For a vacation destination, if you had to choose between Sweden and...

[Matata]

Norway, which would you choose and why? And if you could spend a week in each country, what would you choose to see/do? Thanks in advance for ideas.

 

[AprilBaby]

Norway. Been to both. Norway has beautiful fjords and Oslo is a fabulous city! Everyone was friendly and spoke English. Sweden has some problems related to immigration. Norway seems more stable right now.

 

[dk168]

Sweden has a larger royal jewellery collection which I believe can be viewed by the public, however I could be wrong about the viewing, so please check to avoid disappointment!

DK

 

[Ally T]

Norway. Hands down. The lakes, Fjords, scenery, villages, food - everything is just beautiful. And there are fabulous shops & Galleries in Oslo & Bergen. And if you head really North, towards Senja, you should be guaranteed to see the Northern Lights pretty much every night during winter months. My husband is heading to Tromso in June for their Arctic Circle Marathon, which takes place at night during the weeks the sun never sets out there. Unfortunately the children & I can’t go because it’s during school term time, but we are very jealous!

 

[monarch64]

Norway! Just had a friend return from a 2 year assignment in Denmark. She loved Norway. My maternal family is Norwegian, and I would love to see “the old country” someday. What a great dilemma to have!

 

[Matata]

Thank you everyone for your comments. We'll probably go to Norway. I had a warm fuzzy feeling while I was reading a travel guide about the country that I didn't get when reading about Sweden.

@Alex T that sounds like an awesome race for your hubs to do. I'm sorry that you don't get to go. Is there no way to get the kids out of school for the event? Teachers wouldn't be willing to turn the trip into some kind of project to make up for their absence?

 

[TooPatient]

Thank you everyone for your comments. We'll probably go to Norway. I had a warm fuzzy feeling while I was reading a travel guide about the country that I didn't get when reading about Sweden.

@Alex T that sounds like an awesome race for your hubs to do. I'm sorry that you don't get to go. Is there no way to get the kids out of school for the event? Teachers wouldn't be willing to turn the trip into some kind of project to make up for their absence?

This is an awesome idea! Many/most teachers are happy to work with you on stuff like this. Traveling and seeing in person is so much better than just books! I know some will give visits to certain museums ora short presentation to the class in lieu of some things. Other work can be extended due dates. So many options!

 

[rocks]

I used to work in the region. My favorite countries are Finland and Norway. Stockholm has an urban sophistication that city dwellers favor. Loved it....but, Norway and Finland are friendlier. Denmark....eh...very superior. They are all beautiful. Have a great time. I miss it.

 

[Ally T]

This is an awesome idea! Many/most teachers are happy to work with you on stuff like this. Traveling and seeing in person is so much better than just books! I know some will give visits to certain museums ora short presentation to the class in lieu of some things. Other work can be extended due dates. So many options!

Sadly not. In the UK if you take your children out of school during term time, you will be fined. It’s a Government thing to stop family’s going away & children falling behind in education. There is no allowance for children with 100% attendance records & high academic achievements. My eldest daughter (aged 9) went to Berlin with my husband last September for the Marathon there. They flew late Friday & came home late Monday, so she actually only missed one day of school. Whilst the Head declined her absence request form, my daughter is very bright & works ahead of her peers, consequently the Head didn’t report the absence as an unauthorised leave. We got away with it that time, but given I work at the same school, I wouldn’t be prepared to push my boss’s buttons too many times! Absence Requests are only usually authorised for weddings, funerals & exceptional circumstances.

 

[TooPatient]

Sadly not. In the UK if you take your children out of school during term time, you will be fined. It’s a Government thing to stop family’s going away & children falling behind in education. There is no allowance for children with 100% attendance records & high academic achievements. My eldest daughter (aged 9) went to Berlin with my husband last September for the Marathon there. They flew late Friday & came home late Monday, so she actually only missed one day of school. Whilst the Head declined her absence request form, my daughter is very bright & works ahead of her peers, consequently the Head didn’t report the absence as an unauthorised leave. We got away with it that time, but given I work at the same school, I wouldn’t be prepared to push my boss’s buttons too many times! Absence Requests are only usually authorised for weddings, funerals & exceptional circumstances.

