Hi all - have about 13 days vacation in mid June, my husband and I are wanting to do a stopover in Iceland for three days and then head to either UK (London, Cotswolds, Lake District, Edinburgh, ?Ireland) or Scandinavia (Norwegian fjords, Copenhagen, maybe Bornholm or Stockholm if time) as we have never been to either. It's a hard decisision, wondering if anyone had any recommendations on the weather or the amount of time we have alloted. Thanks!
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
There are major celebrations around Scandinavia related to the solstice on June 21st. I don't recall it being as big of deal in UK.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15576 posts
Weather is unpredictable and very changeable. If you are in cities, at least there are indoor things to do in rainy weather. Scenery . . . not so much.
Posted by
Burlington
12 posts
I've never been to England or to Norway but my husband and I spent several summers in Copenhagen and Sweden (pre-kids). In June, Sweden and Denmark are warm (I seem to think in the 70's (F)) but not sweltering. The thing that was hard for me was the light; it doesn't get dark there in the summer. I had a hard time sleeping in the "twilight" that they call nighttime in summer. Other than that, both countries are glorious in the summertime; they don't get much sun in the winter so people there worship it in the summer and they have all kinds of festivals and events. Copenhagen and Stockholm have tons of indoor and outdoor attractions. Bornholm is harder to enjoy if it rains but it's still really nice. Timewise - I'd plan to spend more time in Stockholm than Copenhagen or Bornholm (my ratio might be something like 4 days (Stockholm) to 3 days (Copenhagen) to 2 days (Bornholm).
Posted by
Olympia, Washington, USA
4 posts
Oh you must choose Scandinavia. Like previous posts, June 21st is bigger than Christmas in Finland. Lots of festivals and good weather. Check out ferrys from Sweden to Finland shores for beautiful beaches and island views. And yes having daylight and the most gorgeous sunsets you have ever seen around 11:00 Pm to Midnight around that part of the world is something to see. sincerely,
SMA
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I would choose Scandinavia for 2 reasons: 1. The "good weather season" is even shorter in Scandinavia than it is in England. Since you're going at the height of it, take advantage. 2. You are far more likely to have an opportunity to go to England in the future. There are far more flights from the US to London than to Scandinavia, and it's easier to splice into another itinerary (since the Eurostar connects London to Paris or Brussels in less then 3 hours).
Posted by
Dallas
1021 posts
I agree with Harold and Shawn Marie. See a bit of Scandinavia when the weather is likely the best it will be. I went to Norway in the middle of June; visited Oslo and took the Hurtigruten part way up the coast from Bergen; visited Geiranger Fjord when the waterfalls were at peak flow. The all night twilight didn't bother me as I had the eyeshades I take for sleeping on overnight flights. The weather was ideal.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7025 posts
Jen, Harold is right on about reasons to do Scandinavia. The weather both there and in UK would be pretty much the same in June so that should probably not be deciding factor. One caveat, with only 10 days (13 less the 3 spent in Iceland - if I have that correct) you may have to limit the number of places you see in Scandinavia. You have to consider the travel times between Norwegian Fjords and either Stockholm or Copenhagen - much further than travel distances in UK. Either one you choose will make a wonderful vacation along with Iceland, how exciting for you.