Cycling Scandinavia: Copenhagen to Stockholm

Depart from home for Copenhagen. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary.

Upon arrival at the Copenhagen airport, claim your luggage and clear customs. VBT’s local representative will meet you outside the customs area in your arrival terminal and will be holding a VBT sign. Your representative will help you transfer to your hotel.

If you are going to be delayed meeting the transfer representative due to delayed or lost luggage, please contact One Call travel assistance to advise of your delay, and they will contact our transfer service. The drivers are generally able to wait for up to 45 minutes from the time your flight lands, after which you will be responsible for your own transfer. You may also contact One Call travel assistance (information available in your final docs) to advise them of your delay, and they will contact VBT’s transfer service.

Please note: If you arrive early, your hotel room may not be available until 4:00 p.m. You may store your luggage with the reception desk.

VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you fly in earlier than the scheduled program dates, transportation from the airport will be at your own expense.

Hotel: The Square

At 8:45 a.m. meet your VBT Representative in the lobby of The Square Hotel (Rådhuspladsen 141550, Copenhagen V, Denmark, telephone +45 3338 1200). Please come dressed for cycling (with your pedals or saddle if you use your own), as there will be no place to change into cycling clothes before beginning the warm-up ride.

We will transfer to the city of Helsingör. This historic city overlooking Øre Sound, or Øresund to the locals, is called “Elsinore” in English and is known to Shakespeare readers as the site of Hamlet’s castle. You will have a guided tour of Elsinor castle before you have time to enjoy lunch on your own. After lunch meet your Trip leaders for a bike-fitting and safety briefing,and begin your warm-up ride along the scenic eastern coast of Denmark. The 2½-mile-wide strait you are cycling along separates Denmark from Sweden and is one of the busiest waterways in the world, connecting the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving back in Helsingör, you board the 20-minute ferry across the Öresund to the Swedish city of Helsingborg, the oldest city in Sweden and your home for the next two nights. During the ferry ride, you might snack on a local favorite, “two reds and a green”—a pair of sausages and a Tuborg beer.

Disembark and continue to your boutique hotel in Helsingborg’s historic center, discovering this charming city with a bustling harbor and Hamlet’s castle in the distance across the Öresund. Later, gather with your Trip Leaders for a welcome dinner, where you savor a traditional Swedish dinner.

Hotel: V Hotel Helsingborg
Alternate Hotel: Elite Mollberg Hotel
Meals: B (for Air package guests only), D
Daily Options: 11 miles (19 km)

After breakfast, you cycle out of Helsingborg along the Swedish coast toward the late medieval town of Landskrona. Your flat, easy bicycle route leads you through small fishing villages and past intimate coves. Soon, you ride past Landskrona Castle, built in the 16th century to repel Danish invasion. Today, it is still highly regarded by historians for its remarkably preserved moat system. After lunch on your own, begin your afternoon ride back to Helsingborg. You might even take a swim in the Öresund.

This evening join your leaders on a short bus ride to the Fredriksdal Open-Air Museum and dinner.

Hotel: V Hotel Helsingborg
Alternate Hotel: Elite Hotel Mollberg
Meals:B, D
Daily Options: 15 miles (25.8 km), 31miles (51.6 km)

Set off from Helsingborg by bike, following a cycling route along the sea. On the outskirts of town, pedal past a castle and forest, enjoying the coastal beauty along the Kattegat – the shallow sea between Denmark and Sweden. Your morning ride follows the Kattegattleden, Sweden’s first national bicycle route and an inspiration to local and visiting cyclists. Coast past quaint fishing villages with cozy thatch-roofed homes and boat-filled harbors. Admire stunning vistas of shoals and grassy bluffs overlooking the Kattegat. Soon, you turn inland near the town of Arild and pass dairy farms and small vineyards presided over by a windmill atop a gentle rise. Your refreshing morning reel has several lunch options along the way: a seaside restaurant or a lovely garden café.

After lunch, you continue riding to the town of Ängelholm. Reward yourself with a refreshing swim at the beautiful beach. From here, you hop on a train for a 30-minute ride back to Helsingborg.

Enjoy Sweden’s prolonged evening light as you head into town for dinner on your own, perhaps at a seafood restaurant on the city’s beachfront.

Hotel: V Hotel Helsingborg
Alternate Hotel: Elite Hotel Mollberg
Meals: B
Daily Options: 23 miles (37 km), 41 miles (65.7 km)

After breakfast, you depart for the starting point of today’s ride, just under a 4-hour journey. Upon arrival, you ride along a portion of the historic Göta Canal. This 380-mile waterway was constructed in the early 19th century to connect Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast with the Baltic Sea on the east coast. It was dug to take advantage of a number of lakes and rivers, including Lake Vättern, the nation’s second largest lake. The Göta Canal bike path is well-packed gravel, which you share with local cyclists, as pleasure boats cruise the canal alongside. Rolling farmland and neat red farmhouses mark your progress today, a picture-perfect Swedish landscape accented by church spires poking through distant trees. On the route is Bergs Slussar, where a set of seven locks gently lowers boats to the lower level of Lake Roxen. A highlight of the day is a traditional Swedish picnic (weather permitting). Concluding your ride, you travel on to Stockholm, just under three hours. Check in and enjoy dinner in Stockholm.

