Hello /trv/.
Recently my family decided to go on a trip abroad, and we are currently going over possible destinations.
Since the people going are my aunts (2), my uncle, possibly a cousin or two and my father, I started thinking about going places that are both a little less known but also family friendly; Full of sights and places to see and visit.
After a little research, I decided on northern Europe and Baltic Sea area; More specifically, Latvia, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Denmark, Greenland, Norway and Sweden.
I would like to hear your opinions on those places. Are the people friendly? Can we get by just with English? Is the food any good, or just average? What places are a must visit?
The trip would probably be about 2 weeks long, and we will probably visit only 3 or 4 of the countries. Which ones are the best?
Kaliningrad?
>>1055764
Hmmm, that is in Russia, but it DOES sound nice...
Go to Stockholm by far the best city in northern Europe
In Sweden and Denmark you can do great with only english
I dont know about the rest
Norway is really beautiful
>>1055753
I visited Denmark 25 years ago and then it was a very friendly and cosy country.
I live in Trondheim, Norway. If you got any question, hit me with em'!
English is fine. Copenhagen is the easiest city to have a consistently good time in for multiple days. Helsinki is also pretty great for a more limited time and Stockholm is good for passing through. Oslo is a great place to live and I always want to encourage people to come here, but I cant really imagine its the best place to be a tourist for a few days when Copenhagen is available.
Friendly people. All speak english. All kinds of food available everywhere in high quality restaurants, apply the same tactics as when you select a restaurant in any other place.
Its hard to recommend a route. Keep in mind that getting around is a bit more complicated and expensive here than in central europe. Train rides are more expensive and the distance between worthwhile stops is much greater.
>>1056198
Tar studenterna i den gamle stad vara på byens ry?
>>1056198
Does norway have a good cusine? What are some of the best tourist attractions? And by that I mean both the mainstream "all tourists go there" and the hidden gems the locals know about.
>>1056205
Is it "Paris-London" Levels of pricing, or cheaper? My idea was to spend 4 days in 3 countries and 5 in one. Or 5 in 3. I will make sure Copenhagen is one of the 5 days stop.
Also, same question as I asked the norway fellow: any hidden gems and must go places?
Hey OP,
I actually just finished that trip (minus Greenland and Iceland). I'm about to go off the grid for until around the 20th...but if this thread's still alive around then (or you make a new one), I'd be happy to answer your questions.
Since you have a car, I'd pick Norway for Scenery, Finland (because the nature is like Sweden but the people are very different from the rest of Scandinavia/it isn't actually Scandinavia). If you go further south, I'd recommend Latvia or Lithuania, too. Although Estonia has the prettiest capital out of the Baltic countries. Denmark is super chill compared to the rest of Northern Europe and it's a fun time, but maybe not with family. The truth is that all the countries are great and they all have their own quirks. I lived in Sweden for a bit and I found it the most boring out of all of them (people joke about German ordnung, but I think Sweden deserves the title) but I still met great people
>>1056213
Wat!?
>>1056221
Husk på at jenter, ol og dram var kjempenes meny!
Either you know this song or you're only impersonating someone from Trondheim
>>1056215
Norway does not really have any good cusine, but you won't starve.
Some of the best tourist attractions are: "Nidarosdommen", " Gamle Bybro" , "Munkhomen" and "Kristiansten festning"
Hidden gems the locals know about would have to be "Kuhaugen" (see pic) I live like 30 sec from where this pic is taken.
>>1056223
Har hort sangen, men er ikke "hard tronder" så husker ikke alt sånt vettu. pic related, its you
>>1056225
Jag har ingen koll på Trondheim egentligen, kommer och hälsar på Sanctus Omega varje år från KTH i Stockholm så jag vet knappt något om staden som inte har med studenter att göra. Mycket trevlig stad dock!
I see...
So, my trip plan would be something like this: 5 days in Copenhagen, then go to finland for 4. Then we go by car to Tallinn and spend 4 days there, before going to Latvia for 3 days.
What do you guys think? How much money should we expect to spend for each person? We like eating on good restaurants, and hotels can be either 3 or 4 stars, no 5 star required.
