Scandinavian Road Trip at Leisure

On a self-drive tour, Nordic Visitor supplies you with a quality rental car and a detailed personal itinerary. You act as your own tour guide and driver, and you get to pick the road trip music!

All your services will be pre-booked by your personal travel consultant at Nordic Visitor. This includes your rental car and accommodation across Scandinavia, along with any other services specified in your itinerary, such as cruises and planned activities.

During your tour, we’re with you every step of the way. On arrival, you’ll receive personalised information, including an itinerary, map and detailed Scandinavia Travel Guide. Plus, you’ll have access to our 24/7 helpline during your trip should you need to contact us.

Driving in the Scandinavian countries might be slightly different than what you’re used to. For this reason, you’ll want to make yourself aware of local driving laws and potential road hazards, such as:

• We drive on the right-hand side of the road
• Low-beam headlights should be on at all times
• Speed limits are posted in kilometres per hour (km/h)
• Speed and traffic violations have steep fines
• Mountain passes can be narrow and winding

And finally, with all the beautiful scenery, you’ll want to take it slow and enjoy the drive!

For more information, we strongly recommend taking a few minutes to read through our  guide to driving in Scandinavia. You’ll also receive more guidance ahead of your arrival in our Scandinavia Travel Guide.

Most hotels in small towns and in the countryside have free parking. In the cities and capitals, you’ll need to find parking nearby your hotels. This may include on-street parking (where you pay at the parking meter or via apps) or parking garages.

Fees can vary, so we recommend you check in advance. You could also ask about the best parking options once you check in to your hotel.

These fees are not included in your Nordic Visitor package.

Upon arrival at the airport, you will pick up your vehicle from the car rental office here. At the end of your rental period, you will return the car back to the airport.

We recommend using Google Maps or a search engine to find car parks near your accommodation. You can also ask your hotel for assistance. You might find you have a short walk between the car park and your hotel.

A GPS service is available for an additional fee. You can book this directly with the rental agent.

Alternatively, you may want to ensure you have adequate mobile roaming that you can use during your travels. This way you can use Google Maps or another navigation service on your phone.

It’s also good to note that Google Maps offers more up-to-date information as well as traffic navigation, compared to traditional GPS devices. You’re also able to pre-download maps of areas you will be visiting, so you can use them offline.

Travelling with your kids? No problem! You'll be able to enter your children's ages during the booking process. This lets us know whether to arrange either a baby cot or roll-away bed for your trip.

If you'd like us to arrange for a car seat to be provided for your trip, please let us know ahead of time. It's also possible to book this directly with the car rental agency. This will incur a small, extra cost.

On your Scandinavian adventure, you’ll stay in accommodation that’s been hand-picked by our travel experts. We’ve partnered with local businesses and selected hotels and guesthouses based on excellent ratings, comfort and our personal experience.

During the booking process, you can select whether you want Comfort Plus or Superior accommodation. Comfort Plus usually consists of standard rooms in good quality and comfortable 3-star hotels. Superior is standard rooms in 4-star hotels combined with superior rooms in premium 3-star hotels.

You will also be able to choose between single, double or triple rooms. Please note that in the Nordic countries room types are based on European standard sizes, which means they are smaller than in North America.

For example, a double bed often consists of 2 single beds pushed together. Twin rooms are 2 separate single beds. Triple rooms include a double bed along with an extra single bed, rollaway or sofa bed. And single rooms are often smaller than the standard double.

If you have anything specific in mind, please contact us to discuss customising your accommodation options.

After your stay in Copenhagen, you’ll travel to Oslo on an overnight cruise. You’ll depart in the mid-afternoon and arrive in Norway the following morning.

We’ll book you a private cabin with ensuite facilities and a small window. In the morning before docking in Oslo, your breakfast is included.

There are 2 ships operating the route, Pearl Seaways and Crown Seaways. On board both, you will find facilities such as lounges, restaurants, bars and a viewing deck. There are also daily activities and entertainment to enjoy. 

Yes, you can customise this tour online. During the booking process, you can add extra nights to your itinerary as well as optional day trips, excursions and upgrades. 

If you have something specific in mind, get in touch with your travel consultant and they’ll create your dream trip.

By booking with Nordic Visitor, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that there’s always someone there for you throughout your trip.

For support and advice during the day, you can call our office. And if anything unexpected happens outside working hours, you can reach us on our 24/7 helpline. 

During your tour, there will always be a travel expert on call to handle any unforeseen situations, such as unusual weather or events.

If you have a passport from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand, you won’t need a visa to visit Scandinavia. This visa-free entry is valid for up to 90 days.

Visiting from another country? You might need to apply for a Schengen visa. You can find out whether you require a visa to enter on the Sweden Government website or the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. You’ll need to apply to the consulate of the country where you will spend the most time, or the first country you will visit.

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your departure from the region. It’s good to check your passport expiry date early in case you need to renew it.

Scandinavia is a beautiful destination all year round. But it’s good to be aware of a few things before picking the best time to visit for you.

During the summer months,June to August, you’ll have the warmest temperatures and longest daylight hours of the year. This is ideal for outdoor excursions and taking full advantage of your days for sightseeing.

If you’d like to experience the top attractions with fewer visitors around, then you could book a summer itinerary inMay orSeptember. These shoulder season months generally have more tour and attraction availability.

If you’d like to visit in winter, then we recommend you pick a Scandinavia independent tour. This way you’ll travel by train and cruise and benefit from an itinerary of quieter towns and attractions.

