We want to go to Scandinavia

[llareggub]

...any advice, recommendations gratefully received. For once, Google is not my friend and I can't find anything remotely suitable.

We'd like to go early September. Just me, DH and our son who will be one month short of 2 years old when we travel.

I hope you've got plenty of dosh! You'll need it

Ah...we haven't. But we don't drink, so perhaps it won't be so bad?

which country were you thinking of?

We really are open to ideas. I have no knowledge or experience of any of them!

Fill yer boot with booze if you are even only moderate drinkers.
Prices are unbelievable.

We go to Sweden each year for family reasons
I haven't found it particularly pricey but then we don't tend to eat/drink out when we are there

Went to Norway last year and a meal that was the equivalent of pizza hut for 2 + toddler was about £50

We just like mooching around, looking at scenery, cultural stuff and the odd beach. We like jumping in a car and following our noses And food. We like food.

We don't know why we want to go...but we are seriously low on ideas. Lake Garda is another possibility.

Hmm, it's difficult. I've been longing to go to Scandinavia for years, but there are no package holidays, and every which way you try to plan it, it's just phenomenally expensive.

I think that Inghams or Crystal do a couple, but they're all B&B .. which still leaves you with the problem of eating in the evening.

Good luck, my friend! If you find anything, be sure to let me know

I'm going to Garda in early May. We've booked with a company called SelectCamp and we have a luxury tent (complete with all mod cons) for £86.00 for the entire week.

Flights were less than £200.00 for the three of us, so that's a weeks holiday in Garda for under £300.00.

I'd go for that, if I were you!

My parents go all the time. They just jump in the car and drive.
Actually I fancy all that lake/sauna/crayfish/berrying malarkey.
With a bit of contraband vino thrown in Obv.

oooh will watch this thread with interest, I really wnt to go to sweden.

Oh, Desiderata, I will! In fact, I did find something but for the life of me I cannot find it again. It looked marvelous. Am off to google in vain again.

However, Garda is still very tempting. I have a pile of brochures littering my floor and Garda is the only thing we fancy.

I remember reading a Telegraph travel article a few years back where a journo and her family spent a week on an island off Denmark.

She thought they would be bored, but the air was so clear that they all went off their heads with happy delirium! The kids did nothing but play on white sand all day, make bonfires, catch fish, etc.

She claimed it was the best travel experience of her life.

Keep this thread alive. There must be a way of doing it on the (relative) cheap!

I have been to Oslo very briefly. It was marvellous and am desperate to take the DSs there just to sail across the bay and see the Viking Ships. And to see Munch's Scream in the gallery and say 'look, that's your mummy, that is'. And to walk and walk through the lovely city. And to stay up all night in the mountains on midsummers' eve and eat weird custardy-porridge with dried mutton and berry jam again.

Marvellous place.

Check the weather first, as in some parts the miserable chilly rain can start quite early.

Denmark has lovely beaches in jutland and north zealand (island with Copenhagen on it). Copenhagen has lots to do and also the environs - Roskilde, etc.

Oslo rocks but its a long time since I have been so can't think of what child-friendly stuff there is. Stavanger (an oil town on north sea coast) is euro capital of culture this year so it might be fun.

Stockholm also rocks. We went for a long weekend last year with our toddler and then 3 1/2 year old and didn't get anywhere near exhausting the things we wanted to do. My DH worked there a lot when he was younger so feels very at home there but I think I'd only been there once before. There are ferries, buses, trams and trains to play on. The vasa viking museum is great, ditto the public transport museum. The aquarium was ok. We didn't make it to the famous outdoor "garden". Shopping is divine best avoided unless loaded and have lots of space in suitcase. We rented an apartment we found on the internet (DH was there for work and we tagged along for fun). The one we got was a bit far out of town but still fun for children.

Finland's not Scandinavia (a Nordic country). I love Helsinki but like most of these places I went pre-children.

If you get a holiday house by the sea make sure it has heating if you are going in September. Most of these are genuine "summer houses". If you self cater you can at least keep costs down by serving up pasta twirls or spaghetti for supper each night .

Great post, Monkeybird

We had a great time in Copenhagen with DD, then aged just under 2.

There are free puppet shows regularly in one park which also has a lovely play area/sandpit with a large carved wooden croc/dragon in.

We were right by the quay and clearest memory is of the smell of waffles and freshly made ice cream cones.

If you go to Copenhagen you can also nip ver the bridge/train to Malmo, which is a pleasant place.

Jutland is also very intesting.

Self catering??

Cottgaes for you have a scandinavian cottgaes, here are a few in Denmark second week of Sept from £159

why, thank you, Desi!

{are you taking the piss?}

For Sweden you can usually book accommodation via the regional tourist boards
www.visitsweden.com

We stayed in a holiday camp type place last year in Denmark. I think it was from the Hoseasons brochure. Some other guests were travelling through Scandinavia staying at the same chain throughout. We flew Stansted to Aarnhem v. cheap flights with Ryanair