Brief itinerary: Scandinavia + Moscow

Here is my brief itinerary of the recent trip to Scandinavia and Moscow. The trip started on Feb 11 and ended on Feb 26, 2013. The detail story on each city / country will be linked to separate page - only after I finish the writing :-) Hope you will find this inspiring and useful. Scandinavia and Moscow are just too much to give a miss.



My trip starts from Copenhagen and ends at the same.



Day 1
@Copenhagen
Arrive in Copenhagen by Turkish Airlines (transit in Singapore and Istanbul).
Stay at Generator Hostel Copenhagen (DKK 180 / person / nite - 8 bed mixed dorm ensuite).
Go to city by Metro from Airport  to Kongens Nytorv, takes about 13 mins. The metro is available every 5 mins.
Highlights: Nyhavn waterfront, Storgat shopping area, Royal Palace and Little Mermaid >> see more at the bottom of this story page.

Nyhavn waterfront - one of Copenhagen's landmarks

Day 2
@Bergen, Norway
Fly by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) from Copenhagen to Bergen, costs about SGD 154.
From airport, take a bus from the airport to the city (www.flybussen.no)
Stay at Marken Gjestehus (NOK 225/person/nite - 10 bed female dorm)
Just go around the city. It is simply beautiful. Go to fish market and get a lot of FREE fresh salmon tester :-)

One of the charming corner of Bergen

Day 3
@Bergen - Oslo on Norway in a nutshell

Book the ticket online and exchange the order confirmation with the ticket one day before (to avoid any long queue on the departure date). The trip from Bergen to Oslo takes about >15 hours, starting 07:00 AM to 10:30 PM. It includes train, bus, ferry and train. Best way to explore the Norwegian fjords and scenic rail journeys! Costs about NOK 1480/person.

View from ferry from Gudvangen to Flam...a great fjords experience.

Day 4
@Oslo
Stay at Anker Hostel (NOK 220/person/night - 8 bed mixed dorm)
From train station, walk up to the hostel, about 15 mins.
For me, Oslo is not so much interesting city to walk around. So I just spent the day strolling around the city without nothing specific to be of interest.
Go to Stockholm by night bus in the evening (approx. IDR 597,000). I don't really recommend it if you are too tired as you will need to get off the bus at the border for immigration check in the middle of the night and also change a bus once, However, it was a nice trick to save time.

Day 5
@Stockholm
Read more the story in "Discover Stockholm"

Day 6
@Stockholm
Read more the story in "Discover Stockholm"

Day 7
@Rovaniemi (via Helsinki)
Fly Norwegian Airlines (EUR 50)
Read more the story in "Rovaniemi (part 1):...where a great adventure awaits"
and the other one "Rovaniemi (part 2): Adventure in artic circle"
Stay at local host of Couchsurfing (or find out more about this network here)

One of the great view in the deep forest of Rovaniemi

Day 8
@Rovaniemi
Read more the story in "Rovaniemi (part 1):...where a great adventure awaits"
and the other one "Rovaniemi (part 2): Adventure in artic circle"
Arrive in Helsinki - shopping time :-)

Day 9
@Helsinki
Fly Norwegian Airlines (EUR 57)
Stay at Errotajanpuisto Hostel (EUR 27/person/night - 8 bed mixed dorm)
From airport, take bus no. 615 to central railway station, then take tram no. 6 or 3B, or bus no. 17, stops at ERROTAJA, or just walk. You will pass so many interesting things along the way. It takes approx. 15 mins from station to hostel.

Shopping time - boot/shoes hunt :-)

Depart to Moscow in the evening by train Tolstoy. You can book through Eurail in Jakarta representative office.

Day 10
@Moscow
The immigration check at the border can be an interesting experience. Read more my experience in "Here we come, Russia". and also how to get the Russia visa "Visa Rusia: difficult? Naaahh...still doable kok"
Stay at Godzilas Hostel (USD 28/person/night - 6 bed female dorm)

St. Basil's Cathedral at Red Square

Go to Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral, relax at the Kremlin's park and have a nice coffee and snack at a café at Red Square, stroll around one small shopping mall next to the red square (to get some warmth).

Dine in one nice local restaurant (I can't remember the name), located at near the metro station. Some said that going out to eat in Moscow can be quite expensive. Well..it does not have to be that way.. We went to this nice place as recommended by the hostel staff. It had reasonable price and the taste was ok. The interesting part is that it was buffet with the food name in Russian letters and the staffs hardly spoke a word of English :-)

Cozy restaurant serving local food.

Day 11
@Moscow
Go to Cathedral of Christ the Savior, go to inside the Kremlin
Fly to Copenhagen in the evening (via Riga, Slatvia), by Air Baltic.
Stay at Generator Hostel Copenhagen.

We took taxi from the airport as we landed after midnight and were too tired to take train. Costs about IDR 600,000.

You may need to prepare your passport, visa, insurance and all travel documents with you as the immigration check point will be in Riga, and they have quite thorough and stringent check.

Day 12
@Copenhagen

Royal palace guard change procession passing through the Storgat area.

Shopping time at Storgat (5 mins walk from Generator Hostel). At around 12 o'clock, there will be a palace guard marching in along the way to the royal palace, a very interesting show.

Peter Jones and his great performance

I strongly recommend you to go to a roundabout in the middle of Storgat to see the performance of Peter Jones, a singer who has adorable voice and great songs! This was actually one of my best moments during the trip.

You can take canal tour at Nyhavn, take you around the city from outer circle.

Danish traditional serving, enjoy it with a nice glass of red wine... hmmm... what a treat!

A nice dinner is worth taking at one of cafes at Nyhavn, try the Danish traditional serving (it includes pork inside) and local wine (or beers).

Take a trip to Carlsberg museum.

If the weather is nice, try to go around the city by bike.

Day 13
Fly back home (transit 12 hours in Istanbul).
Wait for more story about Istanbul separately.