Scandinavian Escape

Welcome to the start of your Scandinavian adventure! Your tour leader will be waiting for you at our starting hotel in Copenhagen during the afternoon. After everyone's checked in, we'll meet up with an expert local guide who will show you the highlights of the Danish capital on a driving and walking tour, including the famous Nyhavn waterfront, Rosenborg castle and the famous little mermaid statue. To round off the first day of the tour we'll enjoy an included dinner, where you can get to know your fellow travellers and learn a bit more from your tour leader about what incredible experiences the next 11 days will bring!

Enjoy a free day to explore Copenhagen at your own pace. Options include the Tivoli Gardens, a famous amusement park and pleasure garden, and the Rundetaarn, an astronomical observatory that offers fantastic views of the city, and is known worldwide for its unique equestrian staircase leading to the top. You could also return to Nyhavn and enjoy a drink on the canal side, and visit Freetown Christiania, a commune in the east of the city that was established by squatters in 1971 and attracts nonconformists from around the world.

Make sure you prepare your camera this morning, because you’ll be witnessing some absolutely stunning Danish countryside! Our first stop today is Odense, where we’ll enjoy an orientation tour of the home town of prolific author and fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen. We’ll then make our way to the town of Skagen, where you’ll have the chance to walk to the tip of the Grenen sandbar peninsular, the northmost point of Denmark. After a full day of exploring we’ll head to Frederikshavn for a relaxing dinner at our hotel!

Today we’ll take a ferry and then make our way through southern Norway to Oslo. On arrival in the Norwegian capital tonight we’ll enjoy a walking tour with an expert local guide, who will show you sights including Akershus Castle, Oslo Opera House, the Parliament building and the Royal Palace.

As we travel from Oslo to the west coast we’ll journey through the heart of Norway, witnessing the incredible scenery changing from emerald green landscapes to cobalt blue fjords to white snow-clad mountains. Along the way we'll make a quick stop at Vøringfossen, which is probably the most famous waterfall in the country and has a total drop of 182 meters.

This evening we’ll arrive in Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city and known as “the city among the seven mountains”. The beautiful Unesco World Heritage-listed Bryggen quay is the highlight, while Norway’s famous fjords are just a short journey away. Upon arrival, your Expat Explore tour leader will take you on an orientation walking tour of Bergen, introducing you to the highlights of Norway’s first capital and former seat of royalty, including the old Hanseatic wharf Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Bergen Fortress.

Enjoy a free day to explore the beautiful Norwegian city of Bergen, or choose to take one of our optional excursions to explore the surrounding area. You can choose to join a half-day tour to Skjerjehamn, where you'll enjoy a four hour sailing from Bergen and see the incredible maelstroms (whirlpools).

There are more than a thousand fjords in Norway, with most concentrated on the west coast, so we’ll be perfectly located today as we explore the scenic heartland of Norway on our way to Lillehammer. We’ll take a stop off along the way in Gudvangen, a village located at the end of Nærøyfjord, arguably Norway’s most famous fjord. You’ll have the option to visit a viking village, and then take a cruise along the Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjorden fjords to Flam - still blue water is framed by towering cliffs and dramatic waterfalls - the easiest picture-postcard photo’s you will ever take. Late evening we'll arrive in Lillehammer, a ski resort town in southern Norway, where we'll enjoy an included dinner.

Today we’ll continue on our journey and cross into Sweden, where the stunning natural landscapes keep coming as we take a scenic drive through the mountains and deep forests to the Dalarna area in central Sweden - keep an eye out for elk and moose! Dalarna is famous for the Dalecarlian horse, a traditional Swedish hand-painted wooden horse statuette painted in bright colours. We'll visit a workshop that produces these iconic ornaments, which uses wood from the slow-growing pine forests around the nearby Lake Siljan.

As we make our way through the Swedish countryside, we'll take a lunch stop in Uppsala. Sweden's fourth largest city is the seat of the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden, and home to Scandinavia's largest cathedral - the striking Uppsala Cathedral. On arrival in Stockholm we’ll enjoy a walking tour with an expert local guide. You’ll be introduced to the highlights of Sweden’s capital including the Royal Palace, Gamla Stan (the old town and heart of the city) and the AF Chapman ship. This evening enjoy an included dinner.

Enjoy the day exploring more of Stockholm! Gamla Stan is the old town, comprised of red, orange and terracotta-coloured buildings overlooking narrow cobblestone streets. The numerous islands that make up the town offer fascinating walks, especially through the Djurgården, where you can visit Skansen, the open-air Swedish history museum.

Today you are on the final leg of your Scandinavian tour, look out for lakes, forests and rolling fields as we drive through the Swedish countryside. Just before we get to Copenhagen, we will stop at the town of Helsingør. This town is home to Kronborg Castle, known to many as 'Elsinore' and the setting for Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'. We'll see the castle from the water as we take a short ferry from Sweden back to Denmark.

Today, our tour concludes after breakfast. Be sure to share your contact details with your fellow travellers. We hope you've enjoyed your Scandinavia Escape tour as much as we have!