Also, which of those countries has a thing with saunas? I cant remember if ir is Finland or Sweeden...
>>1056232
Take a ferry to Finland from Stockholm and you wont miss northern europes prettiest city.
>>1056232
in Norway/Finland/Denmark/Sweden dont worry about about hotel stars. absolutely everything is clean and decent, you should just go for the cheapest price at the right location.
>>1056232
>Also, which of those countries has a thing with saunas?
That'd be Finland
>>1056260
Yes, and they are very cheap actually. Most of the ferries are booze cruises but many of them are quiet family friendly as well.
Is OP still here?
Dane here. AMA
>>1056459
Im here.
1: What os the price range in Copenhagen?
2: What are some must see places in Denmark?
3: Im a bit of a food Connoisseur, what is the local cuisine like?
4: My dad loves fishing. So much in fact me and my aunt were joking about just leaving him on Norway to fish Cod for the entire trip. Think I could leave him to do some fishing somewhere?
Not OP but I have a question that might be relevant to the thread. How about getting around in the Baltic states? Specifically Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania?
Im doing a pretty basic Euro trip this summer. I'm getting a two month Eurail pass but I noticed Eurail isn't honored in the Baltic's, what's the best way of getting around? Im starting in Helsinki, then Tallinn, Riga, and Finally Vilnius. I'll activate my Eurail pass in Poland where it's honored and use it as I travel west. Is it just best to buy individual train tickets between these cities? What are the prices like?
Side question, what's the weather like around there in early-mid june?
>>1056486
Lithuanian here.
Yes, the train tracks will be ready end of 2016.
If i would be you, i would go by car.
I do not want to talk about other countries, leave it for the locals.
Lithuania, in Vilnius - you can speak English with most young people. Night life is good, but in summer a little less. Everything in general is the same. The weather is warm if you are from Finland. Maybe some summer rain.
I would suggest trying out "Nida" town. (Google) Palanga - for some night life at the beach (try not to get into fights)
And Druskininkai town in the south for an amazing spa experience.
(Everything off topic, but let it be)
>>1056486
For information, i was talking about the rail tracks from Helsinki to Warshawa. Not rail tracks in general. :)
Latvian here:
Buses are the cheapest way to get around, and the country is small enough that you won't be on one for more than three hours regardless of where you're going. They can be a bit confusing, as few bus drivers speak English. Trains are fine too, but totally feel like a Soviet throwback.
As for general English level, Riga under 30s>Other urban under 30s> Other under 30s> All people over 30. You can easily get by in Riga with English only, and it gets more difficult the further out you go. Most people will still speak enough English for you to not get completely lost. Nobody expects you to speak Latvian, because nobody but Latvians speak Latvian, so even if they don't speak English they're more likely to be apologetic than to think anything ill of you.
People are weirdly chill. There is some of Russian not-giving-a-fuck mixed in with the Nordic reserved outlook, making for people who largely do not care what you do, and will be happy with you so long as you do not patronize or try to push your opinions (ESPECIALLY about Russia and/or Latvian history. Just because most Latvians are wrong about the history of the nation does not mean they want to hear that shit from a tourist.)
As for safety, avoid the same sort of people as you would anywhere else in the world- poor, shaved heads, cheap clothes, travel in packs- y'know, chavs, gopniks, hood rats etc. Do not go to a club/pub/stripclub that someone cold-invites you to. Latvia's generally safe for tourists, and when crime occurs it's generally scams on shitfaced Stag party dudes, not violence towards inoffensive travelers.
ALWAYS stay in hostels or AirBnB unless you can afford the absolute top tier hotels. Cheap to mid-tier hotels are abysmal, like fucking terrible. Check hostelworld for ratings, any of the 90%+ ones are absolutely great.
AMA
>>1056653
OP Here
What are some must go places in Latvia?
Any interesting monasteries/churches from the Livonian order around? I dont care much about religion, but I do love me some history.
What about typical foodstufs? Any god tier stuff?
>>1056654
Riga is really the big Hansiatic city, and a large portion of the historically relevant stuff is there. Also a solid home base as it is very central and getting anywhere from Riga will take you no longer than 2 hours, unless you want to go to the REALLY remote bits.
