Travelling the Nordic countries.

[PsychedelicDiamond]

Hello, Escapist

I have 3 months of free time so I considered taking a vacation in one of the Nordic/Scandinavian countries. Personally, I was always interested in Sweden, Norway and Iceland so I wanted to ask you if there are any particular destinations you could recommend for sightseeing. I'm interested in the local culture but I'd also prefer to visit a rural area where I can enjoy the natural beauty of those countries over an urban one. I'd very much appreciate it if you can help me.

For the sake of information, I'm currently 20 years old and live in Bavaria, Southern Germany. Sadly I don't speak any of the local languages but I am quite fluid in English.

 

[Albino Boo]

I would avoid Norway, it is lovely country but Norway is insanely expensive. Expect prices to be two or three times more than you are used to. English is not a problem most people speak it. In one restaurant in Oslo the waitress did not speak Norwegian and everyone ordered in English. Norway is very outdoor oriented, even in Oslo. If you catch the T-ban up to Holmenkollen, there are 250 km of trails for cross country skiing, mountain biking and hiking, obviously depedant on the season.

 

[DanielBrown]

I'm Swedish, so if you have any particular questions about this country I could do my best to answer them.
As for a recomendation I'd say Stockholm is a great place. We got a bit of everything here. Plenty of places for sightseeing and a great network for getting around. It's close to Uppsala as well, which is a really beautiful city that could be worth visiting. Lots of rural areas on the outskirts of both cities.

Speaking English to get around here shouldn't be a problem at all since we're all pretty much fluent, though often with a thick accent. Knowing some German isn't that uncommon, but since we never have a use for it the language tends to get forgotten. I studied Spanish for four years, instead of German or French, and all I remember is asking what time it is and where the bakery is. x.x

 

[purf]

Question is: have you ever been north of.. Flensburg? North Sea, anything? Not much of a "sightseer" myself, but I found this area here (googlemap) to be quite lovely. And Gothenburg is nice. There's Denmark, too with its variety of all kinds of beaches.

 

[Guffe]

Finland reporting

If you want nature, Lappland is where to go. It's the northern part of Finland, Sweden and Norway. Never been myself but I hear it's damn great from people who have. Also since it's summer and midsummer is coming, up in Lappland there won't be night, the sun will never go down for a few days in mid/late June. So that's quite awesome.

I haven't been around much in Scandinavia, but the usual stuff are of course the hot springs on Iceland, and in Denmark you can find Legoland, I was there when I was 12, so I can't remember much except that it was awesome, and a friend of mine visited it a month ago and said it was great.

If you want culture of the people, maybe the capitals of each/a few of the countries?
It's good you're coming in the summer months, it's a lot more lively then and usually good weather up here during June/July/August.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

I'm Swedish, so if you have any particular questions about this country I could do my best to answer them.
As for a recomendation I'd say Stockholm is a great place. We got a bit of everything here. Plenty of places for sightseeing and a great network for getting around. It's close to Uppsala as well, which is a really beautiful city that could be worth visiting. Lots of rural areas on the outskirts of both cities.

Speaking English to get around here shouldn't be a problem at all since we're all pretty much fluent, though often with a thick accent. Knowing some German isn't that uncommon, but since we never have a use for it the language tends to get forgotten. I studied Spanish for four years, instead of German or French, and all I remember is asking what time it is and where the bakery is. x.x

I will keep Stockholm in mind.

However, on a different site someone strongly recommended the province of Dalarna as a place that is, as he put it "distinctively Swedish". Would you agree with that? From what I've seen after looking it up it looks like a stunningly beautiful place.

Question is: have you ever been north of.. Flensburg? North Sea, anything? Not much of a "sightseer" myself, but I found this area here (googlemap) to be quite lovely. And Gothenburg is nice. There's Denmark, too with its variety of all kinds of beaches.

No sir, Hamburg is the farthest north I've ever been. I've heard that Gothenburg is a great city so I will definately keep it in mind.

 

[DanielBrown]

I will keep Stockholm in mind.

However, on a different site someone strongly recommended the province of Dalarna as a place that is, as he put it "distinctively Swedish". Would you agree with that? From what I've seen after looking it up it looks like a stunningly beautiful place.

I've only driven through there, but if you're after Swedish culture and rural landscapes it sounds like a good idea. Furthest north I've been was Jämtland, which is above Dalarna. We had a clear end goal, so I didn't get to do any exploration there either, but there's tons of untouched land out there and(as far as I remember) plenty of small villages.
Lappland, as mentioned earlier, is also extremely beautiful if you want a scenic trip of Swedish nature. Kind of considering taking a trip there myself now. If you plan on travelling around the rural areas it's probably best to have a car though.

Really depends on what you want to see however. This is all very generally, but if it's nature:
In the northern area of Sweden you'll find a lot of forests and mountains. For outdoor activities like hiking, fishing or camping I'd recomend that. In the south you got Vänern and Vättern(big lakes), some forests and plenty of farming areas. In Stockholm we got the lake Mälaren and some other sights. Not as scenic as the other areas though.

