A Wonderful Summer Vacation in Sweden and Denmark…
I’m back after a week’s vacation in Sweden and Denmark. It was a fabulous time and we really lucked out with the weather. You never know what you’re going to get with a Scandinavian summer but we couldn’t have asked for better; in Stockholm the high’s were in the mid 70’s and sunny. And incredibly, I even got a little sun burnt!
The only downside to the trip was how expensive Scandinavia is. While Sweden and Denmark are part of the European Union, they do not use the euro as their currency. Instead they use kroners, same name for both countries except the Danish kroner is a little stronger than the Swedish kroner.
This is partly why Copenhagen is currently ranked as the 3rd most expensive city in the world. And it’s damn pricey! It’s pretty standard that enjoying a beer out in Copenhagen will run you around $10 (pretty common in Stockholm too). My wife and I sat down for coffee in a cafe in Copenhagen and paid the equivalent of over $6 each for the coffees. And I’m not talking about Starbucks equivalent venti latte’s here, just a small coffee. Ouch!
Luckily we were traveling mostly on euros so this eased the cost of these very expensive countries. In the coming weeks look forward to several posts on Sweden and Denmark such as: Where to eat Swedish meatballs in Stockholm; Where not to eat Reindeer in Stockholm; Why is Red Bull illegal in Denmark?; Ways to cut back on costs; Couch surfing in Copenhagen; and of course, jackass pictures of the week…Sweden and Denmark style!
It’s summer, so why not talk a little less politics and a little more travel!
photo credit: my camera
2 Comments
Today I arrived home from a visit to Denmark (with a brief foray into Sweden). Dumbfounded by the $10 beers and $6 coffees, I did a Google search and found your recent top 10 list. From there, I found this article.
I found the whole thing funny, because I am also an American, who just got back from Scandinavia, and who recently (a year ago) moved to Amsterdam. Small world, I guess.
Thanks for putting this info out there; it is comforting to commiserate with someone while my wallet is left in utter shambles.
Hey Rob, thanks for sharing the funny coincidence.
Yeah, it’s just crazy up in those countries and I figured you can do one of two things 1)get pissed about it or 2) laugh at it. It wasn’t always easy but I at least tried to laugh at it.
Interesting to compare the Netherlands to those countries huh? Amsterdam just doesn’t have the grandeur of Copenhagen or Stockholm and we definitely don’t have the space that Sweden does!
But I do love Amsterdam and it’s nice that we can go to the store and get beer for super cheap! Even with US money it’s cheaper than the US to buy from the store.
Did you do a lunch buffet in Stockholm?? There are some good deals with those by Stockholm standards, with euros mostly, not so much with US dollars. Nothing is a good deal with dollars in those countries.