Scandinavia versus Benelux

Hello Katie. I traveled in northern Europe. I recommend going to Copenhagen, and Oslo (and to Fjords), and Stockholm. Copenhagen looks similar to Amsterdam. That is, both cities have canals and very old buildings. Copenhagen is more pleasant and more safe than Amsterdam. And Copenhagen looks very European. Norway is the most scenic and beautiful country in northern Europe. Stockholm is one of the most pleasant cities that I have seen. (I was at many big cities around the world). I think each of those three cities has better sights (museums, palace) than any of the other three cities : Amsterdam and Bruges and Brussels. Eight days is sufficient time for being at the three Scandinavian countries. If you fly to Copenhagen, the day after you arrive is your first whole day there. See Copenhagen that day (Day 1). Day 2: Ride in a train from Copenhagen to Oslo. Day 3: See Oslo. Day 4 and 5 : Do the "Norway in a Nutshell fjord trip from and to Oslo, stopping for one night at Aabelheim Pension at Aurland. Day 6: Ride in the Express train from Oslo to Stockholm. Day 7 and 8 : See Stockholm. The next day Fly from Stockholm to the U.S.A. Or, Day 9: ride in the express train from Stockholm to Copenhagen, and the next day Fly from Copenhagen to the U.S.A.

I don't think 8 or 9 days is nearly enough time to see all the places you want to see in Scandinavia. Also, it will require a lot of time traveling from country to country. If you only have 8 or 9 days, you don't want to spend a lot of time on trains and planes. I haven't been to Amsterdam, but I've been to Belgium and Luxembourg. Belgium is a charming country and the parts of Luxembourg I've seen we're really pretty. It's a smaller geographic area and makes more sense for a short trip IMHO. It would probably be a little cheaper too. I love Scandinavia though. If you decide to go, I would suggest Narrowing your sights a bit. You could do Norway -- Oslo, Bergen and the fjords. Or you could do Copenhagen and Stockholm.

July/August is the best time to see Scandinavia. I'd probabaly choose the first because of the time of year and try to hit Benelux in shoulder season.

Of the group. I rate Copenhagen highest, particularly in the number and quality of sights in and around the city. I don't think I'd recommend going off-season however. Amsterdam isn't one of my favorites, primarily because the redlight and drug culture have no allure for me. That is just one part of the city and I do consider Amsterdam a place everyone should visit once - but the seedy (no pun intended) side of the city attracts a lot of people I don't particularly want to share a hostel dorm room with.

The Scanda trip will cost about 25-30% more then the Benelux trip.

I have not been to the Scandinavian countries (yet), but have made several visits to Amsterdam/Bruges/Brussels. Apart from the logistical and monetary issues of travel time between the locations and the higher expense of Scandinavia, it all depends on your interests. Amsterdam and Bruges are gorgeous; I (unlike many others) really enjoy Brussels and find parts of it very beautiful as well. In Amsterdam, one of the best museums in the world for western art (the Rijksmuseum) plus the Van Gogh Museum; Brussels has a very good collection too, and even tiny Bruges has some very good pieces. Obviously, if you're not so into art, this won't matter to you. Bruges and Amsterdam, I'm guessing (based on no statistics) would have the most tourists in July, if that matters to you. I love Amsterdam, and we've spent 95% of our time there outside of the redlight area; and the redlight area in the daytime, I didn't feel, was a problem (there are some historic sites in that area of the city). I could spend days just wandering along the canals, admiring the houses and the scenery.

I agree with everything posted so far: Scandinavia (particularly Norway) is more expensive then Benelux. But summer is when there are hotel discounts; look at Rick Steves Scandinavia for details. The "nice weather" season is much shorter in Scandinavia. If this is your only opportunity to travel in July, go there; you can go to Benelux in spring, summer, or early fall and still enjoy them. Of course, if you can go in July again, that's not a factor (I had to rearrange my usual schedule to go to Scandinavia in July, and I'm very glad I did). If you only have 8-9 days, you will have to cut one of your Scandinavia destinations. Which one? That's hard. Even then, you will still be changing cities every 1-2 days. Benelux is much less spread out, so seeing several places in a short time is much easier. While some do like Brussels, for me the only worthwhile things were the Grand Place, the chocolate, and the Art Nouveau tour run by ARAU. Otherwise, I'd spend more time in other Belgian destinations, like Antwerp. Bruges is lovely, as are all your Scandinavia destinations. You can't lose either way.