If it's architecture and culture I'd go for Stockholm and Uppsala for the old buildings, the museums, the castles and our many churches. The typical rural villages I assume you're after is most likely best around Dalarna or Småland, but you can find them all over Sweden.

If you want to meet people I'd say Stockholm is great, but the mentality here is(like in most big cities) to ignore everyone around us and always be stressed the fuck out. The friendliest people I've met have been from the northern areas and I've heard plenty of good things about the people in Gothenburg.

The best time to come to Sweden is definetly during our Midsummer festivities. That's when we all get really drunk, eat typical Swedish food, sing songs, dance around a huge penis-pole and have tons of sex. It's celebrated on the 20th of June this year, I believe, and is a must if you want to experience our culture!

Spoiler: Map of the areas

Worth noting that I'm far from an expert on anywhere outside of Uppland. I've mostly just driven through on the freeway. We got tons of Swedes on this site from all over the country, so hopefully some will chip in with their opinions.

 

[Queen Michael]

If you're going to Stockholm you should drop by StikkiNikki. They've got the best sorbet in Scandinavia.

And yeah, if you want natural beauty you sure could do worse than Dalarna.

 

[Eamar]

Of those, I've only been to Iceland, but I'd definitely recommend it. It's by far my favourite place I've visited so far, and I desperately want to go back there soon.

If you're up for some serious hiking, you can see an incredible range of landscapes in just a week or two, from glaciers, to black desert, to lush green valleys, to hot springs. It is hard work though, so be warned! It's also VERY sparsely populated, so if you did go hiking you wouldn't get so much of the culture side of things, though you could always spend some time in Reykjavik as well (go whale watching if you do, it's fantastic there).

Whatever you decide, be aware that the Nordic countries are very expensive, especially when it comes to things like alcohol. Norway is the most expensive country to live in in Europe by a significant margin, and a beer can apparently cost around £10/$17! Not trying to put you off at all, just making sure you know before you start budgeting

 

[Atrocious Joystick]

I hear Gotland is nice. It is a relatively large island off the southern east coast of Sweden that has some pretty sights to see, some of that nature and I´m sure at least a beach or two (it is an island after all). I´ve never been myself but it is a pretty large domestic tourist attraction and as such there might be more to do for a tourist there than in some random coastal town. It being an island might make it hard to get to though if you intend to travel by plane. It has an airport but I´m not sure it is international.

You can of course go to Stockholm or Gothenburg, I´ve never been to Gothenburg personally but I hear its nice. Stockholm is a lovely city, beautiful as few and situated by and to an extent on an archipelago sporting a fancy 65 000 something islands along the swedish east coast. Filled with stockholmers though which is a shame. Uppsala as well is beautiful, similar to stockholm (without the coastal bit) and centered around a castle and a massive cathedral from the 13th century. Every newyears a crowd forms on the castle courtyard to count down the newyear. Coming in from stockholm you are for some reason greeted by a golfball, which has nothing to do with Uppsala.

Scandinavia which is a large but mostly unpopulated place is of course excellent for camping. You can find several camping spots close to coastal towns where everything of interest for a tourist is within walking distance. If you want to rough it and camp out in the wilds you have a right by law to stay in any non fenced in area for a number of days (can´t remember how many off the top of my head) as long as you don´t break anything. If you do intend to camp out in the wilds however do be careful, especially in Norrland where help could be many miles away.

 

[Muspelheim]

To give the tourist report from my neighbourhood; While Gothenburg the city doesn't compare to Stockholm, it's worth it as a destination being an affordable "hub" to the Swedish west coast. There's plenty of bus, train and tram connections, as well as a ferry that goes out to the islands. The city itself is an alright destination, but the people are certainly better than the sights, I must admit. Stockholm is a beautiful city, while Gothenburg is more like the nation's loading bay.

Now, I don't know what sort of landscape you are interested in, but this is the vista to expect on the west coast;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Tomtning_p%C3%A5_nordv%C3%A4stra_Vr%C3%A5ng%C3%B6_i_G%C3%B6teborgs_s%C3%B6dra_sk%C3%A4rg%C3%A5rd_1.JPG

The Stockholm aprichelago is lovely as well, with the same transport perks, but there's more trendy, ugly mansions blocking the view, I'm afraid. It's a bit more difficult finding a good spot, so to speak. Well worth it, though, if you are in the general area.

Going inland is also a good idea. Värmland in particular is a great destination, if you feel that Lappland or the northern Scandinavian mountains are a bit much of an undertanking.

http://fietseninzweden.nl/wp-content/plugins/pointelle-slider/includes/timthumb.php?src=http://fietseninzweden.nl/wp-content/uploads/-Swedish-Cycling-Tossenbergkl%C3%A4ttern-e1371034184475.jpg&h=400&w=860

Lovely, forested corner of the world, nestling between Lake Vänern and Norway (useful if you want to pop over).

