Scandinavia: Copenhagen, Oslo, the Fjords and Stockholm

1. Day 1: Arrive in Copenhagen

   Copenhagen Airport (CPH) to your hotel in central Copenhagen

   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Copenhagen
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Copenhagen Airport (CPH) on the island of Amager, about 8 km from the city centre, where a driver meets you in arrivals for the short ride to your hotel. Plan to land by about 3 pm so you are settled before the evening; the exact meeting time comes with your final itinerary. If you arrive in the morning, the centre is flat and compact enough to explore on foot straight away: Strøget, the long pedestrian street, runs from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the trains, the boats and how the days are paced. Then we walk out to the Lakes, the chain of old reservoirs on the west side of the centre, where vintage neon advertising signs reflect in the water after dark, and sit down together to a welcome dinner of Danish food in Nørrebro.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Copenhagen Airport (CPH)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Evening walk along the Lakes
   • Welcome dinner in Nørrebro

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

   

2. Day 2: Copenhagen: Rosenborg, Nyhavn and the canals

   A day on foot and by boat in Copenhagen

   • By boat
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Copenhagen
   Day 2 details

   We start at Rosenborg Castle when it opens, before the tour groups arrive. Christian IV built it in the early 1600s as a summer house, and the treasury in its basement holds the Danish crown jewels and regalia. From the King's Garden we walk to Amalienborg, four rococo palaces around an octagonal square where the royal family lives and the guard changes at noon, and on to the green dome of Frederik's Church, known as the Marble Church. Then down to Nyhavn, the 17th-century canal lined with painted townhouses and old wooden ships. Lunch is smørrebrød, the open rye-bread sandwiches Danes eat at midday, at a traditional lunch restaurant. Afterwards a harbour boat takes us for about an hour through the canals of Christianshavn and past the Opera House and the Little Mermaid, which is easier to see from the water than from the crowded quay. The rest of the afternoon and evening are free: Tivoli Gardens in season, the National Museum, or a bike along the harbour.

   Included

   • Rosenborg Castle and the crown jewels at opening, with your guide
   • Amalienborg, the Marble Church and Nyhavn on foot
   • Smørrebrød lunch
   • Harbour and canal boat tour, about one hour

   Optional experiences

   • Tivoli Gardens (in season)
   • The National Museum of Denmark

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 4 to 5 km on foot, flat, on cobbles and paving.

3. Day 3: North by train, with lunch in Gothenburg

   Copenhagen to Gothenburg by train, then on to Oslo by train

   • By train
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Oslo
   Day 3 details

   Today is the longest travel day of the trip, and it is spent on trains, not in a coach. There is no direct train from Copenhagen to Oslo, so we cross the Øresund Bridge into Sweden and ride up the west coast to Gothenburg, about four hours, then on to Oslo, about four more. To break the day we stop in Gothenburg for around two and a half hours. Our support vehicle has already left with the luggage, so you walk into the city with only a day bag. Lunch is at the Feskekörka, the fish hall built in 1874 in the shape of a church, if it is open on our date, otherwise in the Kungstorget market hall. Then we walk through Haga, the old district of wooden houses known for its large cinnamon buns, and climb the steps to Skansen Kronan, a late 17th-century fortress tower with a view over the rooftops. The afternoon train runs north past Trollhättan, crosses into Norway and follows the east side of the Oslofjord, reaching Oslo in the early evening. Dinner is free tonight.

   Included

   • Train from Copenhagen to Gothenburg over the Øresund Bridge
   • Lunch in Gothenburg
   • Walk through Haga and up to Skansen Kronan with your guide
   • Train from Gothenburg to Oslo
   • Luggage carried by road from Copenhagen to your Oslo hotel

   Easier option: Skip the climb to Skansen Kronan and wait in a Haga café; the steps are steep but short.

   Free time: Evening free in Oslo

   Activity: About 8 hours on trains with a 2.5-hour stop in Gothenburg. We leave Copenhagen around 8 am, the earliest start of the trip, and reach Oslo around 7 pm; exact train times come with your final itinerary.

