Scandinavia in Early June?

brrr... 50's and low 60's...that's winter for us Texans :-) but as long as there's some sunshine I think we can manage. Thank you Kent!

In 2000 my family went to northern Germany and southern Denmark the first week in June. We had a wonderful trip even though we did have some rain. I didn't wear any of the warm weather clothes I had brought. It could be different this year; last year my brother was in northern Germany in April, and it was quite warm.

Even though my mother's parents were born in Sweden, I don't find Sweden all that interesting (my brother would disagree), so I am not the best one to give tips about Sweden. However, we just loved the island of Aero in Denmark. It's featured in Rick's Scandinavia book...lots of quaint towns and nature. Hamburg is my husband's favorite German city. There are Viking museums in both Ribe, Denmark and Schleswig, Germany. Flensburg is a wonderful city too...Happy travels.

Thank you Karen! I have heard that Sweden is not as interesting...perhaps it's better if you travel north, but we won't have time for that this trip. We're definitely gravitating towards a couple of days in Aero...so many wonderful comments about that area. I have been to Hamburg a decade or so ago...and though I don't remember much about the city, I do remember that the Haffen tour is a jaw dropper, and my boys will love it. viking museums sound great too...! Thanks for the tips.

I've been in Copenhagen in May, and it can range from 40s to 70s. Mostly upper 50s to low 70s. Wonderful in the sun, but chillier in the evenings. It can rain, but mostly I've had great weather - even spent a day on the beach two years ago.

I wouldn't dismiss Sweden outright, but with a week to drive to Germany, you don't want to tarry too much or you'll have to do a lot of driving in a little time. Remember that getting to Germany requires at least two big bridges, three if you take the Oresund instead of the ferry. There are some pretty sights coming down from Goteborg (about 4 hours to Copenhagen by train, not sure about the drive time).

I'd plan to stay outside of Copenhagen if you are going to stop in Sjaelland as Copenhagen parking is expensive and it can be a challenege to navigate the bikers, bike lanes, one way, narrow roads etc. Better to stay outside and take public transport in to do any sightseeing.

Have fun
Kate

I did Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm during the last week of May & first week of June in 2005. Oslo was the rainiest (had some sun, though), with Stockholm not far behind (cloudy much of the time, however). Oddly enough, I got sunburned in Copenhagen.

I was glad I took a travel umbrella with me, along with a rain-resistant jacket and a fedora-type hat. I don't remember it being too cold - I wore short-sleeved shirts w/synthetic undershirt beneath my jacket in Oslo and Stockholm, and I was OK. And Copenhagen was warm (with a slight drizzle on my last day), so I had no problems there (except for the sunburn on my arms - so you may wish to pack some sunscreen just to be safe).

Keep in mind that I am from the Pacific Northwest, and the climate here is somewhat similar to Scandinavia (at least the rainy & cloudy part), so I'm used to that sort of thing. If Texas is as hot as I've heard, than you may wish to pack some long-sleeve shirts.

Hi Anita, Sweden is usually lovely in June. In central Sweden, it is light from about 4am to 10pm. I think you have a couple of options. You need to decide if you want to go from Sweden to Denmark or if you want to take a ferry to Germany. I would look into the ferry options first. Here are a couple of possibilities:

1) Explore southern Sweden and take the ferry from Trelleborg (south of Malmo) to Germany. In southern Sweden you can visit the glass region (Nybro, Orrefors, etc), Kalmar, Oland island, Lund)

2) Go down the west coast of Sweden, take the Oresund bridge over to Denmark, visit Copenhagen and make your way through Denmark.

3) Take a ferry from Goteborg to the Frederikshavn and drive down through the Jutland peninsula of Denmark.

4) Drive north to Oslo from Goteburg. Visit sites in and around Oslo and then take a ferry from Oslo to either Copenhagen or Frederikshavn

Rick Steves recommend the island of Aero...NOT TO BE MISSED. It is lovely!!! Charm and nature!!

The southeast coast of Sweden is also enjoyable too.

Anita, with one week you really only have time for Denmark and Sweden; too bad. Norway is the best.

Just a note: three ladies and I travelled together a couple of years and expected a large BMW waiting for us at the rental. We were given the big Volvo and it proved to be lacking in luggage space for four ladies. We had three suitcases that could be put on luggage rack on a plane and one very large one. We had planned on putting two boxes into the trunk; one for picnic supplies and the other for walking shoes and rain gear - just small boxes. We ended up having to push these items in amongst our luggage. No place for boxes and they were just very small about the size of two or three shoe boxes put together.

Also, I am back there this June doing a month tour of Norway, Sweden and Denmark Holland an Rhine on Fire Cruise

Beth, no worries; Aero is the only thing I am certain about on this trip...really looking forward to it! Any suggestion regarding accommodations in Aero are welcome! Thanks for the tip...

Sandra,
I regret not seeing Norway also...guess we'll have to save that for our next Volvo purchase... :-) The fjords look just stunning...

We discovered also on our test drives that the Volvo trunk space even in the larger Volvo sedans leaves much to be desired. Fortunately our new car is the combi (station wagon); and based on assessment & test drive through our local dealer, I think it should be ok for the 4 of us.

Lucky you...a full month of travels this June - have a wonderful trip and thanks for your tips!

went on a RS Scand tour last year in May/June... since June 22 is the sumer solstice and the first week of their vacation time for most - a week or two before should be fine weather wise. Most of the summer events may not be fully opperational yet - but the towns are all getting ready and should find you have plenty of options before the rush!

I traveled to Scandinavia in June of 2005. It was hot during much of the trip. The locals in Oslo were sunning in speedos and bikinis. The un-air-conditioned hotels in Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm were a bit uncomfortable due to the heat. As I remember, it only rained one day (in Copenhagen) and a little during our afternoon in Estonia.

My dad and step-mother had traveled there in mid to late May a few years earlier - snow and they froze.

So... check the weather forecast just before you go.

Halmstad is a wonderful seaside town in Sweden that's not far from the bridge to Denmark. How old are your children? If they are teenagers, they would love going to "after beach" -- a free concert that is put on outdoors at the hotel on the beach owned by one of the "Roxette" members (you'll also find it interesting for the incredible art collection) most evenings. Ask any local about it.

Kristen, our boys are 6 and 11. 6-yr old especially loves music so a concert may not be out of the question. Halmstad was on my list of places that look interesting on the way to Copenhagen, so it's nice to hear that confirmed. We'll pick up our car on a Monday morning, and it currently looks like we'll have basically about 1/2 day to make our way to Copenhagen where we plan to spend the next night. It looks like a relatively short drive, and I am hoping that we can take our time down the west coast, stopping wherever strikes our fancy. Halmstad, from your comments and from guide books looks like a great place to get out and linger a bit. Any other tips on that route? thanks!!