Denmark/Norway vs Sweden/Finland for first Nordic trip

Finnair has nonstop flights between Seattle and Helsinki. From Helsinki you can take a direct 2h ferry to Tallinn for the day https://www.directferries.com/.
I don’t see direct overnight trains allowing you to reserve a cabin with beds between Stockholm and Oslo. This is a 5h 30m journey meaning you will lose a day traveling between the two cities. I suggest not visiting four countries in Aug.

While your focus seems to ve very much on cities Scandinavia is also known for outdoor activities, e. g. hiking, kayaking, sailing or in winter skiing.

Bergen in Norway has a unique landscape behind, the western fjords. A direct train connection to Oslo with stop-over in Flam is a valid tavel option.

Lofoten, Swedish west coast, Danish North Sea shore, Gotland and other destinations are also good recommendations for outdoorsy experiences.

We are very into culture/art/history/food.

Back to the big cities I would sort Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki based on your priorities. You will find common parts in the culture but also huge differences in details. Food is a very special topic in all mentioned countries.

Often used connections are:

• Train Copenhagen - Stockholm
• Ferry Stockholm - Helsinki (and Tallinn)
• Ferry Copenhagen - Oslo
• Train Bergen - Oslo (vy.no or as travel package Norway in a Nutshell)
• Hurtigruten and Havila postal route ships to get from Bergen to Lofoten and / or more into North.

In the far North you will not find train connections. Buses and flights are the alternatives to cars. Car travel which you excluded gives you the most freedom of travel although all mentioned metropoles car are active car traffic haters.

Be aware that in huge Scandinavia August is not the same experience. While in Denmark you still have summer the Northern parts of Scandinavia have first autumn experiences at the end of August. I recommend to also look into June as an option which allows special highlights such as Swedish Midsummer or the Midnight Sun in th far North.

Let me finally mention that Hamburg and some parts of Northern Germany culturally have more in common with Scandinavia (also partially common history) than Hamburg and Munich for example.

@MaryPat - thanks for the tip re Finnair, lack of sleeper train options, and not squeezing in 4 countries! I would absolutely love to visit Tallinn.

@MarkK - Bergen is very enticing. Thanks for the mention of the other places to check out and often used connections. And very good point on the difference in season amongst the countries in August. I would love to go in June/July but it just isn't in the cards this year. Hamburg and northern Germany are definitely on the list to visit at some point too!

Thanks again.

Welcome.

Methow, please be so nice and post a trip report after your journey what your decisions and experiences were. It always helps other travelers.

No, you won't be able to see it all in two weeks. Don't underestimate the area, while sparsely populated it is a couple of large countries. To compare with the western US, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark have total area larger than Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California combined. So you need to make some choices.

If you're looking for a visit to Scandinavia, keep in mind that Finland is not part of Scandinavia. Although that doesn't mean it's not worth visiting. Copenhagen is a good starting point for a visit to the area and a popular route for two weeks starting in Copenhagen is Copenhagen-Stockholm-Oslo-Bergen. But if you're not that interested in the mountains then maybe it's worth focusing more on the cities. In my opinion the two "best" cities in the area are Stockholm and Copenhagen.

So for a trip focused on culture/art/history/food, cities and a bit of the outdoors, I would not suggest choosing between Denmark/Norway vs Sweden/Finland. I would instead suggest Sweden and Denmark. For two weeks starting and ending in Copenhagen, a nice route can be Copenhagen-Kalmar-Visby-Stockholm-Gothenburg-Copenhagen.

I would agree with Badger. Land in Denmark, if that's the best flight, then train up through Sweden. I haven't been since 2015, but there was also a night train from Stockholm up to Luleå. I loved Umeå and Eksjö, but that's me. Stockholm is great, but there are so many lovely places...and the coast is beautiful. I managed fine with trains and buses. The buses to small towns require a little more planning. Swedes love their outdoor activities year round, which works great for me. It seems to me there were ferries to Finland from the northern cities. Leave Norway for another trip...from Denmark as well.

@Badger - ack, I am cringing. Replaced “Scandinavia” with “Nordic” in my original post.

@Badger and @Wray - I thought about it this morning and decided to just focus on Denmark (Copenhagen) and Sweden (Stockholm), and then I came back on to say so and there your posts were, confirming that might be a good plan. Norway can be our Part 2. (I might squeeze Helsinki in too … mulling.) Thanks for the route suggestions, that is perfect.

@MarkK - greatly appreciate the welcome and I will absolutely post details after the trip.

Thanks again, we’re very excited. I will follow up to say how it went.

Don't worry, you're not the first one to make that mistake. But I do my best to try to educate people!

That sounds like a good plan! But with two weeks you have time to see a lot more than just Copenhagen and Stockholm and I'd suggest adding a few more stops. Or at least plan some day trips. I agree with Wray that Umeå and Eksjö both are lovely, although Umeå is a bit north and takes a bit of time to reach.