What to see and where to stay in Amsterdam, Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki or Stockholm?

Question

Also, how many days should I allow for any of those cities? Thanks!

I don't plan to go to all five; just taking opinions, thanks!

Answer 1

It depends on how many days u'll want to spend visitin Scandivania & Amsterdam...perhaps best u look up wot interests u the most so it can help u make ur decisions.Try the links below for attractions then later u can estimate how much time u wud want to spend in the city itself.Hope that helps.Cheers! :)

**fellow swede living in Stockholm. :)

Answer 2

I would allow at least 2 days for each city - that should give you enough time to hit the major sites in each.

Amsterdam - Definitely go to the Rijksmuseum, I thought this was the best tourism attraction here. The Ann Frank house is also a must (a sobering experience though).

Oslo - My favorite attraction here was the Vigeland sculpture park and the Royal Castle. Stayed at a Scandic hotel which was centrally located on a shopping street and very nice.

Copenhagen - My favorite place of all as I used to live here! Definitely see the Little Mermaid, and take some time to stoll up Stroget and have a beer or an ice cream in Nyhavn. If you're going in the spring/summer, Tivoli is also a must do. When I've had to stay in a hotel in CPH, I've generally tried to stay near the train station / city center.

Helsinki - Stayed at Scandic Simonkenttä - a really nice hotel and centrally located. In general, I didn't find there was much to see in Helsinki. A boat tour of the harbor is nice though

Stockholm - Try to stay in GamlaStan (old town). In my opinion, this is the nicest part of the city - you can stroll along narrow cobbled streets, it's really quaint. Definitely go to the Ice bar (a little touristy, but a lot of fun). For nightlife, you want to try to get into Cafe Opera or Spybar, the trendiest bars in Stockholm. For sights, I recommend the castle and town hall.

Answer 3

If you want to see all cities, a day in most, and a few days in one would do, I would go for just 2 of them and stay about 3 days in each. (If you really want to say you have been in all, spend half a day in the others.)
I think I would combine Oslo and Amsterdam, the quietest and the busiest of the lot, but I really like them.
I have not been in Helsinki, but I found Stockholm and Copenhagen nice towns, but nothing exceptional.
Oslo is real relaxed, specially in summer when every family is in the parks till bedtime. And they have a lot of parks.

Before you make your plans, read up on the town, if you are a museum person, read the lists of museums and art galleries, if you are a shopping kind of person, check for the bands you are looking for or the kind of stuff you would buy.
I'd say that from quiet and relaxed to a place where things happen you should rate them in this order: Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam. (As said, I have not been in Helsinki.)

I live near Amsterdam and have been there many times, I often go for just one afternoon. But most people seem to like two or three days, unless they are museum crazy, than they may want at least a week.

Answer 4

I will suggest an itinerary for you.

Fly into Amsterdam.

Amsterdam - 3 days
Day 1: Invest an hour in a canal-boat trip.
Have a dutch lunch.
Head for one of the "big three" museums. The Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frankhuis.
After the museum, go for a "traditional" Dutch dinner treat -- an Indonesian rijsttafel. Afterward, if you're still up for it, you really shouldn't miss having a drink in a brown cafe; your Amsterdam experience won't be complete without it.
Day 2: Go for a short stroll along your favorite canal before lunch. Do the whole of one of the walking tours, visiting some of the stores and bookstores you see along the way. Save the big museums for your second day.
Day 3: visit the Red Light District, but not at night, morning is the best time to do it. Most of the weird folks have turned in for the day, and there's almost an air of innocence to the place, which actually occupies one of the prettiest parts of the old city.

Take the train to Copenhagen.

Copenhagen - 2 days
Day 1: Walk through the lively pedestrian center, then enjoy dinner.
Day 2: Catch a canal cruise and greet the Little Mermaid statue. Enjoy Europe's best people-watching on the Strøget, or visit the fanciful Tivoli Gardens and their midnight fireworks display.

Take the train to Stockholm.

Stockholm - 3 days .
Day 1: Take a ferry to Djurgården and visit the Vasa Ship Museum, Stockholm's most famous attraction, and explore the open-air Skansen folk museum. In the afternoon, take our walking tour of Gamla Stan (Old Town) and have dinner at one of its restaurants.
Day 2: Get up early and visit the Kaknästornet television tower for a panoramic view of the city and its archipelago. Go to the Museum of Nordic History for a review of 5 centuries of life in Sweden. After lunch, visit the Millesgården of Lidingö, the sculpture garden, and former home of Carl Milles.
Day 3: Return to Gamla Stan to see the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace. . In the afternoon, visit the National Museum. In the evening Sail overnight from Stockholm, enjoy a day in Helsinki, and return to Stockholm the next evening. This is the most scenic boat ride in Europe.
Two fiercely competitive cruise lines, Viking and Silja, make the trip.

Helsinki - 1 day
Upon arrival, grab a seat on the daily bus tour that meets you at the dock. You'll get a two-hour rapid-fire overview of Finnish history and a quick look at the city's top monuments and churches. In the afternoon, visit the Seurasaari Open-Air Folk Museum. In the evening, savor a cup at the harborside Café Kappeli before boarding time. Sail back to Stockholm.

From Stockholm, take the train to Oslo.

Oslo - 3 Days
Day 1: Explore the Viking ships, the polar ship Fram, the Kon-Tiki Museum, the Norwegian Maritime Museum, and the Norwegian Folk Museum. In the late afternoon go to Frogner Park to admire the Vigeland sculptures.
Day 2: Take a walking tour, have lunch in a Norwegian restaurant, and explore the Edvard Munch Museum in the afternoon.
Day 3: Take the train ride from Oslo to Bergen. It's one of the most beautiful train rides you'll ever see.
If you have time, I suggest you take the Norway in a Nutshell tour. No visit to Norway is complete without seeing the Fjords.
Here's a link http://www.norwaynutshell.com

Fly back home.

Happy Travel. :-)

Answer 5

I would skip Oslo unless you have a lot of money to spend! Copenhagen has always been topped ranked and very well reviewed by everyone who has visited. Stockholm again beautiful and rave reviews, if your looking at a mid level budget I would suggest Copenhagen.