And don't forget, you could probably hit up the tourist bureau wherever you decide, as well. They are used to Germans pining for fjords and forests, if you don't mind me saying. They can probably point you in a less vague direction than I. If you've got a car, I suggest just fillin' her up and go on a transnordic roadtrip.

(Fun fact; I got to google picturesque tourist locations on the national day. Thank you! :3)

If you do end up in Gothenburg and need some directions, I can probably help.

Oh, and a special note on Booze; as has been said, it will be terribly expensive, compared to Germany. It's also only sold in special shops, with a 20 years old age limit. You'll need your ID, since they will ask for it if you look young. Similar with pubs, only that the age is 18. The reason is the terrible social problems connected with alcoholism that the Nordic countries have had for very long. It's a bit of a faff, but as long as you've got some ID, it's going to be smooth sailing.

EDIT: I might as well chuck in an image from Gothenburg while I'm at it. To give a vague idea, at least.

http://media.justin-klein.com/post-images/2010/10_12_11-gothenburg-06.jpg

 

[RariShyZealot]

Yup, I'd say Dalarna is as typically "Swedish" as you could get. The famous Red Cabins with White Trim seem popular there. I also agree with DanielBrown, Midsommar is the best time to visit, just watch out for Surströmming. You may have heard/seen jokes about it before.

THEY ARE NOT JOKES!
That stuff stinks like you wouldn't believe. If you want Swedish/Midsommar food I'd reccomend Smörgåstårta or Sill, maybe the classic Meatballs. I don't know how "Swedish" Dillkött (Dill meat) is, but it's also great. I don't know much about tourist attractions, but Falu Copper Mine is World Heritage Site, might be interesting...

Also, I know Visby, Gotland is known for it's yearly medieval fair, but I don't know when that is...
If you plan on going north, get yourself some reindeer meat, that stuff is great.

If you haven't noticed yet, I like food...

 

[York_Beckett]

I'm from Norway myself, and if you're looking for nature, I'd recommend Finnmark furthest up north. I was recently on vacation in Kirkenes, and while there isn't really much to do there (aside from fishing and stuff) and common goods is rather expensive, the surrounding areas, mountains and lakes are beautiful. Most of it is, really. It might get a bit boring at times, but if you're an outdoors person you'll probably enjoy it (just stay clear of military areas.)

There are lots of animals around if that interests you, but I don't recommend going in the woods alone because of bears. Plenty of birds though.

Also, drive carefully if you're bringing a car. The whole place has some of the worst roads in all of Norway, and they can really mess up the vehicle.

There are probably better places, but it was just the first that came to mind.

 

[Gamer87]

Dalarna is beautiful, I went there as a kid with my parents. And I would highly recommend Stockholm, you can find most things there: beautiful nature, nice architecture, culture and lots of parks and museums.

If you have the time, you can also find stunning nature and cool rock formations on the island Gotland.

Also, the swedish archipelago is the place to be on a hot summer day. (west coast OR east coast, west if you're into scuba diving, in that case go to Lysekil, there are a lot of interesting species there by the Gullmarsfjord)

 

[Cerebrawl]

As a Swede:

Get as far north as you can close to midsummer for the midnight sun(sun around the clock near midsummer north of the arctic circle). Maybe up to Jukkasjärvi in Lappland(where the famous Icehotel is, though the true experience of that is wintertime).

Then do Dalarna/Stockholm/West coast.

 

[Knusper]

I'm English but I spend a lot of time holidaying in Sweden because my girlfriend lives there. As midsummer is approaching being up far north is great to catch the midnight sun (if you can withstand all the mosquitoes!). However my best experience in Sweden has to be the Stockholm archipelago - just an hour by ferry from the city (which in itself is very nice) is a really calm, laid back hippy paradise.

Swedish food is great, especially in the summer. The one exception is the aforementioned Smörgåstårta which for all I can tell was invented by someone who can't cook trying to clear out his fridge.

I've been to Norway too, and that's even better if you're into backpacking/mountain climbing.

 

[Muspelheim]

Incidentally, the thread has become overwhelmingly Swedish. Gustavus Adolphus would've been so proud...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Gustav_II_Adolf_portr%C3%A4tterad_av_Jakob_Elbfas_ca_1630.jpg

"This is GARS turf now, bitches. Herring for everyone."

 

[awesomeClaw]

Tss tss, don't listen to these cityboys. I've been to Stockholm - probably the worst trip I've ever taken. The people there are with few exceptions highly unpleasant(no disrespect to all stockholmers in this thread, I'm sure you're perfectly nice), the food is dyrt som ocker(that means really fucking expensive) and the views are surprisingly uninspiring.

Look, either you want to go up North, or down South. The people up North are pleasant and the views are nicer, and in the South there's lots of good Swedish food(or ethnic food, if that's your thing) with some pleasant views there as well. Whatever you do, DON'T travel to the middle of the country. It's like a black hole of arrogance and newliberalism in an otherwise perfectly nice nation.