We started the day with a rainy tour of Oslo, Norway, which is nestled gracefully on a harbor at the end of a 110-km-long fjord. We walked through a glorious sculpture park, Frognerparken Vigelandsparken, (Vigeland Sculpture Park) with its captivating sculptures and monuments and its amazing flowers in bloom in late September. We’ll share photos of the many sculptures in our blog at messysuitcase.com.
Back on the bus toward Stockholm, we had a couple of hours to stretch our legs in the Swedish town of Orebro and saw a lovely 14th-century palace, Orebro Castle. No time to go in, though! We took an hour to wander the scenic streets, and then hustled back onto the bus to head to Stockholm for dinner and bed.
The whirlwind day gave us a taste for future exploration in Oslo and Orebro.
Day 5. Lunes, 26 De Septiembre De 2022 OSLO, OREBRO, ESTOCOLMO Total distance: 530 km.
Scenery: Impressive scenery, with mountains, forests and lakes.
Free time to stroll around Oslo before continuing our journey. 11:30 h. – Oslo- Departure. We travel to Sweden with its impressive lakes, dense forests. 13.00 hrs.- After the border crossing, we stopped at a service area for lunch. 17.00 hrs- Orebro- Arrival to this Swedish town next to a beautiful lake with a castle and charming historic center. Time for stroll. 18.00 hrs.- Orebro. Departure. 20.30 hrs.- Arrival in STOCKHOLM in the evening.
Enjoy Photos!
Frognerparken Vigelandsparken, (Vigeland Sculpture Park), Oslo
We started the day by visiting the spectacular 100-meter-high Trollafossen Waterfall, which means Waterfall of the Trolls. Then our group was treated to an unforgettable boat cruise through the narrow Sogner Fjord, where we found ourselves surrounded by jaw-dropping cliffsides rising from the blue water on both sides, with crystalline waterfalls snaking down the faces from distant peaks.
After the boat cruise, we visited the positively Seussian Borgund Stave Church, possibly the best preserved and most distinctive Norwegian stave of the 13th century, featuring lavishly carved portals, crosses, and carvings of dragons’ heads on the roofs.
Note Lisa’s new scarf and Bob’s jacket, both purchased in Norway.
Day 4. Domingo, 25 De Septiembre De 2022 BERGEN , OSLO Total distance: 510 km.
Scenery: Spectacular scenery. Impressive views of mountains and fjords and landscapes permanently covered in snow. Note: Have warm clothes at hand to enjoy the snow and the short stretch by ferry between the fjords. The schedules of the cruise can be modified; according to that the schedule of the rest of the day may also undergo changes.
07.45hr. – Bergen –Departure-. We set out amidst beautiful scenery and enter the fjords region.
09.45hrs- Waterfall of Tvindefoss. Short stop to admire this beautiful waterfall 100m of height also call Trollafossen or waterfall of the Trolls. Its waters have the reputation not only of rejuvenating but also of increasing the sexual potency.
10.15hrs- Departure to Sogner Fjord, the largest Norwegian fjord and often considered the most beautiful one. We continue our journey through impressive landscapes and come to Gudvangen.
10:30 h. – Gudvangen. We visit this tiny city and then take a boat cruise on the fiord (departure scheduled for 12.00 h.). The cruise lasts for just over 2 hours and takes us near impressive cliffs. We recommend having lunch on board.
At about 14.10 h. we land in Flam, and then continue our journey surrounded by woods, lakes, isolated mountains with peaks covered in snow all the year round and glaciers.
After passing through the 24.5km Aurland tunnel, considered one of the longest in the world and using innovative techniques to rest the eyes and avoid the monotony of the drivers, we will arrive to the Borgund wood church, possibly the best preserved Norwegian temple of the 13th century, where we will make a brief stop to admire and take a photo (entrance included).
19:30 h. – Oslo –Arrival-. Free time in this pleasant Norwegian city next to the fjord that bears its name and surrounded by mountains. We can visit its port, streets and the works of art of the Frognerparken.
