Copenhagen - Stockholm - Helsinki (15 days)

Date:

• August 6-20, 2024

Price:

• $4,820 USD or $7,090 AUD (single supplement $890 USD or $1,310 AUD)*

Level of difficulty

• Moderate

Check out our video from our 2022 Berlin-Helsinki tour here.

Book here

Overview

The trip starts in the Danish capital of Copenhagen and ends in Helsinki, the capital of Finland (but if you want to add some more exciting cycling to your European adventure and have enough time, you can also join us for our Berlin to Copenhagen tour, which immediately precedes this tour). We will ride through three countries – Denmark, Sweden and Finland – giving you a real taste of Scandinavia.  We start in Denmark, where we pedal along the coast of the Baltic Sea until we take a short ferry at Helsinborg, which will take us to Sweden.

We will spend a week exploring the beautifully and gently rolling Swedish countryside full of lakes, forests, small towns and villages, but we will also see some bigger towns and, most of all, the Swedish capital of Stockholm. From there, we will take a ferry to the , an autonomous region of Finland (where Swedish is the official language) that comprises around 6,700 islands. We will spend two nights there and explore its beautiful main island, including the medieval Kastelholm Castle. We will take another ferry to the mainland of Finland, specifically Turku, the former capital of the country and the oldest city in Finland. From there, we will pedal through the wooded Finish landscape until we arrive to Helsinki, its vibrant capital. Helsinki is a marvelous city and we certainly recommend that you extend your stay by a day or two to see more of it…

What's Included

• Accommodation (14 nights) – 4-star and 3-star hotels and bed and breakfasts
• Breakfast every morning and 7 dinners
• Sightseeing (including a boat tour in Copenhagen, walking tours in Stockholm and Helsinki, visit of the main Swedish and Cold War era Museum, visit of the Kastelholm Castle and more…)
• Van support with snack stops and optional picknick lunches along the route; luggage transport
• Cue sheets and copies of maps
• Tour guide and ride leader on route
• Option for extended stay in Copenhagen and Helsinki 

Itinerary **

Day 1, Copenhagen. Check-in and sightseeing 

In the afternoon, after you check in, we meet at the hotel reception and walk to the nearby Copenhagen cruise boat station, embark on a boat and enjoy a 1-hour boat tour of the city, after which you explore the city on your own some more. There will be a bike fitting session either before or after the tour. In the evening, we will meet for our welcome dinner and orientation meeting.   

Day 2: Copenhagen to Bastad (110 km / 68 miles)

We head out in the morning after breakfast, pedaling along the Baltic Sea coast to Helsinborg. From there we take a short ferry ride across the bay to Sweden, where we spend the next seven days. Our destination toady is the town of Bastad, on the seacoast. Bastad is one of Sweden's most typical summer resorts, located in a sheltered bay. It originally belonged to Denmark but was conquered by Sweden in 1656. If the weather is good, you may be able to see an amazing sunset.

Day 3: Bastad to Ljungby (106 km / 66 miles)

We continue by heading northwest, riding through plenty of beautiful countryside and small towns and villages. We eventually arrive in Ljungby, an important market town in the interior of the country which dates back to the 12^th century. Much of the town center was destroyed in the city fire of 1953. Our Hotel Terazza was built after the fire. While an interesting building, it remains controversial from the architectural perspective.

Day 4: Ljungby to Jönköping (116 km / 72 miles)

We will ride straight north today, through a similar countryside as the day before. The scenery can be quite breathtaking, enhanced by numerous iconic Swedish red-barn farms, which add a picturesque feeling to the landscape and meticulously maintained fields and meadows. Our destination today is Jönköping, situated at the southern tip of Vättern, Sweden's second largest lake,.

Day 5: Day off in Jönköping

We will enjoy a day off in this beautiful Swedish city, an old trading center. In 1284, Jönköping became the first city in Sweden to be granted its rights by the king. Its name is derived from 2 words: “Jön" (creek) and "Köping" (marketplace). It was known for its matchstick industry (1845-1970). Apart from enjoying a stroll and a drink along the lakeshore and the old city center, we will also have the opportunity to visit the interesting local matchstick museum, learning almost everything about the industry, around which the entire town used to flourish.

Day 6: Jönköping to Linköping (91 km / 56 miles)

After the day off, we continue heading north, at first along the Vättern Lake, being able to enjoy some amazing vistas of the lake and its surroundings. We then change our direction and start cycling in the westward, through the rolling and wooded terrain of central Sweden. In the afternoon, we arrive to the main Swedish Airforce Museum, which is not, however, only about the air force, but also about the living conditions in Sweden since the 1950’s. We will visit the museum and learn many interesting facts you may not know about the country. We then shuttle to our hotel in the in the center of Linköping. 

Day 7: Linköping to Nyköping (105 km / 65 miles)

We will continue through a similar countryside and landscape for another day. The country is so beautiful that you cannot get bored. Our destination is the town of Nyköping, the origins of which date back more than 1,000 years. The town is located near the Baltic Sea coast. The Nyköpingsån River splits the town down the middle into an eastern and western part. In 1665 large parts of the city were damaged by fire. It was damaged again in 1719 when Russian troops invaded the city. It was then rebuilt with its current street plan.

