The Scandinavian Extravaganza - tell me if my plan is too crazy?

[u/brielovinggirl]

To be frank, we picked Oslo because it was the cheapest flight right now. But here’s our rough itinerary we came up with.

*Arrive Oslo, spend 1 day there
*Travel from Oslo to Bergen, by trains and ferries, seeing fjords and hiking 2-3 days
*Fly from Bergen to Tromsø, see the artic circle, spend 2 days there
*Fly from Tromsø to Copenhagen, spend 3 days in Copenhagen
*Rent a car or take trains up from Copenhagen to Goteburg, sleeping there
*Get from Goteburg to Oslo, fly home.

Is this plan too crazy for 10-12 days? The other option we thought of is cutting out the artic circle and looping Stockholm to our plans. Let me know!

[u/HMWmsn]

That's way too much. Just count the number you say travel, fly, etc.

Look at the things you want to see and do. Can you realistically do even the top priorities at that pace?

Ihad a ten-day trip to Norway last year. Started in Bergen. Then had a 3-night Hurtigruten cruise to Svolvær in the Lofoten Islands. From there I went to Oslo.

The Hurtigruten cruise is a ferry and you can pick the length of time and start/end points. The entire journey goes from Bergen to Kirkenes (north point) - and the reverse.

Ex you could start in Kirkenes and sail to Tromsø. Then spend time there before going to Bergen, Oslo, or another place.

[u/Radeon9980]

The two flights in the middle are too much. Oslo is imo, the least interesting city Scandinavian capital but it still should be 2-3 days, the Fjords could be done from Oslo to Bergen in 1 day but we did it in two and even that was quite full. I’d probably just fly from Bergen to Copenhagen and spend 3+ days there, Copenhagen was the highlight of a 1.5 month trip through Scandinavia imo

[u/brielovinggirl → u/Radeon9980]

Hmm okay! Copenhagen was better than Stockholm?

[u/Radeon9980 → u/brielovinggirl]

They are close. Stockholm may be the nicest city I’ve ever been to Frankly, and I Live in Vancouver. But I found Copenhagen to be much more our style, so many bars restaurants etc. Tivoli is awesome. Great vibes drinking beers along the canals etc.

[u/Techmom10 → u/brielovinggirl]

They are different. Copenhagen is the best cosmopolitan city among the Scandinavian countries in terms of food & vibe. Stockholm is best if you like the harbor and the myriad of islands around the archipelago, very picturesque. Oslo is the most boring of the 3 (Bergen & the fjords and the north are fabulous). ( And I am saying this as the wife of a Swedish guy).

[u/Radeon9980 → u/Techmom10]

Yea I liked Bergen more than Oslo for sure

[u/nestestasjon → u/Radeon9980]

I'm in the minority in liking Oslo better than Bergen. Bergen is pretty but it's tiny and can be see in a day. I think people expect to be wowed by Oslo but it's a really chill city that prioritizes the quality of life of residents over wowing tourists.

[u/LetterheadClassic306]

It is not impossible, but ngl it is a lot of air hops for 10 to 12 days. When I plan Scandinavia, I try to make the scenery do more of the work, so Oslo to Bergen with fjords, then Copenhagen, then Gothenburg back to Oslo feels much cleaner. Tromso is the piece I would cut unless the Arctic Circle is the main reason for the trip. Stockholm is easier than Tromso logistically, but it still adds another city, so I would only swap it in if you drop something else.

[u/brielovinggirl → u/LetterheadClassic306]

Have you ever been to the arctic circle? I honestly don’t know much about it. I also wonder if July is not the best time to see it

[u/berlinwombat → u/brielovinggirl]

I am up there almost every summer nowadays. What do you expect from it? Usually it’s busy up there in winter but in July you’ll have the midnight sun instead of you fly into Tromsø the Lyngen alps, Sommarøy and Senja are all incredibly places to visit but you are rather time constrained.

[u/Maximum_Law801]

Look into the details and see how long the transfers take. If you want to see as much as possible, sure, and if you pack light, there’s less baggage hassle.

Hurtigruten or Havila is mentioned and might be something.

[u/skifans]

Though it's physically possible I agree with the other comments that it is too much and I think you should cut somewhere. Can be vital to have a bit of flexibility with the weather around there.

If the only reason to go to Tromsø is to be North of the Arctic circle honestly I would skip it. I've only been there in December but it really isn't that much different to places further South. Stuff doesn't just magically change at the Arctic circle and when you look outside you can't tell any different. Though if you are going in summer the midnight Sun might be a fun novelty, though just to mention depending on your exact dates this usually stops around the 3rd week of July.

Don't get me wrong I did enjoy Tromsø - and other places I've been North of the Arctic circle - but that isn't the reason why I enjoyed them and the reality is I don't think it is really that different significantly further South which on a short run around trip like this is going to have easier logistics. I would do some research and think about what you actually want to do there as it will take about 10 seconds to go: "I'm North of the Arctic circle - that's neat". If there is actually some stuff you are interested in then it might still be worth going and cutting somewhere else. But if not then I think Tromsø is the one to lose this time.

Also just to mention one way international car hire is very expensive when you list that for Copenhagen to Gothenburg. The trains are regular and cheap and do not need to be pre booked. If you really want a car to go somewhere on the way then at least get the train to Malmö and hire there (also saves the rather expensive toll on the Øresund Bridge) but if you just want to get between the citys the train is definitely the best option.

[u/brielovinggirl → u/skifans]

Thank you for thoughts. Yes we will cut Tromsø. What do you think about flying from Bergen to Copenhagen, then taking trains to go from Copenhagen to Goteburg, then Stockholm, then back to Oslo. Are trains that cheap?

[u/TDSucksBalls]

Take a cruise that’s stops in similar areas

[u/Noclevername12]

I personally don’t think this is too much. I did Norway in a nutshell in one day. I am given to crazy vacations. One thing I will say is you might wish you had more time in Copenhagen. I had four days and now I’m going back. One of my favorite cities anywhere.