Another incredible breakfast kicked off the third day of our Tour of Scandinavia before we headed out on the bus through Norway, with breathtaking views of fjords and sea landscapes. After a stop at a statue called Three Swords in a Storm, built to remember the Vikings who forged so much of European history, it was off on another ferry ride, with the Norwegian Alps all around us. Next, we rode a bus through the world’s deepest tunnel. Finally, we took another short ferry ride to the port city of Bergen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The only drawback was the man who kept coughing behind us on the bus. We were masked but most people were not.
Bergen was indescribable. Surrounded by seven mountains and with a historic harbor on a breathtaking fjord, Bergen offers scenic Bryggen Wharf as a walking history lesson as you pass by colorful wooden houses that are centuries old. You can enjoy mountain hikes, city walks, shopping (Bob found a winter coat), water activities, culture, and even a funicular up Mount Flouyen, which offers a spectacular mountaintop vista.
For lunch, we were faced with a choice: reindeer sausage or a moose burger? Bergen demands more time for exploration. Enjoy!
Day 3. Sábado, 24 De Septiembre De 2022 STAVANGER, BERGEN Total distance: 170 km
Scenery: Beautiful fjord and sea landscapes. Many bridges that will make you feel you are travelling between the “sea and the land”. Deep tunnels. Two sections travelling by boat. Notes: Wear warm clothing during the boat crossings. There may sometimes be queues to board the boats, and we may arrive at Bergen later than planned.
07:30 h. – Stavanger –On leaving the city, we will stop at the “Swords in Rock” monument, where we will remember the Vikings before continuing on along the coast and soon come to Mortavika where we take a boat and cross Skunden fjord, which takes just over half an hour.
Arrival at Aarsvagen where we continue to travel through amazing scenery dominated by the sea. We then pass through the deepest tunnel in the world, below the sea.
At approximately 11.30 h. we arrive at Sandvikvag where we make a boat crossing lasting 45 minutes surrounded by spectacular fjords.
13:30 h. Bergen –Arrival-. We ascend on the funicular railway to Mount Flouyen (price of trip included) where there are fantastic views of the city and its fjords. Then visitors have a free afternoon in Bergen, to enjoy its lively atmosphere.
After an awesome buffet breakfast at our hotel, our bus took us to the first ferry of our tour. It was mostly a travel day with tiny pockets of exploration. We crossed the Baltic Sea to Norway, and got our first view of the magnificent fjords.
ITINERARY
This is what the TourRadar itinerary listed for the day:
Day 2. Viernes, 23 De Septiembre De 2022 – AARHUS, FERRY, KRISTIANSAND, STAVANGER Total distance: 420 km
Scenery: Attractive woodlands and mountains in Norway; first view of fjords. Notes: The times of the ferries between Denmark and Norway often vary and so the times during this part of the circuit will depend on those changes. We recommend you wear warm clothing for the boat crossing. In Norway, the currency is the Norwegian Krone. We suggest your change your currency on the ferry.
08:00 h – Aarhus –Departure-. We set out for the northern part of Denmark, amidst attractive scenery.
10:30 h – Hirsthals. We take a tour of this city and port before embarking on the modern ferry to cross the North Sea to Norway-. Normally our boat sails at 12.15 h. The crossing takes about three hours. We advise you to change your currency on the boat and have lunch.
15:30 h. – Kristiansand – We land and then continue our journey-.
17:00 h. – Flekkefjord –A town on a fjord, with wooden houses and tiny restaurants. Time to explore.
17:45 h. – Flekkfjord –Departure-. The scenery is even more attractive.
19:45 h. – Stavanger –Arrival-. Free time to explore this beautiful lively city next to the sea.
… or Our First Experience Being Led Around by the Nose
During our extensive travels, we’ve always been completely in charge of own travel itinerary, a process that involves extensive planning and research, and can be frankly exhausting. For our first big trip post-COVID, we decided to give ourselves a break from logistics and try an organized tour. We looked over the endless options, our budget in mind, and chose Scandinavia, a region neither of us had ever visited.
