Countries visited: Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, and Norway

Period: October – November 2021

Day 1 Leipzig – Copenhagen	FRIDAY – 17/09/2021 Train Leipzig – Copenhagen (transit at Hamburg) Staying at an Airbnb
Day 2 Copenhagen	SATURDAY – 18/09/2021 Sightseeing Copenhagen
Day 3 Copenhagen	SUNDAY – 19/09/2021 Sightseeing Copenhagen
Day 4 Copenhagen	MONDAY – 20/09/2021 Copenhagen – Lund – Copenhagen
Day 5 Copenhagen – Helsinki	TUESDAY – 21/09/2021 Flight Copenhagen Kastrup – Helsinki: SK1712 (14:05 – 17:40) – you can also check Finnair and compare the prices. Staying at an Airbnb
Day 6 Helsinki	WEDNESDAY – 22/09/2021 Helsinki sightseeing + visiting Suomenlinna
Day 7 Helsinki	THURSDAY – 23/09/2021 Excursion to Tallinn – day cruise to Tallinn – sightseeing – going back to Helsinki Note: You have to arrive at the port at least 30 mins before departure time. We almost missed it. 😛
Day 8 Helsinki – Stockholm	FRIDAY – 24/09/2021 Visiting Liesjärvi National Park. I took a very early bus to the National Park because we had to go back to Helsinki’s center the same day to take the cruise to Stockholm. You can check the bus here – the route is from Helsinki Kamppi to Kyynärä (Tammela). You can also start at a different station. Kamppi is within walking distance of the central station. However, the bus station at Kamppi is a bit tricky to find, it’s in the basement. Make sure you arrive at least 30 mins earlier to find the gate F20. There are trains, buses,… all kinds of public transportation so it could be confusing. At the national park, I talked to the sheep at the Heritage Farm Korteniemi – YOU HAVE TO GO HERE 😀 😛 Ferry Helsinki – Stockholm: Viking ferry – 17:15 – 10:00 Don’t miss the acoustic night and appreciate the moments.
Day 9 Stockholm	SATURDAY – 25/09/2021 Hostel Stockholm: Birka Hostel, Luntmakargatan 14, 111 37 Stockholm
Day 10 Stockholm	SUNDAY – 26/09/2021 Visiting the harbor and the city center We tried the pizza at MICHELANGELO; it was just a random pick and was very good but its online review is only 3.9.
Day 11 Stockholm – Oslo	MONDAY – 27/09/2021 Train Stockholm – Oslo: due to some last-minute decisions, we just went to Stockholm central station and bought the ticket there. It’s a combination of train and bus. You can also check if there are options here. Hotel in Oslo: Anker Hotel Storgata 55, Grünerløkka, Oslo, 0182, Norway
Day 12 Oslo – Bergen	TUESDAY – 28/09/2021 Train Oslo – Bergen: we planned to book a train but it increased the price; we checked it one day before the trip, almost double, so we ended up taking a flight to Bergen. Tips: book the train as early as possible. However, it was amazing to see things from above, so strongly recommended taking a flight to Bergen also. But you can check if you want to take a train to Bergen: 1. Option 1 here 2. Option 2 check this website; it includes train trips + sightseeing Oslo – Bergen and vice versa. The train trip includes some of the best spots in Norway. We took “Norway in a nutshell” – will write more about it in a separate post. Airbnb Bergen: super nice the host and the house.
Day 13 Bergen	WEDNESDAY – 29/09/2021 We took “Norway in a nutshell” – IT WAS THE BEST. I will write about it with more videos and photos.
Day 14 Bergen – Tromsø	THURSDAY – 30/09/2021 Flight Bergen – Tromsø: DY106 (13:20 – 15:15) Airbnb Tromso: this is where we saw the Northern Lights. Talking about this, I really want to come back.
Day 15 Tromsø	FRIDAY – 01/10/2021 Tromsø sightseeing
Day 16 Tromsø	SATURDAY – 02/10/2021 Tromsø sightseeing – we had one of the best sunsets in our life here.
Day 17 Tromsø – Narvik	SUNDAY – 03/10/2021 Bus Tromsø – Narvik: book here Accommodation Narvik: we stayed at Narvik Adventure AS – it’s a tent on the mountain overlooking the fjords and the city. Tip: check both Airbnb and Booking to see which option is better. Last time we booked on Booking because the price was so much better. AMAZING service and landscape! If you are lucky, you will see the Northern Lights there. Also, I will write a post just about this experience.
Day 18 Narvik – Leipzig	MONDAY – 04/10/2021 Flight Narvik – Berlin (Norwegian Air): Narvik – Oslo DY367 (15:40 – 17:25) Oslo – Berlin DY1108 (18:30 – 20:05)

