Stockholm and Copenhagen suggestions

[SecondAttempt]

I've been to Stockholm at least a half dozen times and used to live near Copenhagen about 40 years ago. I have many friends in Sweden who mostly live around Stockholm.

I'll be going there for a visit this summer. Any suggestions for Stockholm or Copenhagen? I think I have the major sights covered but if anyone has any suggestions I'd appreciate it! I'm visiting with my partner of several years who has never been there.

 

[savory]

Copenhagen is considered one if not the best places to bicycle in the world. Since you are going to be in biking paradise, if you both are physically able, you should go for a bike ride and/or make it a significant part of your transportation when you are there. A great way to get around with their amazing infrastructure.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Copenhagen is considered one if not the best places to bicycle in the world. Since you are going to be in biking paradise, if you both are physically able, you should go for a bike ride and/or make it a significant part of your transportation when you are there. A great way to get around with their amazing infrastructure.

Thanks! What a great idea. I have never biked there.

 

[Scrapr]

Summer in Sweden! I've always wanted to do Mid Sommer on the West Coast. It's over the solstice. But I'd love to go up there anytime during sommer. The little villages look cute

 

[SecondAttempt]

Summer in Sweden! I've always wanted to do Mid Sommer on the West Coast. It's over the solstice. But I'd love to go up there anytime during sommer. The little villages look cute

Yep. It's a Midsommar trip. Already planning the party with my friends but we will be in Stockholm not the west coast. Almost 20 years ago now we made a trip up to the arctic circle and drove over to Narvik Norway a few days after the solstice. It was very interesting to see the effects the sun has on nature. Midnight sun yes. But also very short trees because they get so little light much of the year.

I lived in the south in Sweden a couple of hours from Copenhagen (but you could not drive back then.) Even there in the winter it was dark most of the day. The sun was up but it was so close to the horizon and clouds were thick most days. I went to school and went home in the dark for about 6 weeks.

I love Sweden but I admit to having a strong bias having lived there and having many close, dear, and old friends there. I am nearly fluent in Swedish but that is hardly necessary these days as almost all Swedes speak English and are anxious to practice their English. Even when I lived there 40+ years ago it was said that everyone under 70 spoke fluent English. So I guess now it is everyone under 110. Almost all of my friends use English as the primary language of their jobs.

 

[explanade]

Hoping to see some good recommendations. Been to Stockholm, not to Copenhagen.

Gave some thought to doing Scandinavia and maybe Helsinki and Talinn for a couple of weeks in September but going with the UK instead.

But I've wanted to go back and also look into crossing that bridge between Copenhagen and Malmo featured in the legendary Bron series.

However at least on Google Maps, there don't seem to be good vantage points for views of the bridge itself from either the Sweden or Denmark side. Seems like all the views on the show and other media come from aerial shots taken for TV and movies.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Hoping to see some good recommendations. Been to Stockholm, not to Copenhagen.

Gave some thought to doing Scandinavia and maybe Helsinki and Talinn for a couple of weeks in September but going with the UK instead.

But I've wanted to go back and also look into crossing that bridge between Copenhagen and Malmo featured in the legendary Bron series.

However at least on Google Maps, there don't seem to be good vantage points for views of the bridge itself from either the Sweden or Denmark side. Seems like all the views on the show and other media come from aerial shots taken for TV and movies.

Yes, and be forewarned that it is free to cross it to the north. It was $50 EUR to cross to the south in 2016. Shocking! It is a pretty amazing project though.

You can also take the old route, the E4 to Helsingborg then a car ferry crossing.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Having lived there, Sweden and probably most of Scandinavia begins to get pretty bleak by mid September.

Having lived there in the winter I have an appreciation that most tourists would not and I do intend to visit probably winter on 2024. But it will not be for the faint of heart!

 

[braumeister]

Having lived there, Sweden and probably most of Scandinavia begins to get pretty bleak by mid September.

Yes, but not everyone is turned off by those cold, dark winters.

