Concorde to LHR, then BA to Which Scandinavian Nation?
Apr 20, 2003 | 10:01 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Austin
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Concorde to LHR, then BA to Which Scandinavian Nation?
I'm one of the lucky persons who was able to use Qantas miles from Randy's deal to get a last-minute Concorde ticket JFK to LHR in early August. Rather than stay in London, I'd like to continue on to one of the Scandinavian countries for a 5-day (or so) vacation. Which one should I go to?
I assume I'll fly BA to take advantage of their 5000-mile per direction limitation.
I've travelled several times in Europe but never to any Scandinavian nation. My interests trend toward seeing and photographing nature, towns and cities, and doing low-brow touristy things like county fairs, city bus tours and daytime harbor cruises. Night-time activities, and fine dining, are of much less interest.
It's likely that this will be my only opportunity to visit the area.
Which Scandinavian nation, or combination, would be best for such a limited amount of time?
------------------
Middle_Seat
I assume I'll fly BA to take advantage of their 5000-mile per direction limitation.
I've travelled several times in Europe but never to any Scandinavian nation. My interests trend toward seeing and photographing nature, towns and cities, and doing low-brow touristy things like county fairs, city bus tours and daytime harbor cruises. Night-time activities, and fine dining, are of much less interest.
It's likely that this will be my only opportunity to visit the area.
Which Scandinavian nation, or combination, would be best for such a limited amount of time?
------------------
Middle_Seat
Apr 20, 2003 | 10:13 am
#2
In Memoriam
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my suggestion would be copenhagen...its good for a few days & you could go to sweden easily - particulary if you are collecting countries. i haven't done it but have heard that there are many interesting short day trips.
Apr 20, 2003 | 10:23 am
#3
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Joh and I did just this last year using QF miles. We flew to Norway, as that is a very expensive destination for travellers. Superb place, then we caught the ferry to Copenhagen and flew back from there. Hiltons are 10,000 a night there now. See Scandic thread in Hilton forum. Seeing a one star dump runs a few $100 a night that is a great deal. 
I have just posted a lot of our Concorde souveniers - boarding passes, Crew cards, menus, wine lists, seat plan etc up here
------------------
~ Glen ~
Come visit HERE the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!
[This message has been edited by ozstamps (edited 04-20-2003).]
I have just posted a lot of our Concorde souveniers - boarding passes, Crew cards, menus, wine lists, seat plan etc up here
------------------
~ Glen ~
Come visit HERE the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!
[This message has been edited by ozstamps (edited 04-20-2003).]
Apr 20, 2003 | 10:44 am
#4
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I'm Norwegian, but I far prefer Sweden. Stockholm is a beautiful city and there's a lot to do there. Oslo is OK, but there's little architectural interest. Bergen and the fjiords are beautiful though. Alcohol is expensive throughout Norway and Sweden, which is why forspielen is poplular - where you drink at home with friends before going out and spending a fortune for drinks.
Apr 20, 2003 | 4:51 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Sweden
Posts: 5,645
I would vote for Sweden and Stockholm. Like Glen said, Scandic Hotels(there are like 1000s of them only in Stockholm) only cost 10.000 Hhonors points per night.
Stockholm is also a great city and many people call it the Venice of Northern Europe.
Let me know if you choose Sweden and Stockholm as country. Maybe a FT dinner in the Swedish capital?
Stockholm is also a great city and many people call it the Venice of Northern Europe.
Let me know if you choose Sweden and Stockholm as country. Maybe a FT dinner in the Swedish capital?
Apr 20, 2003 | 5:43 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 514
I am Finnish, but I also think that if you want to see a city, then Stockholm is the best choice. Copenhagen and Helsinki are nice too, but in architecture Stockholm has more to offer (I can't get enough of Gamla Stan whenever I visit Stockholm).
