Scandinavia Guidebook
Favorite discoveries or tips:
I'm a huge fan of Gamlehaugen, the royal residence just outside Bergen. It's not much marketed to tourists, but it's an easy bus ride (no more than 30 minutes), and it's the cutest little castle, built in 18th or 19th-century French style. The inside, however, is intensely Norwegian in its decor. There are 2(?) English tours a day a couple days a week, and I actually ended up being the only one on my tour (awesome experience) - I don't think very many people know about it. I really think Rick should include it!
Rachel Wisdom in St. Louis, MO USA 11/18/2011
I took the bus from Bergen to Oslo so that I could stay at a friend's cabin near Fagernes. The price was right, I got a close-up view of the countryside and small towns, including two stav churches, and the price was reasonable.
Karen in Minneapolis, MN USA 11/04/2011
I have a tip for the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. If you're going in the AM, get there early. I was there in mid-August and went close to when it opened. It was so quiet that I thought it might be closed. Just 30 minutes later, the place was packed and when I left a few hours later, the line was well out the door.
Erin in Cottage Grove, MN USA 10/08/2011
Best Sweden restaurant experiences to add to your recommendations: Table 20 in Kalmar, and Trattoria Venezia in Vaxjo
Peter in Vancouver, Canada 10/06/2011
Dragor, a town near Copenhagen, is a great side trip and should receive more attention. Biking in Helsinki area is wonderful in September.
Sam Pelligra, MD in Greensboro, NC USA 09/19/2011
For travelers in southern Sweden, in Glass Country or Kalmar, consider driving on south to Karlskrona. Wonderful Maritime Museum is worth a stop, plus Admiral's Church and a vibrant city square are a good midpoint stop if driving toward Malmo and Copenhagen.
Keith Wood in Lawrence, KS USA 09/16/2011
Prices are rising faster than the book updates, so expect costs to be higher, particularly in Norway. Even buying food in the 7-11s was more expensive than we anticipated.
Keith Wood in Lawrence, KS USA 09/16/2011
Ole Bull's home, Lysøen, is a beautiful place to visit near Bergen, but it is not included in the Norway Snapshot book. In the 1800´s, Ole Bull was an international concert violinist of the caliber of Paganini. Although he is virtually unknown elsewhere, he is a Norwegian legend and icon. He mentored Edvard Grieg and founded the Norwegian National Theater, making Henrik Ibsen its first director. He built his home on an island and made miles of walking trails through the woods. On one trail, there is a high lookout that allows a view all the way to the coast. Ole Bull's beautifully carved and decorated violin, made by Gaspar Da Salo, was not at the Museum of Decorative Arts, as described. Due to a break-in in December, 2010, when 40 items of Chinese Art were stolen, the violin was removed from its glass case for greater security. Hopefully it will be returned when a more secure case is devised.
In the Museum of Decorative Arts, we loved the exhibit of re-purposed items (recycled for new uses.)
Pygmalion restaurant in Bergen , near the Harbor and TI- natural/organic - tasty food in a rustic atmosphere. (99 NOK for Chicken wrap or spicy Chicken sandwich on Ciabatta roll. Other prices higher, but reduced for take-away.)
Roberta in McBride, WA USA 09/12/2011
I recommend adding the small city of Alesund to the guide. While it it takes a bit of time to get to (northern side of fjord country) it is as charming a city as any in Norway. Rebuilt after a fire in the early 1900s, its center is an Art Nouveau gem of painted stucco, so it presents a small slice of mitteleuropa style right between the fjords and the north atlantic. It has a great architectural center, a welcoming art nouveau church, a fun aquarium and great birdwatching. For those with a car (highly recommended) the stunning drive along the Atlantic Road makes a great day trip out. But the best thing about Alesund is the city itself, friendly and fascinating, a little bit different from any other city in Norway.
Francis Schultz-DePalo in Rockville, MD USA 09/05/2011
We would like to recommend lodging on the Hardanger Fjord.
Nelda Eitreim in Garretson, SD USA 08/22/2011
Oslo City Hall has a carrillon tour/concert on Sunday afternoon at 5 after the regular tour. You can go on the roof as you listen to the carillon player. The Oslo Pass shaves 40 kr off your ticket to the airport -- you just need to buy a ticket from the stop after Lillestrom to Gardemoen.
JH in Alpharetta, GA USA 08/11/2011
Deli DeLuca in Norway sells good sandwiches for take-out, which is important given how expensive restaurants are.
Many of the museums have good cafes that reasonable lunch spots. The art museum in Stockholm had the best of these.