So in September 2022 we embarked on a three-week clockwise tour around Scandinavia, from Copenhagen to Helsinki, that incorporated buses, ferries, and fjords. All we had to do was pack, then hand our luggage to the bus driver.
We booked this tour through Tour Radar, which offers a huge selection of multi-day travel experiences for all budgets. Their tour operators take care of everything from logistics to meals to experiences to friendly guides. The operator of our Scandinavian tour was Europamundo. We’ll do a whole blog later about the tour experience. It was a bit of a whirlwind, so don’t expect a lot of details in these videos!
Our tour of Scandinavia kicked off with a walking tour of Copenhagen, followed by a bus ride to Odense, hometown of writer Hans Christian Andersen.
Join us as we visit the famous Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen (the book was written by Andersen, author of many beloved fairy tales), the Denmark Royal Palace, the romantic Copenhagen Town Hall, Andersen’s childhood home, and the Odense Cathedral. We ended the first day with a cozy outdoor dinner beside a scenic canal in the vibrant city of Aarhus, one of the oldest cities in Denmark.
Speaking of Andersen, you can do a whole vacation that centers around this beloved author, who in addition to The Little Mermaid wrote The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, and many others. (Link below.)
Our tour route
ITINERARY
This is what the TourRadar itinerary listed for the day:
Day 1. Jueves, 22 De Septiembre De 2022 — COPENHAGUE , ODENSE, AARHUS Distance: 315 km Scenery: Pleasant hills in southern Denmark
At 08:00 h. we start out on a comprehensive tour of the Danish capital; the largest of the Scandinavian cities is a city of contrasts: its popular “Tivoli”; Christianborg Palace; the terraces of Nyhavn, and the mermaid… The visit ends at about 10:30 h. 11:30 h.– Copenhagen –Departure-. We will travel to the Jutland Peninsula, passing through pretty landscapes with hills and crossing the 20 km long bridge that connect Jutland to the island on which Copenhagen stands. 14.00 h.- Odense- Arrival. Free time to explore and have lunch in this pleasent city where you can visit its gothic cathedral and the house of Andersen. 16.00 h.- Odense. Departure. 18.15 h.- Aarhus –Arrival-. Free time. We recommend a visit to this pretty city, the Danish city with the second highest population.
A daylong stroll around this pleasant city offered up some delightful discoveries, as we visited the Royal Copenhagen China store (it’s beautiful and expensive) and did some watch shopping. Our jaws dropped at the incredible bicycle culture – I wish they saved this much gas by using their legs in American cities!
The National Museum of Denmark was stunning. In the Kongens Have Garden, we found the Punch and Judy Marionette Theater and a statue of Hans Christian Andersen, Copenhagen’s most famous resident. And, of course, the obligatory European Castle!
We launched our first big trip (sort of) post-pandemic with a three-week tour of Scandinavia in fall 2023. We delighted in flying again; even the airport lounge was a novelty after lockdown.
We arrived a couple of days before the tour started to enjoy some time in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. Danes rank among the world’s happiest people, and in Copenhagen, it was easy to see why. The lively city combines royal history, modern architecture and loads of culture with a mouthwatering restaurant scene. And bikes! So many bikes!
It was a little chilly in September, so far north. We were still wearing masks and not eating indoors for fear of getting COVID, so we did a lot of exploring on foot outdoors on our first day. We sought out outdoor dining experiences and were happily rewarded when we discovered a district of canal-side restaurants with warming fires, blankets, and Irish coffee – such a cozy way to enjoy a meal. But the best part of Day 1 was the disco taxi back to the hotel!