But the best of Scandinavia you definitely find outside cities. E.g. Finland has thousands and thousands of beautiful lakes and gorgeous archipelago between Turku and Aland. Aland is another one of my favorite places. It is an autonomuos part of Finland, where people speak Swedish as their native language. Then Lapland (in Finland or Sweden) is another great experience for outdoorsy people -- it just amazing to go hiking there in the kind of rough, but beautiful environment often without really seeing any other people. Fjords in Norway are great too. I have enjoyed the northern part of the country most, I mean Trondheim (worth seeing as a city too -- it has e.g. a big cathedral where the king is crowned) and up. Lofoten are quite amazing.
Five days is a too short time to really see Scandinavia, but you can do a lot of nice stuff. Maybe you could think about flying to Stockholm, spending some time browsing the city, maybe driving to some smaller towns nearby (trains and buses are good options too), and taking a two-night-one-day cruise to Helsinki or Turku (shorter) in Finland? Quite nice ships (with many restaurants, bars, sauna-spas etc.) sail these routes daily and they go through the beautiful Stockholm and Turku archipelagos, stopping in Aland too. For more info: http://www.silja.com/english/ and http://www.vikingline.fi/index.asp?lang=en
But the best of Scandinavia you definitely find outside cities. E.g. Finland has thousands and thousands of beautiful lakes and gorgeous archipelago between Turku and Aland. Aland is another one of my favorite places. It is an autonomuos part of Finland, where people speak Swedish as their native language. Then Lapland (in Finland or Sweden) is another great experience for outdoorsy people -- it just amazing to go hiking there in the kind of rough, but beautiful environment often without really seeing any other people. Fjords in Norway are great too. I have enjoyed the northern part of the country most, I mean Trondheim (worth seeing as a city too -- it has e.g. a big cathedral where the king is crowned) and up. Lofoten are quite amazing.
Five days is a too short time to really see Scandinavia, but you can do a lot of nice stuff. Maybe you could think about flying to Stockholm, spending some time browsing the city, maybe driving to some smaller towns nearby (trains and buses are good options too), and taking a two-night-one-day cruise to Helsinki or Turku (shorter) in Finland? Quite nice ships (with many restaurants, bars, sauna-spas etc.) sail these routes daily and they go through the beautiful Stockholm and Turku archipelagos, stopping in Aland too. For more info: http://www.silja.com/english/ and http://www.vikingline.fi/index.asp?lang=en
Apr 20, 2003 | 7:44 pm
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 99
My 2 cents:
Scandinavia is the most beautiful corner of the planet...and the people are wonderful!!
- Copenhagen is stunningly beautiful and the people are so friendly and charming it's amazing. If you want a wonderful place to stay (homestay) for about $40/night right in the middle of Copenhagen with the most delightful Danish woman let me know(email me off-line). Beautiful room, great garden, etc.
- Stockholm is also beautiful. If you go here stay at the Grand Hotel (expensive but really worth it...corporate rates aren't too bad). Even if you can't stay there go there for breakfast. It's about $10 and it's the best breakfast in all of Scandinavia...plus it gives you a really authentic taste of Scandinavian culture/cuisine. It's an incredible buffet with dozens and dozens of breads, cheeses, eggs, jams, coffee and beautiful Swedish girls in pretty dresses serving coffee with charm and a smile.
Rent mountain bikes (just down the waterfront from the Grand Hotel) and ride all over Stockholm...the best way to see it. DON'T miss the Wasa ship museum.
- In Norway - go to Bergen and the fjords...skip Oslo. The north is beautiful if you can get up there. Internal flights aren't too expensive.
Scandinavia is the most beautiful corner of the planet...and the people are wonderful!!
- Copenhagen is stunningly beautiful and the people are so friendly and charming it's amazing. If you want a wonderful place to stay (homestay) for about $40/night right in the middle of Copenhagen with the most delightful Danish woman let me know(email me off-line). Beautiful room, great garden, etc.
- Stockholm is also beautiful. If you go here stay at the Grand Hotel (expensive but really worth it...corporate rates aren't too bad). Even if you can't stay there go there for breakfast. It's about $10 and it's the best breakfast in all of Scandinavia...plus it gives you a really authentic taste of Scandinavian culture/cuisine. It's an incredible buffet with dozens and dozens of breads, cheeses, eggs, jams, coffee and beautiful Swedish girls in pretty dresses serving coffee with charm and a smile.