Hotel: Elite Hotel Marina Tower Stockholm
Meals: B, L
Daily Options: 15 miles (23 km)

Shuttle to the 18th century Drottningholm (Queens’s Islet) Castle – permanent home to Sweden’s Royal family since 1981. Explore the grounds of the royal premises before biking through the scenic landscapes of one of Stockholm’s many islands. Arrive to Faringso Hembygdsgard (outdoor folk museum) to enjoy a local culinary discovery lunch. After lunch continue riding before taking a ferry through Stockholm’s waterways for an hour’s cruise to the city center. Then, join locals on a short bus ride back to our hotel.

Enjoy dinner at your leisure this evening.

Hotel: Elite Hotel Marina Tower Stockholm
Meals: B, L
Daily Options: 35 miles (55.5 km))

One of Europe’s most picturesque cities, Stockholm is pure pleasure to explore by bicycle, as any local will tell you. Today’s ride reveals the wide-ranging breadth of Stockholm’s scenic and extensive archipelago. The largest in Sweden, it extends almost 40 miles into the waters of Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. Around 24,000 islands and islets comprise the municipality, though the city occupies just 17 of them. Originally a collection of tiny fishing villages, today you will find elegant public parks, charming coves and ports, and myriad pleasure boats against a tranquil backdrop of shimmering blue water.

Departing your hotel we bike the town archipelago to the old town Gamla Stan where your leaders will take you on a walking tour before lunch on your own. In the afternoon your ride winds from the waterfront into the city’s scenic beloved park on Djurgården Island, once a royal hunting ground and now home to many of Stockholm’s fine museums, including the dramatic Vasa Museum with its 17th-century restored ship. The Skansen Museum, is the world’s first open-air museum and zoo, dating from the late 19th century and dedicated to preserving Sweden’s pre-industrial heritage of architecture and crafts. Or on the other end of the spectrum, visit the ABBA Museum or the Grona Lund amusement park. Later, continue to your hotel via the city’s ferry service.

Later this evening, you gather for a farewell dinner at your hotel.

Hotel: Elite Hotel Marina Tower Stockholm
Meals: B, D
Daily Options: 16 miles (27 km)

Enjoy a free day to explore Stockholm on your own. Your hotel is located on Stockholm’s waterfront, accessible to its center by municipal ferry or tram line. The Royal Palace, City Hall and Gamla Stan, or Old Town, are all easily accessible. VBT provides City Information, including recommendations for cafés, restaurants, museums and transportation, so you can get the most out of your stay.

Hotel: Elite Hotel Marina Tower Stockholm
Meals: B

After breakfast,* transfer to the Stockholm airport (approximately 45 minutes) for your departing flight.** Please ensure that you are ready in the hotel reception area at the designated time.

*Please note: For guests with early-morning departures, breakfast at the hotel may not be available. Please check with the front desk to verify the times that breakfast is served.

**Please note: VBT recommends that you check your transfer time in your “Transfer Reminder” or with the hotel’s reception desk the night before your flight. VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.

Meals: B

At 8:45 a.m. meet your VBT Representative in the lobby of The Square Hotel (Rådhuspladsen 141550, Copenhagen V, Denmark, telephone +45 3338 1200). Please come dressed for cycling (with your pedals or saddle if you use your own), as there will be no place to change into cycling clothes before beginning the warm-up ride.

We will transfer to the city of Helsingör. This historic city overlooking Øre Sound, or Øresund to the locals, is called “Elsinore” in English and is known to Shakespeare readers as the site of Hamlet’s castle. You will have a guided tour of Elsinor castle before you have time to enjoy lunch on your own. After lunch meet your Trip leaders for a bike-fitting and safety briefing,and begin your warm-up ride along the scenic eastern coast of Denmark. The 2½-mile-wide strait you are cycling along separates Denmark from Sweden and is one of the busiest waterways in the world, connecting the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving back in Helsingör, you board the 20-minute ferry across the Öresund to the Swedish city of Helsingborg, the oldest city in Sweden and your home for the next two nights. During the ferry ride, you might snack on a local favorite, “two reds and a green”—a pair of sausages and a Tuborg beer.

Disembark and continue to your boutique hotel in Helsingborg’s historic center, discovering this charming city with a bustling harbor and Hamlet’s castle in the distance across the Öresund. Later, gather with your Trip Leaders for a welcome dinner, where you savor a traditional Swedish dinner.

Hotel: V Hotel Helsingborg
Alternate Hotel: Elite Mollberg Hotel
Meals: B (for Air package guests only), D
Daily Options: 11 miles (19 km)

After breakfast, you cycle out of Helsingborg along the Swedish coast toward the late medieval town of Landskrona. Your flat, easy bicycle route leads you through small fishing villages and past intimate coves. Soon, you ride past Landskrona Castle, built in the 16th century to repel Danish invasion. Today, it is still highly regarded by historians for its remarkably preserved moat system. After lunch on your own, begin your afternoon ride back to Helsingborg. You might even take a swim in the Öresund.