There is so much more to write about this trip including unique experiences, the people, the accommodations, and of course the tips. 😉 Traveling to Nordic countries is expensive, however, it’s really worth it. And if you plan everything carefully, you can save a bunch.

Regarding public transportation, you will have to download an app in each city for it. Payment like credit cards or PayPal can be added to the app easily. It’s cheaper to pay via the app than buying the tickets directly at the station. How to know which app to download? It’s easy, at the waiting area of the station, you will see the logo or sometimes the QR code of the app you should download. It’s light and fast but make sure you have data. If not, the best way is to check it at the central station or do a quick search online. Places I have been to during this trip provide tickets that last for a certain amount of time and don’t be surprised that in some cities like Tromsø or Narvik, buses are more popular (or the only public transportation that is available) than trams or metro.

If I could change one thing in my itinerary, it would be adding at least two days at each city, but I am a big believer that you’re never going to find a PERFECT itinerary or a PERFECT travel experience without a constant willingness to experience the surprises (both good and bad) – for us, it was some last-minute changes, some strange pasta, or some out-of-breath runnings to the trains 😀 As my favorite travel inspiration, Anthony Bourdain once said “Letting the happy accident happen is what a lot of vacation itineraries miss…” Agree?

For now, let see some photos of the Nordic 😉

The video might not work (until I upgrade to premium hahaha) so you can click here to see it. 😉

I love Stockholm for so many reasons but above all, the people. Silvia, my lovely travel partner, was looking for a miniature of a Stockholm parliament (she has a collection of miniature buildings everywhere she goes) but it was hard to find one of the size she wanted. So we were talking about this as we were walking around and out of nowhere, a photographer came to us and showed us possible places where we could find the miniatures. We also talked a lot about Vietnam because he has traveled to Vietnam 4 times. He is retired now and just spends time taking good photos and talking to people. Silvia was skeptical because she was afraid of strangers, especially when he was extremely nice.

As I work in Tourism, I talked to quite a lot of “strangers”, especially seniors. I really find joy in doing that. So during the whole trip, whenever I saw someone who was confused about the train schedule, the routes,…I just came and asked, and showed them the way. Silvia “suffered” a lot whenever she saw me “hey, are you looking for this train? Yeah, we’re on the same train. I can show you the stop.” Thanks to the photographer, Silvia found the miniature. So one of the best things in life is being open to surprises, isn’t it? This picture was taken by him. So cute.

I went to see Faust – a famous and tragic work by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It was the first time I saw an opera in an opera house . I was very excited because my best friend in Vietnam talked about it a while ago and then I was able to see it. Like many other „first-times“, there was a lot to learn for me. First, I had to buy a booklet – it was not complimentary but it provided information about the acts, the singers and everyone behind the work – everything was translated into different languages including English. Therefore, if you are new to opera like me, I recommend you buy it; especially, opera can be in French or Italian. Second, applaud to show your appreciation of the work; at the end of Faust, I did ten mins of rapturous applause – also my first time doing that.

It was a very good experience despite the fact that I knew nothing about opera. I later discovered a YouTube channel where we could learn how to enjoy opera for beginners. My next mission is to find Faust statue in Leipzig and touch his foot – people say it would bring luck.

Update: And I already completed my mission 😉