I just learned that I will be working is Oslo around the 1st of November. It will be my fourth trip to Norway, but my other visits have all been during the summer. I’ve seen quite a bit of Norway in the past. I did NIN twice; visited Bergen three times; and spent time in the gorgeous area around the fjords. I’ve already done all the standard Oslo attractions.

DH and I will be flying all the way from Hawaii so I want to arrive 4 or 5 days early to adjust to the 12-hour time change and give my brain a chance to show up before I have to work long days and be “on.” So where else should we go?

I would love to do the cruise from Kirkenes to Bergen, or visit the Lofoten Islands, but I fear it’s the wrong time of year, weather-wise. II’m not looking to ski or do other snow-related activities.)

We love nature, hiking, interesting old buildings, walking through atmospheric old towns, palaces, historical and cultural attractions. Gourmet dining, wine, and night life are of zero interest. I’m a semi-pro nature photographer, so it would be great to have beautiful places to photograph. It would also be nice to be somewhere that has indoor activities available (i.e., museums) in case the weather is bad. (Oct/Nov seems to be rainy in a lot of places I checked out.)

A big consideration will be ease of getting there and getting to Oslo from wherever we vacation first. But I don’t think that will be a problem.

FYI, we work in the U.K. almost every year, so we’ve seen all the highlights. We typically add a vacation destination and have loved Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, Prague, Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Stockholm, the Greek Isles. Spain and Portugal don’t call us, but I won’t rule them out. As per the title of this thread, we're thinking Tallinn or Copenhagen.

Any thoughts??? Thanks!

Copenhagen is one of my favorite European cities. It checks your boxes of museums, cultural sites, and it is very walkable and biking friendly. I was surprised at the number of parks and gardens. Rosenberg Castle in the city is worthwhile as is Frederiksberg a day trip away. You could also venture out to Roskilde or Helsingor for very walkable small towns. Two other very different cities that come to mind are Budapest and Istanbul; both offer lots to do but not in the way of the outdoors.

I think that Copenhagen has more indoors to offer than Tallin. Another choice within northern Europe would be Berlin. Browse though some guidebooks to finalize your decision.

Reading that you're a semi-pro nature photographer, I'm wondering if Northern Lights spotting might interest you. Of course, sightings are not guaranteed and the weather could interfere with sightings, but I think the northern landscape might offer other photogenic possibilities. I've not yet done this myself, but it's a bucket list trip that I've long been researching (though we're thinking more of Finnish Lapland).

Did you read lolfn's trip report? Granted, she visited in summer but it will probably be useful for you as she went to both Copenhagen and Lofoten Islands.

A couple of art museum recommendations if you go to Copenhagen. I recommend a visit to the Glyptoteket Museum, near Tivoli Gardens. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which has a wonderful waterside location and great modern sculpture collection, was a short train ride from the city followed by a 10 minute walk to the museum. The Arken Museum, also reachable by a train ride and walk, is supposed to have a wonderful setting as well.

And one for Tallinn as well. You can see Estonian art at the Kumu Museum in Tallinn's Kadriorg's Park. It's about a 10 minute tram ride and short walk from the Old Town.

Following...

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I'm really intrigued by Istanbul. But I'm not sure I'm intrigued enough to take more than 50 hours to get there! (2 overnights where I would need to stay in airport hotels and go through security again. But I'm not ruling it out. It seems it would be so different from anywhere I've ever been.

I loved lofn's tip report. That's what got me thinking about the Lofoten Islands. But like the Northern Lights, I'm ruling them out because of the weather.

I was in Prague six months ago. What a beautiful city! Would Budapest be very similar? I sure would like someplace with some beautiful natural areas that I could do with day trips -- as well as an "Old Town."

Some of these places would be SO inexpensive. It looks like Copenhagen would be the most expensive. But that wouldn't stop me.

Any other thoughts???

