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Rccent experience on this tour?
We are planning 2025 and this tour pops out as interesting. Has anyone been on the tour recently, and can you pls share your opinions: highlights, lowlights, overall thoughts? Thanks in advance!!
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We are planning 2025 and this tour pops out as interesting. Has anyone been on the tour recently, and can you pls share your opinions: highlights, lowlights, overall thoughts? Thanks in advance!!
Comments
The 2024 Itinerary has many changes from prior years. Eliminating the on tour flights being the biggest change. The first tour of 2024 won't happen until mid May so no one has any recent relevant experience. We are considering it for 2025 as well so I'm hoping for some feedback/reviews of the tour later this year. Of course I'm also hoping the prices and itinerary for 2025 come out soon.
I did this tour in 2018, which was very much like the current itinerary.
Here's what I wrote in my evaluation: "It's a good thing this wasn't my first tour with Tauck. If it was, it would have been my last." and "The hotel in Toftaholm reminds me of a place I would have stayed at when I was backpacking across Europe as a college student."
The drive from Copenhagen to Stockholm, with the Toftaholm overnight stay in the middle of nowhere was painful. It was because of comments like mine that they redid the tour and added flights. Apparently they had issues with flights and switched back.
While I very much liked the sights seen, in its current iteration, I would NOT recommend this tour and suggest looking at alternatives.
Edited for typo)
We were on this tour in September 2022, on the previous itinerary with the flights connecting the cities. The timing of the itinerary is different now. We ended our tour in Oslo, and most of the current hotels are different.
Overall, this was a good trip for us, but not great. It will all mainly depend on what you have already seen in the world, and what you hope to see when you get to Scandinavia. If you just want to learn about the culture and history, have some beautiful scenery and fresh air (weather dependent) and visit some very lovely European cities where everyone seems to get along, and have a more simplified and relaxing experience than say, Rome and The Vatican, then this could be the tour for you. I’m glad I took this tour before Patagonia, though. We did have some rain in mid-September that limited some of our fjord viewing, but even if we had not, if you are looking for scenery, consider the Patagonia tour.
Other positives: We really enjoyed the Vasa museum in Stockholm, and the museums in general there are very well done. Nyhaaven in Copenhagen is a great area for a stroll. The Tivoli Gardens also in Copenhagen were a charming surprise, not to be missed. (Even if you dislike Disneyland, you will see where Walt got a lot of his ideas.) Oslo is a very elegant city. You will get to try some unusual delicacies on this trip (think whale). Lastly, we met some really nice people, including a couple we are still friends with.
Unfortunately, our TD was grumpy, but she had apparently been reassigned at the last moment due to a colleague getting Covid. I don’t think she normally does this tour.
I could see myself repeating any other of the 9 Tauck trips we have taken, but I have to say that I would not repeat this one, though not necessarily through any fault of Tauck. While we were happy to visit the region, we just don’t feel the need to return.
Very useful review Wan, I still have not been to region but my husband has been to all main Scandinavian countries. We had booked it for 2020, but it did not happen! And we did love Patagonia and are going again next year including additional areas in the region.
Wan mentioned a grumpy tour guide. Does that affect the amount of tips people give out? Just wondering - we have had a couple of poor ones - tipped as suggested then asked ourselves why?
bucketlist, your question is probably best for another topic, but I believe we gave our guide the minimum that time, whereas usually we give more. I agree that when you pay so much for a tour, you want excellent and friendly service. However, in retrospect, at the time it was especially difficult for all TD's. People coughing all over and refusing to mask when sick. The fact that so many TD's stuck through it is a miracle. When I was working I had more than my share of grumpy days for various reasons. In fact this same TD we had got glowing reviews from someone else on the forum for a different tour. I'm not trying to justify bad behavior but we're all human and just have to use our best judgement.
We did a cruise of the Scandinavia region and thought it was a good trip.
https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2022-2Copenhagen-Stockholm-01.htm
Regarding the hotels, we actually booked this tour for Jun 2024 attempting to take advantage of Tauck's Take Off With Tauck airfare deal. Ultimately canceled when the air dept couldn't come up with airfare that worked but we did have it booked including an extra night in Stockholm. That extra night was only $350 which is the cheapest hotel night with Tauck I've seen in years. I asked the agent about it and his response was the Scandinavian hotels didn't tend toward the luxury you see in places like Paris and London.