Rent mountain bikes (just down the waterfront from the Grand Hotel) and ride all over Stockholm...the best way to see it. DON'T miss the Wasa ship museum.
- In Norway - go to Bergen and the fjords...skip Oslo. The north is beautiful if you can get up there. Internal flights aren't too expensive.
Apr 20, 2003 | 8:57 pm
#8
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
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Curious, my repeated experience is that the Grand Hotel in Stockholm is an overpriced dump, poorly located to public transport, and surviving off its now-faded history. I'd instead stay at one of the boutique hotels in Gamla Stan, or for public transit convenience, one of the chain hotels near the main train station.
Apr 21, 2003 | 3:05 am
#9
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Honours Gold, KLM Gold
Posts: 574
Ozstamps was a little short in his earlier post regarding our trip...
This trip brings back wonderful memories:
Flying the CONCORDE from New York to London (an experience on its own). Then we travelled (via AMS/KLM) to Bergen (Norway). We stayed at the Strand Hotel, an Olde Worlde hotel overlooking the harbour and fish market, very central. We did the Bergen 1/2 day city tour (can be purchased from the tourist office). We started the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour in Bergen. You can purchase a ticket from any Norwegian railway station (cost is NOK896pp). This trip takes you from Bergen to Voss via train (great scenery). Then you board a (waiting) bus to go through the mountains to Gudvangen (great scenery again) where you board a (waiting) ferry that takes you to Flam (great Fjord scenery). Flam is a (single hotel, nothing else) tourist trap. Much better to stay at the stop before Flam (I don't remember the name of the village, but likely to be more interesting than Flam, which only harbours the hotel). The next morning we caught the 'historic' train to Myrdal (VERY scenic) which has several photo stops. At Myrdal you catch the (waiting) luxury express train to Oslo, which takes you through high, almost inhabitable grounds (again, amazing eary scenery) before coming into Oslo... YOU GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH WITH THIS TRIP! You can also do the trip in reverse: from Oslo to Bergen.
In Oslo we stayed at the Scandic hotel, next to the train station (very convenient). We did the Highlights of Oslo tour (1/2 day) - great highlights.
That evening we boarded the overnight DFDS Seaways ferry to Copenhagen. There's plenty to see at night, because the sun doesn't really set... Make sure you have a cabin on port side, so you see land as you're going alongsode it initially... The walk to the ferry from the Scandic hotel is about 7-10 minutes - very easy. You can see the ferry (terminal) from the hotel if your room faces the (station) square.
Copenhagen is very, very picturesque, you can easily spend 2-3 days in the city and not get bored. We stayed at the (Weber) Scandic again - an olde worlde hotel - where we had an upgrade to a "Hollywood" suite Ozstamps organised this in advance, VERY comfortable... In Copenhagen we did the Grand Tour of Copenhagen (1/2 day) as well as the "Castles of New Sealand" tour" (1/1 day). Both tours are very good and visit interesting places. Rasmus met up with us and we did a walking/public bus tour of the city, including Christiana (no, it's not his girlfriend and I won't say more in public).
From Copenhagen we flew back to AMS. The Weber Scandic is very close (about 250m) to the railway station and you can catch a direct train to the airport from there for next to nothing (as long as you're able to work out the ticketing machine, so allow yourself an extra 5mins).
IN GENERAL: Norway is VERY expensive (for Australian standards) as far as food and hotels is concerned. All hotels come with breakfast which also supplies many traditional Norwegian dishes (yum!). Tours are good value. Once in Denmark, you can afford to eat and drink again...
For additional info: go to www.yahoo.com and search for "Norway in a Nutshell", sites. There are lots of them which will give you info and pix. You can also book the "Norway in a Nutshell" tickets via Eurorail at close to the Norwegian price.
If you decide to do this one, email me and I can give you additional info and email addresses of hotels, tour co's and the email address of 'Helga' at Bergen Railway Station who was not co-operative AT ALL. A public servant I suspect, my perseverance and Dutch background had to aid him strongly to become more 'willing' in the long run... I made it a point when we picked up our tickets for the trip at Bergen Railway station, to get him out of his office and shake his hand - he remembered me, which hopefully will make it better for the next (internet) traveller...
