nik_pand

All,

We have eventually finalized our plan to Scandinavia this summer and the plan is set in stone as we have BOUGHT (non-refundable) TICKETS TOO!! Here it goes. Fly into Stockholm June 15, leave for Copenhagen on June 19 and take overnight ferry to Oslo on June 22. Leave for New York on June 24.

We will spend 2 full days in Stockholm, 1 day in Uppsala and 1 day in Goteborg. My question is, is the 1 day worth in Goteborg and 1 day in Uppsala or would you rather recommend something like Dalarna or Varmland, that way we can enjoy both a cultural and urbane Sweden in Stockholm and a wild Sweden is say Dalarna or Varmland?

Thanks,

Nikhil

Hi Jan and Bengt,

As Jan suggested start the trip in Bergen spend day 1 and 2 there. Day 3 drive to Oslo. Stay in Oslo overnight and take morning train on day 4 to S-holm. Spend day 5 and 6 in S-holm. Take evening train on day 6 to C-hagen. Spend day 7 and 8 in C-hagen. Day 9 fly back home. This sounds great, the only hitch being that month of June has 17 'wet' days in Bergen (that is more than 50%). I believe the odds of rain will be much more and we won't be able to enjoy the fjords and the scenery.

Another option I thought about is fly into C-hagen and spend day 1, 2, 3 there. Day 4 drive to S-holm. Spend day 5, 6, 7 in S-holm. Take a train the evening of day 7 to Oslo. Spend night in Oslo and drive to Bergen day 8 (this will be only for the drive from Oslo to Bergen as Jan suggested it is spectacular). Spend night of day 8 in Bergen and fly back home on day 9 (I believe we need to make another trip just for the west coast to witness its true glory and Bengt would agree).

What do you guys think? If you think it's not worth the drive to Bergen from Oslo, then we can cancel Bergen and just drive to Oslo from C-hagen and spend 1 day in Oslo (c'mon now 1 day in Oslo can't be that bad) and then take the train the next day to S-holm. So this way we can get 3.5 days in S-holm, 2.5 days in C-hagen and 1 day in Oslo.

Nikhil

Thanks a lot again Bengt, Tommy and Jan for your advice!

It seems from all the above posts Oslo ranks the lowest on everyone's list. My wife looking at all your recommendations has already made-up her mind and Oslo is out for her. I am still debating...

My guess at this point is we will start our trip in either C-hagen or S-holm as there might be more options in flights and air fares from New York City. I will also do more research in terms of places that Jan and Bengt mentioned. I will be getting DVDs on travel to Scandinavia from my local library.

BTW I live about 35 miles outside of Manhattan. But thanks again for your tips and I will contact you when we have finalized our plan.

Regards,

Nikhil

Thank you Bengt, Steve, Robert, Tommy, Charles and Tim very much for your suggestions!!

We have tentative dates of leaving New York the evening of June 7 and back on June 16. Bengt, since you are a local person, I believe you would have a better idea on driving time and car rentals in S-holm. As Robert says it's 5 hrs from S-holm to Oslo, then I think it's great. What better way to see the Swedish hearland than driving? Are there any car rentals that offer 1-way drop-off?(that is rent in S-holm and drop-off in Oslo). I checked Scandinavian car rentals and it does NOT offer this option. But most importantly we want to take the train from either of the 3 cities. I checked RailEurope and it does not seem bad. Are there any other ways to book train tickets? About 3 weeks ago we took the train from Chicago to Seattle, WA. Took us about 46 hours (of course we had our own bedroom, otherwise it can become a drag), but the trip was worth every penny. Great scenery especially in Idaho and Washington, took lots of pictures.

Steve if you dont' mind could you please send me a list of restaurants in S-holm? Can one find all international cuisine? Yes I have heard a lot about Bergen but we won't have the time to go to the west coast. Now I guess I have to fine-tune my plan, whether to start the trip in C-hagen or S-holm. If you guys are still around I shall again turn to you when the plan is finalized.

Thanks again!

Regards,

Nikhil

Dear All,

My wife and I are planning an 8-day trip to Scandinavia, particularly

Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo in June, 2007. We live in the United States.

We are thinking about flying into Stockholm, spend about 3 days there, rent a

car and drive to Oslo for a couple of days. Then drive back to Stockholm (? Is

this a good idea) and take a train to Copehagen (we want this experience for

sure). This is our sketchy plan as of now to fit 3 cities in 8 days. I have a

few questions before we finalize.

1) How many days would you recommend in Stockholm and what other places to

visit near Stockholm? (we have 3 days in Sweden). Is the High Coast feasible

and worth it?

2) How many days would you recommend in Oslo, 2 or 3 and how many in

Copenhagen?

3) Is it a good idea to drive to Oslo from Stockholm and back or would you

recommend something else?

I would greatly appreciate your suggestions and recommendations.

Thank you in advance