Copenhagen vs Amsterdam vs Bergen vs Stockholm - help!

I've never visited Bergen (I assume you mean Bergen, Norway...), so I'll leave it out of the discussion.

and eating as much as possible Copenhagen is arguably right now the culinary capital of Europe. It has what Michelin considers the world's best restaurant, and the trickle-down effect has really raised the game of many of the high-end restaurants in town.

We like to visit the local parks and keep the expenses relatively low. I would add Oslo to your consideration, then. Frogner Park is one of the best urban parks I've seen in Europe. I didn't see a single park in Stockholm (although my experience was limited to a 3 hour exploration of the central district). Amsterdam isn't a particularly green city, but if you visit in the spring, nearby Kuchenhof puts on an amazing flower display. Copenhagen has some parks, but none that really struck me as particularly special. The public botanical garden looked interesting, but I was there during a cold month when nothing was in bloom.

ever since our Iceland adventure, we have been more drawn to the outdoors and love to get into nature as much as possible. Except Bergen, all three of the other cities sit in the middle of very dense metropolitan regions. Although rural scenery in the Netherlands can be nice, it's one of the most developed countries in the world. Not much nature left. Sweden has a pretty low population density, so perhaps you can find a decent natural getaway not too far from Stockholm.

we love to bike and explore unique and up and coming neighborhoods Count Copenhagen and Amsterdam as two of the most bicycle-friendly capital cities in the world.

we are feeling that we want to visit somewhere that won't be overflowing with tourists and has a slight off the beaten path feel This is extremely subjective, but I got that feeling most in Copenhagen. But that's based on visiting all three during the off-season (Copenhagen in March, Stockholm in November, and Amsterdam in December).

Like Tom, I also haven't visited Bergen. I agree, though, that it is probably the best of all four places you've listed for natural beauty. Stockholm does have the archipelago that you can take a boat through. Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen are all very pleasant to walk about. I'm very partial to Copenhagen given that I studied abroad there. I enjoyed walking around all three cities, but I think Copenhagen and Amsterdam are more interesting. The biking in Copenhagen was, in my opinion, less intimidating than in Amsterdam. The bike lanes in central Copenhagen are very wide. Amsterdam, though it's wonderful, will have a lot of tourists in July.

If going to a place that doesn't feel touristy is very important to you, I'd suggest Copenhagen more than Amsterdam. It does have beautiful parks, which is a plus for the natural beauty you seek - but Tom is right, it is still a very urban city. Denmark is also a very flat country, so if it's mountains you seek, you'll want to look elsewhere. Still, it is a bit less expensive than Stockholm and Bergen, less touristy than Amsterdam, with very interesting parks, canals, architecture, and other activities that can be done outside (think: walking around Tivoli, swimming in the harbor bath at Islands Brygge, walking through the gardens of the wealth of castles in the area, visiting the Citadel). If you want to visit an art museum but want to keep costs low, you can visit the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery) or Thorvaldsens Museum (if you really enjoy sculpture) for free. The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is also very interesting, and is free on Sundays I believe. The Louisiana Museum outside the city is stunning, and is one of my favorite museums in the Copenhagen area, but there is an admission fee. Plus, there is a lot of delicious food, and if you look hard enough, you can find things that are reasonably priced by Scandinavian standards - just do some research on the Torvehallerne (an indoor market of food vendors), for example. You could probably eat from a different vendor inside there every day of your trip alone.

Ultimately, while I do love Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Stockholm, I do think that Copenhagen is the choice that best fits the description you've just given. It checks off every item on your list aside from "natural beauty" - and like I've said, hopefully the plentiful parks in the city can fulfill this desire for you.

Hope this helps. You're bound to have a great trip no matter where you choose :)

I've been to Copenhagen and Stockholm, and will be visiting Amsterdam and Bergen for the first time this May, so I have done some research at least.

You don't mention how many days you plan on spending in the city you will be visiting, which I think makes a difference. Bergen is the smallest of the cities you list, and it's the only one that's not a major cultural center and its nation's capital. That suggests there is probably a lot less to see, maybe fewer great restaurants or less varied cuisine. I imagine you could find a lot to do there for a couple of days, but more than that and I'd think you'd want to do an excursion. And from Bergen, you could do the Norway in a Nutshell journey or some variant on that, heading east even as far as Oslo, or just visiting some small towns in and among the fjords. For outdoors and nature and fewer crowds, I think this would be your best option.

Of the other three, Copenhagen is the smallest, but it still has a lot to see and do that would fit your interests. It would be a good option if you are limited to 3 days, but I think you could enjoy 4 days there with a few day trips to surrounding places.

