Scandivavian is historical Denmark,Sweden and Norway (more or less identical language)...with Finland and Island it is the Nordic countries.Of course a beer is expensive when you buy it in the greatest tourist trap in Copenhagen: Nyhavn.Buy it in a shop you will pay 50cent
Very interesting. I knew it was an expensive place to go but when you can afford it, it looks wonderful. Nice northlightings. We also have those here, in Quebec. I don't exactly what the host meant by the alcool problem but I am sure that it cannot beat the Russian's one. Those guys are terrible. They start early in the morning until late at night. Vodka is cheap so let's be happy. They drink in the streets which is always a bit surprising when you come from a country where if you are caught with a beer in your hand in the streets, the police will get you in a matter of minutes. I also have to agree with the host when he says that your english is perfect, better than most English people. It is nice to see people being proud from where they are. Em
emilyn12 Thats maybe the reason why the Russians always act like a bully??There are two reasons why we are good at English in Scandinavia...1. We learn enlish from 2.class,and we don´t syncronize any foreign movie/tv.I thought it was a human right to enjoy a cheap beer or a breezer in the park or on the dock lol.....russian drinking: do you remember Jeltsin??,on the other side,Canada has Rob Ford
Ah!Ah! Rob Ford is a special case. He is hated by almost every Canadians except his electoral community in Toronto. Many mayors refused to shake his hand. Here in Québec, it doesn't bring much reaction. In this only french province where 7 millions people speak French, English movies and series are usually dubbed by actors and comedians from Québec. We learn English from grade 3 but the emphasis is on French. We live and are surrounded by american culture, music. And it is a direct influence. We fight for our language, for the right to be French within an English environnement. We are not French from France. We are not completely north american, We are an interesting mixture. :-)
Actually you are a bit wrong there. Geographic Scandinavian peninsula is Norway, Sweden and a little bit of Finland and even a small bit of Russia. The culture Scandinavia on the other hand is Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
I had a "Norweeaboo" phase when I was younger. I became obsessed with anything that happened to be from Norway, and spoke in broken Norwegian. It's a phase I'll gladly forget, but I'm very excited to visit the country. I'm going to Norway for the first time this year.
Just don't make the mistake so many does by going to Oslo only. The best parts of Norway are up north and to the west of the country, Oslo is... Well. While better than many European cities, just a regular city.
Red Tuesday Are you telling him to drop into the ocean? Hope it's in the summer then :D But honestly, where would you recommend more specific? Planning where to go in the summer, and thought I went north instead of south for a change.
Jay Dobbelv Em Well, you could start off in Oslo, and then when you are done with it, rent a car and drive up along the coast to see the rest. :) The roads are excellent during summer, just make sure to bring some sunglasses, for when the sun hangs low in the evening, it can be absolute blinding. And it stays there for a long time, because of the earth axis tilt.
Another to like: - If you can deal with the cold and dark, some unique experiences can be enjoyed in winter such as skating on lakes/fjordes, driving snowmobiles, visiting the ice hotels, seeing the cities light up when night falls around 2pm, getting hyped up on coffee then loosened up with mulled wine. The winters also bring people indoors, forcing more social interaction.
I agree. I loved the beauty of the snow and cross country skiing. I broke my collar bone doing downhill in Levi, Finland so I wont be doing that again :)
Totally agree! I've been in sweden and denmark last month. Everything you said is really true. For the prices in sweden it is pretty high but you will be satisfied with the quality of service and product that you get. moreover, you can manage your budget effectively and save a lot of money. I want to say that I am really amazed by the morality and well behaviour of swedish people. everyone smiles at you and tries to help you. Thanks scandinavia for this unforgetable experience :)
I was also curious to see the northern lights and the winter darkness, so I visited Tromsø in January just after mørketiden and it was beautiful. The sun peaked just above the horizon for about 15 minutes on the first day, and gradually slightly longer each day after, and everybody was so happy to see it again after two months. I would love to stay in northern Norway between January and June and see the gradual transition between the polar night in the winter and the midnight sun in the summer. And the climate is far milder in the winter there than other places on the same latitude. Where it's maybe -25C in the Finnish and Swedish Lapland, it's between -10C and 0C on the coast of Norway on the same latitude. And while northern Norway is still expensive compared to most of Europe, I believe it's slightly cheaper than southern Norway, and while there are several toll roads in southern Norway, there aren't in the north.
I'd love to go again. Only time I ever went was when I was a small child (Sweden, barely remember anything) because my grandmother lives there. Planning a trip to go back in a few months.
Nice video, I found your 5 for and against quite interesting. My visit to Scandinavia for their last summer was epic. The bed 'n' breakfast accommodation was first class and very cheap, the assortment of tasty local produce was wonderful and the duty free alcohol on board the large ferries was well within budget. People were polite, friendly, spoke English and made me (Australian) feel very welcome. One day of rain in 26 days of travel and never a question of feeling unsafe or preyed upon. So looking forward to returning to this magical place in June :)
I am really happy to say that you really got it spot on. I've been living in Denmark for 5 years and so many of the things you said couldn't have been more accurate.
