thinking way ahead - Scandinavia?
 

I see so few postings on here about Sweden/Norway/Denmark. This area is high on my list of places to visit - as much as I love London, Paris, Provence, Italy... I'm going to start devoting some of my travel time to places I haven't been before and for Europe, the Scandinavian countries are high!

so let's hear it for Sweden. or anyone visit the fjords of Norway? I assume June/July must be one of the better times to go - most sunlight, and the warmest. I do hear a bit (outside of fodors) re: folks who took cruises and loved them - anyone enjoy a cruise?

top 100 things to do and see, your stories - anything. this is now on the short list (apart from well, Rome, and Turkey, and...)

click on my name for a few scraps of scando-reports. you can partly gauge the season to go by the ferry schedules - some of the fjord routes aimed at tourist traffic end mid august (start july?). can see on norwegian web sites.

One small point about timing.

Unless you're hooked on skin cancer weather, Scandinavia really isn't cold except during the winter: everyone understands the effect of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic area, but the Baltic seems unnaturally warm from March-September as well.

Personally, I find the area uncomfortable in high summer though. The virtual absence of any dark from mid June to mid July is interesting once, but can get quite wearing after a few days: blackout curtains seem unheard of (though others might have different experiences)

Mid-July to mid August can be really warm round the Baltic, and nights have a few hours of darkness.

I think the western fjords are in a different weather zone than the mild baltic - we hardly had a break from frigid, driving rain on the coastal steamer 3rd week of August. Wasn't surprised to see some fjord ferry routes shutting down for the season then.

BTW, recent tv documentary claims that that computer modelling shows the gulf stream only significantly warms up western Norway (the cold warming up only the very cold), and that the rest of europe warms up from US rocky mts somehow diverting wind patterns (jet streams?). Similar modelling has shown new explanations for the fate of spanish armada...

Hi Flygirl,

Don't miss out on Denmark. I have relatives who married Danes & settled there, and it's a lovely little kingdom. Shopping in Copenhagen is fun, there's a sparkling design scene, and this is supposed to be fun:

http://www.woco.dk/composite-1102.htm

Also check this recent article about summertime Stockholm:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Jul30.html

HTH!

flygirl: If you do a search on Denmark, Sweden and Norway, you will find that quite a bit has been written including my own entries. These will probably prompt specific questions that we can answer.
We spent 35 days on our Scandinavian tour and loved it. We are not cruise people, but we drove and loved the opportunity to stop where we wanted and to get inland. It is a beautiful, beautiful area with much to see and do. Good luck.

Scandinavia is wonderful (I guess I have to think that - I'm moving there next month!). While many will argue their favourites, I think Stockholm is one of the nicest cities in Europe. Copenhagen is also quite fun - for dining, shopping, relaxing. I wouldn't recommend July for a trip because that is when all Scandinavians are on holiday, and many stores and restaurants simply close for several weeks. We had trouble finding a nice restaurant for dinner last Sunday.

The fjords are also fantastic - you can do very short trips that take in the fjords, the famous train, Bergen, etc., or spread it out longer. I did a week trip several years ago. If you have to skip anyplace (hope there's no Norwegians reading this), skip Oslo - it isn't at the top of any tourist's favourite city list. But a cruise up the west coast of Norway is supposed to be very cool! (and in the summer, not too cold!). Weather isn't such a deterrent, unless you go really north - but the daylight hours can be quite short in the winter, so I would recommend spring/summer or fall (avoiding July) for any trips.

Hope this helps!

Click on my name to find my Denmark trip report. We went in July--it was chilly and rained some, but compared to other summer European destinations, which can be so hot, it was lovely.

My sister and I went to Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, and then did the Norwegian coastal steamer voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes a couple of years ago. The trip was one of my all-time favorites (and I've traveled a lot!). Stockholm is a beautiful city, with water all around, lovely architecture, some fascinating sights, and terrific restaurants. Agree with previous poster that Oslo is probably not a touristic favorite, although I can't imagine missing out on the Vigelund statues in Frogner park - an amazing sight. But the highlight was western Norway. From Oslo, we did the Norway-in-a-nutshell tour by train, bus, and boat to Bergen - fantastic scenery all the way. It can be done as a one-day trip, but we spent the night at one of the stop-off towns (the name escapes me). Bergen is wonderful - ride the funicular up to the mountaintop for the fabulous view - and if you're in the market for trolls, this is the place to buy them. We absolutely loved the coastal steamer - beautiful scenery nearly the whole time and some fabulous shore trips (esp. Geiranger Fjord). Unfortunately, we didn't get to Denmark (another trip!). But Scandinavia, in my book, should rank high on every traveler's list!
Karen

Agree with all the comments re the Scandanavian capitals. We loved the train trip Oslo to Bergen and the nearby fiord area but would dearly love to do that coastal trip as far as Kirkenes.althom1122...how many days is it? Did you do the return trip or some other route? I've seen some beautiful scenery but none compares with Norway!It was a major disappointment to lose all my Scandanavian photos...a reason to go back I guess. Enjoy your trip flygirl!

has anyone used Odyssey tours? They have a lovely 15 day Fjord tour/cruise next spring/summer for less than four grand, including airfare. a 3 days in Finland and the rest a cruise through the Fjords.

it hits Helsinki, Ivalvo, Kirkenes, Hammerfest, Lofoten Islands, "Arctic Circle Crossing", Trondheim, Bergen, Flaam Railway train ride to Geilo, a few days in Oslo, then home.

sounds like a good deal.

Hey there~
Norway is a must. I just visited my family there in early July. What a magical country. July was a great time to visit. Long days, comfortable weather. IMO, the best way to see much of the country in a small amount of time is the Norway in a Nutshell trip. I did the trip with my Norwegian cousins (they approved!) from Oslo to Bergen. And then we proceded to stay in Bergen for 3 nights. What a town, a must see. In addition to that I spent a lot of time in Oslo, Kristiansand, and Tonsberg. The trip was great, fjords are amazizng, great people, unique towns. Definately should be one of your best places to visit~ladybug.

Flygirl -- sounds wonderful, but how long do you get to explore in each place?

ALL

My wife and I plan to fly into Germany and then visit Denmark, Norway and Sweden and were wondering what experiences/suggestions anyone might have of using auto rental vs/or trains ??

I highly recommend Stockholm, it's wonderful - so beautiful, great museums, a joy to just wander around. I spent only 5 days there and also visited Uppsala, which was great. I plan to go back in the next few years, this time visiting the south and Denmark as well.

Imagination:

Car vs. Train...I think it depends on what you want to do. having a car will give you more options in terms of stopping and exploring places where the train doesn't go. But that's only if you want to go to those places. For just getting from major city to major city the train might be a more hassle-free option, i.e., everybody gets to look out the windows, no parking/insurance worries, etc.

From Germany into Denmark you'll almost have to go through Hamburg and from there to Copenhagen is about a four-hour rail journey via the ferry from Puttgarden to Rodby (the train itself actually rolls right onto the ferry for that 45-minute ride). Suppose there may be car ferry options to other parts of Scandinavia from other parts of Germany, too.

You might consider using a pass that would accommodate multiple users, e.g. a family traveling together but point-to-point tickets may be more economical.

I was talking with a person at the bank who was getting Norwegian currency before she left for Norway and she recommended not going during July - as this was peak season. Can anyone confirm this? I was thinking about early next September but may have to rethink that.

July is also the most wonderful time to go. I really doubt Norway will be crowded with tourists. I didn't get beyond Oslo when I was there in July 2003, but I didn't have that impression at all.