Ireland & Sweden

Posted by John (Blue Bell, PA, USA) on 09/28/15 05:02 PM

2 travelers in their mid 50's - been to Europe several times.(Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands)

we are planning a trip to Europe for 8 or 9 nights in early June 2016
trying to decide best way to split this up.
option 1 - phl to dublin - spend 4 nights in Ireland (couple cities), then fly to stockholm - 4 nights in Sweden

option 2 - phl to copenhagen, 3 nights in denmark, fly to Oslo 2 nights in Norway, fly to stockholm - 3 nights in Sweden (or we could drive between Scandinavian countries if it makes sense)

any suggestions or comments would be most welcome

Posted by Kathleen

Camano Island, WA, usa

09/28/15 07:37 PM

1518 posts

I would go for option 2...and would drive if at all possible. Especially in June since you are close to the Soltice and at that latitude have extremely lengthy days. This would be a more pleasant way to go...you can now drive from Denmark to Norway. That said, Scandinavia is one of the more expensive places to travel...but you are only going to be there for 8-9 days. I think that you have saved all the hopping around on planes...you can spend that money on the car. I think that Ireland probably deserves its own 8-9 days another time.

Posted by Stephanie

Seattle

09/28/15 10:19 PM

191 posts

Hi John,

Having been to all of those places, both options are completely doable especially if you are just planning to stay in the cities for the time you are there. I think the decision really is what countries do you want to see. If you want to explore anywhere outside of the main cities, you would probably need to scale back (for instance the whole time in Ireland if you want to go down to Dingle)

For the Nordics, I would recommend the overnight ferry between Denmark and Oslo - it is a fun experience and combines transportation/night of hotel.

I would also keep in mind that the Nordics are pretty expensive.

Posted by Todd

Colorado

09/29/15 01:35 AM

82 posts

Gosh...tough call but I would also go with option 2 as the summer months in those countries is a fantastic time to visit. I never driven between the cities but I went by train between Oslo and Stockholm. It was about a 6 hour journey but well worth it. They have more of a high speed service between Copenhagen and Stockholm. Just make sure to get out in the archipelago when you are in Sweden....it is absolutely beautiful in summer. Enjoy!