Unlock Natural and Cultural Adventure: Travel to Scandinavia

You’ll likely arrive midday, so check into your hotel and head out to grab some lunch. I’d suggest trying the Danish open-face sandwich known as Smørrebrød. It’s a traditional lunch dish, so you’ll already feel like a local.

Explore Freetown Christiania. The site is a former military barracks that is now home to an organized commune of about 1,000 inhabitants. It’s truly a unique area to walk through.

Just across the canal, you can find yourself at one of the few street food parks. This one is called Broens Street Food. I’d suggest trying the famous Gasoline Grill for a delicious Burger. The line may be long, but it goes quickly!

During the summer, the sun doesn’t set until late in the evening, so grab yourself a glass of wine and sit in front of the NÆRVÆR and enjoy the views.

Copenhagen does not mess around when it comes to coffee shops. Enjoy breakfast at BÅDEN. It’s a “wagon” converted into an adorable café that sits along the canal. If there is one thing I can say is eat all the Rye bread while in Scandinavia. It is unreal!

Make your way to the famous area of Nyhavn and enjoy the colorful buildings. Enjoy yourself by having a cocktail at the many restaurants along the waterfront.

Enjoy your walk to the shopping district on Strøget street. Along the way here you’ll find a small food truck called DØP — The Organic Sausage Man. Do yourself a favor and try a few. I’m from Chicago and love hotdogs. These are amazing!

To end your day, go to Tivoli Gardens. It is the second-oldest amusement park in the world! Tip: Just buy the entrance ticket. You can then decide if you’d like to ride any of the rides. If so, you can pay for just that single ride via a QR Code.

Rent a car and about an hour and a half away is the area of Mons Klint, which is famous for its chalk cliffs and blue waters. Fair warning, there are many stairs to reach the bottom, which means you’ve got to climb them back up! To reward yourself after that climb, drive over to a little town called Nyord and go to Noorbohandelen for some Isle of Man Gin tasting and a delicious lunch.

You’ll likely return to Copenhagen in time to enjoy dinner in the Meatpacking District in the area of Vesterbro. If you are able to get in at Kødbyens Fiskebar. I highly recommend eating the mussels!

To feel like a local in Copenhagen, you’ve got to rent a bike to ride around the city. This was a perfect option for our last day as there were many different areas we were trying to see.

Take a Danish pastry cooking class! Just a heads up, we walked away with 24 pastries to eat! We ended up giving a bunch to a very thankful hotel staff.

I fell in love with the Danish beer called Carlsberg when studying abroad in England, so I had to check out the Brewery. It was informative and delicious!

Across town is an area called Refshaleøen, where you can find CopenHill to get the best view of Copenhagen. Make your way to Reffen Street Food for a variety of international food venders. If you are with others, I’d suggest sharing a bunch of dishes so you can try as many as possible! Once you are stuffed, bike over to Copenhot for a hot tub, cold plunge and sauna experience. After all that biking, it will feel real good!

Copenhagen is known for its cuisine and its famous Michelin Star restaurants. However, not everyone's budget can pay for NOMA. If you’d like the higher-end experience at a more budget-friendly place that is a Bib Gourmand restaurant in the Michelin Guide, check out Marv + Ben.

The train to Stockholm will take five hours, so you will arrive around midday. Check into your hotel and make your way to Östermalms Saluhall, a beautiful food hall. Grad yourself something to eat before heading to the waterfront in Galma Stan (old town) to do a canal tour.

Take the evening to explore Galma Stan and eat Swedish Meatballs!

This area is home to many museums, including the famous Vasa Museum. You can also enjoy a nice walk through the beautiful gardens. Enjoy a quick lunch at Djurgårdsbron.

To get your shopping fix head over to Drottninggatan before making your way to Kungsträdgården to enjoy an afternoon Fika as the Swedish say.

For dinner, do not miss out on one of the best burgers you will ever have at BAP Burgers and Pastrami.

Spend the day exploring the area of Södermalm. There is shopping and many restaurants. Check out the Fotografiska Museum, Stockholm, the contemporary museum of photography, art & culture. To enjoy the sunset, head to Mosebacketerrassen for views and drinks.

Take an early-morning flight to Oslo. Twenty-four hours is all you need in this city. The city is very walkable! Areas to explore include Aker Brygge, Royal Palace, Oslo Food Hall, area of Grünerløkka, and the Oslo Opera House.

You can walk on the roof of the Opera House to enjoy the beautiful views. Just across the water, you will find floating saunas. Definitely recommend enjoying these and if you are brave enough to jump in the Nordic waters to cool off.

I highly recommend using your travel day to explore along the way. Take the train to Myrdal. Just across the platform, you can catch the famous Flåm Railway. This is known as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. You’ll arrive in the town of Flåm where you can catch your Fjords Cruise to a town called Gudvangen. Grab the bus to the town of Voss and then finally your last form of transportation, you’ll take the train to Bergen. I promise all this is worth it!

Zipline and Biking

Head back to the area of Flåm for a day of adventure. You’ll get the opportunity to take the Flåm Railway again but going in the other direction. Hop off at the Vatnahalsen station to head over to the Zipline. On the ground at Kårdal, your bikes awaits! You will bike around 11 miles through the Flåm Valley. Don’t worry, it is mostly downhill! It truly will be the mostly magical part of your trip!

Bergen is a charming city on Norway’s southwestern coast. Another city that is very walkable. Be sure to check out the Fishmarket, Bryggen, and take the funicular Fløibanen for views of the city. Bergen is known for its fish soup, and I found it to be absolutely delicious! Or if you’d prefer meat, give Reindeer a try!