Scandinavia Itinerary
By Rick Steves
So much to see, so little time. How to choose? To help you get started, I've listed my top picks for where to go in Scandinavia, and my plan for your best three-week trip, whether by car or train and boat.
Depending on the length of your trip, and taking geographical proximity into account, here are my recommended priorities:
- 4 days: Copenhagen, Stockholm (connected by a 5.5-hour express train)
- 6 days, add: Oslo
- 8 days, add: Norway in a Nutshell fjord trip, Bergen
- 10 days, add: Overnight cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki, Tallinn (Estonia)
- 14 days, add: Ærø, Odense, Roskilde, Frederiksborg (all in Denmark)
- 17 days, add: Aarhus (Denmark), Kalmar (Sweden)
- 21 days, add: More time in capitals
- 24 days, add: More Norwegian countryside or Stockholm's archipelago
Rick’s Best Three-Week Scandinavia Trip by Car, Train, Boat, and Plane
Day 1: Arrive in Copenhagen (sleep in Copenhagen)
Day 2: Copenhagen (sleep in Copenhagen)
Day 3: Copenhagen (sleep in Copenhagen)
Day 4: Pick up car, visit Roskilde and Odense (sleep in Aarhus)
Day 5: Aarhus (sleep in Aarhus)
Day 6: Choose more time in Aarhus, a stop in Legoland, or earlier arrival in Ærø Växjö (sleep in Ærøskøbing)
Day 7: Ærø loop tour (sleep in Ærøskøbing)
Day 8: To Copenhagen, drop car, take direct train to Kalmar (sleep in Kalmar)
Day 9: Kalmar (sleep in Kalmar)
Day 10: Train to Stockholm, optional stop in Växjö (sleep in Stockholm)
Day 11: Stockholm (sleep in Stockholm)
Day 12: Stockholm, night boat to Helsinki (sleep on boat)
Day 13: Helsinki (sleep in Helsinki)
Day 14: Day trip to Tallinn by ferry (sleep in Helsinki)
Day 15: Morning flight to Oslo (sleep in Oslo)
Day 16: Oslo (sleep in Oslo)
Day 17: Pick up car, visit Lillehammer and Gudbrandsdal Valley (sleep in Jotunheimen Mountains area)
Day 18: Jotunheimen Mountains, Sognefjellsvegen scenic drive to Lustrafjord (sleep in Lustrafjord area or Aurland)
Day 19: Fjord cruise, drive to Bergen, drop car (sleep in Bergen)
Day 20: Bergen (sleep in Bergen)
Day 21: Fly home
Flying into Copenhagen and out of Bergen (with a likely transfer in Copenhagen) can be wonderfully efficient. If you'd rather end your trip in Oslo, fly from Helsinki to Bergen, and explore Norway by car east to Oslo.
To see more of southeast Sweden, rent a car in Kalmar on Day 10 and tour the Glass country and Växjö, where you can catch the train for Stockholm. Or stop in Växjö en route when you train from Kalmr to Stockholm.
With less time, instead of renting a car to link Oslo and Bergen, take the one-day Norway in a Nutshell train/fjord cruise/train trip between the two cities, trimming two overnights.
Rick’s Best Three-Week Scandinavia Trip by Train, Boat, and Plane
Day 1: Arrive in Copenhagen (sleep in Copenhagen)
Day 2: Copenhagen (sleep in Copenhagen)
Day 3: Copenhagen (sleep in Copenhagen)
Day 4: Train to Aarhus with stops in Roskilde and Odense (sleep in Aarhus)
Day 5: Aarhus (sleep in Aarhus)
Day 6: Train to Svendborg (via Odense), then ferry to Ærø (sleep in Ærøskøbing)
Day 7: Ærø (sleep in Ærøskøbing)
Day 8: Train to Kalmar (sleep in Kalmar)
Day 9: Kalmar (sleep in Kalmar)
Day 10: Morning train to Stockholm (sleep in Stockholm)
Day 11: Stockholm (sleep in Stockholm)
Day 12: Stockholm, night boat to Helsinki (sleep on boat)
Day 13: Helsinki (sleep in Helsinki) Helsinki, afternoon ferry to Tallinn (sleep in Tallinn)
Day 14: Helsinki, afternoon ferry to Tallinn (sleep in Tallinn)
Day 15: Tallinn (sleep in Tallinn)
Day 16: Morning flight to Oslo (sleep in Oslo)
Day 17: Oslo (sleep in Oslo)
Day 18: Train and boat (via "Nutshell" route) to the Sognefjord (sleep in Aurland or Flam)
Day 19: Sognefjord to Bergen via express boat (sleep in Bergen)
Day 20: Bergen (sleep in Bergen)
Day 21: Fly home
To add Legoland, visit it between Ærø and Aarhus (and overnight in Billund). If tight on time, you can link Oslo to Bergen without an overnight on the Norway in a Nutshell trip.