Scandinavia Nov 2022 Trip Wrap-Up
I received a message asking about my trip to Scandinavia last year, so I thought I would make a list of my recommendations and thoughts. Thanks for the inspiration, Valerie!
Overall Scandinavian Thoughts
☕️ If you’re a coffee connoisseur or even just someone who likes to drink the stuff, you will be happy camper in Scandinavia. Simply pop in to any/every cafe that catches your eye. Our favorite recommendation (from my friend Jacob) was Tim Wendelboe in Oslo which has international recognition as one of the world’s best coffee roasters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💳 We never needed currency. We brought a little Danish Krone and spent it at the Christmas Market, but all the vendors had credit card readers. We never needed Norwegian Krone nor Swedish Krona. Bring an AmEx and a Visa as backup (or MasterCard) and you’re good to go for all of Scandinavia. 👍🏼
Sauna Nation
You will find saunas absolutely everywhere… in a van, in the harbor, in a tent… take advantage every chance you get! ♨️
Copenhagen, Denmark 🇩🇰
🏨 We stayed 2 nights at the Nobis Hotel by Marriott and booked with points! HIGHLY recommend. Loved their sauna and plunge pool. The look and location were all 10/10. ♥️
🏨 Then we moved to the Marriott for a night, again with points, and just walked between the two. It was ok—neat to be on the water but not very walkable, focused on business travelers, and probably wouldn’t stay again. 6/10
Do you pick the Pickled Herring smørrebrød (left) or the Steak Tartar smørrebrød (right)?
Hallernes Smørrebrød had a paper menu in English to peruse while we waited in line at TorvehallerneKBH.
🍽️ TorvehallerneKBH was such a fun place to be! It’s 2 food halls and a giant produce stall in between them. Free and clean public restrooms are just outside. I’ll let you discover all the delicious food for yourself! 9/10 Definitely try the world-famous Hallernes Smørrebrød for one of their smørrebrød (traditional Scandinavian open-faced sandwich).
🧖🏻♀️ We pre-booked Aire Ancient Baths a couple days before we got there. This turned out to be a highlight of the trip! It’s in the super cool neighborhood of Carlsberg where the beer of the same name is brewed. 🍺 The spa is actually in the first brewery and storage area and there’s nothing like hydrotherapy and a massage immediately after a red-eye flight. 10/10 The lovely staff at the spa recommended nearby Osteria 16 for dinner and it was heaven. Another 10/10.
🖼️ Went to Designmuseum Denmark and it was okay. We love museums and design, but could’ve skipped this. 4/10 The exhibits we saw were experimental art installations—very existential. If that’s your thing, go for it!
⛲️ Visited the grounds of Rosenborg Castle and it was very pretty. 7/10 Would be even more gorgeous in the spring or summer. Lots of gardens and space to walk around outside. Statues, rose bushes, rows of trees—if this sounds up your alley, definitely go. 🌹☺️ Afterwards we walked to Nyhavn.
🍽️ Lunched at the Scandinavian Restaurant Barr. Cheaper than their dinner service with lunch entrees starting at $25–and just as wonderful—bonus: last minute reservations available. I had the schnitzel and it was incredible! 9/10 Make sure to get a bottle of white wine to cut through the rich flavors. 😉 If your budget doesn’t allow for lunch here, pick a restaurant in Nyhavn (nearby 17th-century waterfront entertainment district) and sit outside to watch the people and the canal while you eat.
🚫 We skipped the Little Mermaid statue. I had heard it is underwhelming… then we got to our hotel in Oslo and there’s a scale reproduction right out front. 😂 If you’ve seen it in Copenhagen, let me know if I missed a fun experience or not.
🍽️ Mentioned in this post (which also explains how traveled from Copenhagen to Oslo), I adore Wulff & Konstali an every-day-of-the-week brunch restaurant with a small plates concept. There are 4 locations in Copenhagen. The food and the ambiance were both perfect. 10/10
There’s plenty more in Copenhagen, but I’ll let you discover it on your own. ♥️
Oslo, Norway 🇳🇴
🏨 For our single night in Oslo we slept in the Grand Hotel. No points or anything, we’re just suckers for gorgeous old hotels even though the room was a bit small. Perfect location (we walked to the museum) and pretty. No regrets! 8/10
🖼️ Click the link above to read my post about the Nasjonalmuseet which is a MUST SEE and give yourself more time than you think. See the Scream!!! 😱
🍫 Buy yourself a kvikk lunsj bar—go to the Freia store or anywhere they sell candy bars. It’s like a KitKat, but don’t say that. Oh—and the best part? The inside of the wrapper gives you step-by-step instructions how to safely climb a mountain, in Norwegian, of course.
🍽️ Best find hands-down in Oslo was the restaurant Nedre Foss Gård where seasonal fare is served at a chic eatery in a restored 19th-century farm building. Abbreviated as NFG, there’s also a wine bar, cocktail bar, beer garden… I mean it’s just got everything all in one place, including a natural waterfall! I thought I was dreaming. Their website doesn’t have an English option… which is a really good sign! Top 5 meals of my life and we literally stumbled across it by accident on our walk after coffee at Tim Wendelboe. 10/10
🚕 Taxis in Oslo are like 3x the price of Uber. Can’t tell you why, but use Uber if you don’t have time to figure out the public transit system.
Gamla Stan
an alley in in Stockholm’s old town which is all accented with this beautiful ochre color
Stockholm, Sweden 🇸🇪
🏨 Lastly was 3 nights at the Sheraton in Stockholm. Walkable to the historic Gamla Stan (we went back several times to the antique shops, hope I get to visit again someday!). The hotel fit our needs well and we used & earned Marriott points. Not particularly special, but we got upgraded to a spacious room with a view of the train station and the harbor, and the staff was friendly, so it was great.
⚓️ The Vasa Museum was one of the highlights of the trip. The Swedish warship Vasa sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. The mud and cold water preserved it until it was brought back to the surface in 1961. The preservation team sprayed it with glycerin for 17 YEARS to replace the water in the wood and prevent it from drying out. They are still carefully preserving it today—for example, we had to go through a triple air lock just to enter the building! Go on Wednesday night for a crowd-free experience.
🖼️ The *free* National Museum has some Rembrandts! Every museum we went to in Scandinavia had free lockers, coat checks, and restrooms—all spotlessly clean. Open late Thursdays for fewer people. 😉
🛍️ Favorite shopping included Designtorget for affordable Scandinavian design and Svenskt Tenn known for their textiles and founded by the absolute icon, Estrid Ericson. We picked up several items at the former and window-shopped in the latter, placing an online order as our Christmas present to ourselves. In today’s world I think it’s smart to figure out when to buy (antique shops!!!) and when to place a convenient online order.
So much to see and do in Stockholm. Go forth and discover! Take a boat tour around the archipelago!! ♥️