Amsterdam and Stockholm could fill 4 or more days. Renting a bike and riding around Djurgården, or taking a ferry to any of the other islands nearby would easily satisfy your desire for local parks, gardens, and water in Stockholm.

Amsterdam and Stockholm are both a big museum cities. The Vasa Museum in Stockholm, where you can view the wreckage of a ship that sank in the harbor just after embarking on its maiden voyage in the 1620s, is one of the best museums I've ever been to anywhere. Amsterdam has the advantage of being in a small country with lots of good train connections to other places where you might get away from some of the tourists (or they might all have the same idea).

I probably have failed at the challenge of saying that one magical thing to help you finally decide. Sorry! But honestly, I don't think you can go wrong.

I've only visited Copenhagen and Bergen of the four (and Oslo). My three kroner:

-when we visit cities, our main activities include walking and eating as much as possible. We like to visit the local
parks/gardens/canals and keep the expenses relatively low. (we are aware that Scandinavia is expensive)
Copenhagen for eating. Oslo and Bergen for walking, parks etc. The drinking (of alcoholic beverages) is more expensive than the eating, with Norway being the more expensive than Denmark. But the skiing and hiking in Norway are free and public transit accessible. (You can take the Oslo T-bane T-1 line from Oslo's central city to Holmenkollen and higher with your skis or hiking boots).

-we're not huge museum people, but will visit at least one art museum in a city
Bergen: Not an art museum but an archaeological museum:
http://www.bergen-guide.com/43.htm

Bryggen Museum is a museum based on the findings of the archeological
excavations of Bryggen between 1955 and 1972. The foundations of the
oldest buildings in Bergen – from the 12th century. Unearthed
ceramics, runic inscriptions, artifacts etc. illustrating commerce,
shipping, cultural activities, handicrafts and daily life in the
Middle Ages.

Copenhagen: The National Museum is a cultural museum and free:
http://en.natmus.dk/

The National Museum of Denmark is a must-see for every visitor to the
city of Copenhagen. As Denmark’s most important and largest cultural
and historical museum it hosts a broad variety of fascinating
exhibitions.

Copenhagen Rosenborg Castle. Not an art museum and not free but worth the visit:
http://www.kongernessamling.dk/en/rosenborg/

Oslo: Agree with Tom in adding Oslo to the mix if you decide on Bergen. Multiple museum on the Bigdoy peninsula, my favorite being the Fram Musem with the Folk Musem being a close second:
http://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/boroughs/bygdoy/attractions/
Add Holmenkolen ski musem via the T-1.

-ever since our Iceland adventure, we have been very drawn to the outdoors and love to get into nature as much as possible.
Consider the Oslomarka (forests):
http://www.visitoslo.com/en/articles/nordmarka-forest/

The vast areas of untouched nature that surround Oslo are just 20
minutes from the city centre. - See more at:
http://www.visitoslo.com/en/articles/nordmarka-forest/#sthash.9LMbHs43.dpuf

-we love to bike and explore unique and up & coming neighborhoods
Copenhagen and bikes are synonymous:
http://denmark.dk/en/green-living/bicycle-culture/

Copenhagen is world famous for its biking culture and now officially
the first Bike City in the World. Last year, it was also voted the
‘Best city for cyclists’ and the ‘World’s most liveable city’. The
Danes are well known for their love of cycling and cities all around
the world are now looking at ways to copy this phenomenon. It really
is biking heaven for the cyclist in Copenhagen with over 390
kilometres of designated bike lanes.

-we are feeling that we want to visit somewhere that won't be overflowing with tourists and has a slightly off the beaten path feel (aka not places as popular as Paris, London, Rome, etc)
Oslo and Bergen (Oslo in particular) are not overflowing with tourist aka Paris and are compact cities (esp Bergen) that are highly walkable.

I liked all four, although they are obviously different. Which one is least likely for you to be able to see at another time (say, because you can splice it into another itinerary)?

Have you seen Ricks' videos on these places? After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, watching the video, one of them may "speak" to you more than the others. https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show

If cost is a factor, eliminate Bergen. Norway is startlingly higher-priced than the other Scandinavian countries. I loved it, though.

Last summer my husband and I went on the RS Best of Scandinavia Tour which began in Stockholm and visited Copenhagen in the middle before ending in Bergen. We liked Bergen - it was charming but small and we felt 1 day was plenty there. If you spend 3.5 days there you would probably use it as a base for visiting near by fjords.

