Scandinavian Road Trip... Where to visit?

[Dan_1981]

Last year we did a quick road trip around the Balkans. Fantastic trip & thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

This year the plan is for Scandinavia - same format, less than a week fly into and out of either Copenhagen, Oslo or Stockholm and then drive between the others.

Looking for suggestion of places to stop between them, or things we should try not to miss?

Also - any issues with car rental crossing borders in that area?

Ta.

[Harpoon]

I've been to Gothenburg for work but even with the little bit of exploring I managed, thought it seemed a really nice place and would like to go back.

It's obviously well placed to break-up an Oslo > Copenhagen drive as well.

[StupidDecisions]

Trollstigen is not to be missed as is the whole area of Norwegian fjords.

If you can stomach the one way car rental fees then consider flying to either Trondheim or Ålesund and driving down to the cities you mentioned. Don't underestimate the driving times required in Norway, the roads are very good but twist and wind around the landscape and speeding fines are very high.

[PositronicRay]

Vasa museum in Stockholm.

[gregch]

Ah, great thread - we've been planning the very same thing.

FWIW, so far I was thinking:

Start in Copenhagen, cross "the bridge" to Malmo, across width of Sweden, ferry to Gotland (Visby), back across to Stockholm, back home.

As for Stockholm, yes Vasa museum is impressive (though I found all the rebuilt bits and interactive exhibits a bit annoying) but we enjoyed the ABBA museum more (and not even an ABBA fan)!!! Also worth getting a ferry out into the archipelago too.

[Dan_1981]

Completed a bit more searching...

Fly into Oslo early Wednesday morning and then out again late Sunday evening.

Planned Route:

Oslo -> Karlstad -> Orebro - > Stockholm -> Vadstena -> Jönköping -> Malmo (Bridge / Tunnel) -> Copenhagen -> Helsingor (Ferry) -> Helsingborg -> Gothenburg -> Oslo

Any obvious locations that have been missed or suggested for a stay?

Heading into the Fjords is a great idea but I don't think quite works for this trip.

[onlynik]

Have you checked the hire car places? A friend of mine has just returned from Oslo and they would only hire electric cars to them.

[Dan_1981]

onlynik said:

Have you checked the hire car places? A friend of mine has just returned from Oslo and they would only hire electric cars to them.

At high level yes but not with any detail - quick search on Alamo suggested they would offer something small sized - but I guess that could end up being an electric mini or similar!

[Traffic]

Former Brit here, now living in Sweden, Give me some questions and I will try and help :-)

[Mazinbrum]

Ferry from Stockholm through the Archipelago to Riga is a great trip, if you get the right ship its a mini cruise with great dining and a show, be careful drinking though as every driver is breatherlised coming off.

[Jake899]

The aviation museum at Linköping is worth a visit.

[Lagom]

Dan_1981 said:

Completed a bit more searching...

Fly into Oslo early Wednesday morning and then out again late Sunday evening.

Planned Route:

Oslo -> Karlstad -> Orebro - > Stockholm -> Vadstena -> Jönköping -> Malmo (Bridge / Tunnel) -> Copenhagen -> Helsingor (Ferry) -> Helsingborg -> Gothenburg -> Oslo

Any obvious locations that have been missed or suggested for a stay?

Heading into the Fjords is a great idea but I don't think quite works for this trip.

Oslo -> Karlstad -> Örebro - > Stockholm ... that is one hell of a boring drive, source: I live in Örebro.

The Oslo to Karlstad part is okay, if you like trees, and Karlstad is nice enough for a pit stop, not much to see in Örebro other than the castle. The E18 is a boring drive too, full of Eastern European trucks.

Personally, I'd spilt it into two separate trips Norway/Sweden. As suggested above a Baltic ferry cruise around the archipelago is fabulous any time of the year (I'd skip the ferry to Riga part as that's two days there and back).

Anyhow, I've added a few options to your route for a Stockholm - Stockholm loop.

Stockholm -> Kalmar - Öland (or Gotland) - Ystad - Lund - Malmo (Bridge / Tunnel) -> Copenhagen -> Helsingor (Ferry) -> Helsingborg -> Halmstad -.Varberg -Gothenburg -> Jönköping -> Vadstena -> Stockholm


Jönköping - not much to do there although nearby Eksjö is a lovely wooden 15-century town. On the plus side with all that driving you won't have to buy any beer at 100kr (£8 for 50cl). Remember the drinking drive limit is close to zero in Sweden.

Edited by Lagom on Tuesday 8th August 13:58

[Lagom]

If you wanted to see more of Denmark there's also the options of two short ferry routes from northern Denmark to western Sweden:

Frederikshavn to Gothenburg
Grenaa to Halmstad

Not cheap, but then again nothing is in the Nordics

[h0b0]

We had similar plans to visit Stockholm, Copenhagen and Olso/Norway in general this year. We ended up giving up on cars with the exception of a one day rental ion Stockholm. The train from Stockholm to Copenhagen is painless and cheap.

We have also split the trip into two, first being Stockholm and Copenhagen which we did in April and the second being Norway which we will be doing next week.

Just seeing Oslo felt like missing out on the country. A friend of mine grew up in Oslo and told us we had to get out and see more. I still tried to make it a road trip but car rental just doesn't work. Instead, we are using trains to get to most destinations and flying North from Bergen. There will also be a cruise in the fjords.

[Lagom]

Dan_1981 said:

onlynik said:

Have you checked the hire car places? A friend of mine has just returned from Oslo and they would only hire electric cars to them.

At high level yes but not with any detail - quick search on Alamo suggested they would offer something small sized - but I guess that could end up being an electric mini or similar!

For car hire in Sweden try either of these:

For a specific car/something different:
https://www.mabi.se/eng

For something cheap see: (Circle K is BPs global brand).
https://www.circlek.se/biluthyrning

[Traffic]

Lagom said:

If you wanted to see more of Denmark there's also the options of two short ferry routes from northern Denmark to western Sweden:

Frederikshavn to Gothenburg
Grenaa to Halmstad

Not cheap, but then again nothing is in the Nordics

Ferry no longer runs to Varberg, but now about 45 minutes to the south in Halmstad instead.

[Lagom]

Traffic said:

Ferry no longer runs to Varberg, but now about 45 minutes to the south in Halmstad instead.

Which is what I said in my post that you quote

[Randy Winkman]

PositronicRay said:

Vasa museum in Stockholm.

I agree.

[Dan_1981]

Recognise that the quick visit to multiple countries doesn't work for everyone, but it's what we enjoy.


Would a route that runs down the East coast of Sweden before crossing back over to Malmo be more interesting than coming back over the middle between the lakes?

[Traffic]

Dan_1981 said:

Recognise that the quick visit to multiple countries doesn't work for everyone, but it's what we enjoy.


Would a route that runs down the East coast of Sweden before crossing back over to Malmo be more interesting than coming back over the middle between the lakes?

Not so much to see in either option, forest and boggy lakes until you get right down south.