Travel experiences
People from all over the world have travelled with Authentic Scandinavia.
See what they have to say about us and our tours:
Testimonials - Independent Rail Tours
Testimonials - Independent Short Breaks
Testimonials - Self Drive Tours
Testimonials - Escorted Coach Tours
Independent Rail Tours
Fjord Norway & Stockholm (Copenhagen add-on)
My husband has already written to you saying how much we enjoyed our Scandinavian holiday. I would like to add my appreciation for the meticulous instructions you gave us as to how to find our hotels etc. It was impossible to make a mistake. Everything was so clearly explained and every detail clarified. We were impressed by the cleanliness of all the Scandinavian capitals so unlike the position in London today. Also the super efficiency of the public transport systems was most impressive.
We found the cost of food very high and even more so wine which is so inexpensive and of such a high standard in South Africa. We noticed that some our less good varieties were sold there at astonishingly high prices.
We found the people in all three countries so friendly and helpful when we asked for directions. The service industry likewise was first class. Denmark, Norway and Sweden must have some of the finest scenery in the world and the architecture was quite lovely.
Thank you again for your efficient and helpful advice to us at every turn.
SP – South Africa
The architecture and ambience of the three cities is profoundly beautiful; Bergen is a delight. The scenery of Norway was breath-taking. We were fortunate that we had rain on only for a few hours one morning while in Scandinavia.
All the hotels you chose were excellent in location and facilities. Form your detailed step-by-step instructions we never needed to hesitate as to what we should do next.
Of your creative planning and meticulous organization I have nothing to say except "thank you".
PP – South Africa
Fjord Norway & Stockholm
The trip was fabulous from beginning to end! We had perfect weather except for some rain the night we were in Geilo; otherwise, blue sky and sun were the order of the day. Our accommodations were both convenient and comfortable and the hotel staff most pleasant and helpful. The itinerary which you had set up worked like clockwork. What can one say about the breakfast buffets---everything one could want, beautifully displayed and scrumptious! We were quick shocked at the cost of restaurant dining; perhaps suggestions about more reasonable restaurants would be a helpful addition to the itinerary.
I had two experiences that made me appreciate the honesty of some Scandinavians. In Oslo I discovered that my camera was missing and when I retraced my steps found that it had been turned in at the Munch Museum Cafe. Please be sure to convey my thanks to them for helping to confirm my faith in the goodness of people! The other experience in Stockholm had a happy ending, too. The hotel had called a cab for our transfer to the airport and gave us a confirmation number. When the cabbie began to load our luggage into his vehicle, a hotel employee ran out to stop him since he was one of those cab drivers you had warned us about who would have grossly overcharged us. Our cab came while the "cheater" was there and a loud "disagreement" took place. We were so glad that both the hotel and our rightful cabbie were "on top of things".
We have traveled quite extensively in the U.S. and Europe and would not hesitate to recommend "Authentic Scandinavia" to anyone. We enjoyed the independence it gave us to see the things we wanted to see and not feel like a member of a herd being shuffled about. We used public transportation as well as lots of walking to get us places and the fact that English is spoken and understood everywhere helped us too.
Thanks again for such a memorable vacation!
The DiLorenzos & The Albaneses - USA
I am finally sitting down and make some time to let you know how much we enjoyed the trip you prepared for us. It was fantastic!! I have given your web-site to many of my friends. Even when we were in Scandinavia we mentioned your web-site to other tourist. Yes, we have been very pleased with your service and we are looking forward to coming to Scandinavia again.
PS. My husband was very impressed with the wonderful breakfast we had in the hotels, the most outstanding was the hotel in Stockholm.
Henriette and Bill Brecheisen – Netherlands and USA
Scandinavian Capitals
Hi Trude, thank you. We had a wonderful time in Scandinavia and were very pleased with all the arrangements. Mind you we expected nothing less, due to your efficiency prior to our leaving! We were happy with everything. The only comment we would make is the choice of the First Hotel Vesterbro. Being Australian of course we look for more of an old world feeling so it would have been nice to have been located in the old town. A very small point really.
We were impressed with the developments taking place in Oslo and the care taken connecting new developments to the harbour. The Opera House was a standout too. Sorry we didn't get the chance to meet. We will recommend Authentic Scandinavia to others. Many thanks.
