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 »

Spitzbergen vs Greenland

hi everyone,

it's been quite a while I want to visit both Greenland and Spitzbergen. but seeing the cost of such trips, I'm not sure I want to spend say one or two weeks in these two parts of the world. maybe a small sidetrip of 2 to 4 days (either from Iceland for Greenland or Tromso for Spitzbergen) could be enough for one of the two.

my main questions are which one deserves more time and how different are both ?

from my very meager knowledge, I'd say Greenland has local people and civilization when Spitzbergen only has westerners and not a civilization per se. I'm also thinking Greenland is also greener and rockier (especially in the South which is much easier to visit) when Spitzbergen gets more ice.
I'm also pretty sure parts of both destinations are pretty similar.

isn't Greenland very much like North of Canada or North of Norway or parts of Iceland (where I alread... more »

Does travel insurance count at healthinsurance?

I'm from New Zealand and I'm trying to apply for a working holiday visa for Sweden. They tell me I need valid health Insurance to get the visa. But I'm now in Germany so I can not get Insurance from New Zealand!!
Will my Nomads travel insurance be enough?
If not how do I get health insurance for Sweden?
Thanks a lot for the help!

Do trains from St Petersburg to Helsinki run on time?

Hi,

I was wondering if the fast trains from St Petersburg to Helsinki normally run on time? I was thinking of arriving in Helsinki and then flying that day to Rovaniemi as we are a little pushed for time.

Thanks in advance

From Gothenburg to Hannover

Dear all,

I would like to get your suggestions about what to see, do in between these two cities. I am planning to stop in Copenhagen and Hamburg and/or Bremen, probably squeeze in a few days on a nice beach (Sylt?).
I will have a car and I am quite flexible (1-2 weeks) about the duration of the trip.

Thank you for your help.

Edited by: raffi_

travel Bergen to Flam

I see there's a 5.5 hour express boat trip (stopping at 10 small towns) or a 3 hour bus ride. Is the boat journey scenic and worth the extra time? or is the bus trip better? ~Barbara

Best route?

My boyfriend and I will be leaving for a month long backpacking adventure through Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweeden & Finland) and Russia (St. Petersburg & Moscow). We will be flying into Copenhagen and a 10-day eurail pass.

We were initially thinking of traveling west to east as the last leg of our journey is Russia, however, we wanted to hear some opinions about the best course of travel.

There is an overnight ferry from Helsinki - St. Petersburg, however, it is rather pricy. A flight is approximately the same, however, you have to fly through Sweden with a 17+ hour layover (cheapest flight). This got us thinking that maybe west- east isn't the best route?

Thoughts?

14 days in Iceland Aug/Sep - lots of questions

Hi all,

we are a couple and we will spend 14 days in Iceland (last week of august/first week of september). We will rent a car, and we like nature and hiking. One of us has been in Iceland before, but mostly in Reykjavik and around (Golden Circle). This is why we have plenty of questions.

Would you please help us to get things right? The only restriction we have is that we have to be in Reykjavik at the end of our trip for 2 days or so.

1) 2 WD or 4 WD: price difference is around 550 Euros for 14 days (if we take a Suzuki Jimny). Is it worth it? Is a Suzuki Jimny good enough? Is Sprengisandur a great experience? If we hire a 2WD, how can we get cheaply to Landmannalaugar by bus (not from Reykjavik, but, instead from a place close by)? How can we get to Thorsmork?
2) Our itinerary: clockwise or anti clockwise? With or without the Westfjords? Is there anything worth seeing i... more »