Thorn Tree travel forum

Scandinavia FAQ

The countries covered by this FAQ are: Denmark, Faroe Island, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden.

Inside this thread you'll find a collection of information and links to websites about attractions, activities, travel practicalities and news about the countries covered. Have a look at them before asking questions!

Have a good look around before asking your question - quite often your question (or one very similar to it) will have been asked and answered many times already.

When you're ready to ask a question, choose the relevant country from the drop down menu to ensure the most relevant and accurate responses.

Please feel free to add any other useful advice you might have inside this thread!

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Thanks!

Edited by: Irene_... more »

Norway fjords and the artic circle in january

I'm planning to travel to Norway, Sweden and Denmark in January (starting from New Years day). The plan was to take Ryanair from London to Haugesund, then ferry/ bus to Bergen, train to Flam then train up to Trondheim, Narvik cross the boarder to Kiruna, Stockholm, then to Copenhagen.

I wanted to do some hiking/ trekking in one of the fjords/ national park areas, preferrable would be in the Sognefjord national park but is it not possible to do it in january? If possible I also wanted to try dog sledging.

Does anyone know if its worthwhile to travel to Norway in Jan with the purpose of just to see the fjords and do a bit of walk around in the national park area? How bad would the cold be and would there be sufficient daylight for me to see the fjords? And would the train journey be not much to see since everywhere is covered by snow?

Thanks!!!

Day Tour Help

Hi, I would like to book a day tour in Dec. I don't really mind which one exactly but would like to see as much as I can in one day. The problem is I have looked at so many websites that all seem to offer the same thing with varying prices and I cannot make a decision!

Has anyone been on a tour they recommend? Are the 'cheaper' ones cheaper because you are on a bus with loads of other people. Is it worth spending the extra bit of cash, do you get a better experience (or see more).

It's hard to figure out what's best so if anyone has any suggestions about what to see, what to miss, who to book with I'd be very grateful!

Thanks

Living in Copenhagen: affordability? arabic flat bread?

Hello,

I'll maybe be moving to Copenhagen for work next year. Current department gets shut down, and little chance of an alternative with a different company.Some questions nobody as of yet could answer me:

Do rental apartments come with a kitchen (cabinets & electronics) if I rent a place with otherwise no furnitures? Appearantly my employer works with a relocation agency but they have not contacted me yet, and I heard that the places they offer are far too big, and too expensive for me. I was thinking about 1-1.5 bedrooms, maybe 60m2.

Can we, my husband and me afford Denmark? At the moment I'd get a theoretical net salary of 21.000DKK/month. If he finds works then there's no discussion but what if not? We're generally on a very fugal life style and all our hobbies are free or as good as. However, we like to safe money.

Would moving to Sweden be a smart move or result in... more »

Interestingly Unusual Sights in Scandinavia

Heyo ppls,

I'm going to be spending a month or two in Denmark (esp Copenhagen and Aarhus), Sweden (esp Stockholm), Norway (esp Oslo and Bergen) and Iceland (esp Reykjavik) in the summer of 2010, and I'm looking for quirky, off-beat sights!

I'd be willing to go into a certain city or town just to see an interestingly unusual sight, but I'm not interested in any scary, macabre or depressing ones. I'm particularly interested in postmodern stuff.

A (possibly related) question: Has there been any rebellion against minimalism, like a defiantly rococo-style building somewhere? I really love unconventional architectural experiences.

Thank you in advance if you contribute to this thread,
Epiphanie :o)

Iceland Trip just before Easter?

Hi,

So I'm looking at a few places for a trip, arriving saturday March 26th to weds march 31st or april 1st.

I've looked through the forums ..... but before I buy plane tickets and guidebooks, a couple of questions please to help me decide.

The dates are not flexible. Trying to take advantage of off season rates and somewhat lower airfares.

Can someone please suggest a very basic itinerary that would be possible for this time. We like to see the major sights/attractions of places, and adding some hiking/outdoor activities would be great (possible to do highest point?)

Day light? Weather conditions at this time?

We would probably rent a car (driving conditions?), as I'm not the best of bus travelers / tour groups.

I'm just trying to see if its worth going here for this time. And if so, will buy the plane tickets, get the guidebooks (which one is best?) and wi... more »

Beware Hertz when renting a car in Iceland

Hey guys,

Just a quick note to say be careful when renting a car in Iceland - CHECK THE FINE PRINT! I rented a car for $600 from Hertz, they drew on a map a particularly scenic route to take. One month later, I had a $1442 fine on my credit card for driving on a road that was banned in the fine print - a road they suggested I take! They didn't respond to my emails or voice mails, so it wasn't until two months later when I reported the charge as fraud to Visa that I actually found out what it was for.

If a car rental company tells you can go on a road, either get it in writing or read the fine print. Don't trust the tourism authorities either. Mistakes can be costly!

More details here: http://companiestobecarefulof.blogspot.com/2009/11/car-rental-in-iceland-beware-hertz.html

I hope this helps someone!

Rich. more »

Copenhagen or Stockholm for exchange

Hi all! I'm in a huge dilemma right now. I'm in university in Canada right now and am applying to go on an exchange for a full year next year. My top choice is between Copenhagen and Stockholm, and I'm just stuck trying to decide which one I want to go more. I'm hoping that you guys out there will give me some of your own opinion about the two cities.

The things I'm looking at the most when trying to decide are living expenses, travel opportunities, living conditions/environment, overall atmosphere/vibe of the city, and things to do. For living expenses, I'm looking at rent, groceries, clothing, transportation, alcohol and going out. I know both cities are more expensive than Canada (Toronto), but which one is the more expensive one overall? For travel opportunities, I have a feeling that the rest of Europe (non Scandinavia) is much more accessible from Copenhagen. From what it loo... more »