DeepWit Recordings thanks deepwit. I appreciate the support and good to hear some "locals" agree with my tourist perspective. great travels for you my friend!
#1. Weather here is not so bad. On average you get 1820 sunshine hours in Stockholm. That is quite close to Milan for example. As for the darkness, you need to understand that after the shortest day in the end of December, the days get longer at a rate of 30 minutes per week. As such, the days are getting quite a lot longer. Now (26th January) we're getting day lengths of 7h and 30 minutes. By the first of February, the day length is 8 hours. As such, it isn't as dark as you might expect and it gets a lot longer as times goes on. #2. There is a lot of difference between the cultures towards drinking in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Around payday (25th for most people) in Sweden, you get binge drinking, whereas other times in the month it's not as excessive. #3. Some things are expensive, but we get paid quite a lot. Even as a PhD student here in Sweden I get a salary that a number of people in my home countries (New Zealand or UK) are envious of. I do not envy foreign tourists coming here, though! If you want cheap, the supermarkets for fresh fruit and meat (if you can cook yourself in your accommodation) are actually quite cheap and about the same as the UK - plus the quality is good. That is a good way to make Swedish prices seem a bit more down-to-earth!
Oslo a good city? I'd have to disagree on that. Definitely not the best City to visit. I'd recommend Bergen or Stavanger. The Western Norway is where the beauty is. But it's also the most expensive due to the oil inflation. And I don't know where you got the Alcohol problem from. At least here we're re very reserved about it, until the weekend comes along.
Also... Very educated and well-read people. And you're right in saying that they speak better Eng than us Americans. Most also know more about American politics. So embarrassing!
I am so tired of hearing from non-Scandinavians what Scandianavia is. Time and time again someone comes along and declare Finland part of Scandinavia, and they use the word "consider". Stop doing it please. Scandinavia is Denmark, Norway and Sweden. End of story. What makes you think you have the authority to tell Scandinavians what Scandinavia is? There ara Political Scandinavism and Political Nordism. Scandinavism even had their own flag based on the flags from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, why do you think that is? It would be almost the same as I would declare Germany part of Britain. And say that most British people don't consider Germany part of Britain. Who the fuck am I to do that?
Vem bryr sig gör inte så stor grej av det .herregud... Jag har alltid trott att Finland är en del av Skandinavien och dom borde vara det också tycker jag.
***** There is a correct use of Scandinavia, and there is an incorrect use of the word. Scandinavia is Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. If you try to say anything else, you are just plain wrong. Read up on history please! It's not a country, but it was close to become a one nation once, which was the goal of the Scandinvanism movement. The countries in question, Denmark, Norway and Sweden! It doesn't matter how much you and others want to include Iceland and Finland into the equation. It's just wrong. Even geologically it is only parts of Norway and Sweden, and Denmark like vilzku39 mentioned!
A lot of strange kind of journalists try to tell the dif between the Nordic/ Scandinavians... FU...! WE ARE ONE...!!! ... Danes, Norwegians, Finns, Swedes, Icelandics, Greenlandics and Færøerne.... WE ARE ONE......!!! ... THE VIKINGS...!!!
jan andersen love seeing more people agreeing that all of scandinavia / the nordic lands, are all the same people :) got so pissed the other day when i heard about some girl in norway who hated swedes.. im like.. im swedish and i love norway! and finland! and denmark and iceland! i feel at home in all those countries :D
Hah, that is so true. Heck, there are people in Skåne (southern Sweden) that consider Copenhagen (Denmarks Capitol) to be _their_ capitol. Most people in Copenhagen finds that a bit strange, but they like people from Skåne, so they don't make a fuss about it. Heck, if someone else like Copenhagen as much as the people living there, that's allright .. right ? "Come on over", they say, "and bring your wallet too." >_
When it comes to alcohol, Swedes go to Denmark to shop, or take the boat to Finland because the boat has a tax-free shop. Norwegians go to Sweden to shop, because practically _everything_ is cheaper in Sweden than in Norway. Expect to pay twice as much for a beer at a pub in Sweden or Finland than in Denmark or Germany. Expect to pay three times as much in Norway.
Finland is part of the Nordics, which includes: Denmark (Greenland & Faroe Islands), Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Finland. Scandinavia includes: Denmark, Sweden and norway.
***** Not true. I was in Norway. My Norwegians hosts hammered into me the concept that Scandinavia consists of only three countries: Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. If you look at the Nordic Council website, you will see that Scandinavian languages are Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish (www.norden.org/en/the-nordic-region/language). The governments of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden together own half of SAS Group, which includes SAS the airline. Finland and Iceland have their own airlines. From a linguistic point of view, I think it's cool that the three Scandinavian languages are mutually intelligible with each other. I also think it's cool that the Finns were able to preserve their language under years of Swedish rule. I definitely find it fascinating that modern Icelanders can understand a great deal of saga because the Icelandic language has changed very little.
