Group tours to Northern Europe

Summer (June-August) brings very long days and mild temperatures, ideal for fjords and cities, while winter is the season for the Northern Lights and snow activities in Lapland and Iceland.

The midnight sun only shines above the Arctic Circle, while farther south, in Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, and the Baltic capitals, the white nights around the solstice never get fully dark. Midsummer is a big celebration: Sweden and Finland celebrate on a weekend between June 19 and 25, and the Baltic states on June 23-24, when many businesses close.

The Northern Lights season runs from late August to April, because what you need is dark, clear skies, not cold. December to March is the most popular time, with snow, and it lines up with Thanksgiving, the winter holidays, and spring break. For fewer crowds, look at September, when Lapland's fall colors peak, or March and early April. For the fjords, go from late May, when scenic roads like Geiranger-Trollstigen open.

For a single country like Norway or Iceland, 7-10 days is enough, while an itinerary across several Scandinavian and Baltic countries calls for at least 2-3 weeks. Norway is long and cut by fjords, so in a week you see one region, such as the western fjords with Bergen or the Lofoten Islands and Tromsø, not the whole country.

Some benchmarks: 3-4 days for one capital, or for Helsinki and Tallinn together, about 2 hours apart by fast ferry; 7-10 days for the Ring Road around Iceland, the Norwegian fjords, Lapland, or the three Baltic capitals; and 2 weeks for two connected countries, such as Denmark and Sweden via the Øresund Bridge.

From the US, Reykjavik is the closest gateway, with nonstop flights from the East Coast in about 5-6 hours, and Icelandair lets you add a stopover on transatlantic flights. Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, and Helsinki are about 7-9 hours away. Allow a day for the overnight flight and another to recover from jet lag.

All the countries in the area, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, are in the Schengen area, which keeps things simple for US citizens. You don't need a visa for tourism for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all Schengen countries together. Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you leave and must have been issued within the previous 10 years.

At the border, the Entry/Exit System takes your photo and fingerprints on your first entry, and there is nothing to do before you travel. The EU's ETIAS authorization is not required yet: if it becomes necessary, use only the official EU website. The Faroe Islands are outside both the EU and Schengen, with no visa needed for short stays, and the days you spend there don't count toward your 90.

Check the country pages on travel.state.gov before you go, and get travel health insurance, since Medicare generally doesn't cover care outside the US.

Northern Europe has some of the most striking scenery on the continent:

• The Norwegian fjords: Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with towering rock walls, and in Bergen the Hanseatic wharf of Bryggen is on the list too. Farther north, the Lofoten Islands have fishing villages like Reine.
• The Northern Lights in Lapland and Iceland: classic spots are Tromsø in Norway, Rovaniemi in Finland, right on the Arctic Circle, and Abisko in Sweden, known for its often clear skies. In Iceland you can see the aurora even near Reykjavik, and the Golden Circle links Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir geothermal area, and Gullfoss waterfall.
• Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki: colorful Nyhavn harbor and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen; Stockholm, built on 14 islands, with Gamla Stan and the Vasa Museum; and, off Helsinki, the sea fortress of Suomenlinna, a short ferry ride away.
• Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius: three UNESCO-listed historic centers in the Baltic states: a medieval old town in Tallinn, Art Nouveau buildings in Riga, and the bohemian Užupis district in Vilnius.

Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland each have their own currency: the Norwegian and Danish krone, the Swedish krona, and the Icelandic króna. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania use the euro. The Faroe Islands use the Faroese króna, tied one-to-one to the Danish krone: Danish banknotes are accepted there, but Faroese ones aren't accepted in Denmark.

Cards are accepted almost everywhere, even for small amounts, and in Sweden some shops and parking lots take only digital payments. A few tips:

• Bring two cards from different networks, such as Visa and Mastercard, and check your card's foreign transaction fees. In the Faroe Islands, American Express is often not accepted.
• Keep a little cash for remote villages, the Faroe Islands, and some stalls in Iceland.
• If a terminal offers to charge you in US dollars, choose the local currency, since the instant conversion usually costs more.

