5 weeks to tour Scandinavia: what are the best routes and tips?

Hi there, We’re planning to tour Scandinavia by camper van—Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway (in that order)—for 5 weeks from late May to late June 2026. I’ve done it before, but that was way back in 1980 😎 and by hitchhiking! We’d love to hear from anyone who’s done this trip about the best routes, great tips, must-know advice, and what to do or avoid (ferries, campsites, etc.). Thanks in advance!

A lot of road in my opinion. Especially Norway... We did Scandinavia in several trips. Hitchhiking was pretty good in the 70s. Spending hours with reindeer while waiting for a ride was cool. Happy trails

Hi there,

Great plan, but yeah, there’s a lot of road involved... You can save time by taking ferry crossings—Travemünde-Helsinki on the way out and Gothenburg-Kiel on the way back, for example, or even Oslo-Copenhagen. But visiting all 5 countries in 5 weeks seems *very* optimistic.

For instance, we did a 5-week trip in the north in 2021, but we limited ourselves to 3 countries: Finland, Norway, and Sweden (see the route photo). That let us see a lot without being too bogged down by daily travel. On another 5-week trip, we focused on Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

In a camper van, moving around is easier, but if you also want to include visits or hikes, it’s better to stay a few nights in certain spots.

Hi Arisa, and thanks for your advice. I think I’ll have to shorten the trip! If it were just me, I’d leave for 3 months, but my wife doesn’t agree 😏

It’ll give you a chance to come back. But if you get the opportunity to leave for 3 months, that’s amazing too 😉

There’s so much to choose from to find a little route with new discoveries in these stunning countries every year. We’ve been going there every year for 17 years now, always with something new.

hi, we did Scandinavia for 2 months 2 years ago. we took the "toll" bridges from Denmark to reach Sweden, then went up the west coast toward Oslo, Bergen, and the Norwegian coast. Don’t miss Route 17 and the Lofoten Islands. it’s a really beautiful trip. We came back through Sweden—if you have the chance, don’t miss Midsummer, the big summer festival in Sweden on June 21st. Happy travels

Thanks Pépino. Did you do your trip in a camper van?

hi there, yes, we were in a camper van (2 crews) and we went all the way up to the North Cape. Go via the west and return via a small stretch of Finland, then head down through Sweden. Really beautiful trip