Speaking as someone who is half Finnish, I have to ask: why not Finland? 
AAACCCKKK autocorrect!!! I read the first few posts, not GPS!!
Consolation - mostly because of distance ā 10 days is really the maximum and really, Iām losing a day on each end due to travel so itās more like 8 actual days. I donāt know if weāll be able to get someone to cover for Hās practice that long. Hence the desire to keep things more compact.
Speaking as someone who has spent over a week in Helsinki, and a couple of days in Turku, and who has a kid who studied in Helsinki for a semester and spent a summer in the Finnish countryside on an exchange program (with quite a bit of travel) ā go to Sweden (Sorry! But even my kid who had studied Finnish for years admitted that Sweden was a better place to visit once she had been to both). Not saying it is terrible, but Stockholm is really a lot more charmingā¦
"Speaking as someone who is half Finnish, I have to ask: why not Finland? "
As another Finnish person, wellā¦my son wanted to go to Finland last summer, I looked at the trip and suggested that maybe he go to Stockholm also (or instead). Just didnāt look as interesting.
Isnāt Finland considered more akin to Russia and the Baltics than to Scandinavia? At least linguistically? Not that that is a bad thingā¦
Finnish isnāt much like any other major language (closest to Elvish, Tolkien used it as his basis for Elvish ). Finland has been tugged back and forth between Russia and Sweden over the centuries. I know quite a bit about this as D2 wrote an essay of about 2000 words on the topic when she applied for a scholarship to go there for a summer. It needed to be under 500 words ā and she asked my help to cut it down. āIt is all so INTERESTING, I canāt take any of it OUT!!ā Sigh. But it was pretty interesting, actually. She did get the scholarship ā I think her enthusiasm showed throughā¦
Iām just reading along because I would love to take a similar trip some day. I found the post by @skieurope with the itinerary and how to get from place to place very helpful.
I guess I sort of expected the responses here to be similar to when parents ask about how/where/when for multi college tours. An itinerary suggestion, with sites to be seen, and suggested means of transportation.
Maybe that isnāt what PG is looking forā¦if notā¦carry on.
Following along here, too ā this is another bucket list destination for me!
Thumper - that is exactly what Iām looking for ā suggested itineraries, sights to see (and to miss) and why, cultural nuances to be aware of, potential off-the-beaten-path gems and why they are gems, and opinions on the travel logistics. Thanks to those of you who have provided SPECIFICS ā keep 'em coming for all of us on here who are interested in this destination!
Lots of interesting sights have already been suggested and hopefully people will keep those suggestions coming. Possible itinerary-fly to Copenhagen, spend a couple of days there, train to Stockholm, spend a couple of days there, train to Oslo, couple of days there with also getting to Bergen and the fjords. Fly home from Oslo. You could go for instance from Copenhagen to Stockholm in about 6 hours, also from Stockholm to Oslo. There are some high speed trains. There is a Eurail Scandinavia Pass, which you could look into . https://www.raileurope.com/rail-tickets-passes/eurail-scandinavia-pass/index-html I love train travel. I had an Amtrak rail pass many years ago and loved it. Ferries are also popular for getting around in Scandinavia.
We did our first trip to Denmark (our first trip to Europe, in fact), last Novemberā¦
Some suggested sites are for Copenhagen are mentioned on my thread:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1813631-first-trip-to-europe-copenhagen-denmark-any-and-all-advice-welcome-p1.html
We had a great time in Copenhagen and found it easy to get around using trains and busses, and, of course, on foot. The best advice I got from my thread was to use Airbnb for accommodations. We got a condo which provided us more room than a hotel and, of course, a kitchen. We saved money and it was convenient to eat breakfast before heading out for the day.
Thank you for linking to that thread, Claremontmom.
Posed your question to DH, who did a couple of weeks in Scandinavia last summer (his ancestors were Norwegian). He echoed that you should try to do Copenhagen, Sweden, AND Norway, but I pressed him. He LOVED Copenhagen. He said you canāt miss the Fjords, so if pressed, heād choose Norway over Stockholm.
Then he said āBut she should try to fit in all three!ā
I was interested to see just now the top recommendations on Tripadvisor and they seem to mirror what some of us have recommended to see -Nyhavn, Tivoli Gardens, Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen. @jym626 mentioned the Royal Copenhagen store. That is on Stroeget, Copenhagenās pedestrian mall. Iām not a big shopper but it is a nice area to stroll around and people watch.
In Stockholm, Vasa Museum,Skansen, and Stockholm Old Town have been mentioned. One thing that I donāt believe has been mentioned yet is Stockholm City Hall. I really enjoyed it and found it very interesting. It is where the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is held.
Vigeland Park and Museum in Oslo is great. Not sure that has been mentioned yet.
āif pressed, heād choose Norway over Stockholm.ā Me too, and Iām Swedish.
Bergen is very interesting and the fjords really are not to be missed. Hopefully, you can find a way though to get to all three countries.
Weāre going to Copenhagen in a couple of months. I was there in the late 80s for a few days. I bought one of the Oresund Rundt passes to do a circuit from Copenhagen-Malmo-Helsingbor-Helsingor-Copenhagen. They are still sold today and makes for a great day trip. Used to be jet foil from Copenhagen to Malmo, but now with the bridge, itās train Between the two on the bridge. Any good daytrips we can take to the outlying areas of Copenhagen besides Helsingor?
I am from the Region. Oslo is a very uninspired city, expensive and poor food, while the fjords are hands down the most outstanding sight seeing in Scandinavia (but beware the weather). Stockholm is by far the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan city, while Copenhagen is the city of students, youth and nowadays good food. I would do a couple of days in Copenhagen and Stockholm and bet the rest on good weather in the fjords.
We enjoyed heading out to see the Viking Ships.
http://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/
It was an easy train ride from Copenhagen. In addition to seeing the museum, there is a quaint country town to explore (and have lunch), as well as a cathedral to tour.
It also appears that you can go on a replica Viking ship during the summer months which sounds pretty cool! (We were there in November so that wasnāt an option for us).
And (if you are interested in what many consider the best restaurant on the planet) you MIGHT want to make your reservation for Rene Redzepiās Noma in Copenhagen before the end of this year. I have not yet had the privilege but several friends have and they say itās well worth the effort and expense.
Just watch out for the live ants at Noma. My friendās throat swelled up so much she had to get emergency medical care.