Scandinavia and Iceland are generally pricey, while the Baltic states are much more affordable. Iceland is among the most expensive countries in Europe for restaurants and accommodation, Denmark and Norway come close behind, Sweden and Finland are a bit lower, and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania sit below the EU average.

Alcohol is expensive, and in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland stronger drinks are sold only in state-run stores. On the plus side, service is included in restaurant prices, so the US-style tip is not expected.

To save, shop at supermarkets for breakfast and picnics, eat out at lunch when daily specials cost less, and consider city cards like the Copenhagen Card or Oslo Pass if you plan to see a lot. Tap water is safe to drink, so bring a refillable bottle. In Norway, Sweden, and Finland, the right to roam also lets you pitch a tent for a night or two on uncultivated land, following the local rules.

Trains and ferries connect the main Scandinavian and Baltic cities, while a road trip in a rental car is the most practical way to explore the Norwegian fjords or drive Iceland's Ring Road. Domestic flights help with the long distances in Norway and Sweden.

• Train: Norway has scenic lines like the Bergen Line, the Flåm Railway, and the Nordland Line, which crosses the Arctic Circle. Copenhagen and Malmö are linked by the Øresund Bridge. Iceland has no railways.
• Boat: Hurtigruten and Havila sail along the Norwegian coast between Bergen and Kirkenes, and you can book single legs. On the Baltic Sea, ferries connect Stockholm, Helsinki, and Tallinn.
• Bus: the main way to travel between Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius.
• Car: you drive on the right, as in the US, but rental cars are often manual. A US license is generally accepted for short stays in Norway and Iceland, and an International Driving Permit can help with rental companies. Iceland's highland F-roads open only in summer and require a 4x4.

Winters are long, cold, and dark inland and in the north, while summers are short but pleasant, with highs between about 59 and 75 °F. The midnight sun and the polar night only happen above the Arctic Circle. It varies by area:

• Norwegian coast and Iceland: thanks to the North Atlantic Current, winters are mild for the latitude, with cool summers, wind, and frequent rain. Bergen is one of Europe's rainiest cities.
• Inland Scandinavia, Finland, and Lapland: harsh, snowy winters and warmer summers.
• Capitals and the Baltic states: winters around or below freezing and warm summers, with highs in the low 70s °F.

Light changes more than temperature: Stockholm goes from more than 18 hours of daylight in midsummer to about 6 in late December. The weather changes fast, especially in Iceland and on the coasts, so pack layers.

Each country has its own language:

• Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish: Scandinavian languages that are largely understood across borders.
• Icelandic and Faroese: from the same family, but Scandinavians can't follow them. Faroese is spoken in the Faroe Islands along with Danish.
• Finnish and Estonian: related to each other but not to the Scandinavian languages. In Finland, Swedish is also a national language, mainly on the coasts and in the Åland Islands.
• Latvian and Lithuanian: similar but not mutually intelligible. In all three Baltic states, some people, especially older ones, also speak Russian.

In the far north you may also hear Sámi, the language of Lapland's Indigenous people.

English is very widely spoken, including outside the big cities, especially in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. In the Baltics it is common among younger people. One useful word everywhere is thank you: takk in Norwegian and Icelandic, tack in Swedish, tak in Danish, and kiitos in Finnish.

It depends on the definition, since Scandinavia and Northern Europe are not the same thing:

• Scandinavia, strictly speaking: Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, linked by history, culture, and related languages. The Scandinavian Peninsula is a geographic term and covers Norway, Sweden, and northwestern Finland.
• The Nordic countries: the three Scandinavian countries plus Finland and Iceland, along with the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and the Åland Islands. In English, Scandinavia is often used in this broader sense too.
• The Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They sit on the Baltic Sea but are neither Scandinavian nor Nordic, and their history and languages make them a group of their own.
• Northern Europe, in the broadest sense, also includes the UK and Ireland.

When people talk about travel in Northern Europe, they usually mean Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the three Baltic states.