wrenz

My wife and I are visiting Stockholm to Copenhagen late May and we have 7 days/6 nights for the trip – probably 3 nights in each city. Our budget is moderate+, but I understand that won’t go far so we’ll have to spend a bit more to be comfortable. I have looked through this forum and have found good information.

Judging by the comments, it seems for Stockholm, the Sheraton is the best value for money and room size. I couldn’t find a consensus for where to stay in Copenhagen (although there was a suggestion to stay on the Club floor at the Marriott to save on expensive dining)

Your favourite things to do, see & places to stay would be appreciated. Also recommendations for the rail trip between cities would be most helpful.

Cheers

TheEagle

Book the train tickets on www.sj.se. Traveltime is about 5h. From 200SEK. Cheap if you book now.
Sheraton is close to the railwaystation and maybe you´ll have a nice view of the townhall as well but the area around the hotel is not so fun.
If you like luxury shopping, clubbing or fine dining select a hotel near Stureplan instead.
I would recommend to stay at Hotel Rival in the heart of Södermalm. Rival is owned by Benny Andersson, member of ABBA.
On Södermalm you´ll find smaller shops, nice bars, small but really good and cheaper restaurants.
There are three really good areas on Södermalm. The area round Mariatorget where Rival is. But don´t miss the areas around Nytorget and around Hornstull.

TheEagle

I missed one more thing!
Be aware of taxi scam.
Always look at the taxi price list on the taxi windows before getting in.
Read this and remember!!! http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/Tra...ockholm/Taxi-/
Taxi Stockholms is a good company this app is really good. https://itunes.apple.com/se/app/taxi...375988670?mt=8

wrenz

Thank you for your replies. Good to know about the taxis. Regulated taxis is something that I take for granted so knowing they are unregulated is a great help. I'll take a look around Södermalm as you suggest.

Some reviews of the train between Stockholm and Copenhagen seem to indicate it is not that scenic and it is cheaper & faster to fly. So I'm still researching.

Cheers

exilencfc

There's also an overnight train from Stockholm to Malmo which I used last year, I thought the cost was quite reasonable given that it's effectively a hotel and a train. From Malmo it's just a quick ride over the bridge to Copenhagen.

The things I most enjoyed in Stockholm were the Vasa and Skansen open air museum. Copenhagen itself I didn't find very exciting but I enjoyed Roskilde and the Viking Ship Museum very much.

We stayed in the Marriott Copenhagen but not on the club floor. It's a nice hotel in a decent location but I didn't think much of the breakfast - not worth paying for (the second day we didn't bother, bought bread and cheese from the shop round the corner instead). In Stockholm we stayed at Frey's hotel which, small rooms aside, was excellent. They had a huge and very tasty breakfast buffet which made lunch un-necessary!

helosc

The Scandic Hotels are normally among the cheaper options for Scandinavia :
http://www.scandichotels.com

The train is very fast so it is difficult to see the area you drive through.
As someone mentioned earlier, if you book early it is cheap, if not you can probably fly cheaper. SAS or Norwegian :
http://www.flysas.com
http://www.norwegian.com
Both airlines sell single tickets at normal price ( not punishing you for not buying a return as many other airlines do ).

Timewise train and plane will probably be about the same : train goes from central station to central station - flying involves transport to and fro from airports, checking in, waiting for luggage.

I would probably spend slightly longer in Stockholm - such a wonderful city with a lot to see. You can spend days just strolling around the different districts.

There is a ferry to the outdoor museum 'Skansen' - it's part of the public transport system so day tickets and 3 day tickets can be used on it.
http://www.waxholmsbolaget.se/visito...rry-terminals/
It's a very short sail but very nice.

There are also old trams to and back from 'Skansen'. At the time you are there only on weekends. The English version on their site is not working but you can see pictures and check the route anyway :
http://www.djurgardslinjen.se/trafikering/
They are also part of the public transport system.

A link to the public transport system :
http://sl.se/en/Visitor/Plan-your-journey/

helosc

For good measure a link to the public transport system in Greater Copenhagen :
http://www.moviatrafik.dk/dinrejse/T...h-tourist.aspx

It's not a very informative site but it gives you some prices.

Busses, metro and trains ( S-tog ) have an integrated ticket system.

If you have any other practical questions about Copenhagen as your trip gets nearer, you can ask and I'll try to find the answers.

flyerhog

Well, in terms of prices, expect close to or higher costs compared to Germany.

ksandness

Scandinavia is expensive, but you can save on food by 1) filling up at breakfast, since huge breakfast buffets are the norm in Scandinavia, 2) Having a hot dog from a vendor's cart or a sandwich at a bakery for lunch, 3) Avoiding alcoholic beverages (heavily taxed), and 4) Having your evening meal at a food court or cafeteria.

The food courts there seemed to be a cut above those in the U.S., with the stalls individually owned rather than corporate. I had a lovely Indian meal at food court in Stockholm (wish I could remember exactly where it was), where the naan was made to order while I waited.

I know, not elegant, but then I mostly patronize ethnic and neighborhood restaurants in the States, so it wouldn't make sense to patronize expensive restaurants in Europe.

Also, unless you're staying on points, there's no reason to spring for an expensive hotel. I stayed at the Comfort Hotel Stockholm, adjacent to the Arlanda Express entrance of the central station (you'll never find it otherwise) for US$110 a night for a spotless but basic single with private bath and US$95 for the same (although breakfast cost extra) at the very centrally located Cabinn City in Copenhagen. My philosophy when traveling is that I'm not there to sit around in the hotel all day, so as long as the rooms are clean, the neighborhood is safe, and the employees are friendly and competent, I'm happy.

GUWonder

Absent elite status-related benefits, the best value for money in Stockholm hotels is to buy Choice points and redeem for a deluxe park view room at the Clarion Sign. A decent breakfast is included. And it's one of the better hotels in Stockholm IMO, after having stayed at just about all the highest-end hotels in Stockholm and having been left unimpressed by all of them.

For Copenhagen hotels, if you have Marriott elite status with decent benefits, then use the Marriott. Personally, I'd buy Choice points and redeem for the Hotel Temperance in Malmo, as that includes breakfast and a basic dinner -- and I'd combine that with a regional Oresunds visit card as that allows unlimited travel in Southern Sweden and the Copenhagen to Helsingor region.