We hopped on a double-decker bus for a tour of Bath, England, a World Heritage city about an hour and a half west of London with stunning golden Georgian architecture, historic Roman Baths, an incredible Abbey, the homes of iconic authors Jane Austen and Mary Shelley, and too much more to recount. Then we hopped off and strolled around the historic city centre, finishing with some excellent craft beer. Join us!
INFO
Here are links to many places mentioned in the video:
The highlight of the Bateaux Mouches dinner cruise on the River Seine in Paris was when the Eiffel Tower put on a light show at 10 o’clock. Glorious!
We highly recommend this experience for anyone looking for a romantic or noteworthy evening in Paris. the views are unparalleled, and we lucky to have a clear, warmish early-fall with a full moon. Our only regret was that we neglected to inform them in advance that we were celebrating Lisa’s birthday! If we had they would have brought her dessert with a sparkler on top and played Happy Birthday on the violin! (Come to think of it, maybe it’s better she didn’t singe her eyebrows,)
We love to travel, but planning a trip can be really labor- and time-intensive. Bob has great ideas for places to go and things to do, but no patience for all those logistical details, so the work falls on my shoulders. Sometimes, when I have been poring over AirBnBs and hotel options, comparing flight prices, and looking at rental cars vs. trains, I find myself feeling overwhelmed by all the choices and resentful that it’s keeping me from enjoying the place I am actually in. I have often thought how nice it would be to let someone else do the planning for once! So Bob and I decided to try an organized tour for the first time and see if we liked it.
We knew we wanted to travel in the fall, at the end of our time in Vermont, and before settling into our new home in Puerto Rico. We knew we had to work around our oldest child Aryk’s schedule, because they were just finishing their work for their Master’s degree from Bath Spa University and we wanted to give them the gift of a trip together to celebrate all their hard work. We knew we wanted to see my brother Pat and his family, who live in Germany and whom we haven’t seen since pre-COVID. So that meant the destination was likely northern Europe, and the dates available were mid-September to mid-October.
We decided to start in northern Europe and work our way south as the fall season progressed, in order to enjoy the best weather. I don’t know why we chose Scandinavia for the first ten days, when Bob and I would be traveling alone before meeting up with family for the second half of the vacation. But a company called Tour Radar, offered a reasonably-priced tour of four countries on the perfect dates for our schedule. (We love traveling, but we’re not rich!) Bob found a 10-day tour of Scandinavia that included breakfasts but no other meals, an option we preferred because sometimes we like to share meals, or just have ice cream for lunch, or try street food while exploring a town. The cost was $1600 apiece.
The tour looked pretty whirlwind, so we decided to treat it as a “taste” of Scandinavia, with the idea of going back and spending more time in any places we found particularly appealing. It included travel by bus in a clockwise circle around Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, by way of buses, a funicular, several water crossings, a fjord cruise, and even an overnight ferry.
The tour was actually conducted by Europamundo, a company of the JTB group, the largest company of tourism and travel in Asia.
This was the itinerary, lifted directly from the provided literature, with some edits for brevity or clarification:
Day 1. Copenhagen (Denmark)
Arrival and free-time exploration of Copenhagen.
Day 2. Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus (Denmark)
Bus tour of the Danish capital with a local guide. Travel to Jutland, passing through pleasant scenery on our way. En route we take a 20km bridge over the sea and stop at Odense, where we can visit its gothic cathedral and the house where Hans Christian Andersen grew up. We continue on to Aarhus and our accommodation.
Day 3. Aarhus (Denmark), Ferry to Norway, Kristiansand , Kristiansand , Stavanger (Norway)
We travel to the coastal city of Hirtshals, where we take a 3-hour ferry crossing the North Sea to Kristiansand (Norway). We will continue along Norway’s southern coastline and enjoy its stunning landscapes. Next stop in Flekkefjord, a town with its wooden houses and tiny restaurants on a fjord. Arrival to Stavanger, a small picturesque town that has an active port by the fjord.