Joy & Robert Howman – Australia
I am writing to thank you for all of your great work to ensure the perfect Scandinavian vacation. My vacation was absolutely flawless. I appreciate that you worked so quickly to accommodate all of my requests and you provided a great deal of clear and helpful information for the trip including sightseeing travel tips. Your communication was so prompt. We booked the Scandinavian capitals package. The Hotels were excellent, the breakfasts were excellent, the DFDS ferry was excellent, the train tickets were perfect. I really enjoyed Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. I cannot thank you enough. Sincerely,
Vincent Graffeo – USA
Scandinavian Capitals & Helsinki
I would just like to say a very big thank you for a wonderfully organised trip. My parents and I greatly enjoyed our visit to Scandinavia. I would like to say how impressed we were with all the logistics; our hotels were lovely, the transfers between cities perfectly timed and all direction clear and easy to follow. We will definitely recommend Authentic Scandinavia for anyone wanting to visit the region. Thank your for all your help.
SM - Italy
The Golden Route
My daughter Lydia and I had a wonderful time on our visit to Norway. We cannot compliment you and Authenic Scandinavia enough. The transportation was exactly right, the hotel accommodations were excellent and perfectly located for us to see and do everything we wanted to do. We do not care for guided tours, we prefer to walk every where and discover things on our own. The Thon Opera was just right there across from the opera house. My daughter is an architect and urban designer. She must have taken hundreds of photos of just the opera house (she took literally thousands of photos of everything else on our trip.) She lives in Seattle, which is a sister city to Bergen, so everything there was very interesting to us.
The weather was a little rainy and a little foggy on the bus ride to Geiranger, but, we loved it anyway. So beautiful. The best part of the whole trip was the people of Norway. Every where we went we met warm, friendly, (and beautiful) people, who laughed with us as we tried to learn the language, and then chatted with us in perfect English. Are all Norwegian children blonde and blue-eyed at birth? They seemed to be. It is a very beautiful country, filled with beautiful people and we could not have enjoyed ourselves more.
Again, thank you for the perfect trip. We would heartily recommend your company, you, and this trip to any one who wants to see the best of Norway.
With sincere gratitude,
Barbara Callaghan and Lydia Heard - USA
Thank you for your welcoming. My first impression of Authentic Scandinavia was a very good impression. So I have nothing to complain in the way I was treated as your guest and client.
- The itinerary was good explained. Everything was easy to find.
- The hotels were also well selected. Depending on location and service.
- Transportation was well chosen. My personal highlight was the two different Hurtigruten boats, MS Trollfjord and MS Vesteralen.
Honestly, this was my third time travelling to Norway and surely not the last time.
For the next journey, when ever it will be, I won’t hesitate to contact you again.
Silvia Dirschedl – Germany
Thanks for the email. Everything was really excellent. The trains, ships and buses were all absolutely punctual and all the connections worked well. The were times where there very close connection times with only a few minutes before the connections left so left little time for delays. As there were none it was not an issue. What could have been done if there had been delays and the connection was missed? The trains and buses were excellent, clean and well appointed with excellent service. The hotels were all clean and very comfortable and well located and staff helpful and polite. The Oslo card was excellent value and easily paid for itself. The itinerary was well balanced and gave a good view of the varying countryside. Highlights were the rail trips especially the ones from Bergen to Oslo and the Rauma railway.
The other highlight was the hotel at Geiranger. The location was delightful and the cruise on the MS Lofoten a lovely way to see the scenery. It was particularly nice to see how easy it was to get gluten free meals at the restaurants. For anyone such as me with this as a dietary problem food on holiday can present a real problem. All hotels were able to provide bread suitable for coeliacs and all the restaurants were able to offer sauces that were free from gluten. Should you be asked this question again by anyone booking you will be able to reassure them that it will not present a problem. All I had to do was explain the need to have the meal free from any gluten containing products and it was done. Being able to eat and knowing that it would be safe to do so really made the difference. The food was at all times of a high standard no matter where we ate. I hope the above is useful and if there is anything you would like to discuss in any further detail I would be happy to do so.
Thanks for preparing a wonderful itinerary for us and for a really memorable holiday in a truly beautiful country.
Simon Gates – UK
Norway in a Nutshell
Thank you very much for all your help and making our holiday an excellent and enjoyable one. The organisation of the trip, the hotel quality, the proximity of the hotels to train and bus depots etc. were excellent. The scenery was breathtaking and the cities of Bergen and Oslo were absolutely lovely. I have absolutely no complaints only compliments and thanks again from me and my family.
W. O’Sullivan - Ireland
Takk! I am sorry to be delayed in my response and gratitude for your work to make my trip so excellent. I would love to make a return trip to Norway – this time with some of my family.
The trip planning was marvelous. The hotels in Oslo and Bergen were excellent and the travel plans worked wonderfully well. The hotel in Geilo did not come to meet me at the train but your good guide provided me with the phone number so I was able to find a phone to call them. Even the weather cooperated during my visit. It had been cloudy before we got on the boat at Flam but the sun came out and added to the beauty of the setting. It was a remarkable trip.
I will happily recommend Norway in a Nutshell.
