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Sweden, Norway, Finland, tallin, Copenhagen

We’d like to see all of these places but we’re not quite young enough to see everything in two weeks. Curious to hear people rate these places. We’re probably looking at a trip of 3 of the above. Thoughts?

Posted by
10453 posts

It would be helpful to have more information, especially your interests. Do you like hiking? Walking? Museums? Food? It would also help to know what time of year you plan to travel.

Posted by
1331 posts

In addition to Mardee's questions, how are you planning to get around? Of you're list, I've only been to Norway. 2 years ago we spent 2 ½ weeks there traveling by coastal ferry, bus, train and plane. Very easy to get around and the scenery is spectacular.

Posted by
9715 posts

Finland and Tallin are a natural pairing with Helsinki and Tallin just a 2 hour ferry ride apart. I see Copenhagen and Sweden as another pairing separated by just a bridge. Norway is a bit more of an outlier, but probably a better fit with Copenhagen and Sweden.

Do you have specific goals for each location?

Posted by
242 posts

I'll add another question I think is rather relevant. What parts of Sweden, Norway and Finland are you considering to visit? They are large countries, with long distances and a lot of variation (especially from north to south).

Posted by
29632 posts

With two weeks to spread across three countries, it's going to be difficult to see more than the capital cities.

I haven't been to Copenhagen recently, so I won't be mentioning it here, but I know it's a great destination. Of the others, I'd rank Helsinki last; although it's the most interesting city in Finland to me by a good margin, it just doesn't have as much of a "wow" factor as the other capitals in the area, though there's a lot of good Art Nouveau architecture and I spent eight days there across two recent trips. There are ferries from Stockholm to Tallinn as well as from Stockholm to Helsinki and from Helsinki to Tallinn.

I think Stockholm has broader appeal than Oslo. However, Oslo has some good museums, and Norway has some spectacular scenery--more dramatic than you'll find in the other countries in that area. I'd consider it a shame to go to Norway and see just the capital. If including Norway in the itinerary, I'd want to be sure at a minimum to spend some time in Oslo, do the Norway in a Nutshell trip to Bergen and then spend some time in Bergen. With more time than you'll have, you'd have other options for visiting scenic areas, but the Norway in a Nutshell route is an extraordinarily time-efficient way to see grand scenery. Bergen has considerable flight options from other cities, so you could fly into or out of that city.

Posted by
540 posts

We just returned from a 2 wk cruise…Oslo, overnighted in Stockholm, Tallin, Helsinki, and Copenhagen. We found the Hop on/off buses very helpful for a good overview of cities. Tallin was so very walkable we just managed it on our own. Each one different and lovely. Hard to choose a favorite when other’s asked…but we would choose Tallin for your one of three! Maybe nxt…Copenhagen? Enjoy your planning!