Awesome Tour of The Scandinavian Capitals

Your Scandinavian Capitals Tour begins in Denmark, where Scandinavia began. Denmark is the birthplace of New Nordic cuisine, LEGOs, Vikings, and the land of hygge (seeking comfort and happiness in everyday life). Copenhagen is an easy capital to love. It’s a clean and vibrant city, considered Europe’s greenest, where bikes are the preferred mode of transport. Here you’ll find offbeat neighborhoods and plenty of green spaces, while you stroll along Strøget, Europe’s longest pedestrian shopping boulevard, and past the colorful, postcard-perfect buildings of Nyhavn. Along with Zealand to its north, you’ll find fantasy lands of castles like Rosenborg and Kronborg, the setting for Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, along with fairy tale characters like The Little Mermaid. Stop by Tivoli Gardens, the amusement park that inspired Walt Disney. See sleek, modern architecture juxtaposed with ornate, historic buildings, like the Carlsberg Museum & Tasting Room and the Round Tower (Rundetaarn), which will give you an amazing panorama of the city. You’ll enjoy the time you have to explore this capital on your own.

Day 1: Copenhagen Arrival• Arrive Copenhagen. One of our friendly drivers will meet you for your private transfer to your hotel, Boutique Hotel Absalon (or similar) for 3 nights
• Your afternoon is free to explore

Day 2: Copenhagen Highlights• Morning 3-hour guided, small-group tour (walking or bike)
• Your afternoon is free to explore

Day 3: North Zealand Day Trip• Full day, 6 ½ -hour guided, small group tour

Day 4: Copenhagen & Oslo• Your day is free to explore
• Check out of hotel and embark the overnight ferry to Oslo in a Commodore-Class cabin

Oslo is a modern capital, stunningly clean and beautiful, although it’s certainly proud of its classic past. Greet your first day in Norway via the scenic route, through the Oslofjord. You’ll be amazed by Vigeland Sculpture Park’s 200 bronze and stone models of the human form, the life’s work of a single artist. Walk on the roof of the striking Opera House, with its exterior recalling a glacier, contrasted by a woodsy warm interior. There’s so much to see and do here. Why not take a day to explore Bygdøy, on the city’s western edge and take full advantage of your Oslo Pass? Bygdøy boasts lots of green spaces and Oslo’s most popular museums, like the Viking Ship Museum, the Holocaust Center, and the Kon-Tiki Museum, along with great hiking & biking trails, and even a beach.

Day 5: Arrival Oslo • Check into Thon Hotel Opera (or similar) for 2 nights
• Afternoon 3-hour guided, small group tour (walking or bike)

Day 6: Oslo• Your day is free to explore; be sure to use your Oslo Pass

Day 7: Oslo Departure/Arrive Stockholm• Check out of your hotel and head to train station for a scenic ride to Stockholm
• Check into the Elite Eden Park Hotel (or similar) for 3 nights
• Your afternoon is free to explore

Välkommen to Scandinavia’s most popular city, Stockholm, perhaps the most beautiful capital of Northern Europe. The city is comprised of 14 islands, each one with its own unique character like Djurgården, a former royal hunting ground, now filled with locals enjoying green parks and lush gardens, plus attractions like the Vasa Museum, an intricately carved battleship that sunk on its maiden voyage. You’ll also find Skansen, an open-air museum filled with historic artifacts and re-creations of Swedish life in days past. See where the city began in Gamla Stan (Old Town); explore its cobblestone streets and beautifully preserved, medieval architecture. Stop by the Royal Palace and the exquisite City Hall with its breath-taking mosaic-tiled Golden Hall and rooms that famously host the Nobel Prize Awards ceremony. Enjoy a fika, a typical daily Swedish experience, involving friendly conversation, coffee, and a pastry. Here in beautiful Stockholm you’re never far away from water and that’s reflected in the cuisine. Enjoy some of the freshest seafood you’ll find anywhere. We even make sure you have a chance to join some of the locals for a traditional Swedish meal.

Day 8: Stockholm• Morning 3-hour guided, small group tour (walking or bike)
• Your afternoon is free to explore

Day 9: Stockholm • Morning 3-hour guided, small group tour (walking or bike)
• Dine with Locals on the charming Lidingö island in the archipelago

Day 10: Stockholm• Your morning is free to explore
• Check out of hotel and depart on the overnight ferry to Helsinki in an A Class Cabin

Welcome to the final leg of your Scandinavian capitals journey! A much newer city, Helsinki lacks the medieval history that is so present throughout Scandinavia, but you can see its Swedish roots. In fact, most signs here are bi-lingual. But there’s a Russian feel to this city, due to Finland’s accession to the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917. You’ll see that influence in the golden-domed Uspenski Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in western Europe, with its magnificent icons as well as the Senate Square which reflects an older, more German influence. With peace and independence, sites like Suommenlina Fortress now host families and picnics on sunny days, rather than soldiers on guard. Like the other capitals on this tour, Helsinki has a very high quality of life, higher education, the fine arts, as well as green spaces to enjoy. You’ll see all of that here, along with striking examples of modern design, like the circular, Lutheran “Church of the Rock” (Temppeliaukio), cut directly from the bedrock in the late 1960’s. The striking Sibelius Monument, a tribute to the Finnish-born composer, is also from the same period.

Day 11: Helsinki• Arrive Helsinki ferry port
• Check into Clarion Hotel Helsinki (or similar) for 2 nights
• Your afternoon is free to explore

Day 12 Helsinki• Morning 3-hour guided, small group tour
• Your afternoon is free to explore

Day 13: Depart Helsinki • Check out of hotel and meet one of our friendly drivers for your private, comfortable ride to the airport

We hope Scandinavia’s beauty, culture, food, and people will make you want to return soon. Discover Scandinavia Tours will enjoy welcoming you back as we help you plan your next, in-depth Nordic journey.