We're not particularly worried about luxury and will gladly trade extra nights in a place like Stockholm to having a fancy room. As long as the room is clean, it's fairly light/bright, the bed comfortable and its quiet I don't care. The light/bright I added to my list after 2 bad rooms on the Classic Italy tour. One was a basement suite with 1 small window staring into a tree and the rooms our whole group got in Florence that looked out onto an airlock. We've had a few rooms with views of gardens which is fine but the airlock was seriously depressing.
We still plan to go on the tour next year.
Hi, markfao & Claudia Sails! Just thought I’d give a different perspective on this tour since opinions will vary. Disclaimer: We did this tour over 10 years ago, so things may have changed quite a bit since then. However, I took a quick look and the latest version appears similar to our itinerary. We actually loved this tour. We also really enjoyed the inn at Toftaholm. The owners were very hospitable and we found it to have character and charm. It’s by no means a luxury hotel but we thought it was a nice, relaxing country retreat. We even went canoeing on the lake behind the hotel which was very peaceful. We didn’t really mind the drive but I can see how the flights would be preferable to save time. We also took an overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo which was surprisingly nice! The hotels and the food in Scandinavia are more simplistic and less fancy than some other countries - so don’t expect “splash.” I recall a lot of buffets which weren’t our favorite, but it didn’t detract from the trip. The scenery was beautiful and the people were kind, helpful and welcoming. The fjords are stunning. We liked exploring the cities - I don’t know if this has changed in recent years, but we didn’t see the kind of “professional thieves,” touts and scammers that we’ve seen in some other European cities, which was refreshing. We had a lot of fun in Tivoli Gardens as well. I agree with Wan that this tour is less historical and more about the scenery and the people. So it probably depends on what you’re looking for and interested in doing. I’d be curious to hear how other recent travelers on this tour felt, since as I mentioned, we went years ago, so our experience may be different. But we love nature and scenery, and it was a great trip for us.
Thank you, Buonviaggio, for your very accurate description of Scandinavia. I admit I am very biased since I was born in Denmark and still have a cottage there.
The Scandinavians are very humble people as are the hotels, but they are clean and efficient. The major cities, especially København and Stockholm, are spotless and crime-free except for an occasional protest.
I have been to the manor in Toftaholm several times and have always enjoyed the peaceful and bucolic surroundings, as well as the gracious hospitality of the owners.
My only criticism is how Tivoli has deteriorated over the decades. It is very much focused on tourism and, as such, has lost its old world charm. However, I still shed a tear whenever I visit the Little Mermaid, my special friend from such a long time ago.
Should anyone wish to ask me questions about food or things to do, I will try my best to assist. Just send me a private message or ask herein.
Warm regards.
Kfnknfzk, how does one send you a private message?
It's not working? Tomorrow I will send you a message and you can respond to that. Sorry...time to clean up here after dinner.
Thanks for the alternative view points on the tour. We like a range of things - scenery, architecture, history, culture, foods, etc so I'm sure we'll fine plenty to interest us. I always do hours of reading and research especially history as it's a favorite subject of mine. We both have been big fans of the Viking series on the History channel and it's sequel. Lots more reading to do but I have a year to study lol.
Claudia Sails - You have a great attitude - you’ll have a wonderful time! There is definitely history to be found - if you have an interest in the Vikings, you’ll have fun exploring Scandinavia. The Vasa Museum in Stockholm is excellent. BTW - Stockholm is such a beautiful city. You’ll appreciate the architecture! And it’s spread out among 14 islands, so there are multiple bridges and a lot of green space. The first time I was there, I was pleasantly surprised by its beauty. I personally think Stockholm is one of the most picturesque cities in Europe. And the pastries there are delicious! Enjoy!
I don't agree with the above post. I found Stockholm to be the most uninteresting major European city I've ever been to. While Gamla stan has some nice old buildings, they are all tourist shops. The downtown area is simply non-descript modern buildings.
I do agree that the Vasa museum was excellent.
And for kfnknfzk - I love Copenhagen. Been there 3 times. Last time, I rented a bike for a day. It is the best city in the world for bicycling, more so than Amsterdam.
I agree about Stockholm being a beautiful city. It is also one of the cleanest cities in my opinion. Regarding architecture, the brick facades may seem drab but step inside some of those buildings and you will view magnificent interiors. The city hall is one such example.
If not on the itinerary, consider taking a cruise through the city's maze of archipelagos. Quite beautiful with many lovely homes on the islands.
For ABBA fans (Swedish band) there is a relatively new museum dedicated to them.
