Scandinavia

Best ways to improve this book:

Too much museum coverage overall -- reduce it and add more nightlife/outdoor activity.

M. Nelson in Chicago, IL USA 06/29/2008

When flying into Stockholm about 1 1/2 weeks ago (5/1/08), we took Ryan Air from Rome which was great, however, the book doesn't mention that there is another airport located 1 1/2 hours outside Stockholm and thats where we landed! The airport is called Skavsta and is located about 60 Miles southwest of Stockholm. It was no trouble at all, in fact beautiful countryside, but would be good to add to the book that if you land at this airport you will need to take a bus to Stockholm for about $25 or 150 Swedish Krona and it will take about 1 1/2 hours. The bus runs every 30 minutes and it is a very very nice bus. The bus goes from the airport to the Central Train Station in Stockholm.

All we took and used for our planning was the Rick Steves book and it was just fantastic and we met many other Rick Steves travelers on the way! Thank you!

Jim Asprinio in San Francisco, CA USA 05/11/2008

Clearer, detailed map that includes how to walk from the Helsinki city center to the Lansi ferry terminal.

Kyla Gurganus in Ypsilanti, MI USA 01/10/2008

Not much. We're from Oregon, living in England for a few years and we have all the DVDs and most of the books. We love them!! Together, the shows and guides bring us great confidence to be able to venture out. Going to use Eastern Europe book and shows next for several more trips. We're huge fans!

Mike McDonnell in Wroughton, UK 09/02/2007

Very useful! I always buy your books before a trip. I was disappointed that more of Sweden and Norway were not covered since I was only going to those two countries--but I guess you have to cover the other countries, too. Maybe you are going to have to make two books, one for Sweden-Norway-Finland, and another for the Baltic countries and Denmark. Just a thought.

Elaine in Livingston, MT USA 08/28/2007

The cars marked "M" on Oslo commuter trains are for pass holders. If you buy a ticket for the day, you must find a car with a conductor.

Ask ahead of time for directions to return a rental car to Bergen airport -- there aren't many signs

Lori in Minneapolis, MN USA 07/05/2007

Travelers should always check and double check with the locals about the bus or trains' destination prior to taking off. The bus we took in Stockholm to the Silja port took us to a Silja ship going to a different country. There are several ships at the Silja port at the same time and it is not a short walk with your luggage from one ship to another. Also trains have a tricky habit of sometimes dropping cars so make sure the train car you are in, is going to your final destination.

sandy winters in willis, te USA 06/03/2007

I was in Scandinavia for 14 days in May 07 and the best part of that trip was the Norway in a Nutshell fjord trip. In "Sightseeing Priorities" Norway in a Nutshell is not recommended if you are in Scandinavia for fewer than 8 days. Norway in a Nutshell could be included in a Scandinavia trip of 7-8 days, if you do not go to Denmark. Even if you had only 4 days, I recommend just doing the Norway in a Nutshell Fjord trip. Here's one possible schedule:

Day Zero: Fly to Stockholm.

Days One and Two: Stockholm.

Day Three : Train from Stockholm to Oslo.

Day Four : Train from Oslo to Aurland (Norway in a Nutshell trip). Sleep in Aurland, at the Aabelheim Pension.

Day Five : Boat from Aurland to Gudvangen, bus to Voss. Sleep in Voss.

Day Six : Train from Voss to Oslo. Sleep in Oslo. I recommend Coch's Pensjonat. Its rooms are not charming, but the bathrooms are clean, it has an elevator, it costs less than other hotels in Oslo, and it is conveniently located. Walk through the beautiful park to the harbor or pedestrian street.

Day Seven: Fly home.

By staying along the Nutshell route, you do not have to wake up so early in the morning to do it all in one day and you don't feel as hurried.

Another day in Oslo before flying home would have been nice.

Other observations: Museums in Oslo are not a high priority if you have seen museums in Stockholm. A tourist does not need to be in Oslo for a whole day. I was NOT interested in seeing the strange sculptures made by Vigeland that are in Oslo's Frogner Park. For Oslo, my priorities were a walk to the harbor and a walk down the main pedestrian street of Karl Johans Gate. I think it is slightly more pleasant than the Stroget street in Copenhagen. Good souvenir store on Karl Johans, east of the Parliament.

Bergen: I don't think going there is important; it's rainy and dreary much of the year.