This trip brings back wonderful memories:
Flying the CONCORDE from New York to London (an experience on its own). Then we travelled (via AMS/KLM) to Bergen (Norway). We stayed at the Strand Hotel, an Olde Worlde hotel overlooking the harbour and fish market, very central. We did the Bergen 1/2 day city tour (can be purchased from the tourist office). We started the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour in Bergen. You can purchase a ticket from any Norwegian railway station (cost is NOK896pp). This trip takes you from Bergen to Voss via train (great scenery). Then you board a (waiting) bus to go through the mountains to Gudvangen (great scenery again) where you board a (waiting) ferry that takes you to Flam (great Fjord scenery). Flam is a (single hotel, nothing else) tourist trap. Much better to stay at the stop before Flam (I don't remember the name of the village, but likely to be more interesting than Flam, which only harbours the hotel). The next morning we caught the 'historic' train to Myrdal (VERY scenic) which has several photo stops. At Myrdal you catch the (waiting) luxury express train to Oslo, which takes you through high, almost inhabitable grounds (again, amazing eary scenery) before coming into Oslo... YOU GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH WITH THIS TRIP! You can also do the trip in reverse: from Oslo to Bergen.
In Oslo we stayed at the Scandic hotel, next to the train station (very convenient). We did the Highlights of Oslo tour (1/2 day) - great highlights.
That evening we boarded the overnight DFDS Seaways ferry to Copenhagen. There's plenty to see at night, because the sun doesn't really set... Make sure you have a cabin on port side, so you see land as you're going alongsode it initially... The walk to the ferry from the Scandic hotel is about 7-10 minutes - very easy. You can see the ferry (terminal) from the hotel if your room faces the (station) square.
Copenhagen is very, very picturesque, you can easily spend 2-3 days in the city and not get bored. We stayed at the (Weber) Scandic again - an olde worlde hotel - where we had an upgrade to a "Hollywood" suite Ozstamps organised this in advance, VERY comfortable... In Copenhagen we did the Grand Tour of Copenhagen (1/2 day) as well as the "Castles of New Sealand" tour" (1/1 day). Both tours are very good and visit interesting places. Rasmus met up with us and we did a walking/public bus tour of the city, including Christiana (no, it's not his girlfriend and I won't say more in public).
From Copenhagen we flew back to AMS. The Weber Scandic is very close (about 250m) to the railway station and you can catch a direct train to the airport from there for next to nothing (as long as you're able to work out the ticketing machine, so allow yourself an extra 5mins).
IN GENERAL: Norway is VERY expensive (for Australian standards) as far as food and hotels is concerned. All hotels come with breakfast which also supplies many traditional Norwegian dishes (yum!). Tours are good value. Once in Denmark, you can afford to eat and drink again...
For additional info: go to www.yahoo.com and search for "Norway in a Nutshell", sites. There are lots of them which will give you info and pix. You can also book the "Norway in a Nutshell" tickets via Eurorail at close to the Norwegian price.
If you decide to do this one, email me and I can give you additional info and email addresses of hotels, tour co's and the email address of 'Helga' at Bergen Railway Station who was not co-operative AT ALL. A public servant I suspect, my perseverance and Dutch background had to aid him strongly to become more 'willing' in the long run... I made it a point when we picked up our tickets for the trip at Bergen Railway station, to get him out of his office and shake his hand - he remembered me, which hopefully will make it better for the next (internet) traveller...