   

4. Day 4: Oslo: Vigeland, the waterfront and Munch

   Frogner Park to the harbour, Akershus and Bjørvika

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Oslo
   Day 4 details

   Oslo is a city for walking, and we see it in the order the light and the crowds suggest. We begin in Frogner Park among the more than 200 sculptures Gustav Vigeland made for it, granite and bronze figures leading up to the Monolith, while the park is still quiet. A tram takes us down past the Royal Palace to City Hall, whose painted main hall is where the Nobel Peace Prize is presented each December, then along the harbour to Akershus Fortress, the medieval castle on the headland. From there it is a short walk to Bjørvika and the Opera House, whose white marble roof slopes down to the water so you can walk up onto it for the view across the fjord. Next door is the Munch Museum, where your entry is included and The Scream is shown in rotation with Munch's other versions of it. Lunch and the afternoon are yours: take the summer ferry to the Fram Museum on Bygdøy, or eat at the food hall at Vulkan.

   Included

   • Vigeland sculptures in Frogner Park with your guide
   • Oslo City Hall
   • Akershus Fortress
   • The Opera House roof walk
   • Munch Museum entry

   Optional experiences

   • Ferry to Bygdøy for the Fram Museum and the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History

   Free time: Lunch, afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 5 to 6 km on foot, with the slope of the Opera House roof. Oslo gets one full day: a guided morning and a free afternoon and evening, after the arrival evening on day 3.

   

5. Day 5: The Bergen Line and the Flåm Railway

   Oslo to Myrdal on the Bergen Line, then down the Flåm Railway to Flåm

   • By train
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Flåm
   Day 5 details

   A morning train takes us west from Oslo on the Bergen Line. It climbs through forest and farm valleys to Geilo, then above the tree line onto the edge of the Hardangervidda plateau, where Finse station sits at 1,222 m, the highest point on the line, often with snow beside the track into early summer. Lunch is on board from the café car, on us. At Myrdal, about four and a half hours from Oslo, we change to the Flåm Railway, which drops 863 m in about 20 km to the head of the Aurlandsfjord, one of the steepest standard-gauge lines anywhere. Most trains pause at the Kjosfossen waterfall so you can step out onto the platform. We reach Flåm in the middle of the afternoon to find the bags already at the hotel: our vehicle drove them over the mountains. The rest of the afternoon is free to walk along the fjord or up the valley, and dinner tonight is together, since Flåm is a small village with few places to eat.

   Included

   • Bergen Line train from Oslo to Myrdal
   • Lunch on board
   • Flåm Railway from Myrdal to Flåm, with the Kjosfossen stop
   • Luggage carried by road from Oslo to your Flåm hotel
   • Dinner in Flåm

   Free time: Afternoon free in Flåm

   Activity: About 6 hours on trains. We tell you which side of the Flåm Railway carriage has the best view when we confirm the timetable.

6. Day 6: The Nærøyfjord and Stegastein

   Flåm by boat through the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen, back by road, then up to Stegastein

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Flåm
   Day 6 details

   We take the earliest boat that runs from Flåm on our date, the best chance of a quieter deck before the day visitors arrive in summer. The boat runs out along the Aurlandsfjord and turns into the Nærøyfjord, a narrow arm of the Sognefjord that UNESCO listed in 2005 with the Geirangerfjord as the West Norwegian Fjords. At its narrowest the water is about 250 m wide, with mountain walls rising more than 1,000 m on both sides, waterfalls coming off the rim and a few old farms on ledges above the water. After about two hours we land at Gudvangen, where our vehicle meets us for the 20-minute drive back through the tunnels to Flåm and a sit-down lunch. The afternoon is free. At the end of the afternoon, when the viewpoint is usually quieter, we drive up to Stegastein, a platform that juts about 30 m out from the mountainside, 650 m above the Aurlandsfjord, with the village of Aurland far below.

   Included

   • The earliest boat of the day from Flåm through the Aurlandsfjord and the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen
   • Vehicle back to Flåm
   • Sit-down lunch in Flåm
   • Stegastein viewpoint in the late afternoon

   Optional experiences

   • Kayak hire on the fjord

   Easier option: Spend the free afternoon at the Flåm Railway Museum by the station or by the water; Stegastein needs no walking beyond the platform.

   More active option: Hike the steep path up to the Brekkefossen waterfall above the valley, about two hours return from the village, with your guide.

