Here is The Traveling Professor's trip report on our small group tour to Denmark, Norway and Iceland.
Day 1: Travelers arrived from different destinations like Arizona, Washington, DC, Germany, New York, Boston, and South Carolina. After getting settled in and getting some rest at the Admiral Hotel, we did a wonderful canal cruise around Copenhagen. One of the nice things about The Traveling Professor tours is that travelers are not "locked into" dinners. So half enjoyed a relaxing dinner near the hotel while others went out further.
Day 2: Our licensed, professional guide Sofie picked us up at the hotel and gave a 2 hour walking tour of the highlights of Copenhagen. What I like about our guides is that our tour is private - we see and do what we want to see and do on our schedule. It's always good to get an overview of the city with a professional guide. Afterwards,our group had free time (and the Copenhagen Card) with unlimited transportation and free admission into the best attractions. Most of our group stayed out late and enjoyed Tivoli Gardens, a Copenhagen tradition.
Day 3: After a relaxing morning in Copenhagen (our hotel is close to all great attractions like the Nyhavn Canal, Little Mermaid, beautiful restaurants, museums, and neighborhoods like Christiania), we departed on our overnight cruise from Copenhagen to Oslo. We had top-of-the-line accommodations on our cruise with beautiful weather. Our arrival into Oslo the next morning was stunning.
Day 4: Clean, refreshing, modern and old, Oslo is my favorite city on the small group tour. After dropping our bags at the hotel, we took a lovely tram ride through the city up to the Vigesland Park. Now, I am not personally a big fan of sculpture, but this giant open-air park was a great place to have lunch and enjoy the some impressive sculpture. Later in the day, we had another professionally guided walking tour giving us an overview of the city before stopping for dinner.
Day 5: With the Oslo card, all 13 travelers had free museum admission and transportation all over Oslo. Most visited the Kon-Tiki Museum, the Norwegian Heritage Center, The Fram Museum and screamed with joy when they saw Munch's "The Scream" at the National Gallery.
Day 6: We took a relaxing and enjoyable train ride from Oslo to the chilly, snow-covered mountains of Myrdal to embark on one of the most spectacular train rides in the world - the Flamsbana train from Myrdal to the head of the Sogneford in Flam. Hundreds of waterfalls and beautiful scenery make this nostalgic ride so enjoyable. We checked into the beautiful Fretheim Lodge for a traditional Norwegian buffet.
Day 7: Some say this was the best day of the tour. Bike riding and hiking in the Flam valley with such beautiful weather. We did a 2 1/2 fjord safari rib boat ride throughout the scenic fjords.
Day 8: Another scenic train ride to Bergen. Our guide, Kees, standing at 6 foot 8 inches is probably the tallest guide in the world! A great walking tour of Bergen followed.
Day 9: A free day to explore Bergen with all attractions and transportation paid for.
Day 10: We fly out of Bergen to Reykjavik, Iceland. The weather is surprisingly good. After a great dinner on the harbor in town, we go back to relax at the Holt Hotel.
Day 11: A tour of the South Coast of Iceland. Waterfalls, volcanoes, black sand beaches, and glaciers fill our day.
Day 12: Golden Circle tour of Iceland. More waterfall but today, let's add in some geysers and historical sites. Afternoon free in Reykjavik.
Day 13: Always the hardest day on the trip as we say goodbye to friends and wish them well.
Check out our photos of the tour: https://goo.gl/photos/DLVc3pNCk4B1CUHMA
We're going to do this tour again in 2018. Click HERE