I recommend beginning your trip by flying to Stockholm, which I found to be the most enjoyable big city in Scandinavia, with lots to see. Flying to Stockholm from the US might cost more money than flying to Copenhagen but you would incur extra hotel and transport expenses getting from Copenhagen to Stockholm and back. Copenhagen is not a high priority if people go to Stockholm or Oslo.

I stayed at the Stureparkens Gastvaning in Stockholm and liked it a lot. A good breakfast is included. It is quiet, peaceful, and the receptionist (Sofie) was very helpful. Sharing the bathrooms with other guests was not a problem. And it is conveniently located.

I highy recommend that people going on a night flight to Europe stay at their first destination for three nights (two whole days, after the day of arrival), so you can rest and get over jet lag. Don't plan on any major sightseeing the first day.

Ron Woodruff in Springfield, MO USA 05/21/2007

Include some about Helsingborg too...

Ann-Louise Blixt in Helsingborg, Sweden 05/17/2007

Where do I find the guarentee if I tear out the pages of the book that I want and mail it to Rick Steves (where?) that he will mail a new book to me?

Ruth in Los Angeles, CA USA 05/07/2007

Aneka, I think Rick knows what he's doing. After spending 3 days and nights in St Petersburg, my wifes comments were "Not ready for prime time!" We used lonely planet as a guide, but it was not current for many of the listings. There are lots of very interesting things to see there, but it will take a little work on your part to do it right...in Russia, nothing is easy (unless you hire guides to run interference for you). The peters walking tours (peterswalk.com) are particularly good...we really enjoyed our time with Alina who showed us a part of St Pete we otherwise would not have seen...plus she gave us unique insights into the current conditions and the transformation going on in Russia today. If you go...we recommend the Petro Palace hotel...best location and reasonably priced.

Bill Young in San Leandro, CA USA 10/31/2006

Why not add a section on St Petersburg?

Anneka in SLC, UT USA 09/22/2006

Really wished that we reserved 2 weeks in advance to hot air balloon over Stockholm; it's one of the few cities in the world to allow it.

eric daimler in san jose, ca USA 09/02/2006

Say more about nightlife. Add more restaurant recommendations. I think you are wrong to recommend that people seek a travel agent for their transatlantic airfare. Travel agents hardly ever do airfare alone now. Moreover, you can do better on the web, using a combination of low-fare airlines within Europe and SideStep for your transatlantic booking if you don't find a sale. It might be helpful to list the lowest fares obtainable on some representative routes so people can evaluate the prices they see. We snagged a r/t Chicago to Stockholm for $675 including taxes and fuel surcharge for August on SAS. The sale was in mid-May.

Kenneth Thomas in O'Fallon, MO USA 08/21/2006

I know shopping isn't why we travel, but it is nice to support local craftspeople and artists, so could you add some?? More ethnic, non-pricey places, as Scandinavia is sure expensive.

kathi o'Gorman in Oswego, NY USA 08/20/2006

The beautiful Lake Siljan area should definitely be added to the guide. There is much for the tourist to do and most will find it very educational as well. We are independent travelers who use Rick Steves guides for the cities and we always have a car. However, there is train service to Mora for those who do not wish to drive there from Stockholm. I won't go into a lot of detail here, but it is more worthwhile than a lot of the area south of Stockholm.

Jodean Berthume in Lake Worth, Fl USA 08/08/2006

I've traveled thousands of miles with Rick and feel as if you were along on the trip. Now it's my turn to be honest. Where or where is the rest of the map for Norway and northern Sweden? OK to not review, but to not even include the map? Please put the whole map in.

I visited Arhus, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Bergen, Helsinki and Stavanger with the 2006 book. Way way too much on Oslo and scrap Bergen too. Both need some serious editing. Forget giving picture by picture reviews at the museuems, and too much on Bergen made even deciding what to do difficult.

I did one day in Arhus, Denmark, knowing nothing about it, your guide with 6 pages was perfect. Give me At a GLimpse, the little maps and some sleeping, restaurants and transportation facts.

I would definitely go north in both Sweden and Norway and include 5-6 more towns with 30 pages here that are edited from Bergen and Oslo. Oslo was not safe for a woman traveling alone, the only place I felt really harassed and uncomfortable, and I was not alone in feeling that way, grown men traveling together were afraid to leave their bike on the street in the downtown area.

Bergen is tired and overrun with tourists. They have an excellent TI so please do your readers a favor and cut back on your info so you can add less congested fjord destinations.