Steve Macfarlane in Carmichael, CA USA 08/07/2011
- I did not expect much from Oslo's Radhuset (City Hall). Yeah, socialistic realism, I grew up with it... But what I saw took my breath away -so much beauty and spirit of the people shining through it. - My take away is to plan more time (or come again to) for Stockholm. I saw maybe 30% from what I really wanted to see in 2.5 days. This city is absolutely stunning. It reminds a bit of St.Petersburg. Full of history and very vibrant.
Irena in Cleveland, USA 07/29/2011
We added the Island of Gotland & the charming city of Visby in our travels between Kalmar & Stockholm. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why Rick leaves Visby out of the guidebook. It was certainly a highlight!
Beth in Northridge, CA USA 07/12/2011
My wife Sue and I really used your guidebook a lot. It was quite accurate and very helpful. We spent three weeks visiting Oslo, Bergen, Balestrand, Stockholm, Helsinki, and Tallin. And, at ages 69 and 68, enjoyed the public transport and walked a LOT in each city.
I wish that I had the foresight to bring a Netbook. The younger backpackers used them for phones and reservations.
I will be happy to provide more of our travel details.
Greg Mansfield in Washington, NC USA 07/03/2011
Thon Bristol Bergen in Bergen, Norway (was in the 2007 guide however not in the 2010 guide) Thon Kirkenes in Kirkenes, Norway
richard kruse in la jolla, ca USA 06/16/2011
Snapshot Stockholm - fyi, I love your books, and when I travel for business I take them with me to get the most of my limited stay for sight seeing...
Lynn Porterfield in Ridgewood, NJ USA 04/11/2011
Rick recommended Fjordtours (based in Bergen) for Norway In A Nutshell planning and travel. For those not wanting to put together all of the pieces themselves, Fjordtours is simply the best! They have easy-to-use on-line booking or you can call them direct for help! Their staff has been FANTASTIC in my trip planning and ticketing. I have had personal contact with both Aud Ottesen and Anne-Linne (? last name) and have received superior customer service and immediate answers to all of my major and minor questions. HIGHLY RECOMMEND Fjordtours!!!!
Richard Steinberg in Stockbridge,, GA USA 03/04/2011
Aarhus (primarily based on your "Copenhagen & The Best of Denmark" -- I really enjoyed the Steno Museum of Science and Medicine on the Aarhus University campus. cheapredwine@hotmail.com
Jason Sherron in Seattle, WA USA 10/13/2010
Under Masken in Aarhus, DK is a great, funky little bar with free wifi, central and scenic location under the Royal Hotel. Jason Sherron cheapredwine@hotmail.com
Jason Sherron in Seattle, WA USA 10/11/2010
We were there in August 2010. Norway is amazing! The Oslo pass was one of the best things we bought. The line was long at the TI, but worth the wait to get the pass. You could take all transportation & get into most every attraction using the pass. Wish Bergen's pass was as good (it isn't). Norway in a Nutshell was amazing. The book isn't as clear (nor is the Norway in a Nutshell URL) that you don't have to do the nutshell in a single day. We bought a nutshell trip to be used on multiple days (ie: Oslo to Flam on Tuesday, spend two nights, then Flam to Bergen on Thursday). The nutshell URL lets you book hotels through them or on your own. The Kiviknes in Balestrand was a great hotel - the rooms are just ok - but have balconies which gave them some charm. Curious why some of the other hotels in Balestrand aren't mentioned - ie: Mitaes. We ate at MeSnakkast (Golden House) at the harbor two nights and had great meals. The troll soup (made once a week; basically a mushroom soup) was the best soup I've ever had (not made out of real trolls). We took an amazing hike in Balestrand - the TI has a hiking map - above the school. We followed blue (medium; though we are in relatively good shape and it was difficult in parts). In Flam we had two hours to kill prior to our nutshell boat leaving so we hiked to a waterfall (hiking map available at TI). We accidentally went too high up and did a more strenuous hike that we thought we were going to do. It was amazing to see the waterfall from so high up. Vik was an easy side trip from Balestrand. It opened at 10 am when we were there mid-Aug (book isn't clear because mid-Aug is listed as it opening at both 9 & 10). It was nice because we were the only ones there at 9, so we got some good pictures without other tourists milling about. In Bergen, we stayed in Bryggen area, which is very touristy. If you are a fish lover, you will like the fish market where they sell lots of fish / shrimp sandwiches or soup to eat. The college kids were starting back to school and the freshman were being initiated into their areas of study with groups of students dressing up in matching costumes and going to pre-selected bars to perform games. So, it was humorous to see the groups of kids out and about. Going up the Floibanen funicular shows you amazing views of the city. And its a really nice / easy walk back down.