I can't offer an opinion on the Swedish pastries.....I am, after all, a Dane!
I took this tour back in 2005, I know it was a long time ago, however, the itinerary was quite similar. If you enjoy scenery, you will love this tour. I kept a journal back then and my notes for Stockholm were very positive. Matter of fact, at the end of my entry, I wrote that I wish we had an extra day in Stockholm as there was so much to see and do. It is a lovely City. One of the things we did on our own was visit Skansen, which is a living history museum. There was also a great zoo on the grounds. We enjoyed the old town area of Gamla Stan as there are lots of restaurants, pubs, music and shops.
I've been compiling a list of sights to see. Definitely considering a boat tour though it may be a hop on hop off to help.with getting to the sights. And we love ABBA. We plan to add at least 2 extra nights if the Tauck hotel.rate stays reasonable.
We are planning to get tickets to The ABBA Experience in London this summer. In fact, should maybe do that soon
I loved Stockholm, the city is beautiful and I wish I had more time there, I went early and took a couple of private tours, took this tour in 2022, The hotels are not the usual Tauck hotels, mostly in Denmark but they were pleasant, the rooms were clean and centrally located.
Do take kfnknfzk’s advice - be sure to go for a boat ride around the islands! It will show you more of the city and the surrounding scenery from various vantage points. I originally had no idea that there were so many islands in Stockholm. I think it adds to the beauty of the city. We also went to Skansen and really enjoyed it. Regarding the architecture, I realize everyone has a different perspective, but I appreciated the understated elegance of the architecture in Scandinavia. As for Denmark - well, it has been ranked #2 of the happiest countries on earth this year (previously #1!). Sweden is at #4 and Norway is #7. Not too shabby! 😉
I'm beginning to think buonviaggio is a better advocate for Scandinavia than me! I am so glad you enjoyed the region.
I posted a review of this tour back in 2017, but Tauck seems to have lost it at some point. We enjoyed this tour much more than we expected, it's one of our favorites. This was one of the first international tours that Tauck did, so they have had years to get it right. In recent years, they've fiddled with it a little bit. Our tour was almost identical to the current version, just in a different order. We had a flight from Stockholm to Bergen that has been replaced by the night ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo. That seems like a good change to me. The only downside is that flying home from Bergen may require one more stop than we had flying home from Oslo.
Highlights: Incredible scenery in Norway. Friendly people and everyone speaks perfect English. Lots of interesting sights - castles, palaces, and museums.
Food: Heavy emphasis on seafood and root vegetables. Salads are rare. One person on our trip put "no fish" on their food preferences. The TD asked him if he was on the right tour.
Minor complaints: The bus ride from Stockholm to Copenhagen is a bit long. Some people found the inn at Toftaholm a bit spartan, although we thought it was charming. In general, Scandinavian hotels are a bit more spartan than most Tauck European hotels.
Claudia - As Travel Maven said, Skansen, the living history center in Stockholm, is well worth a visit - allow several hours. The entrance (poorly marked on Google Maps) is just across the street and a little way down from the Abba Museum.
When we did the trip, we a special dinner in Bergen at a seafood restaurant called Cornelius that is located on a small island offshore. I'm not sure if Tauck still goes there, but it's a real gourmet treat. Interestingly, it was the inspiration for a really creepy black comedy that came out in 2022 called "The Menu." If you go to that restaurant, be sure to see the movie (afterwards - you wouldn't want the creepy movie to spoil an excellent dinner).
Although I have never done this Tauck Scandinavian tour, I did take a 19 day tour of Norway/Sweden/Denmark and Finland back in Oct. 1983 (yep, a long time ago. :-)) with a now defunct travel company (Maupintoiur) whose owner then, I understand, had started out as a Tauck TD before setting up his own company. We used plane, boat, bus, and train for traveling around those 4 countries then during the 19 days. It was wonderful. The beauty and scenery alone was worth the extra travel time to get there and back. It was a first class experience all of the way (5 star). Unfortunately, the owner died a decade later and the new owner(s) ran it into the ground; and it is defunct now. Nevertheless, I still treasure that tour/trip as one of the best travel experiences I have had. So, any chance for folks whom have never been to Scandinavia before now, do so would be my recommendation. :-) If Tauck could have created their Scandinavian tour along the lines and travel as Tom Maupin (probably the former Tauck TD) had done back in 1983, it would be perfect IMHO.
I took the plunge and put a deposit down on a date for 2025. Hoping for the best.