Hello,
We are planning a 3 week trip to see the following countries/cities, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Saint Petersburg, Copenhagen.
Where can I get info about must see local sights and cities in theses countries?
For the best experience, what is the best way to maneuver between them? I would rather do driving and boat vs flying.
Which would be an ideal string point?
TIA
George
Copenhagen is IN Denmark.
You do realize that the US State Dept has issued a level 4 travel advisory against any travel to St Petersburg, or anywhere else in Russia? A visa would be mandatory, and may be difficult to obtain.
I suggest browsing the Explore Europe section, for starters. Then check your library and bookstores for guidebooks. YouTube usually has an abundance of travel videos on countries and cities. With only 3 weeks, and 5 countries listed, editing of your itinerary will without doubt be needed. I'd start by deleting St Petersburg for starters.
Sweden, Finland, and Norway are deceivingly large countries. You will have
to make some priority choices, and right now your brief note makes it sound
like you have just a notion of wanting to visit these countries without quite
knowing why.
As CJean says, take Russia off the list unless there's some reason you haven't
mentioned. In addition to the guidebooks and videos, look for trip reports on
this forum and peruse those for ideas.
Or, find a guided tour to sign up for.
Apart from sequence of stops, starting point will be affected by things like
best airfare and lodging availability.
Thanks Jean,
I do know that Copenhagen is in Denmark. You don't think the listed countries less Petersburg are doable in 3 weeks?
Thank you Shoeflyer. as suggested I will hit teh book store.
I don't know what is good to see in my picked countries. That is why I am asking the community.
"Good to see" is different for everyone. It depends on things like your interests,
your stamina, budget, etc.
If you start to come up with a plan and want feedback on specific questions, I think
you will get much better assistance. Asking an open-ended question without giving
any info about you does not encourage people to respond.
Since you don't seem to have any ideas about what you might want to see in these countries, you might want to look at Rick's suggested Scandinavia itinerary : https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scandinavia-itinerary
At least it's a start. Then look at the different countries in the Explore Europe section, particularly their At A Glance and Plan pages. Then, once you have formed a rough plan, return here to refine it.
Scandinavia is great, my favorite is Norway. Do a cruise up the coast of Norway to the North Cape. The fjords are amazing.
There used to be many cruises that do the Baltic Sea visiting all those countries except Norway.
I think they are still available, but they don't go to St. Petersburg. It is probably not a great time to visit Russia.
Driving in Scandanavia will waste a lot of time, the terrain is generally very mountainous and the distance involved is far more than you might think.
The terrain is flatter on the Baltic, but you would do much better finding a cruise.
Denmark is flat and easy to visit Copenhagen and some of the surrounding places like the Viking Museum. The train to Stockholm is fast and easy. Going into Norway involves more distances and mountains. Getting to Finland would involve taking a ferry to Helsinki.
Besides RS guide book(s) the countries' travel and tourist websites are a great help:
https://www.visitdenmark.com/
https://visitsweden.com/
https://www.visitnorway.com/
https://www.visitfinland.com/
Nature experience play a larger role than visiting the capitals and towns of these countries.
Long distances: so without very much time available prefer trains, ferries and planes. Baltic Sea cruises are an option as well.
Be informed that the travel experience will be influenced by the season / dates you will visit these countries.
Saint Petersburg is located in Russia - do not do it during Russia's war against Ukraine and be aware that they already started aggressive acts (not war) against the countries you want to visit.
I second those who recommend you start with looking at guidebooks. The subjects are far too large for quick advice. Read up on those countries to narrow down your queries in order to get some pertinent advice.
Regarding St Petersburg, I'll just add that there aren't really even any flights from within Europe to anywhere in Russia at the moment. E.g. we used to have direct flights to St Petersburg from London but not any longer. Even if you were somehow able to get a visa (and I'm not even sure they're issuing them for tourism at the moment), it would be challenging to get there- it looks like you can only get flights from Belgrade or Istanbul.
You can do all those countries in three weeks - people do them in ten days for a Baltic Cruise. Should you? Depends on what you like. If you just want to do the capitals and a bit of the surroundings, no problem. If you want to relax and check out some less touristy places, you would need more time.
You can go Copenhagen-Oslo-Stockholm-Helsinki with 3-4 nights each. That alone will leave a bit of time for something else - of which there are numerous options.
Geirangerfjord, Alesund and Flam are amazing. Consider visiting them. Geirangerfjord is the best fjord.
