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Best Scandinavian city breaks

This is all really helpful - thanks folks

It was the Amazing Hotels episode in Copenhagen that inspired me to start this thread. I didn't want to be spellbound by a TV programme and wanted to get some insights from others. I've also seen amazing scenery from railway programmes venturing into northern Norway but it looks extremely remote and I doubt it is as romantic as it appear on TV!

I'll keep watching out for more comments.... thanks all
 
russel said:
May is usually nice as well.
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True, especially in DK and the W coast of Sweden. But early May can be cold around the Baltic (as in “ice still floating in the sea” cold) and many of the trees are still working on leaves etc.
 
Bergen & surrounding areas are very pretty & can be very wet ! I took the bike over in September 2005 & had a good camping trip. The last couple of days had rain so bad that roads were washed out & I think a couple of people were killed.

Some pics of Bergen at the end of this album. https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewclark/albums/72157601944187049/page1

Sadly there are no longer any ferries, so cycling trips mean the faffage of putting the bike on a plane. I did that to get up to Lofoten. Flight to Oslo then internal flight to Bodo. Gorgeous part of the world.
 
Bergen, Norway is beautiful and there is a lot to do. Bit of a way to go though. I would combine a couple of destinations as it is a distance.

If you can get north of Bergen, it is worth it.
 
Another vote for Stockholm here. A beautiful city that has just about everything - water, open spaces, great shops and all the culture you can eat. Among my favourite spots when I visited a few years ago were:

The Museum of Ethnography
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attra...-Reviews-Museum_of_Ethnography-Stockholm.html
Accessible via a lovely waterside walk

Skansen
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g189852-d208296-Reviews-Skansen-Stockholm.html
An open air museum of Swedish history and culture

Skogskyrkogården
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/558/
A tranquil woodland cemetery and world heritage site!

I loved the fact that there was so much water and that often, the quickest way from one part of the city to the next is via boat (regular ferries link some of the islands).

The interpenetration of land and water makes for some spectacular views if, like me, you take a balloon ride over the city - would highly recommend doing so if you have the time (assuming the thought of dangling high above the city in a little basket doesn't alarm you!).

Copenhagen is high on my list of places to visit next.
 
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Big Tabs said:
We did that doing 10 days north from Bergen, except it was on the Hebridean Princess in 2017.

It was quite something.
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Susan Calman did a programme covering a cruise from Southampton to Norway over Christmas, STV/ITV, I think, it was decent with some spectacular scenery well worth a watch IMO although the second episode was a bit poor to be honest.

My two kids (not exactly kids though) went Norway and Iceland just before the Pandemic both loved it but both said it was eye wateringly expensive.

I'd love to go on a cruise up to the North/Artic can't see it now though or at least for a few years.
 
twotone said:
Susan Calman did a programme covering a cruise from Southampton to Norway over Christmas, STV/ITV, I think, it was decent with some spectacular scenery well worth a watch IMO although the second episode was a bit poor to be honest.

My two kids (not exactly kids though) went Norway and Iceland just before the Pandemic both loved it but both said it was eye wateringly expensive.

I'd love to go on a cruise up to the North/Artic can't see it now though or at least for a few years.
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We didn’t pay for the trip otherwise we wouldn’t have gone. It was a definitive ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday.
A driving holiday to Denmark is something we want to do, when the madness calms down. (2yrs + I reckon)
 
Big Tabs said:
We didn’t pay for the trip otherwise we wouldn’t have gone. It was a definitive ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday.
A driving holiday to Denmark is something we want to do, when the madness calms down. (2yrs + I reckon)
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Best of luck hope it goes well for you.

Me and the wife retire in three years or at least hit retirement age and we want to drive from sunny Glasgow with the dog to Portugal for about three months taking in northern Spain then back down the east coast of Spain through France and home but Spanish residency laws post Brexit seem to have kiboshed that idea.
 
twotone said:
Best of luck hope it goes well for you.

Me and the wife retire in three years or at least hit retirement age and we want to drive from sunny Glasgow with the dog to Portugal for about three months taking in northern Spain then back down the east coast of Spain through France and home but Spanish residency laws post Brexit seem to have kiboshed that idea.
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:)

nearly ’snap!’

