Denmark and Sweden in mid June for single woman traveling alone
May 3, 2018, 5:35 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: United-1K, Million Miler; SPG-Titanium and Lifetime Platinum; Globalist
Posts: 198
Denmark and Sweden in mid June for single woman traveling alone
I am planning a 8-9 day trip to Sweden and Denmark in June. I am a single woman, very used to traveling alone internationally, but I've never been north of Germany. Typically, I enjoy the spending time in restaurants and just walking around in new cities, and soaking in the culture, architecture, and natural beauty. I will visit museums here and there, but I typically don't have the attention span for most of them.
At this point, I am planning on most of my nights in Copenhagen and Stockholm, with day trips for interesting destinations outside the city.
Questions:
1. If you were to spend a night outside of Copenhagen, where would it be? Hotel and city recommendations appreciated.
2. Are there day trips you recommend for either city?
3. Any other must see or must know advice is appreciated.
Thank you!
At this point, I am planning on most of my nights in Copenhagen and Stockholm, with day trips for interesting destinations outside the city.
Questions:
1. If you were to spend a night outside of Copenhagen, where would it be? Hotel and city recommendations appreciated.
2. Are there day trips you recommend for either city?
3. Any other must see or must know advice is appreciated.
Thank you!
May 5, 2018, 7:02 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA Million Miler, Mosaic, Delta Platinum
Posts: 1,561
Just back from a few days in Copenhagen. Great city; I'd just plan to walk around at your own pace. Plenty of interesting things to see (just buy any guide book) and lots of great food. I would take advantage of the bike share and take the touristy boat cruise.
I went out to Kronborg Castle for an afternoon day trip - this is the castle made famous in Hamlet. Only about a 45 minute train ride and a nice little town in addition to the castle. There also seemed to be a maritime museum.
If you don't mind spending a couple of hundred dollars for dinner, Restaurant Naervaer was perfect for a solo diner.
I went out to Kronborg Castle for an afternoon day trip - this is the castle made famous in Hamlet. Only about a 45 minute train ride and a nice little town in addition to the castle. There also seemed to be a maritime museum.
If you don't mind spending a couple of hundred dollars for dinner, Restaurant Naervaer was perfect for a solo diner.
May 10, 2018, 7:37 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota,USA
Programs: UA, NW
Posts: 3,752
I am a single woman who traveled alone to Copenhagen and Stockholm after attending a family reunion in Norway.
I'm afraid I stayed within the cities, given my limited time (and a schedule mix-up), but I enjoyed both, with a slight edge for Stockholm.
Both cities are water-oriented, with canals and canal tours, which are a good way to get an overview before settling down to explore the cities on your own. Both have plenty of outdoor cafes where you can sit and people-watch. Copenhagen has a long pedestrians-only thoroughfare called Stroget, which often features street performers and leads to the place where you pick up the boat tours. I didn't got to Tivoli, because it was raining heavily on the day that I had it scheduled for.
In Stockholm, my favorite attraction was the Vasa Museum. It was built around the Vasa, a 17th-century ship that sank in the harbor on its maiden voyage (it was top-heavy) and was raised in the 1960s. Having visited the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, I thought that I would spend an hour there, but I ended up spending 3.5 hours, because in addition to the ship, you see a film about the raising and restoration of the ship and exhibits about 17th century life in general.
Restaurants in Scandinavia tend to be on the expensive side, so I economized by filling up on the hotel's breakfast buffet and having a hot dog from a street stand or a savory roll at a bakery for lunch. Occasionally, I found a food court for dinner.
The Scandinavian countries start teaching English in elementary school, and young people in particular gave me the "teen-age eye roll" when I asked if they spoke English. So if I had to address someone in a shop or restaurant, I always started by saying "Hello," to get them mentally prepared for speaking English. In addition, as small countries, they can't fill up their TV schedules with homegrown productions, so they buy a lot of programming from English-speaking countries, subtitled rather than dubbed into the local language. If you're in your hotel room in the evening, there will always be something on TV that you can understand.
Both cities have comprehensive tickets for public transit and some reduced admissions, but I don't recall the details, so ask at the tourist information kiosks in the train stations or airport.
I'm afraid I stayed within the cities, given my limited time (and a schedule mix-up), but I enjoyed both, with a slight edge for Stockholm.
