Denmark Sweden Norway 2 week itinerary

Seems a bit aggressive... and if you don't want to wear someone out, I really question these overnite trains and cruises. Lack of comfortable sleep can really ruin a trip.

Days 8 - 13 in particular seem very agressive. Roskilde, for instance, is a delightful place, and I wouldn't try to pack in Aero as well, together with your return to Copenhagen. Similarly, Arhus (IMHO) is a half-day place at the very least... As for overnight trips to save time/hotels - I swear by this as an awesome travel procedure, but then I sleep like a log wherever you prop me. I can sleep standing up, and have done so in packed train corridors. I have slept on the tossing deck of a ferry, being blasted by spume. If you don't have a similar consitution, you might want to think twice, because as another poster said, being too tired to enjoy your destination can make for miserable travel. At the very least, I suggest reserving a berth/a sleeping car. Happy travels! Say "hi!" to the kings and queens of Denmark for me, when you reach Roskilde!

I'm not worried about the overnight cruise, it got great reviews from other travelers. And yes, we're definitely going to book a sleeping car for the train, although I am somewhat concerned about that. We'll have to change in Malmo at 22:06 and then we arrive in Stockholm at 5:57. So really, less than 6 hours of sleep. I'll have to think about that. I tried to book an open-jaw ticket as RS suggests, but the fares on every airline were almost $500 more than regular round-trip (which from CA was already $1000). After looking at the itinerary again, I don't know where I got the idea of going from Bergen to Kristiansand. For some reason, I thought it'd be easier. But now it sounds like an all-day affair with an overnight ferry to Hirtshals. Day 10 was mostly a travel day - stop at the fish market in Kristiansand, go to Hirtshals just to catch the ferry, and end up in Arhus to sleep - but this plan apparently isn't feasible. I'm okay with skipping those towns altogether. Any suggestions? Is a cheap flight from Bergen to Copenhagen the best way to go?

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en for train schedules http://www.flysas.com/en/us/ for SAS airlines flights within scandinavia - many as low as $100 one way http://www.nor-way.no/?lang=en_GB Norway bus schedules I would make two adjustments to your general itinerary; 1) limit your other Denmark sights to places you can get to as day trips from Copenhagen - not that other places are not worthy, but they come at the expense of stops elsewhere, which leads me to... 2) consider more exposure to the fjords in Norway than the little 2-hour cruise that is part of the Nutshell route. I found the Geirangerfjord north of Bergen to be more interesting and picturesque and would gladly give up the nutshell one to do that again. You can work your way north by bus toward Trondheim, and then fly from there to Stockholm as part of a reverse route COPENHAGEN(3)-OSLO(2)-BERGEN(2)-TRONDHEIM(3)-STOCKHOLM(3)-COPENHAGEN(1) with the Trondheim(3) being three days to GET TO Trondheim, but only a few hours actually there. If you find fjords appealing, this would be a much more rewarding route. SAS flight Trondheim to Stockholm as low as $120. PM me for more specific questions if you like. We really enjoyed our time in Scandinavia. We were there for three weeks, but also took a train above the arctic circle and took the ship to Helsinki and Tallinn.

This doesn't seem like the most efficient itinerary. You're going to be in Copenhagen three times. If you can't get an open jaw flight without spending an extra $500, that's unfortunate, but you certainly don't have to throw in another visit to Copenhagen. You might want to check with a travel agent because it seems odd that you would have to spend that much additional money to fly out of a different city. But if you do, you do. I would definitely fly from Stockholm to Bergen. You should be able to get very reasonable flight. Then you can do the Norway in a Nutshell trip to Oslo and take the overnight cruise back to Copenhagen. Or fly. I've not done the overnight cruise, so I can't comment on it. While traveling from Bergen to Oslo, you might want to spend the night in Balestrand on the fjord. And definitely spend two nights at least in Bergen. It's a great town; I liked it much better than Oslo. One other suggestion. I would cut down on the time in Copenhagen and add a day to Stockholm so you can do one of the overnight cruises -- either to Helsinki or Tallinn. I've done both and loved them. They are on large cruise ships, so you'll get a good night's sleep. Both cities are fascinating. I love Scandinavia. I hope you do too!

check out both SAS or this link http://www.norwegian.com/en/ for inexpensive non-stop flights around Scandinavia. Definitely, you should opt for to fly from Copenhagen to Stockholm and from Bergen to Copenhagen to save yourselves time and money. The latter flight will give you ample of time to visit both Roskilde (25 mins. by train from Copenhagen) and Odense (ca. 1H 30 mins by train from Copenhagen) as separate day trips. Your itenirary is ambitious, but sounds very exciting indeed. Happy holidays!

