Hello,
I intend to visit Scandinavia in May (from 10th to 25th), probably with one or two friends, leaving from Brazil.
We would like some advice on a good itinerary. Initial plans were to visit Copenhagen, Oslo, Stochkolm, Helsinki and the fiords. We would like to know your opinion an your travel plans, please.
Thanks

ttt

Any advices, please?

Sorry I cannot give you an itenerary.
I have been to Stockholm and Copenhagen in May and adored Stockholm. Was were there for 4 days and found plenty to do. May is a good month to visit Scandinavia with the long daylight hours.
I didn't like Copenhagen so much - it doesnt have the charm of Stockholm but that is just my opinion. It was fine for a 2 day visit.

We flew in to Bergen, took Norway in a Nutshell tour across Norway to Oslo; took overnight ferry to Copenhagen; train to Stockholm; flew home from Stockholm. This was about a two week trip. Pretty comfortable for time. Didn't go on to Helsinki. Visited it on another trip and don't think it is essential to see. (Sorry to those who love it. JMHO.) Perhaps of greater interest than Helsinki is Tallinn which I think can be visited by (overnight?) ferry from Stockholm. That would add a couple of days to the trip.

I should add that we did the above trip in July -- for more warmth! Also I had read that in July and August business-type hotels have lower rates due to businesses being off for vacations. I don't know for sure if that is true.

Thanks for your input. I must go in May, due to scheduled vacation. Will it be too cold (10th-25th May)?
Any other advices on a good itinerary for Scandinavia, please?
Thanks

It may be a little bit cold - wear layers. When we were in Stockholm we ate outside at night as they gave you warm fleecey blankets to put over your knees and they had outside heaters.
I remember feeling hot and sweaty in Copenhagen with the sun shining down on us.

Hi

For weather stats you should check http://weatherbase.com . The weather can be nice in May Note that the Norwegian constitution day is on 17th of May. Most things will be closed but there are lots of parades around Norway.

If you come to the western fjords in May you can experience a nice sunny spring day at sea level and still snow in the mountains...like when I went to Kjerag outside Stavanger. See this trip report with pictures: http://gardkarlsen.com/kjerag.htm

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

Thanks. We are also thinking in adding St Petersburg at the end of the trip. Our initial itinerary is as follows:
Flight to Copenhagen
3 nights in Copenhagen
Flight to Bergen
2 nights in the western fjords region
Train to Oslo
2 nights in Oslo
Train to Stockholm
2 nights in Stockholm
Ferry at night to Helsinki
2 nights in Helsinki
Train to St Petersburg
2 nights in St Petersburg
Flight to Amsterdam and then back home

We would like your opinion on our itinerary,please. IS it better to fly to Bergen, from Copenhagen, or to take the ferry to Oslo and then train to Bergen and back to Stochkolm?

Hi. I was in Scandinavia in July 2006. I LOVED Stockholm (stay in the old town -- so pretty), and the fjords. Do not miss the fjords whatever you do! I took an all-day boat trip from Bergen around a couple of the fjords and it was unforgettable. Oslo and Copenhagen are very nice cities (although very expensive!), and very worth visiting. If you get a chance, you might consider Gotland Island off the coast of Sweden. It is a very beautiful place, with a really lovely little city (Visby). You take a short train ride and then a ferry to get there. Gotland was one of my favorite parts of my trip. I didn't get to Finland because I decided that I didn't have time to do both Norway and Finland, and everyone (including a Finnish friend) said that the Fjords were a don't-miss). (If you are interested in reading about my Scandinavia adventures, check out my blog at www.paynoattention.net -- I have several entries about my trip, plus a few pictures, under the "Grouchy Woman on Scandinavia" category.)

Spent 10 days in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in MAy-June 2007. We flew and out of Copenhagen using IcelandAir (for $500 from Bostonn)!!! The Rough Guide to Scandinavia was great.

The ferries are a fun way to get around but sort of complicated to figure out - there's a great webpage that sorts them out for you. Like everything else in Scandinavia, they are not cheap but quality is Great.

If I had to do it again, I'd fly into one city and out of another to save on travel time. We had a ScanRail pass and it was a great bargain - especially sleeper cars, which were very reasonable and great quality.

You might want to fly into Copenhagen, get there in the morning, spend an day or two there (cool city), then head out to Oslo on the ferry. We headed out the same day but returned to Copenhagen on our way out so we saw the city twice. With a ScanRail discount, we got a cabin for two for a total of $112. Great deal.

Get to Oslo in the morning, spend the day there (one day is sufficient, sleep there (p-hotel is close to the station and clean and affordable) then head out the next morning to do Norway in a Nutshell.

Take the NIAN train to Flam, etc. - either stop in Balestrand (we did - stayed at a small hotel run by a friendly US-based Norwegian - I think it's the Balestrand Hotel - she has a great website) - then you can continue on to Bergen. Honestly, I'd skip the NIAN and do the Raumabanen line anyway.

We actually skipped Bergen and instead took a ferry from Balestrand to Maaloy - amazing, amazing scenery, at Maaloy, we were picked up by Solvi Hopland, who runs a lighthouse B&B, and we spent the day, night and the nixt day in a lighthouse! Solvi and her partner are active in restoring lighthouses and building fishing boats and they showed us around the area.

The next day we took a bus and then a boat from Maaloy to Alesund and hung out there for a while - gorgeous gorgeous city.

From Alesund, we took some transport (forget now) then to the train on the wonderful Raumabanen line, which, in my humble opinion, was much more interesting that Norway in a Nutshell. we ended up in Oslo and then took the night train to Stockholm, where we took advantage of a great weekend rate at the Nordic Light Hotel (the breakfast buffets were legendary. If I'd had more time, I would have poked around Sweden a little more and taken the ferry over to Estonia.

Bottom line - nature in Norway, cities in Sweden worked very well for us. Stockholm is my favorite city on this planet.

I wish we'd flown out of Stockholm but we ended up taking another wonderful night train ride to Copenhagen and we finished our trip there.

If you can take an IcelandAir flight - do it! They are very reasonable andhave great customer service.

Scandinavia is expensive but it's really not that bad - everything is just much better quality for the same price ($100 gets you a crappy shared-bathroom glorified hostel in Rome or Paris but a great, clean, place in Oslo with breakfast). You just need to be smart about where you spend your money. You can start the day with a later breakfast/early lunch at your lodging and you'll be F-I-N-E until dinnertime.

Driving a car around the fjord area might be more practical but it's completely do-able through public transport and the scenery is amazing!!! We saw so much of Norway on buses and ferries and trains - without the stress of driving.

I may be in the minority but I preferred the Raumabanen line to the Nutshell. I'd probably skip Oslo too. Didn't go to Bergen, so don't know too much about there. I will say that the lighthouse in Maaloy was pretty much the highlight of the trip (tied with Stockholm). Alesund was my next favorite place.

Feel free to ask me any questions either here or my email ([email protected]) - spend over four months researching a great trip. I can send you photos and more info if you are interested