I had no idea! Thanks for sharing!

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

How much time do you want to spend? Given distances aren't as huge as in the US you could see both.
Stockholm is the most beautiful city I've ever seen (I live in Paris....)

Just for the record : Scandinavia is still one of the safest places in the world (much safer statistically than the US) ... Safety concerns shouldn't be a deciding factor at all.

 

[GK2]

A bit late to the party but Sweden hands down. We’ve spent a lot of time in southern Sweden, flying into Copenhagen and then driving across the Oresund to Malmo and Skane - see avatar!

It’s my intention to move there when my husband dies which should give an idea of how safe it is - some sections of the media are presenting alternative truths...

 

[Viola]

I'm from Stockholm, Sweden. Been to Oslo over a couple of weekends. Oslo as a city is not something I would recommend for a tourist, and it's actually one of the few cities I've visited where I felt "I'm not coming back". BUT, with that said, if you aim to visit the fjords than that would for sure beat Stockholm in my book.

I would recommend to visit Stockholm (it truly has SOOO much history and character), some coffee shops in the old town are real life old jails from 1700th century. We have great castles, sceneries, museums, and we have some amazing restaurants (Michelin, if that's something you appreciate), and it's a perfect city to just have a coffee and do some people watching -as "everyone" here is fashion forward.

IF I was coming all the way from the US, I would give Stockholm maybe 4-5 days, and then the fjords in Norway 4-5 days. If you have the possibility to set it up like that, you would get the best of both worlds. As someone mentioned, the distances aren't that huge compared to the US, and getting to the fjords from Oslo vs Stockholm can't vary all that much, it's worth looking it up.

As for safety, I chuckle when people from outside (or Trump for that matter) mention that we have safety issues regarding our immigration. Fake news. . We have had immigration (as any other country), but I wouldn't say that that has spruced up the crime rate to an extent where you won't want to live or visit the country.

Good luck with picking your destination!

 

[Snowdrop13]

I'm from Stockholm, Sweden. Been to Oslo over a couple of weekends. Oslo as a city is not something I would recommend for a tourist, and it's actually one of the few cities I've visited where I felt "I'm not coming back". BUT, with that said, if you aim to visit the fjords than that would for sure beat Stockholm in my book.

I would recommend to visit Stockholm (it truly has SOOO much history and character), some coffee shops in the old town are real life old jails from 1700th century. We have great castles, sceneries, museums, and we have some amazing restaurants (Michelin, if that's something you appreciate), and it's a perfect city to just have a coffee and do some people watching -as "everyone" here is fashion forward.

IF I was coming all the way from the US, I would give Stockholm maybe 4-5 days, and then the fjords in Norway 4-5 days. If you have the possibility to set it up like that, you would get the best of both worlds. As someone mentioned, the distances aren't that huge compared to the US, and getting to the fjords from Oslo vs Stockholm can't vary all that much, it's worth looking it up.

As for safety, I chuckle when people from outside (or Trump for that matter) mention that we have safety issues regarding our immigration. Fake news. . We have had immigration (as any other country), but I wouldn't say that that has spruced up the crime rate to an extent where you won't want to live or visit the country.

Good luck with picking your destination!

Indeed,

https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/non-economic-data/worlds-safest-countries-2019

Norway 6
Sweden 13
USA 65

 

[Viola]

Indeed,

https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/non-economic-data/worlds-safest-countries-2019

Norway 6
Sweden 13
USA 65

And the difference between number 2-13 int he list is quite marginal if you ask me.

 

[partgypsy]

this topic reminded me of this scene:

 

[AV_]

I am freezing only from reading this thread! Loved Oslo - where every nice walk is a climb, and they make a wild adventure of every dish...

 

[Scandinavian]

Norway. Especially if you are interested in seeing some nature: mountains, fjords, glaciers etc. Stockholm is better than Oslo though, but neither are cities really... just a hub of people.