Joy Peterson – USA
Thank you for your kind email and indeed all of your help in planning the trip. I thoroughly enjoyed your beautiful country and sincerely hope that will not be our last time seeing it! I particularly enjoyed Geilo and the accommodation was lovely. The only problem was our time was too short!! I didn't realise I would have wanted to stay longer!
Thank you again for everything.
Alison Whelan – Ireland
We enjoyed very much our stay in Norway. Wonderful and impressive landscape! And nice people. Everything was well organized, and the hotels were good. Only one remark: Could you tell before that there is a swimming pool and a sauna in Bardola hotel in Geilo? Fortunately we got our swimming costume, so we could enjoy and relax. And also a gastronomic restaurant (so important for French people). In Geilo station, nobody was waiting for us, we took a taxi which was paid by the hotel: no problem. Everything was perfect (but life is quite expensive).
Veronique Guerchais – France
We are just back to the usual pile of post and emails. When all settles down we will reflect on a wonderful holiday in your beautiful country.
I can only praise everything about the holiday, the hotels, friendly staff, stunning scenery, and most of all your swift reaction to our initial travel disruption. We toasted your health at the dinner so kindly offered by yourself.
I am very impressed with your business model and how well it works. If we are going to Scandinavia again we will be in contact.
Patrick O’Donnell - Ireland
Fjord & Hurtigruten
Thank you for your mail. In fact I was thinking of writing you to say how much we enjoyed our stay in Norway. The fjords landscape is breathtaking; the cities are very pretty and with a welcoming atmosphere. The tour itinerary was very well balanced in terms of sites, scenes and opportunities offered. On top of this, the nice weather and good food, made these holidays one that we will always remember, for the good memories we keep.
We want also to congratulate you for the efficiency of all the travel arrangements. We did not have any problem in finding our way. We would like to go back to Norway one day, for sure.
Maria & João Crespo - Portugal
Fjord Adventure Plus
We used your services for our trip to Norway this July. It was perfect in every way. The hotels, the train, the adventures--It all went perfect. Your directions made it a perfect trip. Thanks,
Debby Lovejoy – USA
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Independent Short Breaks
Bergen & Sognefjord Experience
My parents and their friends had a fabulous time in Norway, it had been my mom's lifelong dream to visit the Norwegian Fjords. They said everything in the tour was perfectly organized and were very happy with it. I have actually already been to Norway (Bergen and the Fjords) and absolutely loved it! Thank you for everything.
D. Leyva – Mexico
Thank you for your e-mail! We truly had a great time, and the weather was really favorable. Our vacation is not over yet, but certainly the trip to Bergen, the unique railway and fjords made a very memorable part of it. There was no logistical issues during our trip.
Thank you again, we would be very happy to recommend your services to our friends and family.
A. Bankov – Russia
We had an exceptionally wonderful time in Norway. The people are so nice and everyone took such good care of Mr. Hauchman who is disabled. The food was delicious and the hotels truly remarkably wonderful. All in all it was so great that my husband and I are coming back next year. We want to rent a vacation home around Bergen or the Sognefjord areas. Do you know anyone who deals with such rentals? Again, thank you so much for arranging this exceptional trip. My mother was thrilled about her birthday present.
Gerlinde Wirzfeld-Olvera – USA
Trude, The trip was fantastic! The itinerary was perfect, accommodations superb, all transportation clean and efficient. The time allotment at the different sites was just right. The hotel in Bergen is in a perfect location to walk to the harbor, site see, restaurants, etc. The hotel in Balestrand is nice and the service is wonderful at both the restaurant and in general. They offer a nice service of holding and bringing your luggage to the ferry so that you do not have to take your luggage with you on the day-trips. Obviously, the scenery and fjords are just stunning. We had a great trip - cannot think of a better itinerary. Thanks for your help in organizing everything for us.
Nancy Wechsler - USA
Fjords Unpolished & Fjord Adventure
We loved our trip! It was fantastic. Even the soggy Madonna concert. We visited Oslo; 1 day was more than enough. The Oslo pass for 1 day was definitely worth it and made planning our day much easier. The Fjords Unpolished was better than imagined. Christine, our guide, was superb...super knowledgeable and accommodating, as was the captain. The Fjord Adventure was great. The scenery was outstanding. We thoroughly enjoyed the downhill biking... it could have been a little longer.
The rib boat was fun, especially sitting up front as we were able to do. We're happy that we only went one way in the rib boat as going back would have been repetitive. Our ride back with our guide/support was enjoyable on those winding roads. The whitewater rafting was super fun also, although that could have been longer as well. We tried to go body rafting but each time we called they said it was unavailable. Oh well. I would have opted for the all day rafting trip if given the option. Voss was a great, friendly, little town. We went paragliding. And although it was expensive for what you got, we had fun.
