3 weeks Scandinavia/Finland

To be honest, I don't think the direction matters that much. And yes, you'll have a bit of flexibility when leaving Copenhagen. But a last minute flight from Copenhagen to London is not going to be cheap. And I strongly disagree that Copenhagen has by far the least to see and do. If I were to rank the four capitals I'd put Copenhagen and Stockholm in a shared first place, they stand out. After that I'd put Oslo in third place and Helsinki in fourth. And two days is not enough time for Copenhagen. Although that is my opinion and others might have a different opinion.

Unless you want to add a stop in London I'd recommend considering KLM to Amsterdam as a good option, they have a good network to northern Europe, especially since SAS joined Skyteam recently. And if you're going east to west, my suggestion is to start in Tallinn, then a ferry to Finland and after that a ferry to Sweden. There is a bit more competition on the ferry routes from Finland. Or if you're heading the other way, end in Tallinn.

And with three weeks you should try to see more than just the capitals.

Yea the London flights is moreso to do with my Aeroplan status and me being forced to use Air Canada/Lufthansa in order to get premium upgrades. I hate paying all the fees flying into LHR.

Also getting to Finland, there are 4-5 flights a day from London to Helsinki so it adds a bit of flexibility in terms of the connection.

If you want to fly with Air Canada, keep in mind that they fly to Copenhagen from both Toronto and Montreal, which might be a good way to get to Scandinavia. Unless you want the long flight from Vancouver to Europe.

Yes there are more flights from London to Helsinki, but there are flights from London to Tallinn as well and if those work with your plan it is a good option.

Although my only trip to Copenhagen so far was 50 years ago, I totally agree with Badger's ranking of the four non-Baltic capitals.

I find that interesting just based on YouTube videos etc. of the sights to see. I’m sure there’s a lot to explore but in terms of your typical sights in a major city, on the surface, it seems to offer the least of them all. Also seems to be the least visited of them all typically

I don't know what youtube videos you've watched, what you consider typical sights in major cities and what you're interested in. But my ranking was based on what I consider general typical sights that tourists might be interested in. And in my opinion the city that offers the least of them all is Helsinki. It is also the youngest of them all, while officially founded in 1550 it was a tiny place for centuries and didn't really start to grow until it became the capital of Finland in 1812. Compared to Stockholm (founded in the mid 13th century), Copenhagen (12th century) and Oslo (1040 according to legend) that is a big difference.

I don't have any data on which is the most visited, but data like that can be misleading.

I share some of Badger's views. Especially I do not know why with 3 weeks over midnight sun you want to stay only in the Southern capitals and not in far North (the sun really stays over horizon there). Or visiting the Norwegian fjords or Lofoten islands.

Personally I would rate Copenhagen before Stockholm because it carries more "joy" of life - hard to describe it. Educated visitors can feel the different influences of aristocracy from other countries, e. g. Sweden from France and Denmark from Germany (Mecklenburg line).

I like all of the areas you plan to visit. But I think you are missing out if you stick to capitals.

From Oslo, I would add a two day Norway in a Nutshell trip. (You can book it yourself and don't need to take a tour.) It will take you from Oslo to Bergen with a good chunk through some of the fjords. It's fantastic.

From Bergen, you could fly to Copenhagen.

I agree with Badgers ranking of cities although I would put Oslo in a tie with CPH and Stockholm. While I really like Helsinki and have been there a couple of times, it probably has the least to offer for sightseeing.

It doesn't really matter which way you go.

OK, your trip will visit some great places, but you are ignoring the gem of Scandinavia, Norway. Norway has many fjords along its Atlantic coast all the way to the North Cape.

If you can check out a cruise that goes up the coast all the way to the North Cape, it is an amazing trip.

Yea I have some flexibility and the fjords are something I’m going to try and fit in, most likely at the expense of a day or two in Helsinki.

I have some obligations to visit family and friends in Finland thus the amount of days spent there. Honestly if my wife had been to Tallinn I probably wouldn’t be going to either as I agree that Helsinki doesn’t have that much to offer in terms of the city Center. In my previous trip we spend 15 days in Finland intersected by a 3 day trip to st.Petersburg and a day in Tallinn, we also drove considerably and visited towns that family had grown up in (Laperanta, savolinna, and Tampere (apologies for the butchered spelling) Finland is a lot like northern Ontario and while I’d like to see the north, I think I’d rather spend more time in the other places.

One question I have regarding the mid-summer type festivities, we were in Helsinki for mid-summer in 2011, however, we knew locals so we were brought to some cool events in different areas. If you don’t know a local to drag you around to decent spots or out to the country, are you really missing anything being in the capitals during midsummer? Or does most of it happen outside the city centres.

When I went to Finland in 2023, Midsummer gave me absolute fits. So many sights were closed for 3 or 4 days in a row. My itinerary ended up quite convoluted as I tried to position myself somewhere I could find open museums, etc. I have no idea whether the closure situation is so extreme in the other countries, but I believe the holiday is a big deal in Sweden.

Aeroplan status and me being forced to use Air Canada/Lufthansa in order to get premium upgrades.

So look at connecting from Frankfurt instead of London? Frankfurt must have a similar number of connections to the Scandinavian/Baltic capitals.

are you really missing anything being in the capitals during midsummer? Or does most of it happen outside the city centres.

When I once was visiting Sweden over Midsummer the town centers were nearly empty. It is a very important celebration for them. More about Midsummer in Sweden.

Norwegians seem to celebrate it as well but it seems a little bit less important for them.

We are close to Denmark and the Southern Danes seem more to co-celebrate it occasionally - what I perceived from sailing in the area. I do not know if it is deep in their tradition as it seems for the Swedish people. Maybe it is different for the Danes living closer to the Swedish border.

Midsummer is a big holiday, probably the biggest holiday in Sweden after Christmas and large cities can feel a bit deserted during Midsummer as most people head out in to the countryside. But there are usually celebrations within cities as well, in Stockholm there is usually a big celebration at Skansen but probably others as well.

And if you're really trying to experience midsommar, Dalarna is a good place to visit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iMFiAC4yW0