I never dreamed we would visit Scandinavia, let alone do a Scandinavian roadtrip through Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. This trip was unexpected but the experience shows how important it is to be flexible and open when traveling. Our original plan was to travel to South Dakota (and surrounding areas), but the rental car costs for the area were exhorbinant, so we ended up going to Europe instead for less (including a rental car!).
A Map of Our Scandinavian Roadtrip
For this trip, we flew from Chicago to Copenhagen (connecting in Amsterdam). We rented a car to drive through Denmark, took an overnight car ferry to Oslo, and drove our back to Copenhagen through Sweden.
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Day 1 – Copenhagen
Nyhvan and a Canal Cruise
We arrived at our hotel in the early afternoon and were able to check in early. We did not have anything planned on our arrival day because we were not sure how jetlagged we might feel.
After resting for a bit, we went to downtown Copenhagen to explore. Our first stop was Nyhvan, where we went a on a canal cruise. The canal cruise was the the perfect activity for arrival day. It gave us an overview of Copenhagen and we saw some sites, such as the Little Mermaid Statue, while resting a bit.
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Tivoli Gardens
After dinner, we still had some energy so we went to Tivoli Gardens. We bought tickets for a few rides. I rode The Flying Trunk with my daughter – a Hans Christian Andersen themed ride. Tivoli Gardens is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world and was founded in 1843. I could certainly see how Tivoli Gardens inspired Walt Disney!
Day 2 – Copenhagen and Roskilde
The Round Tower – Copenhagen
We had to visit one Copenhagen’s most iconic buildings — The Round Tower! The Round Tower has been around since 1642! Visitors can walk up the long, spiral ramp to the top of the tower for amazing views of the city. The ramp is long, but there are places to rest along the way.
The Viking Ship Museum – Rodskilde, Denmark
After lunch, we left Copenhagen and stopped at The Viking Ship Museum in Rodskilde. We knew that The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo was closed for construction (through 2027). The museum was a perfect introcution to Viking culture and a good stop along the way to Billund, where we stayed the night.
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Day 3 – Billund
The Lego House – Billund, Denmark
We ended up in Denmark because of The Lego House. My daughter is a huge Lego fan and when our original trip to South Dakota became too expensive, she asked if we could go to the Lego House.
I checked flights and our trip to Scandinavia’s transportation (flight and car rental) came in cheaper than our original plan of a roadtrip centered around Mount Rushmore!
We spent most of the day at The Lego House — from open until closing and then drove to Aarhus at the end of the day.
Day 4 – Aarhus, Skagen, and Grenan
Aarhus
Our plan was to visit the Infinite Bridge in Aarhus, and maybe go to the rainbow skydeck at the art museum, and then go onto Skagen. However, while looking for parking for the Infinite Bridge, we stumbled upon Deer Park.
Deer Park is enclosed and the deer come right up to you. Of course, they are looking for food. At the time, other visitors had bags of carrots to hand out to the deer, though the website asks you not to feed them (I don’t know if feeding was allowed when we visited or not). Regardless, there were numerous sika and fallow deer that were very comfortable around people.
If you love animals and taking walks through nature, this is a great way to spend an hour. Deer Park is close enough to the Infinite Bridge that you can get to both with the same parking spot.
The Sand-Buried Church
We had lunch in Aarhus and then made our way to Grenen with a stop at the Sand-Buried Church. The Sand-Buried Church was built in the 14th century and had a congregation until the late 1700s when sand drifted to prevent access. For a small fee, you can climb the stairs inside the church. The stairs are a very tight fit, but there are not too many of them.
Grenen
Next, we went to Grenen — where the North Sea and Baltic Sea meet. The seas had slightly different colors, so you could see them meet. And they have different temperatures, which you can feel!
Please consider taking the tranportation from the main building to the point where the seas meet. We walked it, along with a lot of other people. It was a long and hard walk in the sand, with the wind blowing up sand and water at you. I am very glad we made a point to reach this spot even if the walk was long and difficult.
Overnight Ferry from Frederikshavn, Denmark to Oslo, Norway
My family wanted to at least get to Sweden, too on this trip, but I figured out a way to also get to Norway.
There were a couple of ferry ports in Denmark that were good options. One port was near Aarhus that went to Gothenburg, Sweden and another port up north that went to Oslo.
The Denmark – Gothenburg ferry was shorter (about 4 hours), but it was during the day, so we would lose time. We planned a lot of our travel-time for evenings so we could visit sites and then drive to the next destination once things had closed.
The second ferry departed from Frederikshavn close to midnight with an arrival at about 9 am the next morning. This ferry was perfect! It allowed us to visit the Sand-Buried Church and Grenen. Plus, we slept while we were transported to Oslo. If we took the ferry to Gothenburg, we would have lost time for sites, we still would have needed a hotel for the night, and we would have had to skip Norway and Grenen.