Brother of The Wife has moved to Portugal a year ago, so we want to drive to them.
Overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Spain then drive down to the south coast of Portugal

I think the ferry lands at Santander (?) - we used it about 5 yrs ago. Get a cabin o_O

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twotone said:
Best of luck hope it goes well for you.

Me and the wife retire in three years or at least hit retirement age and we want to drive from sunny Glasgow with the dog to Portugal for about three months taking in northern Spain then back down the east coast of Spain through France and home but Spanish residency laws post Brexit seem to have kiboshed that idea.
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As long as you do it within 3 months you can still do it.
 
Big Tabs said:
:)

nearly ’snap!’

Brother of The Wife has moved to Portugal a year ago, so we want to drive to them.
Overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Spain then drive down to the south coast of Portugal

I think the ferry lands at Santander (?) - we used it about 5 yrs ago. Get a cabin o_O

​
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Aye I looked into the ferry but the dog has to be kept on a deck with other dogs for three days ie not with us however you can go and walk him etc but from what I've read the bit of the boat where the dogs are is a bit 'unsanitary' so we decided to drive all of the way from Glasgow to Dover then through France (west coast) up through Spain into northern Portugal/Porto and back down through Spain and France.
 
ex brickie said:
Best choices for city break only that are easy to get around (walking or public transport); reasonably priced boutiquey B&B (we're OK with 3 star upwards - doesn't have to be flash); art galleries (modern and traditional art); interesting old and modern architecture; vegetarian eateries; bric a brac markets; secondhand vinyl stores are a bonus!
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I may be slightly biased here as I'm Danish and live just outside Copenhagen, but CPH should meet pretty much all of your requirements (except maybe the "reasonably priced"-part - welcome to Scandinavia! :D).

ex brickie said:
Best choices for a combined city break and seeing some of the countryside (preferably by train) . The access to vegetarian food will be important here!
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Plenty of options, both with DK countryside and also Swedish countryside if that is more appealing (see next point). You should be able to find vegetarian food options just about anywhere.

ex brickie said:
Best choices for combining two cities in two Scandinavian countries on one trip. The emphasis here will be on ease of getting from one to the other (again trains are fine)
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As someone else mentioned, Malmo/Lund in Sweden are just across the bridge from CPH airport and easily doable as a daytrip if you want (less than an hour by train). A train to Stockholm is also possible, although that's a bit of a longer journey (5-6 hours IIRC). A "left-field" option is that there is an overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo that offers "mini-cruises" (https://www.dfds.com/en/passenger-ferries/mini-cruises/norway/mini-cruise-to-oslo). IIRC on the summer time table that gives you nearly a full day in Oslo and then two nights on board the boat. Prices can be pretty reasonable and there are regular offers as well (at least there were before COVID - not sure what it looks like now).

ex brickie said:
And best time of year to go? I guess close to Christmas is quite romantic (but cold)
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I'm always baffeled to see any tourists here before Easter to be honest! Yes, the weather can be sunny and spectacular some of the time, but four months of November is much more common :D Late-May to mid-June or late-August would be my recommendation because you avoid the July and early August school holidays and the weather should still be reasonable.
 
I've stayed in both Copenhagen and Stockholm. Both were great. Copenhagen edged it by having the better food and the Tivoli Gardens. You'll be disappointed by the Little Mermaid though. It's very small.
I once drove from Leeds to Brittany via Lund to drop my daughter off at the university. It's a great and easy journey. Ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, overnight in Lubeck, then a fascinating drive through Jutland and across Denmark. Round Copenhagen and across the bridge with The Choir of Young Believers on the stereo. So much better than flying.
 
Not sure about all this dashing about. Sitting outside a cafe in the centre of Copenhagen in summer was enough excitement for me.
 
Having read all the suggestions I’ve purchased a Lonely Planet Scandinavia book for a bit more detail. But the idea of Copenhagen then a train to Stockholm - perhaps with a Malmo stop along the way - could cover a few bases. Unless someone tells me the other way round has more advantages for the train ride ……
 
Check the train prices via both countries' booking websites. I'm not sure whether everything's joined up now, but a few years ago there were some strange scenarios where there were big price differences for essentially the same train depending on where you booked it from.
 
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