Copenhagen under impressed us as we felt it was a big, bustling city with not a lot of nature.
We went 3 days early to Stockholm and found it delightful. It's a great walking city with beautiful flowers and parks and its surrounding archipelago has many opportunities to explore. We took advantage of the Stockholm card and loved the Vasa Museum, Skansen - the open air museum, and took a ferry to the royal palace which has lovely gardens. There is good eating there and many eclectic neighborhoods .There are also many ferries to take which are included in the pass.
I have not been to Amsterdam yet so can't comment on that but Stockholm gets my vote.

Thank you for all of the awesome advice! I believe I've narrowed it down to Bergen and Amsterdam. Copenhagen sounds amazing, but one of the draws for us is that we were hoping to visit friends there, who I just discovered aren't guaranteed to be there when we are. So I figure I should save that for another time. Stockholm is likely out because I found few Airbnbs in our budget. That said, I'd consider staying in a hostel in Stockholm if it had a private room -- so if anyone has any recommendations on that front, please share. edit: Stockholm is back in the mix!

Bergen seems like a simple, quaint, low-key city to visit and we would definitely take a tour or two into the fjords. Only hesitation on that is whether or not we want to save all of the grand natural beauty for our Iceland leg of the trip.

Amsterdam, while seemingly the busiest destination, is super-appealing with all of the canals, culture, food, and bike riding. I'm thinking a bike trip into the country would be amazing.

Getting there!

I'd consider staying in a hostel if it had a private room -- so if anyone has any recommendations on that front, please share.

Norwegian youth hostels have single room en-suite options:
http://www.montana.no/en/prices-and-booking/

I don't have personal experience with the Bergen Montana but have stayed at the Oslo in an en-suite family (private) room:
http://www.haraldsheim.no/en/rom-og-priser/

The hostels are a little less convenient that central city hotels but usually served by local transit. Hostel breakfasts are pretty basic in comparison to a Thon Hotel breakfast buffet. ( I stay at a Thon Hotel property during my Oslo visits and can recommend the chain. The Thon "Budget" hotels are not cheap by small town standards, but are pretty comfortable though small). http://www.thonhotels.com/hotels/countrys/norway/bergen/

I love Amsterdam. I have stayed twice at http://www.nadia.nl.

Amsterdam has so much to see and do. Anne Frank House for history and education. Van Gogh museum for world class art. Canals for beauty and serenity. Albert Cuyp market for local color.

You can walk, bicycle, or take tram with ease.

I like grocery store Albert Heijn for wonderful cheese, bread, yogurt, and deli items. This cuts down on restaurant costs.

love to get into nature as much as possible

Copenhagen If you take an S-train from Copenhagen central to Klampenborg (http://www.rejseplanen.dk/) you can bring your rented bikes (free) and take a long trip through Dyrehaven, which is a former royal hunting ground, with large open areas, trees, deers, and a royal castle (http://kongeligeslotte.dk/en/palaces-and-gardens/the-hermitage.html)

And before you go back you can visit Bakken (http://www.bakken.dk/english/bakken-the-worlds-oldest-amusement-park).

Another place to visit is http://en.natmus.dk/museums/the-open-air-museum/

Actually a bike trip from Klampenborg, visiting The hermitage and ending in the open air museum would make a good (long) day trip :-) And you can take the train back from Lyngby.

We were in Copenhagen in August before taking a Baltic Cruise to Germany, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm and back to Copenhagen. Then we flew to Oslo and took a train and ferry over to Bergen for 2 days. We've also been to Amsterdam a few times.
We love all these cities, however you're right about their being deadly expensive to eat and drink in. TGI Fridays was $60 for 2 burgers/fries/Cokes, for example.
We found the cruise the best way to visit this region, and by far the most economical.
The fjords were not that impressive to us, and found St. Petersburg to be absolutely incredible. We also loved Copenhagen.

Note: The distances between all your posted cities is pretty great. Check into Norwegian Air Shuttle for inexpensive airfares if you're visiting numerous cities.

I have been to all cities but Bergen, would definitely choose Amsterdam. Much more to see and do. Plenty of day trips - Haarlem was especially a fun day, make reservations for the Corrie Ten Boon museum ahead of time if interested. Didn't find Amsterdam as expensive either, more street food. Try the poffertjies, small pancakes, delicious.

The city I like the best is Copenhagen. I think there's more to do in Copenhagen than any other Scandinavian city. You can bike to get around. When you go out into the country, however, it's flat meadows, or at best rolling terrain.

Given your love of the outdoors, I'd suggest Stockholm. Stockholm is built on a series of islands around lakes and rivers. I think you would really enjoy a ferry trip for a day to Tallinn through the archipelago.

I haven't been to Bergen. I'll go someday as part of a Norway trip (I've only been to Oslo). The scenery is the reason to go, I'm not sure there's a lot of other things to do.