Both cities are water-oriented, with canals and canal tours, which are a good way to get an overview before settling down to explore the cities on your own. Both have plenty of outdoor cafes where you can sit and people-watch. Copenhagen has a long pedestrians-only thoroughfare called Stroget, which often features street performers and leads to the place where you pick up the boat tours. I didn't got to Tivoli, because it was raining heavily on the day that I had it scheduled for.
In Stockholm, my favorite attraction was the Vasa Museum. It was built around the Vasa, a 17th-century ship that sank in the harbor on its maiden voyage (it was top-heavy) and was raised in the 1960s. Having visited the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, I thought that I would spend an hour there, but I ended up spending 3.5 hours, because in addition to the ship, you see a film about the raising and restoration of the ship and exhibits about 17th century life in general.
Restaurants in Scandinavia tend to be on the expensive side, so I economized by filling up on the hotel's breakfast buffet and having a hot dog from a street stand or a savory roll at a bakery for lunch. Occasionally, I found a food court for dinner.
The Scandinavian countries start teaching English in elementary school, and young people in particular gave me the "teen-age eye roll" when I asked if they spoke English. So if I had to address someone in a shop or restaurant, I always started by saying "Hello," to get them mentally prepared for speaking English. In addition, as small countries, they can't fill up their TV schedules with homegrown productions, so they buy a lot of programming from English-speaking countries, subtitled rather than dubbed into the local language. If you're in your hotel room in the evening, there will always be something on TV that you can understand.
Both cities have comprehensive tickets for public transit and some reduced admissions, but I don't recall the details, so ask at the tourist information kiosks in the train stations or airport.
May 16, 2018, 10:56 pm
#4
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Join Date: Jan 2009
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From Stockholm there's a wonderful day trip to the Artipelago. It's a great 2.5 hour boat trip to the museum through beautiful waterside housing, and then a bus back.
May 20, 2018, 2:56 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Stockholm
Programs: Various
Posts: 3,369
Artipelag is really nice. I think you have to be somewhat interested in the exhibitions to fully enjoy it as a foreigner with limited time in Stockholm though. The trip takes time that could be used to do other things. Still, a boat trip is a good way of seeing more than the city itself.
Another quick note on food prices. It's true that it's often expensive but you should use the lunch specials for relatively decent prices. Often non-alcoholic drinks are included too(which they're definitely not at other times).
Another quick note on food prices. It's true that it's often expensive but you should use the lunch specials for relatively decent prices. Often non-alcoholic drinks are included too(which they're definitely not at other times).
Jun 2, 2018, 6:40 am
#6
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,111
If you feel like a trip out of Stockholm, there is the cruiseferry from Stockholm to Helsinki and back, with stop-off possible in the Åland Islands.
https://www.sales.vikingline.com/fin...nki-stockholm/ (read backwards for staring at Stockholm).
After leaving Stockholm there is slow passage out of the Stockholm archipelago, then faster across the open sea to the Aland islands and onwards to Helsinki arriving there mid-morning. Returning shows you the Helsinki coast in the evening, then back in Helsinki in the morning. The food on board is a large buffet, drink on board is fairly cheap (and this is a definite attraction for the Finns and Swedes), and buying duty-free on board is very cheap because it is genuinely tax- and duty-free due to the stop at the Åland islands. which have a special tax status. The cabins are also pretty comforable. You can have a day in Helsinki before returning overnight again.
Both Stockholm and Helsinki are safe cities for women on their own - certainly far less chance of hassle or crime than in San Francisco.
https://www.sales.vikingline.com/fin...nki-stockholm/ (read backwards for staring at Stockholm).
After leaving Stockholm there is slow passage out of the Stockholm archipelago, then faster across the open sea to the Aland islands and onwards to Helsinki arriving there mid-morning. Returning shows you the Helsinki coast in the evening, then back in Helsinki in the morning. The food on board is a large buffet, drink on board is fairly cheap (and this is a definite attraction for the Finns and Swedes), and buying duty-free on board is very cheap because it is genuinely tax- and duty-free due to the stop at the Åland islands. which have a special tax status. The cabins are also pretty comforable. You can have a day in Helsinki before returning overnight again.
Both Stockholm and Helsinki are safe cities for women on their own - certainly far less chance of hassle or crime than in San Francisco.