The theme of this itinerary for early June 2018 is "Norway vs Sweden". Husband has Norwegian ancestry and I have Swedish ancestry. Looking for the usual tips and pointers, as well answers to the cardinal question "are we covering enough/ too much ground?". This will be our longest trip yet.
Where we've been in Europe so far: Paris, Barcelona, Vienna, and Prague. About us: mid-forties and physically active, but we're looking to alternate full days with restful days due to a migraine risk of over-stimuli. We like cities, walking, people-watching, and local food as well as middle eastern food. We love museums and churches but don't need to see them all. If it rains, we don't melt. Edited to add that we travel light with one small bag each.
What has worked for us on past trips is having a "go-to" place that we'd revisit, park ourselves, and watch the culture. This was handy when we couldn't think of "what to do". For example: Paris Champ de Mars; Barcelona "Cafe Zurich" on the plaça.
Planned itinerary is London 4 nights, Bergen 2 nights, Oslo 2 nights, Fredrikstad 2 nights, Gothenburg 5 nights
Day 1: Arrive London Heathrow, settle in
Day 2: Kew Gardens or Kensington Gardens plus his must-sees, depending on energy level
Day 3: We'll be attending a particular classical music concert this day and will have our tix in advance
Day 4: Finish what we didn't see in London (see day 2)
Day 5: Take a one-way flight to Bergen and settle in
Day 6: Stroll around, enjoy first time in Scandinavian culture, rest up for day 7
Day 7: Depart 8:43am for Norway in a Nutshell tour one-way Bergen to Oslo, arriving in Oslo at 22:35
Day 8: Open-air folk museum and viking museum plus Operahuset plaza
Day 9: Any unfinished Oslo sights (see day 8); take a 90-min train or bus ride to Fredrikstad, Norway (ancestry-related) and settle in
Day 10: Explore Fredrikstad; he might play golf
Day 11: Take a 2.5 hr train or bus ride to Gothenburg, Sweden (ancestry-related) and settle in
Day 12: The rest of the trip is filled with "being Swedish" and possibly meeting with cousins; he might play golf
Day 13:
Day 14:
Day 15:
Day 16: Fly home from Gothenburg on a through-ticket connecting in Heathrow