This evening join your leaders on a short bus ride to the Fredriksdal Open-Air Museum and dinner.

Hotel: V Hotel Helsingborg
Alternate Hotel: Elite Hotel Mollberg
Meals:B, D
Daily Options: 15 miles (25.8 km), 31miles (51.6 km)

Set off from Helsingborg by bike, following a cycling route along the sea. On the outskirts of town, pedal past a castle and forest, enjoying the coastal beauty along the Kattegat – the shallow sea between Denmark and Sweden. Your morning ride follows the Kattegattleden, Sweden’s first national bicycle route and an inspiration to local and visiting cyclists. Coast past quaint fishing villages with cozy thatch-roofed homes and boat-filled harbors. Admire stunning vistas of shoals and grassy bluffs overlooking the Kattegat. Soon, you turn inland near the town of Arild and pass dairy farms and small vineyards presided over by a windmill atop a gentle rise. Your refreshing morning reel has several lunch options along the way: a seaside restaurant or a lovely garden café.

After lunch, you continue riding to the town of Ängelholm. Reward yourself with a refreshing swim at the beautiful beach. From here, you hop on a train for a 30-minute ride back to Helsingborg.

Enjoy Sweden’s prolonged evening light as you head into town for dinner on your own, perhaps at a seafood restaurant on the city’s beachfront.

Hotel: V Hotel Helsingborg
Alternate Hotel: Elite Hotel Mollberg
Meals: B
Daily Options: 23 miles (37 km), 41 miles (65.7 km)

After breakfast, you depart for the starting point of today’s ride, just under a 4-hour journey. Upon arrival, you ride along a portion of the historic Göta Canal. This 380-mile waterway was constructed in the early 19th century to connect Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast with the Baltic Sea on the east coast. It was dug to take advantage of a number of lakes and rivers, including Lake Vättern, the nation’s second largest lake. The Göta Canal bike path is well-packed gravel, which you share with local cyclists, as pleasure boats cruise the canal alongside. Rolling farmland and neat red farmhouses mark your progress today, a picture-perfect Swedish landscape accented by church spires poking through distant trees. On the route is Bergs Slussar, where a set of seven locks gently lowers boats to the lower level of Lake Roxen. A highlight of the day is a traditional Swedish picnic (weather permitting). Concluding your ride, you travel on to Stockholm, just under three hours. Check in and enjoy dinner in Stockholm.

Hotel: Elite Hotel Marina Tower Stockholm
Meals: B, L
Daily Options: 15 miles (23 km)

Shuttle to the 18th century Drottningholm (Queens’s Islet) Castle – permanent home to Sweden’s Royal family since 1981. Explore the grounds of the royal premises before biking through the scenic landscapes of one of Stockholm’s many islands. Arrive to Faringso Hembygdsgard (outdoor folk museum) to enjoy a local culinary discovery lunch. After lunch continue riding before taking a ferry through Stockholm’s waterways for an hour’s cruise to the city center. Then, join locals on a short bus ride back to our hotel.

Enjoy dinner at your leisure this evening.

Hotel: Elite Hotel Marina Tower Stockholm
Meals: B, L
Daily Options: 35 miles (55.5 km))

One of Europe’s most picturesque cities, Stockholm is pure pleasure to explore by bicycle, as any local will tell you. Today’s ride reveals the wide-ranging breadth of Stockholm’s scenic and extensive archipelago. The largest in Sweden, it extends almost 40 miles into the waters of Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. Around 24,000 islands and islets comprise the municipality, though the city occupies just 17 of them. Originally a collection of tiny fishing villages, today you will find elegant public parks, charming coves and ports, and myriad pleasure boats against a tranquil backdrop of shimmering blue water.

Departing your hotel we bike the town archipelago to the old town Gamla Stan where your leaders will take you on a walking tour before lunch on your own. In the afternoon your ride winds from the waterfront into the city’s scenic beloved park on Djurgården Island, once a royal hunting ground and now home to many of Stockholm’s fine museums, including the dramatic Vasa Museum with its 17th-century restored ship. The Skansen Museum, is the world’s first open-air museum and zoo, dating from the late 19th century and dedicated to preserving Sweden’s pre-industrial heritage of architecture and crafts. Or on the other end of the spectrum, visit the ABBA Museum or the Grona Lund amusement park. Later, continue to your hotel via the city’s ferry service.

Later this evening, you gather for a farewell dinner at your hotel.

Hotel: Elite Hotel Marina Tower Stockholm
Meals: B, D
Daily Options: 16 miles (27 km)

VBT-Bicycle-Vacation-only guests: Your tour ends after breakfast. A taxi ride from the Elite Hotel Marina Tower to the Stockholm train station costs approximately SEK 250/$25 USD and takes approximately 15 minutes. A taxi ride to the Stockholm airport costs approximately SEK 1,000/$120 USD and takes approximately 45 minutes.

Hotel: Elite Hotel Marina Tower Stockholm
Meals: B