   Free time: Afternoon free

   Activity: Bring a warm layer for the boat deck: it is cool on the water even in summer.

7. Day 7: Over the mountains to Bergen

   Flåm to Gudvangen, Stalheim, Tvindefossen and Voss, then Bergen

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Bergen
   Day 7 details

   After breakfast our vehicle takes the road west to Bergen, about 170 km and three hours of driving, broken up so it never feels like a transfer. Through the tunnels to Gudvangen and up the Nærøy valley, we stop at Stalheim for the view straight down the steep valley below the fjord we sailed into yesterday. Further on, Tvindefossen falls in broad steps beside the road, a few minutes' walk from the car park. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Voss, a lakeside town known for outdoor sports. From Voss the road follows rivers and narrow fjord arms down to the coast, and we reach Bergen by mid-afternoon with time to settle in. The rest of the afternoon is free. In the early evening your guide walks anyone who wants to come through the lanes of wooden houses on the hillsides behind the harbour, where painted clapboard homes with flags at the door climb above the city centre. Dinner is free tonight.

   Included

   • Drive from Flåm to Bergen with your guide
   • Stalheim viewpoint over the Nærøy valley
   • Tvindefossen waterfall
   • Sit-down lunch in Voss
   • Evening walk through Bergen's wooden-house lanes

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   

8. Day 8: Bergen: Fløyen and Bryggen

   Mount Fløyen, the Fish Market, Bryggen and Bergenhus

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Bergen
   Day 8 details

   We ride the Fløibanen funicular early, before the cruise passengers come up, to the top of Mount Fløyen, 320 m above the harbour, for the view over the city, its islands and the sea. Walk back down through the forest on marked paths, or ride down. Then the Fish Market on the harbour front and Bryggen, the row of wooden Hanseatic warehouses along the quay that UNESCO listed in 1979. With your guide we walk the narrow timber passages behind the gabled fronts, where German merchants traded dried cod from northern Norway for grain for centuries; most of the buildings date from the rebuilding after the fire of 1702. Next door, inside Bergenhus Fortress, stands Håkon's Hall, a royal hall built in the 13th century. Lunch is fish soup or the catch of the day near the harbour. The afternoon is free. Bergen is known for rain, so if the day is wet your guide changes the order and the KODE art museums by the Lille Lungegårdsvann lake become the covered plan.

   Included

   • Fløibanen funicular up Mount Fløyen
   • The Fish Market
   • Bryggen with your guide
   • Bergenhus Fortress and Håkon's Hall
   • Sit-down lunch by the harbour

   Optional experiences

   • Troldhaugen, Edvard Grieg's home, with a lunchtime concert in summer
   • The KODE art museums

   Easier option: Ride the funicular both ways and take the Bryggen walk at your own pace.

   More active option: Walk down from Fløyen through the forest, about 40 minutes on steep paths, or continue on the marked trails above the top station before coming down.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 4 to 6 km on foot, with steep lanes and steps if you walk down from Fløyen.

   

9. Day 9: Fly to Stockholm

   Bergen to Bergen Airport, Flesland, flight to Stockholm Arlanda, then the Arlanda Express into Stockholm

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Stockholm
   Day 9 details

   A slow morning in Bergen, with time for a last walk along the harbour or a coffee by the market, before our vehicle takes us to Bergen Airport, Flesland, about 20 km south of the centre. The direct flight to Stockholm Arlanda takes about an hour and a half and replaces what would otherwise be two long days on the road across Norway and Sweden. Your ticket includes a checked bag. From Arlanda the Arlanda Express train reaches Stockholm Central in about 20 minutes, and we are at the hotel by mid-afternoon. Stockholm is built on islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic, and the first walk shows you how it fits together: across the bridges to Gamla Stan, the old town, through its narrow lanes to Stortorget, the square ringed by tall merchants' houses painted red and ochre, then up onto the heights of Södermalm for the view back over Slussen, the old town and the water. Dinner is free tonight.

   Included

   • Transfer to Bergen Airport (BGO)
   • Flight from Bergen to Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) with one checked bag
   • Arlanda Express train into Stockholm
   • Evening walk through Gamla Stan and up to Södermalm with your guide

   Free time: Morning free in Bergen; evening free in Stockholm

   Activity: Flight times change by season; the exact flight comes with your final itinerary.

