Essential Scandinavia

This trip includes accommodation in multi-share dormitories, where you won't be staying in twin share hotels, but rather cool hangouts with shared facilities. This means travellers on the same booking may be split between rooms due to the single gender dormitories.

Scandinavia can be an expensive destination in many ways, from museum entrance fees to optional activities and eating out. Your leader will be able to advise on how to have the best value holiday in Scandinavia.

This trip travels primarily on public transport. We recommend packing light as you'll be required to carry your own luggage between train stations, ferry ports and hotels, which can include walking up stairs and over cobblestones. Train stations often don’t have elevator access.

The areas visited on this trip can be cold at night throughout the year. Please bring appropriate clothing for adverse weather conditions, including base layers, hat, gloves, scarf, coat and anything else that will keep you cosy. In Winter months, you will need plenty of warm layers for the day trip to Donso.

1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement excludes Days 1, 2, 5 & 6 (Hostel), where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.

2. Please provide your full name exactly as per passport at the time of booking (including any middle names listed on your passport) for ferry tickets. Fees may apply for adding or amending details within 45 days of departure, and in some cases you will be required to cover the cost of issuing a new ticket.

PACKING
On this trip you must pack as lightly as possible because you will be expected to carry your own bag and although you won't be required to walk long distances with your luggage (max 30 minutes), we strongly recommend keeping the weight under 15kg / 33lb. Most travellers carry their luggage in a backpack, although an overnight bag with a shoulder strap would suffice if you travel lightly. Smaller bags or backpacks with wheels are convenient although we recommend your bag has carry straps to accommodate the cobbled streets, uneven surfaces, stairs and steps you are likely to encounter while carrying your luggage. You'll also need a day pack/bag to carry water and a camera etc for day trips. You can find Intrepid's Ultimate Packing List on our website. It should be used as a guide only and isn't intended to be a complete packing list., https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list, TRAVELLING ON LOCAL TRANSPORT
It's important that your bags can be locked, as on local transport it may be necessary that your luggage gets stowed separately (and unattended). The smaller your bag the better for you and other passengers. To ensure maximum comfort, try to pack small and light., WATER BOTTLE
Please bring your own water bottle to refill along the way. Although it can be difficult to avoid bottled water when travelling, please use the water dispensers which are provided on some of our vehicles and at some of our accommodation. Your group leader or local representative will advise whether tap water is safe to drink in your destination, and if it is, you can simply refill it with tap water. When unable to avoid bottled water, it is better to buy the largest available and distribute it into your smaller bottle for the day. If you are walking or trekking as part of your trip you will need to carry at least 2L of water with you., WHITE NIGHTS
The closer you travel to the second half of June, the shorter the nights are in this part of the world. As many of our accommodations may not have suitable curtains to block out light you may want to consider bringing an eye-mask, especially if you are a light sleeper. Similarly, in winter months, especially in Highland and Island areas, the days are shorter, and it gets dark early. This can impact the availability of certain views and outdoor activities.

CLOTHING & CLIMATE
The climate in this region is extremely varied. In shoulder season (April, May, September, October and beyond) you can expect temperatures to vary between single digits and warm sunny days, while from June until September temperatures can reach well above 30 C. It is always a good idea to bring a warm windproof jacket, a hat and waterproof footwear and waterproof pouch/bag to protect your phone and documents. No matter which time of year you decide to travel, it can get quite cool at night especially when in the countryside, so we recommend that you bring a warm jacket or fleece.

This trip can be enjoyed by just about anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. Some trips may have individual inclusions that may be of a higher physical rating compared to the overall rating of the trip. Please read the day-to-day itinerary carefully to find out more details on each day's activities, and whether they are suitable for you. Activities can be opted out of if you don't want to participate.

Steel House Hostel, Herholdtsgade 6, 1605 København V, Denmark, Copenhagen, DENMARK, Phone: +45 3317 7110

Alternate Joining Point

Pre booked arrival transfer from Copenhagen Airport (CPH):
If you have pre booked an arrival transfer, your transfer driver will be waiting in the arrivals hall, holding a board with the Intrepid Logo or your name on it. In case of flight cancellations/changes, if you experience severe delays at immigration, baggage collection or customs, or if you are not able to find the driver, please contact the transfer operator directly: +49 30 2016 3020.