Andalsnes was the easiest place I visited, rail right into the fjord, no bus, train, schedules transfers, bus to Geiranger fjord picks up even at the hostel. Very easy and enjoyable trip. Regreted that i even went to Bergen.

The nutshell tour is for nuts. I love the brief reviews on the less known spots, if you add 5-6 pages on northern Norway and Sweden I will buy your book again next year! So disappointed that the map was't there.

Overall, i went about 8,000 miles with you, truly appreciate the hotel recommendations, distances of each from the train station, transportation info. And love the out of the way towns. Did not use any of the car driving information, took my entire trip by train, and discount air.

I would be the first in line to get your discount airline tour of europe book. With a 41 dollar flight from Stockholm to Frankfurt and a 17 euro flight from Frankfurt to Dublin, I will never get a rail pass again. More apt to fly in, stay a couple of days, fly out.

Thank you for your selective books, exactly what I want, the overall maps and TI info can be overwhelming. I basically look for how i can spend an enjoyable day at a destination. I enjoy a lot of the little information, where to find a grocery store, folklore about an area, humor.

I covered every Scandinavian country, Paris and some Germany. I had an 8 day rail pass, which was way too much. Stockholm alone merited a month. I spent 3 months touring. My only disappointments were the areas heavily hit with tourists. Cut Oslo by about 20 pages, Bergen too, too worn out a trip to get excited about spending more than a day or two in the area, and that's coming from a Scandinavian-American with roots in the area, should have been my best days. Add side trip around Lake Malaren including a few of the castles marefield and orebro. Orebro was terrific, both of those towns would make a great honeymoon.

Jenna Stone in New York, NY USA 08/01/2006

TRAIN to *FERRY instructions, it is the only thing I had to scramble for, the Taxis were outrageous.

jenna stone in new york, NY USA 07/26/2006

One suggestion--advise readers to locate out of the way groceries to buy bottled water, rather than buying the water in tourist places or on the train. Water cost me a fortune.

Michael Feinberg in Silver Spring, MD USA 07/07/2006

More consistency in the transportation advice. This advice is critical when winging it, Rick gives very valuable advice here, How to take public transportation to the ferries is needed. ADD GOTENBURG AND MORE SWEDEN PAGES, your predjudice towards Norway is showing. 243 pages for norway, and 119 pages less for Sweden, shame on you!

Jenna Stone in New York, NY USA 07/03/2006

For each country, tell us how to pronounce please (if applicable), thank you, you're welcome, one ticket, two tickets, and hello.

Close To Vest in Seattle, WA USA 06/09/2006

Straighten out the tipping situation so that wait staff is paid and Americans are not seen as cheapskates.

Steve Shaiken in San Francisco, C USA 05/21/2006

Section on Visby

Gary Scott in Seattle, WA USA 04/27/2006

Add info on North Sweden and North Norway. I wanted to see the reindeer and a little of Lapland so I took the train north in Sweden. I saw the midnight sun hover along the lake for over 2 hrs and we stayed in a little town in a cabin, where they had the world's highest golf course. We saw the glaciers along the train route and then took a buss to Narvik, Norway. It was even prettier than being in the Alps and the Alps are spectactular. We saw everything on the bus ride: snowcapped peaks, many waterfalls, and lakes and glaciers around every bend. You can take the train to the end of the line in Sweden and then the bus back to Norway. I'm really surprised you haven't written about it.

Pat Armstrong in Phoenix, AZ USA 01/31/2006

Please suggest a better spot in Oslo to buy sweaters. The Oslo Sweater Store may have low prices, but as a knitter, I can tell you that the quality of their sweaters was not up to par, and not at all worth the cost. I wouldn't have bought anything there even if the prices had been cut in half, which would have been more appropriate for what they were selling.

I saw ribbing that was too loose, buttons and trim that didn't match the yarn, sweaters obviously knit on needles that were too big. Many were odd brands, and the known brands like Dale were very old styles. It reminded me of a store at an outlet mall in the US.

Thanks for your fabulous books!

Julie Kelly in Minneapolis, MN USA 01/14/2006

I can't think what it would be. If rick Says turn left we turn left. Just kidding, we actually do strike out on our own but wouldn't think of traveling without Rick. We have been using his books for over 10 years.

Sandra Larsen in Eugene, Or USA 01/04/2006