Day 8: Nyköping to Stockholm (110 km / 68 miles)

Today is the hilliest day on our tour. It is also one of the most picturesque ones and it involves yet another short ferry. The reward for your hard (but beautiful) riding today is one of the gems of the Scandinavian cities, the capital of Sweden, Stockholm. Situated on an archipelago at the intersection of the Baltic Sea and the Mälaren Lake, the Old Town of Stockholm was first built by Vikings in about 1000 AD. The present Old Town (Gamla Stan) was built on the central island from the mid-13^th century onward.

Day 9: Day off in Stockholm

We have a well -deserved day off today. We have a walking tour of the capital and its historical and center in the morning, followed by some more sightseeing on your own and relaxing in this marvelous, friendly, and for many, the most beautiful city in Scandinavia. Apart from seeing the amazing historical sites, you can also visit, for example, the ABBA Museum….

Day 10: Stockholm to Mariehamn (ferry day)

There is no riding today, as we need to board our ferry to Åland Islands quite early in the morning. However, since Stockholm is situated on an extensive archipe lago, you will be able to enjoy its view from the boat, while having a coffee or a glass of wine on board. 

The ferry takes about 5 hours. Upon arrival at Mariehamn, before we head to our hotel, we will visit the unique and beautifully arranged Åland Maritime Museum. Here you can explore a sailing merchant marine boat, which used to sale between England and Australia and which had its home port on this island.

Day 11: Mariehamn – tour of the island (55 km / 35 miles)

Today is reserved for a morning tour of some parts of this beautiful island (on our bicycles, of course) and an afternoon visit of the medieval Kastelholm Castle. Later on, you can take a walk through the town’s center and browse its quaint artisan shops and cafes and/or enjoy a drink in one of the several cafes/restaurants by the marina or along the coast.  

Day 12: Mariehamn to Turku (30 km / 20 miles)

We have a short ride to the southern tip of the island scheduled for the morning, to see some more of its beauty. When we return to the hotel, you will have time to take a shower, check out and have lunch in town, before we get on another 5-hour ferry ride in the afternoon to mainland Finland. Our destination is Turku, the oldest city in Finland and its former capital.

Day 13: Turku to Ekenäs (57 km / 36 miles)

After a relatively short shuttle in the van or a train ride from Turku to the town of Salo, we will start riding through the wooded countryside of Finland. If we get lucky, we may even see a moose or two along the way. We head to Ekenäs, a town that was granted its town rights already in 1546. In the past, it played a significant role in maritime transport. Today it is mostly noted for its archipelago, part of which is the Ekenäs Archipelago National Park. The old, mainly wooden town center is protected due to its cultural historical value, and renovation of even residential buildings is strictly controlled.

Day 14: Ekenäs to Helsinki (66 km / 41 miles)

We have a final day of (easy) riding, which will take us to beautiful Helsinki, Finland’s largest city and capital. The day includes a short shuttle in the morning to avoid riding on the main busy road, the only road that goes from Ekenäs towards the capital. Once we start riding, however, we will be mostly on bike paths or small county roads.

Day 15: Helsinki

After breakfast, we will enjoy a walking tour of the city center, after which the tour is officially over. We encourage you to stay a day or two longer to explore the Finnish capital in more detail.

Trip Difficulty

For full enjoyment of the trip, you should come prepared to complete the 60-110 km / 45-70 mile days comfortably on a rolling terrain. Most of the hilly terrain occurs during the Swedish part of the trip.

Our route is mostly designed along small, quiet, and picturesque roads with as little car traffic as possible and/or bike paths that enhance your sightseeing experience of the local areas. With the exception of a few sections, most of the roads and bike paths are paved. It means that the trip is suitable for road aw well as hybrid bikes.

Transportation

The Copenhagen airport is located just 8 km from the city center. Apart from taxi services, there are metro and bus public transportation services available to the city.

The Helsinki Airport is located about 17 km (11 miles) from the city center. When leaving Finland, you can either take a taxi to the airport or you can take a train. The ride from the city center to the airport takes approximately 30 minutes.

Bike Rental

If you wish to rent a bike from us, we have the following fully serviced, light, quality road/fitness bikes available:

• Fuji Absolute 2, 3, and 4, flat handlebars
• Fuji Newest 1 and 2, drop handlebars
• Fuji Roubaix 1.3, drop handlebars

Your rental bike comes with a rear luggage rack, bungie cord, extra tube and levers, water bottle cage, pump, lock, and odometer. The price for renting a bike for this tour is $250 for Fuji Absolute or $300 for Fuji Newest and Fuji Roubaix.

* Our expenses are mostly payable in Euros. Because of the constant fluctuations in currency rates, we reserve the right to increase the trip price. The trip price may increase depending on the currency exchange rate of the Euro to the USD and/or AUD at the moment of your final payment. The trip price shall increase if the USD/Euro exchange rate exceeds 1.10 and/or AUD/Euro exchange rate exceeds 1.60.

** We reserve the right to change the itinerary without notice especially, but not only, for safety reasons.