Day 4. Stavanger, Bergen (Norway)
Upon leaving the city, we will stop at the ‘Swords in Rock’ monument, where we will be reminded of the Vikings, before continuing the very beautiful scenic tour. We follow the route going through tunnels, bridges and travel some stretches by boat to go along the fjord coast of Norway. One of its undersea tunnels is the deepest one in the world. This stage gets more relaxed and spectacular with its two boat trips. We will arrive in BERGEN at lunch time. We take a funicular trip to Mount Fløyen which offers amazing views of the town and Bergen fjord. There will be some leisure time later to enjoy the capital city of fjords.
Day 5. Bergen, Oslo (Norway)
More fantastic landscapes today, images of Norway’s interior region fjords, glaciers, lakes and forests. We will travel to Sognefjord, Norway’s largest fjord. Prior to arrival, we will stop at the beautiful Tvindefossen waterfall. We will take a magnificent cruise through a fjord between the cities of Gudvangen and Flam, and enjoy stunning landscapes and views of glaciers during this two-hour voyage. We continue our journey crossing magnificent snow-covered landscapes. We travel through Lærdal Tunnel, one of the longest in the world. Next, a visit to Borgund’s 12th-century wooden church which is considered Norway’s best-preserved medieval church. We arrive in Oslo with free time to check out its port, main streets, and the artworks at Frognerparken.
Day 6. Oslo (Norway), Orebro, Estocolmo, Stockholm (Sweden)
We include a sightseeing tour with a local guide of the Norwegian capital; this city combines its vibrant modern architecture with its classical buildings, magnificent scenery and large parks with sculptures. It has been nominated the “European green capital”. After the tour, if you want you can visit the Vikings museum. Departure for Sweden. Enjoy landscapes with forests and lakes. Next stop in Orebro, a town next to a beautiful lake with a castle and charming historic center. Time for stroll and to take lunch. Continuing to Stockholm, arriving in the evening.
Day 7. Stockholm, Estocolmo (Sweden)
Today we take a panoramic tour of this very beautiful capital city built on 13 islands joined together. We will see the Gamla Stand or the “City between the Bridges”, the old quarter of the city, full of life where there are many monumental buildings such as the Nobel Museum, alongside the main square of Stortorget, which pays tribute to the winners of the Nobel Prizes, the Cathedral, and the Royal Palace. Whenever possible, we will enjoy a pretty view from the Fjällgatan viewpoint. Then leisure time. We recommend visiting the museums and parks. Optionally, we suggest a visit to the City Hall and to the Vasa Museum.
Day 8. Stockholm, Estocolmo (Sweden), Ferry Estocolmo, Turku (Helsinki)
Enjoy a free day of leisure in Stockholm. In the evening we will board a modern ferry traveling overnight to Finland, where accommodation will be in double cabins with private bathrooms.
Day 9. Ferry Estocolmo (Sweden to Finland), Turku , Naantali, Helsinki (Finland)
As we arrive to Finland, we recommend that you go to the ship’s deck for sunrise, enjoy mesmerizing landscapes from the sea as we sail along Aland Islands, hundreds of islands covered by forests. We disembark the ferry and have time to walk around Turku, a city with a very strong Swedish influence. We continue our journey to the neighboring city of Naantali, a very picturesque town with wooden houses next to the sea. We travel on until we arrive in Helsinki, reaching at lunchtime. In the afternoon enjoy leisure time, you will be able to explore the city, with its old market, buildings with Russian influence, and churches.
Day 10. Helsinki (Finland)
We enjoy a boat trip to Suomenlinna Islands, a group of islands where we can witness a great fortress that used to protect the sea entry to the city, it has been declared World Heritage Site. Take time to walk around, it is possible to cross the islands through small pedestrian bridges. Free time during the afternoon.
We were excited! We scheduled a couple of nights in Copenhagen at the beginning of the tour, packed our KF-94 masks, found house sitters to live with the cat, and set out on Sept. 18 from Boston Logan for a new kind of traveling adventure.
Next up … Scandinavian Tour, Part 2: Exploring Copenhagen
