Hello.
We were going to Morocco and Paris. Then the earthquake hit. So we cancelled our trip except for the Paris portion. Instead we are thinking about a Copenhagen to Stockholm to Paris trip near the end of October.
All thoughts welcome about timing, weather, what to see, day trips, how long in each city, and anything else.
Thank you so much.
Charlie
How much time do you have? What are you looking for? What are you interested in?
Stockholm end-of-October highs average 49 degrees; Copenhagen about 52 degrees. If you’re concerned about the weather at the end of October, I’d recommend southern Europe. Give thought to southern Spain: Barcelona, Seville; southern Italy— Puglia near the heel of Italy’s boot, Sicily, Sardinia; and Turkey; the Turquoise Coast between Fethiye and Antalya.
Days will be getting quite short so far north at that time of year. That really bugs me, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal for most people, at least on city-based trips.
Those are both watery cities, so be sure you have proper attire for the combination of chill, damp and breeze you're likely to encounter when sightseeing near the water.
Thank you Badger and Kenko.
That weather is fine. We have a total of about 2-2.5 weeks with the last 5 days already booked in Paris — the remains of our original Morocco trip. We know Paris well.
We prefer traveling by ourselves. We’re interested in history, art, music, food, culture, some hiking. Tivoli Gardens and the like, of course. But also perhaps some interesting less obvious things to do. We know next to nothing Copenhagen and even less about Stockholm.
That is plenty of time to see both Copenhagen, Stockholm and other parts of Denmark and Sweden. Is the trip to and from Paris booked? If so, start by booking your trips Paris-Stockholm and Copenhagen-Paris. SAS and Air France have frequent flights between the cities. Starting in the north and moving south is better in the autumn in my opinion.
When you say history, are there any particular eras you prefer? And for art, any particular eras or styles? There are plenty of hiking possibilities, but the weather might not be well suited for longer hikes. Unless you don't mind rain.
But for the time available, I'd suggest something like this.
2-3 nights in Uppsala.
4-6 nights in Stockholm.
Some stop(s) between Stockholm and Copenhagen. A few possible options on the west coast are Visby-Kalmar, Eksjö-Kalmar, Kalmar-Karlskrona. Or Gothenburg on the west coast. While Gothenburg is a great city, the weather can be miserable in October. Maybe 2-4 nights and then continue to Copenhagen. The fastest option is by train, but from the Swedish west coast you can also take a ferry to Jutland and continue to Copenhagen that way.
4-6 nights in Copenhagen.
Hi Badger. 5 nights in Paris are already booked — it was going to be our last stop after Morocco before heading back to NYC. In reality that leaves us about 9-10 days between Copenhagen an Stockholm. I should have been clearer before. Apologies.
History and architecture of various eras will help us learn about new places. Same with notable Scandinavian artists and musicians. Food — Michelin stars need not apply. Great local fare is what we prefer. Hope this is helpful. Thank you for your mind answers.
Stockholm has a lot of art museums, often with interesting special exhibitions.
The National Museum (formerly free, but no longer) has art and decorative art. There are often design-related exhibitions. They begin reducing the entrance fee as the afternoon wears on, which can save some money if you only want to see part of the collection. The National Museum may well be within walking distance of where you choose to stay, but of course walking takes time.
The Ostasiatiska Museum is just south of the NM on the next island. It has both art/decorative art and archaeological displays. Just a bit farther down is the Moderna Museum.
There are several art museums on the large island, Djurgarden, which also has the Vasa Museum, the ABBA Museum and Skansen. For these you'd probably want to use transit. Although I liked them all, the art museums on Djurgarden are probably less important than the larger museums listed previously, and you will have limited time. I'm not sure there's a covered bus shelter at every bus stop, which might be sort of important in late October.
The Nordiska Museum has mostly ethnographic displays--not really my thing, but I caught an interesting exhibition of travel posters there.
Liljevalchs has contemporary art and design.
Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde has art and decorative art in a furnished home with an attached gallery. This one is a bit farther from transit, but it has both tram and bus service.
The Thielska Galleriet shows a nice private collection of Scandinavian and French art. This one is way out near the eastern tip of the island, with less-frequent public transportation (bus only). It would be important to check the schedule to be sure you don't have a long wait.
Considerably farther from the center--requiring travel by T-bana and bus and then a walk--is the Millesgarden on Lidingo. I really like it; there's usually a good special exhibition in addition to the many works by Carl Milles. However, there's considerable walking outdoors to see everything, so you'd definitely want a nice day. It's a significant time commitment to get out there, so probably not in the cards on a short visit to Stockholm.
Not as far out but equally obscurely located (requiring T-Bana plus bus but less of a walk) is the Magasin III contemporary art museum. It's open only Friday-Sunday.
Stockholm is a museum-rich city; those are just the art-related spots I'm aware of.
There are cafes/restaurants in quite a few of the museums; I assume they operate year-round but haven't verified that.
Public transit in Stockholm is quite expensive if you buy single tickets. It's definitely worth considering a pass for the days you'll be in town if you anticipate moving around the city a lot. I prefer to walk because Stockholm is so lovely, but you can't do as much indoor sightseeing if you have multiple hour-long walks each day. There's also the fall-weather factor; I've only visited in June and July.
This is such great information. Thank you so much.
My top 4 sights in Stockholm are:
1) Gamla Stan - Wander around the old town
2) A tour of the City Hall (Stadshuset) - This is the building where the Nobel Prize Dinner is held. The tour covers not only the history of the building, but also information on the structure of the city government and the Nobel Prize festivities.
