Nordic Countries - First Trip to Scandanavia

I am just beginning to look at Scandinavia as a vacation spot. I do NOT like big tour groups.

Does anyone have ideas for fun things to do? Best time of year to go? There will be 2 to 4 people going, ages early 40's.

Any advice, links, or if anyone knows of private tour guides, please let me know.

Thanks!

A lot depends on how much time you have available and what interests you most in terms of what you want to see or do.
That said, Norway is great and with a combination of the Norwegian Coastal Voyage to see the fiords and a Scan Rail Pass to see the country you can cover a lot of ground. Regarding timing, May/June is better than August/September weather wise but both options are peak cost wise (though the earlier the better as regards crowds).
If you add a few details as to times, interests etc I'll be happy to get more specific in recommending this. And yes, I've been there a lot, most recently in September last year so I'm pretty up to date with it.

Cheers

Dave

Norway is absolutely beautiful, but if you use the search function you will rapidly learn it is very expensive. In my opinion, as long as your goal is incredible natural scenery, it is well worth the cost.

While it is not easy to reach except by ship, the most spectacular fjord we visited was Geirangerfjord (not sure of the spelling) and the Union Hotel provided a spectacular view of the fjord. The very old film, Song of Norway was filmed there. The drive into Geirangerfjord is absolutely spectular, but the narrow and twisting roads are not for the faint of heart. I let my wife do the driving and admit my eyes were closed a good bit of the time.

Lysefjord, the site of the Pulpit's Peak cliff you will often see in postcards is in Southern Norway and another highlight in our opinion. It is much easier to reach by car, but the roads leading therein are also not for the faint hearted.

If you are travelling independently and booking your own hotels, assuming the Hotel discount books still exist, they are very worthwhile leading to substantial and at very nice hotels.

Dave: Most likely it will be a 2 week trip.

elgringito: Thanks for the Fjord info! I'll look for the hotel online...

Chuck

Does anyone have any Guides to recommend?

Chuckdpt,
You are planning to visit Scandinavia on vacation and, presumably, in the very early stages of planning a trip. Rather than give too many specifics at this time, let me suggest that you also register and post your questions on Fodors Forums http://www.fodors.com/community/ and Frommers Community http://www.frommers.com/community/. They are more geared to the leisure traveler than FlyerTalk which is more oriented to the business traveler, IMO.

Scandinavia is very easy to navigate without an organized tour, particularly using a regional railpass http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/scandinavia.cfm. Would you consider this?

Travelled to Scandanavia several years ago and the highligts for the group were

1) Norway: Fijords, Bergen and Oslo
2) Denmark: Copenhagen
3) Sweden: ...did not get a lot of good feedback from Sweden but have heard others really enjoyed it.

-As others have said Norway is very expensive and more so if you are a drinker..lol....In my opinion it is well worth it.

X

Wow..thanks for the advice. I never knew they had websites. I will definitely look into those!

Chuckdpt,
You are planning to visit Scandinavia on vacation and, presumably, in the very early stages of planning a trip. Rather than give too many specifics at this time, let me suggest that you also register and post your questions on Fodors Forums http://www.fodors.com/community/ and Frommers Community http://www.frommers.com/community/. They are more geared to the leisure traveler than FlyerTalk which is more oriented to the business traveler, IMO.

Scandinavia is very easy to navigate without an organized tour, particularly using a regional railpass http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/scandinavia.cfm. Would you consider this?

Thanks!.. I Think we have pretty much decided to stick to Norway for the trip. I will look into your suggestions!

Travelled to Scandanavia several years ago and the highligts for the group were

1) Norway: Fijords, Bergen and Oslo
2) Denmark: Copenhagen
3) Sweden: ...did not get a lot of good feedback from Sweden but have heard others really enjoyed it.

-As others have said Norway is very expensive and more so if you are a drinker..lol....In my opinion it is well worth it.

X

Thanks!.. I Think we have pretty much decided to stick to Norway for the trip. I will look into your suggestions!

If you'd like a unique fjords experience in Norway, look into the Findebotten Guesthouse (http://www.findebotten.no). Stayed there last summer and it was absolutely the highlight of the trip to Scandinavia. The farm/guesthouse in a small fjord off of the Sognefjord near Vik and is only reachable via boat. Staying there is a truly amazing and remote experience.