Scandinavian countries are the happiest ones. This is an official statement by the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen. And it is not a joke. For the last couple of years, the whole world is literally going crazy about the Scandinavian style of life, fashion, interior design, and attitude towards all the things around us. There are hundreds of books and magazines on how to become closer to that Danish and Norwegian rhythm. Everyone tries to find out what is the secret that makes people who live there happy and relaxed in their own way. The truth is that no one book will tell you about those countries more than the people who live there. Traveling is the fastest and easiest way to learn about the country, its culture, and nation. As it gives quite different feelings and better understanding than looking at Norway, Denmark, Sweden, or Finland through the printed materials. Travel guides are good. But they don't give you a deep understanding of what a certain place is living with. Especially, if we're talking about Scandinavia.
Today, we're going to talk about Scandinavian tourism and how to get the most out of your next trip to Finland, Sweden, or Norway. First of all, you need to solve the ordinary problems as booking a flight. Northern Europe is not a faraway place for your next trip. When it comes to a flight, you have multiple options. You can easily book a comfortable and cheap flight to Europe even if you are travelling from the USA. For example, you have a plenty of choices like travelling with a transit to be able to visit other places in Europe: New York to Ivano-Frankivsk flights, New York to Kyiv, New York to Lviv, etc. Pay attention to the transit flights as they are much cheaper than long-haul trips without transit in some other country. At the same time, you get 2 in 1 trip as you can additionally visit a country where you make a transit in. In our example, it is Ukraine.
And now let's imagine that you've already arrived at your final destination. How to get the most out of your trip to those Scandinavian countries?
Destination: Scandinavia
Of course, what Scandinavia most famous for is its natural attractions as well as its culture. It is a great place to observe the midnight sun, the heights of mountains, and the wild countrysides. No matter what season or the weather is. In any case, a trip to Northern Europe will bring you unforgettable memories and beautiful photographs for social media and family photo albums.
So, let's look at a non-tourist way of exploring Scandinavian territories firstly.
Scenario 1
The first way of exploring the beauty of Northern Europe is by travelling through the countries by car, sleeping in a camp, and enjoying the landscapes. This is one of the funniest ways to travel with friends or family members. When you decide for a holiday car hire, we suggest the Price Drop Protector – an exclusive solution offered by Easyrentcars.com. It saves your money automatically once the car rental price goes down after you book.
- Gather a big tourist backpack, taking everything you may need on a road.
- Plan your future route.
- After arriving in Scandinavia, rent a car and follow your plan. Go to the most beautiful places to camp like Hossa National Park, Skane, Yuteri, Koli National Park, or Ramberg Gjestegard. Everything is up to you. You can choose one place only or move from one place to another if you have plenty of time during your winter or summer vacations.
- A camping trip doesn't mean you have to be in the wild all the time. You can explore the mountains and the lakes for a couple of days, and then move on to explore the city surroundings. Learn Scandinavia through smaller towns and villages. Enjoy the countryside and don't forget to take a short boat trip.
- Camping trips make you closer to the nature of the countries you are visiting, allowing you to understand how the locals spend their free time and how such magnificent views influence the perception of life.
Camping journey is the right way to discover Scandinavia in its fullest sense. But the best period to do it is probably spring, summer, or autumn. For the winter trip, it is better to use the second scenario.
Scenario 2
This time we recommend visiting the bigger and smaller Scandinavian cities mainly. The region has plenty of beautiful towns and villages to go to – Bergen, Skien, Oslo, Kristianstad, Nacka, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Assens, Aarhus, Vejle, Falkenberg, etc.
- In this case, we recommend booking a hotel room or renting an apartment in advance. Probably, the second variant will be the best one. This way you will be able to see the world's famous Scandinavian interior in reality. Scandinavian apartments are not very spacious but very comfortable and cosy. Use online services to book a place while being at home yet. For example, Booking.com or Wimdu.com.
- The first thing you should do after arriving in Sweden, Denmark or Norway is to try local food. About the first thing to do, we're joking, of course. But new Nordic food is a must for any tourist. Among food trends, for now, are smorrebrod, Danish Aebleskiever, rodkal, frosnapper, crispy pork cracklings, etc.
- Ride a bike. We can't imagine any Scandinavian country without a bike. The biggest part of local citizens in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark are riding the bicycles, even in winter. So, if you want to feel yourself a local, rent a bicycle to explore the surroundings.
- Visit one of the most beautiful, but non-touristy places like Hornstull Marknad in Stockholm, Kent Kaffe Laboratorium in Copenhagen, Strommingsvagnen in Stockholm, Bolsjefabrikken in Copenhagen, Munch Museum in Oslo, etc. And don't forget about the urban gardens – urban farming with tomatoes, lettuce, and herbs in the heart of the city.
Make a trip to one of these Scandinavian countries at least. You will get new ideas and inspirations on how to better the quality of your own life. So, pack a suitcase, book a ticket, and welcome to Scandinavia.