Hi Casy, There's a pretty efficient and comfortable train from Stockholm to Oslo, if you want to cut some riding around in circles. Also, I agree about staying on the Sognefjord for a night - I stayed in Balestrand, and am very glad I had those extra hours that the Nutshell cruise missed. While still in Flam, I instead toured the fjord via the fjordsafari and had a grand time, bouncing up and down in a little blow-up boat for three hours and eating goat cheese. Then the next day, before the cruise to Bergen, I went swimming in Balestrand. Those two days were highlights of my trip. Bergen is indeed a great town, and so is Arhus (with the famous bog-man a little bus ride out of the city and a risque museum- and say "hi" to the regulars in Cockney Pub). Oslo is grimy but not without charm, Copenhagen is fascinating (with Christainia and Tivoli Gardens). and Stockholm is absolutely lovely. I wrote a blog about my recent trip. I spent 2 weeks in Scandinavia, which you can find in entries 22-29 here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/melepua/1/tpod.html Some adjustments I would make to my trip if you don't know locals is to not return to Arhus like I did, and don't go to Gothenburg. Gothenburg was nice, but my time was more enjoyable because locals showed me around, and the only reason I returned to Arhus the second time around is because my best friend lives there. That gives you 3 days to explore some other places (like an extra night on the fjord!). Hope that helps! Oh, and long live Anteaters! Zot Zot. (UC Irvine class of 2008) Carrie

Wow, thanks so much for all the great tips and links, everyone! I really appreciate it. After talking with my travel companions and looking at train schedules, I think we're going to do Copenhagen - overnight train to Stockholm - train to Oslo - Norway in a Nutshell (Oslo - Myrdal - Flam - Voss - Bergen) - scenic train to Oslo to catch overnight cruise to Copenhagen - day trips from Copenhagen (Roskilde, Dragor, Frederiksborg Castle) - depart from Copenhagen. I know it's quicker to fly, but my mom isn't keen on flying. It's hard enough for her to fly from the U.S. to Copenhagen. So, yes, we'll be in Copenhagen twice, but at least I was able to cut it back from the 3 times I had originally planned. Now, though, it looks like we'll be on a train quite a bit, but most of that is in the fjords. This revised schedule should give us a bit more time in the fjords. I did consider staying in Balestrand, but according to RS' guidebook, most sights/hotels/etc. close down from September to May, and we're going in September. I'm hoping there are more things open in Flam. I'd like to do the FjordSafari and considered that, as well, but I'm not sure if the timing will work out. In September, there's only one FjordSafari that leaves at 12:05 and is just over 2 hrs long. We won't arrive in time to make it on arrival day, and if we sleep there overnight and do the safari the next day, I'm not sure we'll be able to catch a boat or train out that will get us on our way to Bergen in the same day. Going to Norway in the shoulder season does have more complications, I'm discovering, especially without a car. :-)

That looks more like it! It's a bummer that many things are closed when you are visiting, though probably for a good reason (weather), but I guarantee that with your revised schedule, you will make the most of your time. If you have any more questions, feel free to message me. Have a great trip!

Casey - Your revised itinerary seems to make much more sense. Just plan for groggy days after the overnight trains. And glad to hear you are going up to Helsingor - that is one of my favorite towns.

I would say, and it may be too late given you plan, but I would definitely do a day trip to Odense still (couldn't tell if you had taken that out). Odense is amazing. I lived in Denmark for a year, and Odense remains one of my favorite cities. It's got a great pedestrian only street, cute museums, and a generally "Danish" atmosphere. In reality, after being there for a year, Copenhagen doesn't feel very "Danish". It was too big city. It definitely has its charms that are worth visiting, but for a real taste you have to get out of Copenhagen. Remember that locals tend to speak exceptional English--they should, they've studied it since 6th grade--and are pretty friendly. If you get a chance to read the excerpt in Rick Steve's book , "Travel as Political Act" about Denmark, I strongly recommend it.