Liepaja is great for two things, the alternative scene and the Soviet military port, which is now open for tourism. There's a sort of a Soviet prisoner experience thing you can do there, though I've only done it once with a school group, it sure seemed authentic.
I am much more familiar with the western part of the country, and I'd say just go down the shoreline, it's got some fucking beautiful nature around those parts.
The eastern part is a bit more Russian in culture, but it is also quite cool. Much more rural, though I find the nature much more 'traditional central European nature'. An English friend of mine who visited compared it to Maine. Wouldn't know much about the specific cities, as I said, not really my end of the country.
Food is... Eh, I don't know. A lot of Latvians will tell you that you must try the black rye bread (if you do, try either the one with a very plain green label or the one that says Lacu somewhere on the packaging), or the local salo, or any smoked fish, but I honestly don't think there's much to it aside from a bit of variety. That said, there is a somewhat reasonably priced restaurant in Old Riga that uses legit medieval recipes, and is supposed to be quite good, the real selling point being that it actually feels like a proper old timey tavern.
A lot of Latvians will tell you that the beer is amazing. And some of it is, but that comes from a distaste against any filtering methods by all of the really solid breweries. Mitavas, Uzavas, Brengulu are all real good. Look for unfiltered beer and it's likely to be quality and possibly something quite unlike the beer you've had elsewhere. Avoid Aldaris, Cesu and Lacplesis with a vengeance.
>>1056658
Nice. Can you give me the name of that medieval tavern? And my father loves him some beer, even tough I more of a distiled guy. If it tastes strong and somewhat bitter, he will chug it down happily.
The soviet port sounds interesting. Maybe I can find some soviet era merchandise, like ushankas and Peaked Caps. I always wanted a peaked cap, and I can just take the hammer and sickle out and have one of the best in the world.
I always wanted to try a finish sauna.
>>1056665
Don't think it's gone quite 'souvenirs and gift stands' touristy, so that's not necessarily a thing you can get. Also, the attitudes towards Soviet Union in Latvia range between 'Literally the worst regime ever, utterly undefendable' and 'a problematic regime, while some things were better, I am glad it is gone'. You will see some Soviet memorabilia around, but it will be either historical in nature, or used as a very loud counter-culture statement (such as the logo of the bar Leningrad- Lenin with a mohawk).
The medieval restaurant is Rozengrals, though mind when I say 'cheap' I mean in a Western European context, it's quite pricey for Riga.
You might also want to consider the folk club Ala for a weird old timey tavern feel drinking and a more nightlife atmosphere. If you've got the whole day and 2-4 people, order up a couple of three liter jugs of beer, their freaking massive beer snack platter thing. Two of us literally started giving out food to random passers-by, there was so much of it. Unlike a lot of Riga nightlife, at least during daylight hours, families (so long as the children aren't TOO young) are catered to and appreciated.
>>1056673
When I said 'daylight hours' I actually meant before 9-10PM, it tends to get a bit wild later.
>>1056673
Dont worry about children. I am the youngest in the trip at 19. And even if it is pricey for Riga, my aunt is used to places like London and Paris, so it will be piece of cake for her.
Also its ok that there are no souveniers. Im sure I will end up findind a Peaked Cap somewhere in europ to bring back. Hell, maybe I can get a black one and transform it into a Komissar cap.
>>1056671
Me too. I love saunas, and from what I have heard the finnish saunas are great. They even have some hardcore saunas that go to 100 degrees celsius, although I will stay away from those.
How would one go about finding a good sauna on Finland?
Hey guys, OP here.
So, I spoke with my aunts and they liked the idea, but they said they would like for rhe trip to focus more on either scandinavia or eastern Europe, not a mix. We decided to go for a eastern europe one this time and do a scandinavia one in 2017.
It would be like this: 3 days on Helsinki, then 3 on Tallinn, then 3 on Riga, then 3 on Vilnius and finally 3 on Kaliningrad. Maybe one or two of those will be 4 instead of 3 days, but we will see.
My questions:
1: What website can I use to plan the road part of the trip? We are going to Helsinki by plane, but once there we want to use a car to go all the way to Kaliningrad. Google maps is being too klunky.
