The tour starts in the beginning of June in Stockholm and ends in Bergen. I’m leaning towards extending my time at the end in Bergen and only arriving the day before the tour.
What do you guys think? Has anyone taken that tour and can offer advice? At this point I know very little about either destination.
What do you want to see and do? What are you interested in? Spending a few days extra in Sweden is not a bad idea either…
I took this tour last May-June and thoroughly enjoyed it. We arrived 3 days early to Stockholm and stayed one day post tour in Bergen. There is so much to do in every part of the tour you can’t go wrong in adding days before and after the tour. This part of the world was unknown to me, I read the Rick Steves guidebook on things to see and do.
I agree with Badger that it will help if you know some of the things about Scandinavia that interest you. For example, does Viking history or the Scandinavian explorers interest you. You might want to spend some time researching these topics.
I liked both cities and could have used an extra day in Bergen for an out-of-town trip. I spent, I think, 12 nights in Stockholm and 4 nights in Bergen. In terms of sights to see, there is just no comparison. I think Rick sort of subtly warns about the situation in Bergen; doesn't he say that a lot of the sights are visually underwhelming and worthwhile only if you take the included tour? Bergen is a very attractive city for just wandering around outdoors (which is how I spent a lot of my time), but again, it's no Stockholm.
I don't mean that you shouldn't spend extra time in Bergen, but I think you'll regret having only 3/4 of a non-jetlagged extra day in Stockholm.
I think I get the idea that Bergen is underwhelming. I’m leaning towards Bergen because it is Norway that I am truly looking forward to-but really the country side not the city. It is so hard to choose day trips without having a real feel for what the tour doesn’t have enough of.
My only tour ever was with RS Turkey this year. Absolutely incredible but not enough time to relax and immerse into the culture. So, trying to correct for this in Norway. Maybe Bergen is not “the place” to immerse into. When I dream of Norway I think of fishing villages with beautiful mt vistas. If I was not traveling solo I would love to just drive around. Maybe I should consider train travel after the tour.
Ideas?
Bergen is a lovely place; from my perspective it was short on sights of the sort you go inside, though I definitely enjoyed the multi-building art museum (KODE). There are well-regarded walks at the top of the two lifts; one can even walk between them. I can't do that sort of thing without guaranteeing a fall, but I've read many positive comments and no negative ones. I'm sure the Bergen tourist office can suggest out-of-town options as well.
I'll be taking this tour shortly, and I decided to do the Norway in a Nutshell trip from Bergen back to Oslo, where I will fly back to the US, immediately after the tour.
For various reasons, I didn't want to add much more time, so I am doing it in one day, but people often take that route, though very scenic areas, over a few days, which might suit your plans.
If you want to see the country side, just taking the train back to Oslo is not a bad idea. Or you can do a version of Norway in a Nutshell.
We took an extra day (prior RS Best Scandinavian tour in Stockholm) for a day trip to Baltic Sea by boat. It’s a fun and lifetime- experienced one.
I would spend at least a couple of extra days in Stockholm. We spent five days there in 2019. Take a day trip by ferry out to the archipelago and another day go to Drottningholm. Even some extra time to just wander through Gamla Stan is a good idea. I also agree that doing the NIN after the tour is a good idea. We just came back from Bergen a week ago where we spent a night after our Arctic cruise. A good number of the buildings in Bryggen are being restored and are covered up. That is the prettiest most photogenic part of Bergen and I would have been disappointed if this was my first visit. I don’t know if that will be the situation when you get there next year. Also Grieg’s house outside of Bergen was closed at this time. If that is open next year it is worth a visit as it is a pretty setting and the piano concert there is a wonderful part of a visit. Hope this helps. We love Scandinavia.
Mary, did you perhaps mean that Ole Bull’s villa was closed? We visited Grieg’s home, a few weeks ago in July (2023). No closures, piano concerts on-going, web-site indicates currently open. Ole Bull’s home is closed currently for renovation.
My first trip to Bergen. We found Bryggen charming despite the admittedly disappointing closures for renovation of the museum. I guess we don’t know what we missed!
@ordtraveler Oops! My mistake about Troldhaugen. I was apparently misinformed by a fellow traveler.
I just wanted to clarify for any readers! Glad it is straightened out!!
Liz I would love to hear from you regarding your post tour adventure. It sounds like a great idea. How are you managing it? I will receive my Scandinavia guide Tues..
I decided to book Stockholm pre tour for an additional 3 nights. Now just need to plan post tour. Thank you all for great ideas. I am retire (working pt) so have all the time (but not money) in the world.
dedellac I have added the luggage transfer service to the Nutshell trip. Since I'm traveling by myself and will probably be tired by the end of the tour I decided to pay to make things as easy as possible.
