Edinburgh to Copenhagen?

I like Edinburgh, so I'd say that it is not enough time for the city. But it might be enough for you. Loch Ness is not something I would do as a day trip from Edinburgh though, while there are tours available it takes more or less the whole day.

Personally I would not do it. Two days in Edinburgh, and then two days in Copenhagen would be far too rushed for me. But, if you don't mind it, why not? I am however a bit puzzled about you mentioning "already be up north" and "the area that far north", Edinburgh and Copenhagen are not close by European standard. They are 980 km apart, that is roughly the distance from Copenhagen to Northern Italy, or from Amsterdam to Bratislava. In fact, Copenhagen is closer to London than to Edinburgh.

(By the way, if you are going to use airport codes, COP is Cooperstown-Westville Airport in New York. Copenhagen is CPH.)

Thanks - if I were to spend the 4 full days in Edinburgh, do you have recommendations of day trips and/or is it worth visiting Glasgow? Is there a convenient train from Edinburgh to Glasgow and Glasgow to London?

I agree that this would be rushed. I did a trip from London to Copenhagen this summer. By the time you factor in travel time, I just don't think it's worth it. I am not seeing any direct flights. I think you will have to connect. So, spend your time in Scotland! If you want to get a flavor of the country outside of the city, there are some day tours that are less bus time than the Loch Ness tour. Look into The Trossachs. Check out the border abbeys. Visit Stirling Castle. Visit Glasgow. Visit St. Andrews. Take the train to Dunkeld and walk in Birnam Wood. :)

Pam

On the map, Copenhagen looks like it's just as far north as Edinburgh, even though it's far away in distance. If I were to choose another country to visit, what would be the easiest to visit? I've already been to Ireland (which is the closest).

Thanks!

There are direct flights from EDI to CPH on Norweigan and direct from CPH to LHR on Sas, but it is trying to fit a lot in a short amount of time. In general, is Edinburgh cheaper for hotels and day trips than Copenhagen?

Yes, Edinburgh’s accommodations are generally less expensive than those in Copenhagen.

My daughter studied abroad in Edinburgh and she and some friends traveled to Copenhagen for a couple of days during their Spring break.
I was surprised by how expensive their accommodations were, and they were staying in a hostel!
She told me that Copenhagen was the most expensive city they visited on their trip.

I spent 4 days visiting my daughter in Edinburgh (she lived there for 5 months) and I definitely felt like I could have stayed there much longer. There’s so much to see and do in this beautiful city!

My daughter compiled a list of her favorite places. Let me know if you’re interested.

Enjoy your trip!

As much as I would like to encourage people to visit my home city, I don't think your plan makes much sense. As badger says, Edinburgh and Copenhagen are not really close by European standards and with the limited time you have you would be short changing both cities.
Personally i also think Loch Ness is a tourist trap. It's nice enough, but not that nice to warrant all the attention and for me not nice enough to devote a whole day on the bus. You can find other lochs that are both prettier and closer to Edinburgh, just without the nonexisitng monster and the hordes of tourists.

I agree with everything you've been told already. It would be way too rushed to try to squeeze in Copenhagen, and if you've only got a few days in Scotland I certainly wouldn't waste a single one of them on Loch Ness. Get yourself a copy of the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide to Scotland and have a look at the sections on Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.

There are many trains every day between Glasgow and Edinburgh, but to be honest I would give Glasgow a miss and concentrate on seeing Edinburgh, St Andrews, Stirling and some of the scenery round about. As you'll be flying out of London on 16th, is there any reason why you wouldn't fly to London from Edinburgh to pick up your trans Atlantic flight? Taking the train from Glasgow or Edinburgh will take the best part of a whole day and puts you in the centre of London from where you have to get to your airport (presumably Heathrow or Gatwick).

Best wishes
Jacqui

There are four airlines competing on the EDI-CPH route so there are direct flights. But still, better to save Copenhagen for another trip. SAS have direct flights from San Fransisco to Copenhagen, so it is easy to get to Copenhagen.

If you want to visit another country from Scotland that is not Ireland the closest would be Norway, but for four days my advice is still to stay in Scotland. You will not be bored. If you don't want to spend all the time in Edinburgh, Stirling castle is a good trip, or the many small towns in Fife.

interesting that they wouldn't show up when I was looking. All I saw were connections through London. This matched with my experience earlier in the summer in that choice seemed limited. Do flights to Copenhagen book up quickly? That could have been the issue. I looked a few weeks out, but I could have just hit a time when the direct flights were sold out.

Thanks for all the tips! I am now thinking of taking a tour to see Skye - does anyone have any recommendations for tours from Edinburgh?
All of the tours seem to be three days/2 nights. I would like to book my own B&B in Skye, but many tours include accommodation and appear to be with a shared bathroom.

I think there is also day tour to see Skye from Inverness, so I could take the train to/from Edinburgh to Inverness - is that a worthwhile option?

Thanks!

You have only a few days to work with, and Edinburgh itself is worth at least two full days IMO. Instead of spending a lot of time and money to visit far-flung places like Skye (let alone Denmark), I'd highly recommend choosing from the hundreds of interesting places nearer to Edinburgh. For example, there's Stirling, St. Andrews, Roslin Chapel -- and if you want a taste of the highlands, Pitlochry.

IMO the day tours to Skye are not a good use of your time as you spend so much time on the bus and very little time actually seeing the natural splendour of the island. Of all the operators Rabbies seem to get good feedback from guests and they are also quite popular with islanders as they send their drivers back here in the winter to help maintain and repair the paths that their visitors have helped to erode.

A 2 or 3 day tour would be your best bet if you really must see Skye, but I do agree with others who've suggested that there are some wonderful options for you closer to Edinburgh. If you do come to Skye you'll need to find accommodation before you book your tour. September is still very busy here and I doubt there will be much availability in Portree which is where your tour bus will want you to be staying.

Hope this helps.
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

If I were flying out of London on Sept 16, I would want to spend the night of Sept 15 in London. For a transatlantic flight you'll need to be at the airport at least 3 hours before scheduled departure time, and way too much can go wrong if you try to travel there from Scotland (or Denmark or Ireland) on the same day, whether by air or rail. If you miss the flight home, you'll be paying for a one-way ticket at the walk-up rate, which could be very costly indeed.