3) The Vasa Museum - I think this is one of the most interesting museums in Europe. Make sure to watch the film on how the ship was raised in the 60s and take a guided tour.
4) Skansen - This is hit or miss as to whether it is worth a visit in October. The exhibitions are greatly reduced in the offseason. Check Skansen’s calendar before you visit to see what is open and if it is worth it to you.
For food, I always enjoy going to the two main markets.
1) Östermalms Saluhall is more traditional: https://en.ostermalmshallen.se/
2) Hötorgshallen has a variety of interesting foods with many international foods. There are vendors both outside on the square and inside: https://hotorgshallen.se/
Enjoy your trip.
Hi Laura.
Big thanks for your reply. This is really useful. Take care.
In reality that leaves us about 9-10 days between Copenhagen an
Stockholm. I should have been clearer before. Apologies.
No need for apologies. But it seems like my plan was a bit on the ambitious side for 9-10 days. I still suggest that you don't spend all the time in the capitals though. There is a lot to outside them.
History and architecture of various eras will help us learn about new
places.
Then Gamla Uppsala should be on the itinerary in my opinion. Great place to learn about viking history and the origins of Sweden.
Same with notable Scandinavian artists and musicians.
Prince Eugen and Carl Milles are as mentioned two artists that had their studios in or close to Stockholm, studios that are now museums. And if you get to Uppsala, you can visit Bror Hjorth's old house that is now a museum. If you are willing to travel a bit further, the Zorn museum in Mora is worth a visit. Anders Zorn might be the most famous Swedish painter.
Food — Michelin stars need not apply. Great local fare is what we
prefer.
There are some great suggestions in this thread. But for local food try smørrebrød when in Denmark, and some fika in Sweden.
The Thielska Galleriet shows a nice private collection of Scandinavian
and French art. This one is way out near the eastern tip of the
island, with less-frequent public transportation (bus only). It would
be important to check the schedule to be sure you don't have a long
wait.
Not just bus, there is a commuter ferry route that stops nearby as well.
There are cafes/restaurants in quite a few of the museums; I assume
they operate year-round but haven't verified that.
Most do.
Public transit in Stockholm is quite expensive if you buy single
tickets. It's definitely worth considering a pass for the days you'll
be in town if you anticipate moving around the city a lot. I prefer to
walk because Stockholm is so lovely, but you can't do as much indoor
sightseeing if you have multiple hour-long walks each day.
In the autumn, taking the metro or bus can be a nice option if there is pouring rain, which is far from impossible. But on the other hand it can also be sunny and wonderful.
Very cool. This is an amazing amount of information. Lots to work with. Thank you.
Four days are plenty for Copenhagen and four for Stockholm. In Stockholm do not miss the amazing Vasa Museum.
More days in Denmark, you could do on day trips from Copenhagen. See the Viking Museum with some ancient viking ships well preserved. In Copenhagen, you can walk much of it. Do take a canal cruise.
There is a nice train from Copenhagen to Stockholm.
Both countries are great, but Norway is by far the most scenic country of Scandinavia. The fjords are amazing. We did a great cruise from Copenhagen up the coast of Norway to the North Cape. Wonderful. Best to do in the SUMMER.
I had no trouble filling a lot more than four days in Stockholm, but I especially like art museums, and the city also has good Art Nouveau architecture.
Thank you geovagriffen and acraven. Great stuff thank you so much.
Hi Charlie, If you do go to the Vasa museum, it's on the island of Djurgården. You can hop a trolley close to the central station that goes out onto Djurgården. I've spent several days exploring here, it’s very green with numerous parks & a nice respite from the crowds. Start with the Vasa museum, but personally, I love Skansen, and would put it high on the list. There's a nice lunch spot at Skansen just inside the turnstile to the left in a small house. They had a wood-burning fire going in an oven that Swedes used from the 1800’s, we had hearty bowls of soup with bread & butter. AND the best gift shop I've found for buying 'traditional' Swedish gifts, also just to left inside entrance.
If you have time, we too really like Waldemassude, it's just a few tram stops past the Vasa Museum. It’s the former home of Prince Eugen who was himself a fine painter. The setting overlooks the waterways into Stockholm and there’s a Rodin “Thinker” sculpture in the garden. The cafe here serves good food.
ONE more museum - If you're interested in the 1890's lifestyle of the wealthy, visit Hallwylska Museum, within walking distance of the central station. This is a complete manor house, down to the linen & literally a room filled with tea services, be sure to rent the audio guide. It seems there are also English language tours, and a restaurant I've not visited. https://hallwylskamuseet.se/en/
When I'm meeting my Swedish aunt, we meet at Vettekatten, a Stockholm bakery / fika / lunch institution, about a 7-min walk from the central train station. Try to get there before or after the lunchtime rush. https://vetekatten.se/en/. And if you get tired of Scandinavian cuisine, the Middle Eastern Museum (Meddelhavsmuseet) has a great Lebanese lunch venue with vegetarian options & views out overlooking the water. https://www.medelhavsmuseet.se/en/. And some of the best Art Nouveaux buildings are within walking distance.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences and knowledge. We're going to have a great trip.
Safe travels to all.
Charlie
Did you have a great trip?
Hi All.
We had an amazing trip. Copenhagen was terrific. We especially enjoyed our visit to the Louisiana Museum and The Resistance Museum. Stockholm was equally great. The Vasa Museum was really impressive as was Old Town. The best part was the people in both places. So thank you all for advice and guidance. Safe travels..