2: What are some nice spots on those countries? You know, places we can stop by on the trip days. Like monasteries, churches, beautiful forests, homely taverns, etc.
3: Anyone ever gone to any of these places can tell me tips for it?
4: What would be the best route to take to get to Helsinki? By that I mean that the chances of there being ANY planes going straight from Rio to Helsinki are null, so which european airport do you guys think would be the best one to base the connection on?
>>1055753
Iceland is based, anon. I went there last summer.
>Are the people friendly?
They are very hospitable. They will give directions happily if you don't know where something is.
>Can we get by just with English?
Definitely. Every local i met there was very proficient in English. Apparently the Icelandic schools teach English from the beginning.
>Is the food any good, or just average?
If you like seafood, then you will love Iceland. Lamb is a common dish in Iceland, and it is really good in my opinion. However, there aren't too many fruits or vegetables, because the climate is so cold, (40° in the summer, sometimes sub zero in the winter.)
>What places are a must visit?
I primarily went to the capital Reykjavik, a huge waterfall called Skogafoss, the Blue Lagoon, and the dormant volcano Eldfell on a little island a couple miles south of the mainland (accessible by ferry.) All of it was awesome.
I would highly recommend it, but you might want to go during the summertime. It's cold as fuck during the winter.
>>1056198
Not him, but I'd like to ask... Could be possible to prepare a low-cost travel to Norway? From Oslo to Tromso? I know that Norway is not a cheap country (especially compared with mine, Spain).
>>1057406
You should consider visiting St. Petersburg instead of Königsberg/Kaliningrad
>>1056250
And Estonia.
Take a ferry Stockholm to Turku (a lot cheaper than Stockholm to Helsinki, then Helsinki to Tallinn. Check Tallink at least three weeks before departure for good prices.
You didn't mean you'd spend four days in Tallinn? Get out of the town, drive to one of the islands or visit a bog, visit Lahemaa. Visit Tartu. Visit Narva and Sillamäe for a near-Soviet experience.
>>1058285
Kaliningrad is mostly Soviet. Not much of any other layers left. Enjoy Poland instead - it might have a bit more of visible and recognizable history in it.
>>1057406
Google Maps is the best for this area, still.
Helsinki, Tallinn, Lahemaa national park, Sillamae, Narva, Tartu, Sigulda, Riga, Jurmala, Liepaja, Sialiai, Kaliningrad, Gdansk, Warsaw. That's what I'd recommend.
Check Kayak and Skyscanner for airline tickets. Helsinki has a lot of direct flights all over the world so I believe you have many opportunities to go with just one change.
OP here. Good advices in general. I will be looking for info on the places you all mentioned.
>>1058313
Sad to hear that was Köinigsberg fate. Maybe I can use the extra days to go to Poland but I am trying to keep the car trips to less than 300km. I could just either reduce the trip time to and spend more days on each city or visit Stockholm.
Also, any tips on airplane tickets? What companies should I look for and from which airport?
>>1058285
Glad I helped.
>>1056470
Please don't think that guy is a representative of us Danes. Totally ditching you there!
>1: What os the price range in Copenhagen?
Price range vary a ton depending on which area you go to. You can go to a decent restaurant and buy a meal for 100kr, and you can go to NOMA and buy a starter for 500kr.
Obligatory lasagna price: 55 DKK
>2: What are some must see places in Denmark?
How long do you have? haha
I would say that one thing would be to see the diversity this city has to offer. From high end places on Vesterbro, to multicultural vendors at Norrebro, to absolute relaxation on Frederiksberg.
Some places you should not miss out on:
>Kodbyen
Places where local butchers come to sell fresh meat
>Torvehallerne at Israels Plads
Again, another market for local groceries.
>Papiroen
Never been there, but suposedly the new chic place. Is on the opposite site of the opera house, just down to the canal. I would not miss out anon.
>Istedgade
If you're moving around at night, you should not miss out on Istedgade. The lowest end of Copenhagen, with hookers, drug addicts, and wasted Eskimos. It really is a sight. Go here by day if you do not feel safe, but don't worry. The prostitutes will try to persuade you, but they will not jump tourists or anything like that.