A few years ago we spent a couple of weeks in Norway in early March and loved it. Looking forward to spending more time over there.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Yes, but not everyone is turned off by those cold, dark winters.

Yes, I know. That's why I want to visit in the winter! I found it a magical time. It is very easy to see how the pagan beliefs were influenced by the winter season.

One place I have never been is Uppsala in spite of it being a relatively short distance from Stockholm. Uppsala is on the agenda this trip for all of the pagan/vikiing history.

Not sure if I mentioned upthread but 2023 is the 50th jubilee for the king and the 500th anniversary of the end of the Kalmar Union and Gustav Vasa starting the modern monarchy so there are lots of special things going on.

 

[NoiseBoy]

I visited Copenhagen in June, 2019 with my girlfriend. We stayed in an AirBnB that was about a 35 minute train ride from the city center. Housing and food were very expensive there compared to other European big cities. There is a small, but nice & quiet sculpture garden behind the art museum. It's a great place to take a break. The art museum is decent. We went on the free day and it was not crowded. We took a canal boat tour (Netto) which included the harbor. It was nice and they do run you out to the point where the little Mermaid statue is before turning around. It's a way to see it without going out there.

We made a couple of trips to Christiania, the hippy enclave famous for open pot smoking. It's funky, but pot is legal in my state, and I don't partake anyway, so some of the "being bad" aspect of Christiania has worn off I think. There is a pretty large open air bazaar / flea market which my girlfriend liked to shop in. We also went to the Tivoli amusement park and rode the "Daemon", a roller coaster that rolls you upside down. The ride lasted about 1 minute, which was plenty for me.

What I most remember about Copenhagen is being asked to show our train or bus tickets nearly everyday. They really police their public transit there. Also, there's a 7 Eleven on practically every corner. We enjoyed ourselves, but as far as tourist sight-seeing goes, Copenhagen is a 2 - 3 day city. My favorite street food was the spicy meatballs. Sadly, I discovered them on the last day of our trip.

 

[explanade]

What are good day trips from Copenhagen and Stockholm?

Or if not day trips, maybe worth a 2 or 3 night stay?

Other cities or more like national park areas?

 

[savory]

This was a great hike in Iceland. We did the 4 day hike. Our daughter added a day. Some difficult spots but very popular. We were self contained but there are tour groups but I do not know anything about them nor the equipment they might supply. Seems it might be a little far based upon what your post but did not want to at least put it out there. https://www.fi.is/en/hiking-trails/trails/laugavegur

 

[NgineER]

For day trips I would recommend a steamboat or ferry out into the archipelago of Stockholm. Alternatively rent a boat or charter a boat and drive through the archipelago Sandhamn is a nice spot to travel to.

 

[cathy63]

What are good day trips from Copenhagen and Stockholm?

Or if not day trips, maybe worth a 2 or 3 night stay?

Other cities or more like national park areas?

From Stockholm, take the overnight ferry to Helsinki, which is a beautiful city worth a couple of nights.

For day trips from Copenhagen, take the train to Roskilde to see the cathedral and Viking museum. You can also go to Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen; or Helsingor (aka Elsinore).

 

[Love This Community]

We drove from Stockholm to Copenhagen and driving on Øresund Bridge was a beautiful experience where the bridge goes under the sea for some distance. If you like random art and want to spend couple of hours, Christiania is good. Would also recommend a bike tour. Hop on hop off bus was convenient to see the original little mermaid statue. Overall, I loved the vibe of Copenhagen and it’s one of my favorite cities in the world I’ve been to so far. Enjoy your trip!

 

[SecondAttempt]

What are good day trips from Copenhagen and Stockholm?

Or if not day trips, maybe worth a 2 or 3 night stay?

Other cities or more like national park areas?

From Copenhagen: Helsinor and the castle where Hamlet is set and ferry to Halsinborg Sweden. Roskilde viking ship museum.

From Stockholm: Uppsala, Helsinki, the skargard (archipelago of tiny rocky islands), Gripsholm Castle, Drottningholm Castle, Birka, Vaxholm, and Mariefred. Also Runriket (runestone kingdom)