Apr 21, 2003 | 6:14 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 99
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RichardInSF:
Curious, my repeated experience is that the Grand Hotel in Stockholm is an overpriced dump, poorly located to public transport, and surviving off its now-faded history. I'd instead stay at one of the boutique hotels in Gamla Stan, or for public transit convenience, one of the chain hotels near the main train station.</font>
Curious, my repeated experience is that the Grand Hotel in Stockholm is an overpriced dump, poorly located to public transport, and surviving off its now-faded history. I'd instead stay at one of the boutique hotels in Gamla Stan, or for public transit convenience, one of the chain hotels near the main train station.</font>
Apr 21, 2003 | 6:47 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Austin
Programs: AA P4L, WN, BA, DL, UA, HHonors, IHG
Posts: 3,505
I'm glad everyone here is so enthusiastic about Scandinavia! Knowing that Scandic hotels accept HHonors points will be very useful, because I have quite a few of those points. Thanks, everyone, and keep the comments coming!
------------------
Middle_Seat
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Middle_Seat
Apr 22, 2003 | 7:23 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: SW WA
Posts: 4,048
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">I'd instead stay at one of the boutique hotels in Gamla Stan</font>
Any other recommendations as to where to stay/eat/go would be great!
Apr 22, 2003 | 9:24 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: FLL -> Where The Boyars Are
Programs: AA EXP 1.7 M, Hilton Gold, Hertz 5*, AARP Sophomore, 14-time Croix de Candlestick
Posts: 18,669
I'll join the recommendations for Copenhagen, a wonderful, interesting city.
A couple of thoughts:
There is a relatively new Hilton at the Airport. I stayed there in 2000 a couple of weeks after they opened their doors. It is across the street from the Airport entrance and airport train station (access via a walkway). Trains for the Copenhagen city center and for Malm leave every 20 minutes. Direct (no transfer) trains to places such as Elsinore also leave from this station.
The rooms have stunnning decor and are completely soundproof, and feature cool Bang & Olufsen entertainment systems too
A couple of restaurants:
Excellent, innovative seafood, an outstanding global wine list and soothing decor at Sren K, located in the waterside "Black Diamond" wing of the Royal Danish Library. Their menu can be seen at their website:
http://www.soerenk.dk/
And, for a change of pace, a teriffic French Regional restaurant in the center of Copenhagen: LEducation Nationale
http://www.leducation.dk/
A couple of thoughts:
There is a relatively new Hilton at the Airport. I stayed there in 2000 a couple of weeks after they opened their doors. It is across the street from the Airport entrance and airport train station (access via a walkway). Trains for the Copenhagen city center and for Malm leave every 20 minutes. Direct (no transfer) trains to places such as Elsinore also leave from this station.
The rooms have stunnning decor and are completely soundproof, and feature cool Bang & Olufsen entertainment systems too
A couple of restaurants:
Excellent, innovative seafood, an outstanding global wine list and soothing decor at Sren K, located in the waterside "Black Diamond" wing of the Royal Danish Library. Their menu can be seen at their website:
http://www.soerenk.dk/
And, for a change of pace, a teriffic French Regional restaurant in the center of Copenhagen: LEducation Nationale
http://www.leducation.dk/
Apr 26, 2003 | 9:00 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: FLL -> Where The Boyars Are
Programs: AA EXP 1.7 M, Hilton Gold, Hertz 5*, AARP Sophomore, 14-time Croix de Candlestick
Posts: 18,669
A couple of additional ideas:
An Indian restaurant serving very good food at reasonable prices is RESTAURANT SHEZAN at 33 Havnegade, right opposite where the ferry to Malmo leaves from.
Second - If you like Mephisto shoes but hate paying the exorbitant prices charges in the US, there is a large "concept" Mephisto store on the Storget. They have styles that are not sold in the US, and I picked up a pair that Nordstrom sells for $280 for about $156 (after VAT refund etc). Ask for Tina.
Edited for typo
[This message has been edited by Non-NonRev (edited 04-26-2003).]
An Indian restaurant serving very good food at reasonable prices is RESTAURANT SHEZAN at 33 Havnegade, right opposite where the ferry to Malmo leaves from.
Second - If you like Mephisto shoes but hate paying the exorbitant prices charges in the US, there is a large "concept" Mephisto store on the Storget. They have styles that are not sold in the US, and I picked up a pair that Nordstrom sells for $280 for about $156 (after VAT refund etc). Ask for Tina.
Edited for typo
[This message has been edited by Non-NonRev (edited 04-26-2003).]