>Christiania
You've probably already heard of this one. If not - you're missing out!
A free town at Christianshavn. They have their own society inside of the capital, and most people that live here work here too. You can stroll through Green Light Disrict (former Pusherstreet), and smell the aroma of thousands of people lighting their hash up. If you're into this, you can buy a pre-made and smoke it at the lakes (you'll have no problem finding this). You should also go if you're not planning to smoke. It's almost insane to believe that this society is functioning right in the center of a capital.
Picture: http://www.all-copenhagen-apartments.com/stay-copenhagen/
>>1056470
>2: What are some must see places in Denmark? (cont.)
>Bakken
People will probably tell you to go to Tivoli, but as a tourist I think you'd be way better off going to Dyrehavsbakken. It's the oldest amusementpark in the world (Tivoli is the 2nd oldest), and it's a true delight to pass some hours there. They have great restaurants, and they have a huge open air theater in Ulvedalen. You probably wouldn't get too much out of a play here (unless they air some English ones when you're in town), but just seeing the place is a good break from Bakken. The rides are decent, but if you wanna have some neckbreaking, vomit intriguing, death rides, you're better off with just going to Tivoli.
>Nyhavn
Well, you're probably going to Stroget (local shopping street, center of the Center), and if so, you should be seeing yourself end up at Nyhavn. Quiet place near the canals. It's a bit pricey here, but I would still advise you to have lunch at at least one of the small restaurants. If you're going by wintertime, you can also ice skate at Kongens Nytorv.
I could probably mention a ton of other stuff you absolutely MUST see, but I guess you already have many other anons helping you out.
Picture: Some of the great architectures you'll spot near the lakes in Christiania
>>1056470
>3: Im a bit of a food Connoisseur, what is the local cuisine like?
Food is food in Copenhagen. The absolute most Danish food you'll ever have, is a hotdog from a polsevogn (sausage wagon). You'll see these ones standing literally everywhere in Copenhagen (and the rest of Denmark). For ultimate kek's, try ordering a death Indian with shit down its neck, or a Communist in coat.
Another very Danish thing is smorrebrod. I won't recommend any special places I haven't been to, but if you're ready to pay a bit extra for something unique, "ologbrod" seems like a more than decent place. It's a brewery that opened up a restaurant, so you'll be sure to get the exact right drink for your time-of-the-year special smorrebrod.
Did I mention NOMA? I think I did. Go do your research on this one, I don't even have enough money to search up on the subject.
Should, supposedly, be the best food in the world. They got elected 5 years in a row. Shit.
Picture: Polsevogn at Langgade. You'll be looking at 20kr for a Danish hotdog, and 22kr for a French. Make sure to try them both!
>>1056470
>4: My dad loves fishing. So much in fact me and my aunt were joking about just leaving him on Norway to fish Cod for the entire trip. Think I could leave him to do some fishing somewhere?
Copenhagen != fishing.
If you wanna fish, you should go to Jutland, where they have a ton of dedicated fishing lakes. You could also come to my island, Lolland, where there isn't much else to do than fish. Jokes aside, you're not gonna get a similar fishing experience than what you would receive in Norway. I did however do some research, and found this map for your dad. Shows places where you're allowed to fish as per 2015. I have no experiencing fishing in Copenhagen, but I can only assume that Refshaleoen is something your dad would enjoy. Used to be a huge industrial island, but many of the factories closed a long time ago. We recently hosted Eurovision Song Contest, and that was held inside one of the large storehouse there. You'll also get one of the best views in my opinion, as well as a couple of nice, but expensive, cafes.
Your dad should be aware of one thing though. You need a fishing permit to fish in any part of Denmark. It costs 300 DKK to get but if I'm being totally honest, I think you should spare the time and effort. I have been fishing for 15 years, and never had I seen anyone getting checked. Not even once. Should the unlikely thing happen, you're probably just gonna be given a warning, and if the totally unplausible even should happen that he got a fine (as if they would fine a tourist..), they are very minimal. Like 800 DKK at most. But don't worry too much, it's not gonna happen.