Taxis are also readily available at the airport and the drive should take about 20 minutes.

Public Transport:
From Copenhagen Airport (CPH) take the train at Kastrup for 15 minutes to Copenhagen's central railway station (København H). Tickets can be bought in the airport's train station. Once at the central station, exit at Vesterbrogade. From there, it is a 9 minute walk to the hostel.

Alternatively, you can take the metro (M2 Orange line) to Kongens Nytorv (8 stops). Once at the station, change to the M4 Blue Line to Radhuspladsen (2 stops). From there, it is a 10 minute walk to the hostel.

Arthur Hotel, Helsinki, Vuorikatu 19, Helsinki, FINLAND

Alternate Finish Point

Pre booked departure transfer to Helsinki Vantaa International Airport (HEL):
If you have pre booked a departure transfer, you will be collected at the hotel reception 2 hours before your flight departure time. In case of flight cancellations/changes or if you are not able to find the driver, please contact the transfer operator directly: +358 50 545 5454.

Public Transport and taxis:
If you are making your own way to Helsinki Vantaa International Airport (HEL), the hotel will be able to help book you an airport shuttle or taxi. Please ask at reception. Alternatively you can take the train from Helsinki city center, public bus No. 615, or the Finnair Bus which goes from Rautatientori (railway square) to the airport. The train/bus journey takes about 35 minutes and both modes of transport depart frequently.

Breakfasts included: 7

Lunches included: 

Dinners included: 

While travelling with us you'll experience the vast array of wonderful food available in the world. Your group leader will be able to suggest restaurants to try during your trip. To give you maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat, generally not all meals are included in the trip price. This also gives you more budgeting flexibility. As a rule our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. There's no obligation to do this though.

The areas visited on this trip can be cold throughout the year, especially at the start and end of the season, and at night. Rain is possible at any time of year. Winter temperatures frequently drop below freezing, and snow fall is common. Summers on the other hand can be quite hot, and temperatures can reach up to 30 C. Please familiarize yourself with what climate to expect and bring appropriate clothing for adverse weather conditions, including base layers, hat, rain coat and anything else that you think may be applicable.

While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or local representative straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip.

We recognise that there may be times when your group leader or local representative may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction - if this is the case, please ask the group leader or local representative to speak to their direct manager.

You may also choose to provide details in your online feedback, which we ask you to complete within 30 days of the end of your trip. Please do be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is completed, so informing us while still travelling will give us the opportunity to resolve the issue in real-time.

For general contact details please use the following page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/contact-us

In case of a genuine crisis or emergency, you can reach our local office on the numbers below:

We've sourced our accommodation very carefully and picked the best possible hotels in line with the Intrepid 18 to 35s style of travel. Our first accommodation choice is always as close to the main attraction of the destination as possible, however, sometimes we are not in the right centre of action, which means you may need to hop on a public transport to get to the city centre. Service and accommodation in Europe may be different to the standards you are used to. Your accommodation will not always have private en suite facilities or air-conditioning. European hotels generally don't provide kettles or fridges and in particular destinations, rooms may be rather small.

OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances.

ROOMING ALLOCATION
Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multi-share basis. We pair up solo travellers with other travellers of the same gender as per the gender marker on each of their passports. 

CHECK-IN TIME
Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for your arrival, especially if you're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means you won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, you can store your luggage and go exploring.

PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION
If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (if available), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.

TRANSPORT IN EUROPE
Half the fun of travel is the travelling itself, that's why we like to travel the local way – whether that means mingling with commuters on a local train, watching the scenery roll by from the window of a long distance bus, arriving on a high speed train in the city centre of your next destination, or navigating each city's public transport system. In Europe, you are guaranteed to travel by genuine local public transport wherever possible, which puts you right in the centre of the action.