Copenhagen is indeed more expensive, which is in part why I suggested Budapest or Istanbul. I liked Prague and I liked Budapest, but one did not remind me of the other. Prague felt more Western European to me than Budapest. Istanbul would be the most different but you are right that it would take the longest to get there.

An easy city from which to enjoy indoor cultural sites and to take day trips would be Vienna. There are plenty of museums, palaces, churches, and the like to keep you occupied on wet days. And on nice days you could take a train to the Wachau Valley to walk some of the smaller towns or hike and bike between them. Salzburg fits the description too.

I also came back from Luxembourg a few weeks ago. It’s a small but unique city, and easily walkable. The geography makes it interesting. You can take day trips to castles outside of town or even in nearby Germany.

Thanks, tripplanner! I think I would place Vienna and Budapest higher on my list than Luxembourg and Salzburg. But these are great suggestions.

I am a big fan of Budapest and there is certainly plenty to do there and in Vienna. However, if you were initially thinking of Tallinn you might consider Riga instead. It has a lot of gorgeous Art Nouveau architecture plus some older buildings and a pleaant park where the city walls used to be.

Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities - not only neat city itself but a plethora of easy day trips by train to also neat places- and you can take an overnight ferry to/from Oslo - lots of indoor attractions and cozy cafes.

Having been to both Copenhagen and Tallinn, and enjoying both in different ways, I think I would return to the former. For the amount of time invested in this trip you will have more options in Copenhagen for sightseeing and day trips in all kinds of weather.

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and suggestions. When I learn the exact dates I need to be in Oslo, I will check flights -- and that will help with my decision.

FYI, I would never have even thought of Tallinn, but I read an article about 10 places that should be on your bucket list -- and probably aren't -- and Tallinn was on the list.

I'll keep you posted!

Tallinn may not have enough enough for five days but you can easily twin it with Helsinki and take short ferry trips to Tallinn and back - maybe fly into Helsinki or Tallinn and then fly to Oslo.

Having been to Copenhagen, Tallinn and Riga this summer I would recommend either Copenhagen or Riga. We loved both places, especially Copenhagen and would go back to both. Tallinn to us seemed like a victim of its own popularity, sort of Disneyesque with not too much to really see and do. (and it was terribly crowded when we were there)

I’m finding a 21.5 hour flight through LA to Istanbul. I assume you must not be starting in Honolulu given your 50 hour comment. But is this much longer than some of the other places you are considering?

There is then a non-stop flight from Istanbul to Oslo on Turkish Airlines.

I don’t want to sound insensitive to long flights. I have a 6.5 hour flight this Wednesday and I am already dreading that.

Thank you all so much for this info. It’s a big help!

xcountry: Yes, the added time is because I have to fly (and possibly stay overnight) in Honolulu. I should have mentioned that the other issue is $$$. There is a 44-hour itinerary to Istanbul for under $1,000. There are also itineraries that are under 30 hours, but I'm considering them because they cost $3200 - $5200 per person, one-way (coach). That’s out of the question.

I’m finding flights to many European cities for less than $700. They all involve an overnight in an airport hotel. That’s doable. But I’m trying to avoid two overnights.

In a few days, I will learn which day I need to be in Oslo. (It is probably going to be at least several days earlier than I anticipated -- probably around Oct. 30thor 31st.) When I know when I actually will be flying, I’ll be able to price flights and know exactly how long the flights will be.

FYI, there are nonstop, inexpensive flights (mostly on Norwegian Air) from all the cities I’m considering. Istanbul to Oslo is around $400 and 4 hours. That’s not a problem.

Don’t discount Hurtigriten coastal cruises. While the weather will be brisk, and the ships are no/frills, it’s a great experience. Wonderful scenery.

I just realized why the airfares I'm seeing for reasonable itineraries are through the roof: I'm looking at one-way fares because I have to return from Oslo to Nashville -- before returning to Hawaii.

Vickiebypass: I'm not ruling anything out, but I live in Hawaii and my idea of "brisk" is in the 50s or 60s -- not in the 30s! ;-)