Thank you for all of your help in making our trip so successful. We would do it again in a heartbeat. Everywhere was so beautiful. Everyone was so helpful. Even the rain in Bergen was as it should have been.
Maria & Charlotte - USA
Stockholm & Helsinki
We had a wonderful time in Scandinavia. Our hotels were very clean and central, and the ferry was excellent fun. The itinerary you sent us was also very useful.
We would definitely be interested in travelling with Authentic Scandinavia again. Do you do any trips to see the northern lights?
Thank you so much for making our trip so special.
Louise Gallagher – UK
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Self Drive Tours
Above the Arctic Circle
Trude, thanks for helping put together a superb holiday for us! We have traveled extensively over the years and we think this was probably our best trip ever. We will recommend Authentic Scandinavia to our friends.
We have a couple of minor suggestions for making the itinerary even better:
- Offering the option of an additional day in the Lofoten Islands. We loved the red cabin you had reserved for us and we would have liked to have stayed an additional night. (Otherwise, you had the perfect amount of time for each location.)
- Suggesting the Gamelstad UNESCO heritage site as an alternative instead of the Ice Hotel. We decided to do this and it didn't add too much additional driving time over the scheduled plan.
- Suggesting the cable car in Tromso. While we didn't stop at the Narvik cable car station, the view from Tromso was spectacular.
But these are just minor suggestions and we can't thank you enough as this was truly a dream vacation! Thanks again.
RG – USA
Fjord Splendour
Sally and i returned from Scandinavia this past Sunday. What with the jet lag we are a little slow in getting up to speed but now we are. We thank you so much for the marvelous dventure. Having a car and flexibility to organize our own daily itinerary was wonderful! And we had a wonderful hike in Geiranger in the pouring rain up to a small farm house turned restaurant for a neat lunch. The joy of doing what we like was marvelous. And the difference in hotels gave added richness. We were very well taken care of in the hotels with dining room tables by windows, etc. The voucher system was so easy.
So glad we didn't do our initial plan for a long tour on the Hurtigruten - much too sedentary for our personalities.
One idea for your future self guided tour consideration is a similar tour with lodging in small bed and breakfasts with more opportunity to converse with local folks. Interesting that there is little stranger to stranger conversation in the big hotels. We did our best to reduce this culture a little.
Thanks again for all your help,
Wayne & Sally Park - USA
The trip was wonderful, and everything went well, accordingly to plan. You really have a truly wonderful country, and I will return for sure to Norway, mainly to the northern part of Norway.
In terms of feedback, I’ve only one remark to make. My wife and I didn’t understand the Orkanger night, being so close to Trondheim, I would substitute that night for one additional night in Trondheim or by a night in a place between Geiranger and Trondheim. For instance, we decided to go through the Atlantic road, which added some 80/100 Km to the 320 Km from Geiranger to Trondheim, and we were very happy with that decision, although the tiredness of doing almost 450 Km in one day. Other than this, everything was truly fine and very well organized. Undoubtedly, a trip that will remain in our memories for a long long time.
Nuno Vaz – Portugal
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Escorted Coach Tours
The Fjords of Norway
Sorry to respond somewhat late, but we had an extended vacation before returning home to find your message. We had a wonderful time on the trip in Norway and have told many of our friends about it. The bus trip (driving) was expertly done by our driver and the narration by the tour guide was very informative and enjoyable. Accommodation at the hotels and baggage service were very good. Food at the buffets was always plentiful. The only food and service not up to the standard was at the restaurant by the glaciers. We probably were also lucky with the weather in general. We will remember this trip for a long time.
US & HS – USA
Thank you for your e-mail
We had, no doubts, a great time. We are very satisfied with the tour, everything was ok. The itinerary was a good one, even if, a day or two, a little tiring. The hotels were very good and extremely well located. We also expect "count with Authentic Scandinavia in the future".
Mr & Mrs Silva – Portugal
Land of the Fjords
Thank you for your welcome back mail. We had a truly fantastic holiday in Norway and were overwhelmed by your magnificent scenery and great weather. Everything went according to plan and we found our guide and driver very friendly, professional and informative. The hotels were all very comfortable and we really enjoyed the great views from each room. The only glitch we had was that the taxi driver did not arrive to Bergen station to pick us up and instead went to the airport! We waited for 20 minutes and then got a taxi to the hotel ourselves. Anne-Marie our guide gave us a reimbursement immediately and gave the feedback to the taxi company. The train journey from Oslo to Bergen was also great and was a part of the trip that we wouldn't have missed. Thank you for all your help.
Joanne & Damien Lee - Ireland