Hi. We nicely enjoyed Iceland and Stockholm for over a week before a Baltic cruise. Covid struck two of us and had to cancel the cruise! We are better and can now leave Stockholm via train. We would appreciate some suggestions for itinerary, things to see and where to stay for the next 9 days. We were thinking of 3 nights in Copenhagen (booked), 1 or 2 nights in Hamburg, 2-3 nights in Cologne and be in Amsterdam on the 27th for our flight home on the 28th. Everything is definitely expensive when booking at the last minute. Luckily we bought travel insurance to cover some things. Thank you for your help. Linda
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6985 posts
Booking last minute is expensive, so book everything you haven't booked already as soon as possible!
That being said, your plan looks good to me. Hamburg is a underrated city and worth two nights in my opinion.
Posted by
Paris
10213 posts
Two to three nights might be a bit much for Cologne for me (I stopped there for an afternoon and a night on my way to Copenhagen three and a half weeks ago).
I would stay longer in Copenhagen and add on another place or two in Denmark on my way down to Germany. And would spend more than the night prior to departure in Amsterdam, but maybe you have been there more recently than I have and don't need the time there.
(And if it were me, I would add some nights elsewhere in Sweden on my way to Copenhagen, but it seems you have already booked onward to Copenhagen. I am just more interested in Sweden and Denmark than I am in northern Germany.)
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
8029 posts
I was in Germany this year and went to Hamburg for 2 nights, then Copenhagen for 3 nights and 2 nights in Cologne. So it's pretty similar to your itinerary.
First, I did write a trip report, so you might want to look at that as well for itinerary ideas. Cologne - Days 16 and 17, Hamburg - Days 22 and 23, and Copenhagen - Days 24 through 26. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/one-month-in-germany-and-a-side-trip-to-copenhagen-yes-it-s-long
I found those nights to work well for me. 2 nights in Cologne was perfect since I spent almost one full day (and 2 evenings) in Cologne, which I absolutely loved. The cathedral is magnificent but I really enjoyed the city, too. Lots of fun shopping, and very walkable. I also took a day trip to Aachen on the 2nd day, which I recommend. Aachen is very charming, with another beautiful cathedral. It's a bit more unassuming on the outside but beautiful on the inside, with some real treasures such as Charlemagne's remains.
Hamburg was very interesting, and the waterfront was wonderful to see. The city has a gorgeous mixture of old and new architecture.
Copenhagen was a delight. I had time to see Roskilde cathedral (which I highly highly recommend) and the Viking ship museum. I walked down Strøget and also went to the National Museum, which was well worth a visit and Tivoli Gardens, which I found enchanting. It was such a treat to walk around there in the evening under fairy lights with so much wonderful and magical things to see. Go in the evening - it's such a wonderful place.
You can find more details about all of these in the trip report above. Have fun - they are all wonderful locations to visit!