So that pretty much sums it up for me. I should tell you that I'm not a resident of Copenhagen, and that I actually live 170km away in a quiet town on Lolland. For this reason, it's like a mini vacation every time I go to Copenhagen. So the places I mentioned would probably be a better bet than if a local guy told you the 'must see' things.
More questions? I'm here!
>>1057063
Go to any spa/swimming hall. Best one IMO if you're in helsinki is Itäkeskuksen Uimahalli ( http://www.hel.fi/www/helsinki/fi/kulttuuri-ja-vapaa-aika/liikunta/sisaliikuntapaikat/uimahallit/itakeskuksen-uimahalli ). You can take the metro to itäkeskus and its like 15mins walk from there. Itäkeskus(east enter) is also good for shopping and restaurants.
>>1059599
east center ( of helsinki)
>>1059599
But your hotel will most likely have hauna too. Not sure if private one in your hotel room but I think it wouldnt be real sauna experience if you didn't go to public sauna and whats better than the place where the locals go. But I think Itäkeskus is full of niggers and immigrants these days. Pls someone confirm.
>>1059599
Op here. Thanks for the info.
What does /trv/ know and reccomend about Lithuania?
Finland is quite a different from other Eastern European countries as you might already know. Helsinki is much more expensive city than other capital cities of Eastern Europe and Baltics.
Something you might want to do in Finland is ti go to a sauna. There are some public saunas in Helsinki, for example, Kotiharjunsauna in Kallio: http://www.kotiharjunsauna.fi/kotiharjun-sauna/
But like I mentioned before going to sauna is also quite an expensive thing to do althought totally worth to experience.
Considering you're into cuisine and stuff like that you should definitely try out reindeer meat. Although it is something more typical cuisine in Northern Finland than in Helsinki, you should still be able to get that from Helsinki too. You should also taste Finnish sweets like Salmiakki and Fazer chocolate, which can be found from a normal grocery store.
For more information about Helsinki you should check Helsinki's wikitravel page: http://wikitravel.org/en/Helsinki
>>1059951
OP here. Thanks. Will check. Raindeer meat huh? Sounds cool.
>>1059951
And in addition to this if you are into sports you should go to a ice hockey match as ice hockey is the most Finnish sport you can think of
>>1056486
From Riga you should head to Palanga for a quick stop, then hit Klaipeda. Take a couple minutes ferry to Curonian spit. One of the most unique places in Europe. From Klaipeda you can take a train or bus to Vilnius. As someone said, visiting Druskininkai would be recommended.
>>1057406
I am sorry to say, but Kaliningrad is a shithole. There is not much heritage from the old days left and what is left is in ruins.Better spend a day in Klaipeda and Curonian spit instead. Much nicer city with much more to do. And you do not need to hassle with russian customs. In the link is is a google map with what your route should be in Lithuania. If your aunts are religious, you could add cross mountain in Siauliai.
Where are you from ? How are you going to get back home ?
>>1059951
That looks like a really usefull website. Will check.
>>1059994
>>1060023
Ok, good tips. Will check all those places up.
>>1060028
That trip plan looks interesting, but not doable ina single day. I will use the fact that we will not go to Kalinlingrad to make a few stops for the night on the way, and instead cover that travel plan in 4 days. I assume all those stops should have decent Inns or hotels right?
They arent religious, but we all love sight-seeing and old churches normally look beautifull, so I will check.
Im from Brazil. The plan is to take a plane from Rio to a big european city and from there to Helsinki. Then rent a car and do the trip. After we get to Vilnius we return the car and board on a plane to a big airport and from there back to Brazil.
Op here, back again.
I have been thinking and maybe driving is not the best way to get around. We want to relax 100%. Can the route Tallinn-Riga-Vilnius be made by train?
You could also take allegro train from Helsinki to St peterspurg it takes 3.5 hours to get there
Picture aleksaterikatu Helsinki
>>1060918
Turns out that it can't. Buses are plentiful, though.
>>1061206
Go for Lux Express, costs just a bit more but the comfort is worth it.
>>1058352
close by Poland and Kaliningrad is Hitler's bunker wolfschanze, where the most know assassination attempt took place.
>>1056676
I think any regular sauna goes to 100C, I'm finnish
