Three Major Reasons to Visit Scandinavia

Scandinavia. The region in the Northern Europe is most commonly divided into four countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Despite taking as much space as 1.2 million square kilometers, only 24 million people live there. Interestingly, a similar amount of tourists visit Scandinavia every year.  Why would you visit Scandinavia? Here are the reasons:

The Beautiful Cities

Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki are the capital cities of Scandinavian countries. Each of them offers a unique set of experiences.

Copenhagen

Hygge

Especially on Christmas, but even during the Summer, you can experience something that people in Denmark call Hygge. The word doesn’t have a direct translation to English, but means spending time with your family and friends in a comfortable atmosphere. Usually it means sitting by the candlelight in the evening, covered in a comfy blanket, while having a glass of mulled wine and just enjoying life with the most important people in your life. Just thinking about it makes you feel cozy.

Tivoli Gardens

Looking for a place where you can experience Hygge? Tivoli Gardens is just the spot. The gardens are located in the heart of the city, and serve mainly as an amusement park. If you’re not into this kind of fun, it’s also a wonderful place to just have a moment of rest from the bustle of everyday life.

Meatpacking District

Looking for a place to go out in Copenhagen? It doesn’t get any better than the Meatpacking District. It’s loaded with trendy clubs and high quality restaurants. Locals love to spend time there.

Oslo

Operahuset

Opened in 2008, the Opera building is not only a great sight from the architectural point of view, but also a wonderful vantage point. Go to the rooftop, to see the beautiful panorama of Oslo.

City Center

Fancy restaurants, classy clubs, beautiful monuments and sculptures. In the center of Oslo you can find it all.

The Vigeland Park

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Norway. The Vigeland Park is the largest sculpture park in the world, created single-handedly. Gustav Vigeland’s lifework resulted in over 200 unique sculptures.

Stockholm

Observatorielunden

Fantastic observatory located in a wonderful park. Aside from beautiful views, you will also enjoy the famous Kafe Himlavalvet waffles with delicious toppings. Recommended especially in Spring and Summer.

Skansen

Located on a Djurgarden island in Stockholm, Skansen is the Sweden’s first open-air museum and a zoo. In the museum you can see a replica of a XIX century town, whereas in the zoo you can get familiar with the Scandinavian animals, such as moose, bison or brown bear.

Hammarby Sjöstad

A district Stockholm takes pride in. An eco haven. Everything about this place is extremely clean, including the lake! You should definitely check it out.

Helsinki

Suomenlinna Sea Fortress

Founded in 1746, Suomenlinna  is one of the biggest sea fortresses in the world. In 1991 the fortress was added to the UNESCO heritage list. Aside of sightseeing, we recommend grabbing a lunch or a cup of coffee in one of the local cafés.

Market Square and the Esplanade Park

The Market Square is located at the beginning of the Esplanade Park. After drinking a cup of hot coffee, and buying souvenirs at the Market, go ahead and take a stroll down the Helsinki’s most known park – the green heart of the city.

Old Market Hall

Located in the neighborhood of the Market Square, Old Market Hall serves as a market for food, such as cheese, vegetables, shellfish, cakes and spices.

The Breathtaking Nature

Preikestolen (Norway)

Fjords

Taiga

The Delicious Food

Nordic food is obviously famous for pickled herring and meatballs, but there are lots more dishes you should definitely give a try. Here’s our diet for your stay in Scandinavia:

For starters (or breakfast) we recommend Smørrebrød – rye bread with various toppings. You should try different combinations. We liked the one with beef, onion and horseradish. Remember to eat it with fork and knife.

If you’re into soups, try Ärtsoppa – a traditional yellow pea soup. Now, for the main course, how about the famous meetballs, traditionally served with cream sauce, mashed potatoes, pickled cucumber and lingonberries.

Ready for an adventure before you call it a night? Try Lutefisk. Lutefisk is a world-known Nordic meal. It’s a dried stockfish (usually cod) that has been soaked in lye, and then in water, before being steamed until it flaked. We advise you to eat it with at least a couple of beers by your hand.

That’s it from us. Don’t be afraid to give Scandinavia a try on your next vacations. If you’re looking for a place to stay, we recommend choosing First Hotels – quality, yet reasonably priced hotels in Scandinavia – or other hotels you can find on Bidroom. For the best offers, don’t forget to book your room using Bidroom.com.