Would you recommend Amsterdam or Copenhagen or Stockholm for 3-4 days in May?

Well, I have not been to Copenhagen or Stockholm (although I will be tacking on 4 days in Copenhagen at the end of an upcoming Germany trip) but I have been to Amsterdam and loved it. I was there for 2 1/2 weeks in May of 2018 and would (and will) definitely go back again.

In terms of logistics, Amsterdam airport (Schipol) is very easy to get in and out of, and is certainly closer to Switzerland than the two Scandinavian cities (and also farther south, which factors in weather). The neighborhoods are vibrant and diverse and very walkable (or bikeable). I stayed in the de Pijp neighborhood which was filled with multi-cultural restaurants and street fairs. The city is relatively flat, which makes walking easier.

Amsterdam has a lot of museums, but obviously you can pick and choose what you want to see. I especially enjoyed the museums about the Holocaust and one that was in honor of the Resistance fighters, but the Van Gogh (and Rijksmuseum) were outstanding. FWIW, the weather was beautiful when I was there. There is no guarantee with the weather, of course, but I had no complaints then.

Amsterdam also has some wonderful day trips - den Hague, Leiden (my favorite), Hoorn (reminds me of a New England fishing village) and many many others. And again, all are very easy to get to using public transport or biking, if that's your thing. And depending on when in May you go, you can see the acres and acres of colorful tulips.

Mardee, wow, Hoorn looks beautiful. I just put it on my ever-growing longlist of daytrip ideas for my upcoming trip.

meagavin, Amsterdam would probably be the easiest given the short time you have.

roubrat, I loved Hoorn! I met a friend there who lives in the Netherlands and we got a boat to go out on the water, then strolled through the town. The town is beautiful and there is a wonderful museum there that I really enjoyed called the Westfries.

You can't go wrong with any of these.

If it makes any difference, both Copenhagen and Stockholm would cost a bit more than Amsterdam.

I love all three of those cities.

In terms of walkability, Copenhagen is probably best, followed by Amsterdam, and then Stockholm. In both Amsterdam and Stockholm, you are more likely to rely on public transport to get to various neighborhoods. But all three are fabulous places to just wander on foot or bike. All three are very bike-friendly, but again I'd give a slight edge to Copenhagen because the dedicated bike paths are more segregated from routes used by other vehicles. And Bike Copenhagen with Mike (https://bikecopenhagenwithmike.dk/) offered one of the best bike tours I've had anywhere. In Stockholm, I rented a bike and rode on my own around the Djurgården, which was delightful. I did not try biking in Amsterdam.

All three offer nice day-trips. From Stockholm, you can visit Uppsala, and you can also ride the boat to Drottningholm, the royal palace. Boat rides to nearby islands are also enjoyable; I had a nice visit to Fjäderholmarna. From Copenhagen, check out https://www.roadaffair.com/best-day-trips-from-copenhagen/ for a list of great day trips. And from Amsterdam, well, the list is practically endless: Delft, Rotterdam, Leiden, Utrecht, Haarlem, Hoorn, Edam, Giethoorn...

Sorry, I probably haven't helped, just made everything more appealing. You can't go wrong picking among these three cities.

Enjoy your trip!

Just want to jump in and say, [and Ive only been to AMS but I believe Copenhagen is similar], I never walk in AMS. I rent a bike and use it to get around for the whole time Im there (locking it outside my rental overnight). I have biked out a long the Amstel river to other towns east of AMS, and certainly to get from one end of the city to another. It is a very intense place to ride (in the city, that is) but also thrilling and so great for biking because of infrastructure. (You mentioned liking biking ...)

@Mardee, I watched a couple of Youtube walking videos of Hoorn and I think it's on the shortlist. It looks so charming. I saw that Westfries museum in the video too.

I have visited all three cities and enjoyed them all.

Regarding cost, I would say that Copenhagen would be the most expensive for finding lodging. However, all three are on the high side.

All three cities are walkable, with Stockholm being a bit more complicated, due to needed to take ferries.

Purely based on things to do, I would pick Amsterdam followed by Copenhagen then Stockholm.

Loved the art museums in Amsterdam, one for the Rembrandts and the other for Van Gogh. The canals of Amsterdam are great and taking a canal boat cruise is a must. Copenhagen also has a great harbor cruise from the downtown. Biking is huge in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. The Vasa Museum in Stockholm is great.

There is a lot to see in the Dutch and Danish countryside. Take a windmill tour to the Zyder Zee in Holland and a castle tour/Viking Museum tour in Denmark.

They are all great options and no matter which one you choose you will enjoy your stay and feel that you made the right choice.

• All three cities (like most European cities) are very walkable.
• There is no lack of parks or outdoor activities in either of the cities.
• Amsterdam is certainly by far the most touristy of them, but May is really not high season.
• Stockholm has decent bike infrastructure, Copenhagen good and in Amsterdam the bike infrastructure is excellent.
• All of them have more good museums than you can see in a few days.
• Nearby towns and cities are available from all three, any particular kind of town you prefer?

So it is a bit hard to give advice, reaching Switzerland is pretty easy from them as well. Is there anything particular you enjoy when on vacation?

My favorite is Amsterdam, followed by Stockholm (a close second) and then Copenhagen. We walked everywhere in these cities.

+1 for Mary's list. It would help to know how much you've been to Europe. You are confident that there is little cost difference in your airfare quotes. How about different airlines or code-shares?

Why are you going to Lugano primarily? I guess you mean that Milan and Zurich are close enough to Lugano to be "the same" for you. (I have some doubt about that.) I realize that Seattle origin is not like my departing from the East Coast, but I would take a two-segment flight to Lugano, and if was with a partner of my transatlantic flight, it would cost me little more than non-stop to the hub city in between. Are you saying that (say) SAS or their code-share is a potential carrier for you?

I too have been to all three cities, but I am partial to Amsterdam. There's nothing more glorious than to sit in a sidewalk cafe beside a canal drinking Heiniken beer on a beautiful sunny day--watching the tour boats go by.

All of your bullet points ahead would be met there.

As far as getting to Lugano, your best bet would be flying into Milan Malpensa and taking a 45 minute bus up to Lugano. I have a close friend that we've been trying to find time to visit that lives there. The Lake Lugano/Lake Como region is absolutely stunning in beauty.

I can only comment on Amsterdam. Over the years we have chosen to layover there. That said, in 2019 we spent 5 wonderful nights after our Central Europe journey. We stayed in Museumkwartier and walked everywhere, took a canal tour, visited the museums, Vondelpark, etc. The highlights were the Anne Frank House & private Jewish walking tour with Naomi Koopmans. She took us to the Holocaust Memorial & Synagogue. We also visited the Dutch Resistance Museum. I hope we can return to do day trips that were recommended up thread! I’m especially intrigued with Hoorn. I will bookmark this thread! Thanks all.

Probably 3 of my top 5 favorite cities in Europe. 3-4 days works for all of them. Amsterdam might be the rainiest of them in May and IMHO the most touristy (but i still love it) . Based on your list I would pick Copenhagen.... great neighborhoods, great biking, the best resistance museum I've been to and you can always cross the bridge and visit Malmo. You can take a great kayak tour of Copenhagen.