Husband and I are planning a 3 week trip to Norway, Sweden, Denmark in July 2022. In the planning stages and are looking for off the beaten path places to visit. We will have a car and enjoy a road trip experience. A few museums are fine but we really enjoy the scenery and poking around places that grab our interest. Food is especially important. While we enjoy the freedom of a road trip we also want to have lodging and destinations planned for. We have always used Rick Steves guide books as our backbone in planning we have come to discover that there are many gems that are not found on the pages-and these are what we want to discover. Thank you in advance!
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6970 posts
Do you have any particular interests and kind of "off the beaten path places" you are looking for? When it comes to scenery the Norwegian fjord country around Bergen is hard to beat.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Bergen is on the list! We enjoy those sites that after you come home from a trip you start the conversation with, "this isn't on the to-do lists, but we discovered the best...." or "best location ever". Scenery always is a highlight, drives to small towns that have that Scandinavian charm that perhaps get overlooked by tourists, food destinations of course and art/cultural experiences.
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1517 posts
If you have Scandinavian Ancestry, do your Genealogy ahead of time to guide you on your trip. A friend of mine went to Norway with her new husband. They had an excellent time staying aboard a ship that makes regular runs up the fiords delivering postal and cargo; it included meals. They could go ashore to visit these out of the way places. She had journals written by a relative that had lived in Norway during the WWII occupation. They lived on a Family Farm before leaving for America. They had not heard from the Farmers after that. My Friend wanted to see where the farm was; so they rented a car and drove to that village. When they got there, they thought that they should stop and ask if anyone knew where the farm was or used to be. They stopped and asked the Lady who answered the door, explaining their mission to find the farm. The Lady said Welcome, on in, Cousins". They had the same (great) grandparents and were hoping to find their American Family.
Posted by
Irving
3226 posts
Not sure how “off the beaten path” these places are but here are some places mentioned by Rick Steves. The Lofoten Islands I’ve read about elsewhere.
Sweden – Kalmar
Norway – Lofoten Islands: Austvågøy, Vestvågøy, Flakstadøy, Moskenesøy, Vaerøy, Røst, Henningsvaer Island Svolvaer, Reine, Leknes, Vaeroy
Denmark – Aarhus and Ӕrø.
Posted by
Ohio
1601 posts
In Sweden I recommend the delightful medieval town of Ystad and the nearby Ales Stenar.
Definitely drive across the Øresund Bridge,
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
6970 posts
I'm not sure what qualifies as a conversation starter where you live, but there are many charming small towns worth a visit. The places mentioned a bit further up are all very close to, if not directly on, the beaten path. But Ystad is a good suggestion, Ale stenar is definitly worth a visit. Another place that is really not undiscovered, but often gets overlooked is Gotland. The island sees many tourists every year, but mostly Scandinavians and Germans. The island itself is lovely and Visby, the main town, has a beautiful old medieval centre with a well preserved town wall. It is also a good place for food.
And renting different cars might be a good idea and travel by train inbetween. That will save you both time and money. You don't mention where you live, so I don't know how easy it is for you to get to Scandinavia, but an open jaw ticket might be a good idea.
Posted by
Washington DC
28062 posts
How short are you willing to cut Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm? Off-the-beaten-path places often take considerable time to reach.