First time in Scandinavia — 22 days in July across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland.
Planning my first Scandinavia trip and would love a sanity check from people who've actually been. Flying in from Delhi, first week of July, dates flexible by ±2 days. Solo trip, mostly city/culture focused but want the fjords too. Trying to balance ambition with not burning out by week 3.
The plan (22 days):
* Copenhagen — 4 nights (incl. Malmö day trip)
* Stockholm — 4 nights (incl. archipelago day trip, leaning Sandhamn)
* Oslo — 3 nights
* Flåm — 2 nights
* Bergen — 3 nights
* Helsinki — 5 nights (incl. Tallinn day trip)
Transport: Mostly overland — SJ trains Copenhagen→Stockholm→Oslo, Bergen Railway + Flåm Railway to Flåm, Norway in a Nutshell to Bergen, then flight Bergen→Helsinki. Out of HEL.
Things I'm second-guessing:
- Should I squeeze in Ålesund or Trondheim? Or save them for a dedicated Norway trip later?
- Worth doing Hardangerfjord as a day trip from Bergen, or is the Nærøyfjord cruise on the way enough fjord for a first-timer?
- Anyone done Flåm in peak July — is 2 nights enough, or will I wish I'd stayed longer?
- As a solo traveler, any of these stops you'd flag as particularly good/bad for going alone?
Not interested in Lapland this trip, saving that for a winter visit.
Appreciate any tips, corrections, or "you're crazy to skip X" replies. Cheers!