Day 5 – Oslo
Fram Museum
Our first stop was the Fram Museum, which focuses on Norweigian Polar exploration. The Fram is a polar ship which has been restored so that visitors can go on the ship and see how people lived on the ship — where they slept, ate, and so on.
Munch Museum
Yes, you can see The Scream at the Munch Museum in Oslo! The museum rotates three versions of The Scream: the painting, a drawing, and a print. We saw the drawing and the print, but we would have needed to stay longer at the museum to also see the painting. There are many other works by Munch and other artists at the museum.
Day 6 – Oslo, Norway and Vitlycke, Sweden
Vigeland Park
We spent the morning in Oslo. Our first stop was to Vigeland Park. We had not planned to visit, but we had some time before the Nobel Peace Center opened. I am glad we made it to the park. There were so many interesting and large sculptures. I think the Angry Boy was my favorite!
The Nobel Peace Center
The Nobel Peace Center focuses on the Nobel Peace prize winners and exhibits related to the fight for peace and equality. Every Friday at noon, a peace dove flies from the center and we happened to be at the spot where they release the dove from inside the building so we saw the dove fly out.
There are several food trucks nearby and plenty of places to sit, so it is easy to get lunch after finishing at the museum.
Vitlycke Museum and Tanum Rock Carvings – Sweden
From Oslo, we drove to Vitlycke Museum and Tanum Rock Carvings in Sweden. The museum showcases a farm from the Bronze Age (3300 to 1200 BCE). The rock carvings are a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was unbelievable seeing carvings that have been preserved for thousands of years!
We stopped in Gothenburg for dinner and then drove to Kungsbacka for the night.
Day 7 – Lund and Malmö, Sweden
Kulturen in Lund
We drove to Lund and visited Lund Cathedral and Kulturen in Lund. Kulturen in Lund includes indoor museums and open air museums. There are buildings representative of how people in the area lived from the Middle Ages through the 1930s.
Malmö Castle
We had lunch in Lund and then drove to Malmö. We visited the Malmö Castle. There are numerous exhibits inside the castle. The castle predates Sweden! We had dinner in the market square and spent the night in Malmö.
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Day 8 – Copenhagen
Øresund Bridge
The Øresund Bridge connects Sweden to Denmark. This bridge is the second longest bridge in Europe at 5 miles! Part of the structure goes into a tunnel under the water. It is quite impressive!
Rosenborg Castle
We had once last day in Copenhagen and started our day visiting Rosenborg Castle. Rosenborg Castle has been around for 400 years. You can learn a lot about Danish history along with seeing numerous royal crowns and other historic artifacts related to Danish royalty. The castle has guards and you will likely see the changing of the guard here.
Bakken
We kept our last day in Copenhagen unplanned.
Our kid was interested in visiting Bakken, but it was about a 25-30 minute drive from downtown. Bakken is the world’s oldest amusement park and was founded in 1583! It is free to get in, but you pay for each ride or game you play. We bought a wristband for our daughter and a few tickets for us. Sometimes I rode with my dauther, other times her dad rode, and often she rode alone. This worked out just fine for us. She was 13 at the time and old enough to go on rides by herself.
Bakken was really neat. The rides were familier, yet unique. This was the only place we visited where we heard no English spoken. However, everyone we needed to speak to could speak English, so language was not a barrier. Well, except toward the end of the day. Once the crowds thinned out, the ride operators would let riders stay on for longer. On one of the rides my daughter got off because none of us understood that the operator was asking the kids if they wanted to keep riding. Oh well! It was still a fun activity to end our trip!
Was a Scandinavian Roadtrip Worth It?
Yes! I never dreamed that we would visit Scandinavia, let alone do a roadtrip through Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. If I had it to do all over again, I would try to add 1-2 more nights so that we could have stayed in Oslo or Sweden for 1-2 more nights.
Travel Resources
🏨Accommodation: Booking, Hostelworld, Vrbo
🚗Car Rentals: Rentalcars.com
✈Flights: Expedia, WayAway (save 10% on membership)
🎫Tours and Activities: Viator, Get Your Guide, Go City, Big Bus Tours
🚅Trains: Rail Europe, Omio, Trainline
🏥Travel Medical Insurance: SafetyWing
Read More About Our Scandinavian Roadtrip
Top 5 Day Trips from Cophenhagen
14 Must Haves for Your Scandinavian Roadtrip Through Denmark, Norway, and Sweden
Why We Went to Scandinavia Instead of South Dakota
Why You Don’t Need Cash in Scandinavia
8 Budget-Friendly Hotels in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden
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