Ashley Parker in Tampa, FL USA 08/30/2010
I would like to recommend a guided tour in Copenhagen, Denmark. Segway Tours, they are situated in lovely Nyhavn. Segway Tours, Nyhavn 22, DK-1051 Copenhagen K, tel.: +45 23 95 99 32. www.segwaytours.dk
Lars Edvardsen in Copenhagen, DK Denmark 08/21/2010
Enjoyed and found your guide book to be very helpful to us on our Princess Star cruise to the Baltic and Scandinavia countries. Rather than use the ship offered tours we did quite easily on our own except in St Petersburg and Berlin we used a guided tour company called Den Rus LTD (denrus.ru). They were priced much below the tours offered aboard ship, excellent and knowledgeable with good english speaking guides, smaller 25 passenger max modern buses, met ua at ship pier and got us back in plenty of time before our departure, took care of all visa needs in St Petersburg. Their tours offered more things to see than even those on the ship and with smaller group size we were able to get on/off bus quickly. They provided individual earphone/recievers on walking tours of various sites. The restaurants they used were top rate as well. Would recommend DenRus to anyone looking for good quality and value.
steve meno in new palestine , IN USA 07/31/2010
The town of Ribe should be added to the Denmark guidebook. It is a delightful town that has been around 1300 years. The "Night Watchman" tour was wonderful, and it was free. The island of Mon was beautiful too.
Ann Richey in Bremerton, WA USA 07/28/2010
We were SO looking forward to the Hans Christian Andersen walking tour you mentioned in the Scandinavia guide book, and when we got to Copenhagen, neither we nor our cab driver could find it. You suggested going to the World Copenhagen office, but without a phone number or address! So, after finally realizing we weren't going to make the 10:30 a.m. tour, we went to the Tourism Office and bought tickets for a bus tour. We asked the lady there if she knew where the World Copenhagen office is, and she told us "it's here!" It would've helped if we had known either the address or that it could be found in the Tourism Office.
Leslie Friedman in Houston, TX USA 07/22/2010
I've used your books for travel in many countries in the last 16 years. I am always amazed that you can provide me with enough detail to self-plan my trip. We did the Balestrand side trip and all the connections worked as you described. Even when the ferry meeting us at Midtfyord had engine problems, things worked out. The crew left 7 of us on the dock in Aurland and another ferry swung by to pick us up and deposit us in Gunvangen in time to catch the bus to Voss and the train to Oslo.
Mary Paquet in San Jose, CA USA 07/11/2010
We liked your tip about the harbor cruise in Copenhagen. We took the 30 kronor cruise and loved it.
Julia Fisher in Chicago , IL USA 06/14/2010
Used your guidebook to Scandinavia. However, one port of call was Gothenburg, Sweden, a beautiful city. Do you plan to include it in your next edition?
Deborah Zingaro in Conneaut, OH USA 06/02/2010
I returned yesterday from a trip to Copenhagen and Stockholm. The Scandinavia guidebook was very useful, but I do have one addition for the Stockholm section. After taking the boat back from Drottingholm, we were walking along the water up to the bridge that would take us to the Parliament building and Gamla Stan. We stumbled upon a little stand that sells amazing homemade organic gelato, reasonably priced wraps and salads, and all kinds of coffee drinks. We purchased the combos (a wrap, a drink, and a giant scoop of gelato for 90kr -- the wraps alone are just 60kr) and were very impressed. The owner is originally from Texas (but moved to Stockholm because she married a Swede), and she is amazingly friendly. They have tables next to their stand, and we spent over an hour sitting in the sun, enjoying our food, looking out over the water, people-watching, and chatting with the owner. All of the sandwiches have English names; we had a Hippie, a Club, and a Dagwood, and the owner stressed to us how much she values using organic, local, and environmentally-friendly ingredients. I would highly recommend this lunch spot; it has delicious food at reasonable (for Scandinavia, anyway) prices, and is very conveniently and pleasantly located for tourists going to and from Gamla Stan but hoping to avoid the expensive restaurants there. Nikki (the owner) told us that she is looking to open another location, but for now, she just has that one. She doesn't have set hours; they vary based on the weather. The name of the stand is StikkiNikki, and her website is: http://www.stikkinikki.com/en/Hem.html
Karen in Washington, DC USA 05/09/2010
Visited the Royal Copenhagen store. The basement bargains were really junk.
Mary Azevedo in Walnut Creek, CA USA 10/15/2009
We recently returned from a Baltic cruise and used Rick'a Scandinavia book for 5 of the ports (took ship tours in St. Petersburg and Gdansk) It worked great and saved us lots of money. Others had his book in hand too.
