Ten Sights in Europe!

I used to live quite near to Geiranger and let me tell you, it is definitely on my top ten list of best sites in Scandinavia. Though I've never been to Greenland, Finland or the Faeroes yet, I've been to quite a few of the best sites and a handful of the worst. Fredriksborg is fantastic and well worth the trip to see it, though I'd have to say that about quite a bit of Denmark, actually, Little Mermaid excluded. It isn't what it's cracked up to be, much like the Liberty Bell (:|). Myvatn is gorgeous, but how COULD they possibly vote Blue Lagoon as bad!? I am baffled. I was there at midnight in June last year and it was just incredible. Possibly the reason stems from its high tourist concentration? I'm surprised to see that Jokulsarlon (there are some accents missing there; sorry, folks) didn't make the 'best' cut. It is eerie, extraordinary and breathtaking, especially considering it's at the foot of Europe's largest glacier, Vatnjokull.

When I lived in Norway I used to take the Hurtigruten for short trips up and down the coast (my particular route being Aalesund to Trondheim). I loved the trip. Hurtigruten is a great way to see much of Norway's stunning beauty and it, alone, is worth the plane fare there.

lazuliangel-- where/what is Jokulsarlon? How you get there? What is Myvatn like?

Jokulsarlon is the run off from the largest glacier, Vatnajokull. It is a giant river of icebergs running down from the top of the mountain to the Atlantic Ocean; there's a bridge over the lowest portion of it, along with a stop off area and boat tours. It's accessible via Route 1 (the national trans-circular, which is where the bridge is). Myvatn is lovely, but a bit too touristy for my liking. I don't remember it too well, though, as we were pushed for time and ended up ducking in and ducking out to see other things.

I have to strongly disagree about the Vasa Museum. I thought it was fascinating and the ship is amazing..even more amazing because it is the only 17th century ship in existance today. That's why I don't decide on places to visit on some elses opinions. Different strokes for different folks and if I don't like the place? Then I say "boy, they were sure right about THAT place".

Myvatn Lake in Iceland is an area with many ancient low volcano craters, beautiful scenary; but don't visit it in June, the mosquito are deadly.

I think the Vasa ship museum deserves a place in the top ten.I did not like the Blue Lagoon myself but overall I liked Iceland a lot.

I would personally give a lot more weight to these "opinions" if we got more than just the opinion, i.e., at least a little rationale as to why the determination was made.

I agree some things seem more obvious than others such as "bloodthirsty mosquitoes" and "pub brawls in Greenland" (unless your side happens to be winning the fight).

For sheer size and detail, the only ship of it's era in condition to exhibit, the Vasa should be included.

Also, how about NIN? I found it to be a remarkable excursion of unmatched scenic offerings.

And the Shvartzeisen glacier (one of the Hurtigruten optional side trips), about an hour south of Bodo.

Stu T.