   

10. Day 10: Stockholm: the Vasa and City Hall

    Djurgården by ferry to the centre, then Kungsholmen

    • By ferry
    • Breakfast and lunch
    • Stay in Stockholm
    Day 10 details

    We are at the Vasa Museum on Djurgården when it opens, before the tour groups. The Vasa was a royal warship that sank in Stockholm harbour on her maiden voyage in 1628, less than a nautical mile out, and lay in the mud until she was raised in 1961. Almost all of what you see is original, carved figures and all, and the hall is kept dim and cool to protect the wood. From Djurgården a ferry takes us across the water to the centre for a sit-down lunch, then to City Hall, the brick tower on Kungsholmen, for a guided tour: the Blue Hall, the brick banquet room used for the Nobel dinner each December, and the Golden Hall, its walls covered in gold-leaf mosaics. The rest of the afternoon is free. Skansen, the open-air museum of old Swedish houses and farms, is next door to the Vasa, and Fotografiska, the photography museum, sits on the Södermalm waterfront.

    Included

    • Vasa Museum at opening with your guide
    • Ferry from Djurgården to the centre
    • Sit-down lunch
    • Guided tour of Stockholm City Hall

    Optional experiences

    • Skansen open-air museum
    • Fotografiska
    • ABBA The Museum

    Free time: Afternoon and evening free

    Activity: City Hall is visited only on guided tours and closes for official events; if it closes on our day we swap it with the Royal Palace.

    

11. Day 11: The archipelago and a farewell dinner

    Stockholm by boat to Vaxholm and back

    • By boat
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Stockholm
    Day 11 details

    Stockholm's archipelago runs out to sea in tens of thousands of islands and skerries, and the easiest way in is on the regular boats locals use. From the quay at Strömkajen we sail for about an hour past summer villas, wooded islands and small jetties to Vaxholm, a little wooden town whose fortress, first built in the 16th century, guarded the sea approach to the capital. Walk the lanes of painted summer houses, look across at the fortress on its own island, and sit down to a lunch of fish or seafood by the harbour before the boat back in the early afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is free for anything you have missed: the Royal Palace and its treasury, the Nordic Museum, or a last fika, the Swedish coffee break with a cardamom or cinnamon bun. In the evening we meet for a farewell dinner together, the last chance to compare notes on three countries, the trains, the boat through the fjords and the view from Stegastein.

    Included

    • Archipelago boat from Stockholm to Vaxholm and back
    • Lunch in Vaxholm
    • Farewell dinner in Stockholm

    Optional experiences

    • The Royal Palace
    • The Nordic Museum

    Easier option: Stay in the city for a slow morning and meet the group for the farewell dinner.

    Free time: Afternoon free

12. Day 12: Depart from Stockholm

    Your hotel in Stockholm to Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN)

    • By train
    • Breakfast
    Day 12 details

    The trip ends after breakfast. If your flight leaves later in the day, leave your bags at the hotel and use the morning for one more walk: along Strandvägen's waterfront to Djurgården, through the food stalls of Östermalm's market hall, or across to Riddarholmen for the view of City Hall over the water. Your guide confirms each guest's departure time the evening before and sees you off. A transfer to Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN), about 40 km north of the city, is included: the Arlanda Express train from Stockholm Central, about 20 minutes, or for a flight before about 9 am a car we pre-book to collect you from the hotel. Arlanda has direct and connecting flights home to Canada and the United States. Book a flight leaving after about 11 am so the morning is not a rush; for an earlier flight the pre-booked car is timed to suit it.

    Included

    • Transfer to Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) by the Arlanda Express, or by pre-booked car for flights before about 9 am

    Free time: Morning free until your transfer

    Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 11 am.

Wildlife and weather: Summer days are long: in June and July it stays light until about 10 to 11 pm in Oslo, Bergen and Stockholm. Expect 15 to 22 C in the cities and cooler, changeable weather in the mountains and on the fjords. Bergen is known for rain in every season, so the Bergen day has a covered plan.

• Copenhagen2 nights
• Oslo2 nights
• Flåm2 nights
• Bergen2 nights
• Stockholm3 nights