Judy in Alexandria, MN USA 10/06/2009
I would suggest you add Hostel B and B to your 'hostels in Stockholm' section of your guidebook. I stayed there a few weeks ago (sept. 2009) and it was clean, friendly and quiet. Breakfast is included. Competitive rates. Nice sitting room with TV, couches and coffee/tea at night. Located a ten minute walk down Svevagen from the central train station. Free internet. Linen and towels extra. Many options for dorm rooms, doubles and singles.
Jenna Close in Oceanside, CA USA 10/03/2009
The Merchant's House Hotel in Tallinn is outstanding. Located just a few meters from Town Hall Square on Dunkri Street(across from the Beer House) the location is the best. The hotel is newly remodeled with large, well appointed rooms. The lobby is very impressive and the staff was super friendly. They serve a good breakfast downstairs in a dining room with medieval era arches (it was once a wine cellar apparently).
Ash Morris in Tulsa, OK USA 10/03/2009
The Adinia Apartments in Copenhagen, Amerikavej 7 1756 København, Denmark
8819 3651? 8819 3699? - Fax 3969 1000? We got an apartment (living room, kitchen full equipped, and bedroom) for the price of a hotel room. A bit our of city center but easy access via bus #26.
Susan in Kalispell, MT USA 09/21/2009
Citybikes are fantastic in Sweden, good in Oslo, and always checked out in Copenhagen!
In Copenhagen (Denmark) food seemed to be slightly cheaper in Christiania and they had very tasty sandwiches.
It was an excellent idea to see the latest Harry Potter movie (in Stavanger, Norway). Observe the small cultural differences - like the numerous public service ads for recycling and the assigned seating (latecomers are seated closer to the aisles).
The TI in Vik (in the boat engine museum - Kritianhus Motormusem) will let you store your bags in their kitchen!
The Åpent Bakery (multiple locations in Oslo, Norway - http://www.apentbakeri.no/lokaler/) is great and full of locals.
In Norway is it always worth it to ask if there is a student discount as it is not always listed (i.e. Norwegian Petroleum Museum in Stavanger was half price - 40 kr).
Some tips for anyone going to Reykjavik, Iceland (great deals on IcelandAir, which now flies to Seattle). Take the Flybus from the airport to the main bus station (it is only a 5 minute walk to most of the Reykjavik hotels and will save you some money instead of being dropped off at your hotel door). Also the deal where you take the Flybus to the Blue Lagoon and then on to the airport is an excellent deal. We showed up on the first bus of the day and had the place to ourselves! Blue Lagoon was much better than expected (very relaxing and less touristy). In addition, the Einar Jonsson Sculpture Museum is great - what an interesting life he lead.
Dave in Seattle, WA USA 08/31/2009
The Copenhagen metro now goes out to the airport. It is a fast, convenient way to get from downtown to the airport. As Rick describes, the new metro is very nice.
I booked the train portion of the Norway in a Nutshell trip in advance on line. It saved at least $100, but it was non-refundable. I picked up the tickets at the Oslo train station.
J. Perschbacher in Atlanta, GA USA 08/02/2009
We found that lodging in Denmark was extremely pricey. The Scandic Hotels offer some good internet deals on their website with room and breakfast if you are willing to prepay and take the risk of losing your payment if your trip is cancelled. They also offer free wifi. We stayed at the Scandic Sydhavn in Copenhagen (just outside the center of town but near a train station)and the Scandic Plaza Arhus in Arhus across the street from the main train station. We were quite pleased with our accommodations.
Chris Peter in El Cajon, CA USA 07/29/2009
A restaurant in Tallinn: good, reasonable food Restoran Talukorts Viru St. 18, in the heart of Tallinn www.talukorts.ee
Denise in Kent, Wa USA 06/29/2009
I was a Frommer's girl for years because that happened to be the book I used when I lived abroad in college 10 years ago. This time around before hitting the road, I was a smart consumer and checked out the Frommers, Fodors and Rick Steve's books from the library when I started preparing for the trip. After comparing all that each book had in it, it was no question that I should purchase Rick's book for this trip to Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The insider tips were amazing and the suggestions were perfect. I can't say enough good things about my experience with Rick Steve's Scandinavia! I am officialy a convert and will be using Rick's books going forward!
Erik's Gondolen restaurant in Stockholm was amazing and perhaps a good add to a future book. It was expensive, but no more so than the good restaurants here in Chicago. The view was to die for overlooking the entire Stockholm area and water, especially because we were able to get a seat on the window. The food was incredible. You need reservations though to get in, so book as soon as you get in town. It was well worth it though for the amazing view and terrific meal. We celebrated our anniversary in style!
Lori K in Chicago, IL USA 06/02/2009