You can also expect fewer daylight hours, and the addition of snow-dusted mountains as a backdrop in winter. It’s good to remember that in Scandinavia, northern lights can typically only be seen from Northern Norway, Iceland, and Lapland.

The capitals of Scandinavia are located quite far north in Europe so you can expect long daylight hours in summer.

In Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden, you can expect between 16 and 19 hours of daylight depending on how close you are to the solstice. Copenhagen in Denmark is slightly more south, so you’ll enjoy 14-17 daylight hours.

In Norway, Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger are relatively south, so you’ll experience 15–20 hours of daylight. If you visit the north, including locations such as Tromsø and Kirkenes, you can expect 20–24 hours of daylight.

The region’s long summer days give you plenty of time to explore. That said, you may want to pack a sleeping mask if you are a light sleeper or tend to wake up at dawn.

Find out more about time zones and daylight in this guide to time and daylight in Scandinavia.

During the summer months, you can expect fairly stable weather across Scandinavia.

The months of June, July and August boast the warmest weather of the year. In Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo you can expect average temperatures between 17–20°C (61–68°F). This gets cooler in Bergen and then up the north coast of Norway. For example, Tromsø has average summer temperatures around 10°C (41–50°F).

In May and September, you can also expect milder conditions. Pack for temperatures closer to 11–14°C (52–57°F).

All that said, it’s good to know that weather conditions are often changeable in Northern Europe, so you should come ready for sun, rain and wind. For more information on the local climate, read the page Scandinavian weather conditions.

Please note that sightseeing is dependent on weather and road conditions. This means that your itinerary might need to be altered if these conditions are not favourable during your visit.

Summer has most stable weather of the year across Scandinavia, especially in the south of the region. That said, you should still be ready to experience all seasons in one day. Especially if you will be spending a lot of time outdoors, you’ll want to pack for a combination of weather conditions.

Bring lighter clothes for the warmer, sunny days. And don’t forget extra layers for chilly nights in the mountains or for taking in the view from cruise ship decks.

Here is an essential summer packing list for your trip to Scandinavia:

• Shorts and trousers
• T-shirts and long sleeve tops
• At least one warm jumper or fleece
• Waterproof jacket and trousers
• Light gloves, hat and scarf
• Comfortable walking or hiking shoes
• Sunglasses, sun hat and sunscreen
• Eye mask to sleep despite the long daylight hours
• Electronic gear such as smartphone, external powerpack, and travel adapters
• A backpack for easy access to daily essentials
• and don’t forget your camera!

An umbrella can also come in handy. If you are a wildlife watcher, you may wish to bring binoculars.

For more information, check out this Scandinavian packing list.

In most major Scandinavian cities and towns you will be able to find coin-operated launderettes, with self-service facilities, and dry cleaners. Most hotels on your trip will also offer a laundry or dry cleaning service for an additional cost.

It’s best to book as soon as you can to secure your preferred travel dates. Once you have picked your tour, check the availability calendar to see which months are open for booking. Then, select the date you want and complete your booking.

We recommend waiting for confirmation from your travel consultant to ensure your travel dates are available. You’ll then be able to purchase your flights with confidence.

If you like to plan well ahead of time, you’ll find that it’s possible to book many tours for the following year. And if you have any questions or need advice, you can always contact us.

After booking your tour package online, you will be contacted within 2 business days by your own dedicated travel consultant. They will be your point of contact for all your travel needs before, during and even after your trip. 

We aim to complete bookings within a few weeks. During this time we take care of booking your accommodation, activities, and transport, confirming all parts of your journey. Once this is done, your travel consultant will provide you with all the details of your trip. 

When we get back to you might depend slightly on how far ahead you’ve booked your travels and other tours running at the time. 

No need! Nordic Visitor is already working on offsetting the estimated carbon footprint of your package. We’ve partnered with an environmental fund in Iceland to carbon offset all our tours.

Carbon offsetting your international flights is not included, but we highly recommend you look into possibilities with your airline or directly through a local environment fund. 

After you have booked your tour, it will only take a few days to confirm its availability. But it may take a few weeks to create your itinerary and book everything. Once your trip details are finalised, we’ll send you e-copies of your travel documents.

Upon your arrival in Scandinavia, you’ll receive a welcome bag with hard copies of your itinerary, attraction and tour vouchers, the Nordic Visitor Scandinavia Travel Guide and more.

So when do you check in? And what can you expect when you land in Stockholm?

After passing customs and collecting your luggage, head to the car rental office. There, you’ll pick up your vehicle for your road trip. Then make your way to your accommodation in the Stockholm city centre.

Check-in times vary between hotels and guesthouses, but it normally starts between 2–4 PM.

You are welcome to request an early check-in for an additional fee. Although this isn’t always available, you’ll be able to store your luggage at the hotel until check-in. Please contact your travel consultant well in advance of your trip if you’d like an early check-in.

When you depart may depend on the time of your return flight. Check out early if you’re heading to the airport for a morning flight. On the other hand, if you’re flying home later in the day, you might like to enjoy a leisurely day or visit one more attraction.

You will usually need to check out from your room around 10–11 AM. If you’re staying in town longer, you will be able to store your luggage at the hotel reception. Simply return later to collect your bags before making your way to the airport.

All bookings are billed in Euro (EUR). Prices displayed in other currencies are indicative only and based on the daily exchange rate. This means conversions from EUR to other currencies will fluctuate from day to day.