Being Swedish - I´m not biased. These are the top sightings in Scandinavia + Finland: 1. Svalbard 2. Stockholm - Almost every time ranked the greatest city in the world with the combination of nature and city life 3. Bear Hides in eastern Finland 4. Troms and Nordland regions of Norway for nature purposes (cities are not that great, go to New York instead if that´s your agenda) 5. Sarek National Park, Sweden Sorry Denmark, but I would not advise anyone go to an expensive country when they don´t have either great city life or nature or both. A single statue just isn´t worth it for tourist attractions
What do you mean by "some people don't consider finland to be a part of scandinavia" it just isn't, it is a fact that it isn't, not a debatable subject
Iceland, Norway, Denmark, (faroese islands and greenland) Sweden and finland (Åland islands) are the nordic countries not scandinavia. Scandinavia i only Norway, Sweden and Denmark
Euro System goscandinavia.about.com/od/scandinaviatripplanning/p/scanbasicstats.htm www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-18618,00.html www.quora.com/Is-Finland-considered-part-of-Scandinavia-How-do-the-various-countries-there-feel-about-being-called-Scandinavian www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-scandinavia-the-nordics/finland/is-finland-in-scandinavia-or-not
Euro System please try to do some research before you make a public statement about any subject including this. these are not links that i chose only because they are in my favor, these are just the top results of a quick google search all of which conclude that finland is not a part of scandinavia. oh and just because its on the peninsula doesn't mean that it is a scandinavian country!!!
+Euro System scandinavia is named after the area Scania in southern sweden, which belonged to Denmark for a long time. It has nothing to do with the scandinavian peninsula. The countries on the scandinavian peninsula, Sweden, Norway and Finland, are collectively called Fenniscandia. Scandinavia is culturally linked countries, and since finland is, both culturally and linguistically, more connected to the baltic countries and russia, it is not a part of scandinavia. Lawyered.
I like the trees in the cities. I haven't been to that many cities outside of Scandinavia. But it seems to be so much more trees and green spaces where I live, compared to cities in other countries. I never realized it until after my last trip abroad, because I am so used to it.
The reason why many argue whether Finland is a part of Scandinavia or not, is because in English, when you say Scandinavia, you mean Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. However, in, for example, Norway, when you say Scandinavia, you mean Norway, Sweden and Denmark. When we talk about Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, we have a term that, directly translated from Norwegian to English, would be something like "the northern countries".
I was never really too interested in learning about Scandinavia until I recently had a good amount of Scandinavia show up on my ancestry DNA test results. Now here I am watching videos about Scandinavia! Lol
If you are going to visit scandinavia and have a bit of money I would recomend flying to Gothenburg live at a hotel and just do enjoy life. And when you're done with that just rent a car and drive down to Ullared and visit Gekås(scandinavias biggest mall kind of.) When you're done in Ullared you could drive over to Denmark.
One of the good things about living in Scandinavia is; when you travel somewhere else, things are (usually) much cheaper and affordable than you're used to! :D
right now in sweden the sun is up to 12 at night and go down 1-2 hours and you can see it get light again at 2-3 ;) im from sweden and now it's almost sunny again and the clock is 5 :P
***** Maybe you thought is was called Novo because of the big Danish medicine company "Novo Nordisk" (Novo Nordic). Don't know if you have hear of it :)
Denmark, Sweden and Norway are Scandinavia, this is due to their background and similiar languages. Some will consider Finland whom where under Sweden for a long time and some will consider Iceland apart of Scandinavia due to it being under Norway and later Denmark for a long time. But by that standard Scotland and parts of England would be a part of Scandinavia as well. They were under viking (most notably Norwegian and Danish) influence and they had a quite similar language for a long time. The Nordic countries, being Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greeland (even though they are technically under Denmark, The Faroe Islands and Åland, all have a strong comradery. Quite a few mix up Scandinavia and the Nordic countries, no big deal.
woltersworld He's talking about supermarket prizes (or sorry-ass tavern-like bars). You're right about the exorbitant high prizes. This is partly due to the ever present taxes (25% VAT). Also - it IS true that food is also very expensive in restaurants, however - you don't need to tip the staff as tipping is included in the bill. Adding tips is thus paying for the waiter twice. I don't know if this applies outside DK as well.
For me price isn't to problem, not because i'm rich, because I live in Brazil.. I already pay about 9US$ for a beer, the diference is: our beer sucks :D thanks for the video
The thing about Mämmi is that you eat it wrong. You're not supposed to eat it as is. Add some cream and sugar, it's pretty great then. I used to hate it, but then I actually started eating it right, and it's pretty good.
It does not matter what you think, Finland is not a part of scandinavia, it just isn't by fact. It's like me saying i think france is a part of africa, it's just wrong.
Hey guys I really appreciate all your help and support. I am taming my girlfriend Rhonda tob Europe for her first time. We are going in early November. I thought she might enjoy the northern lights. Is it too cold and dark in early November? Now she is a picky eater, doesn't like it real cold,, and we want to rent a car. Is it safe to drive to northern Scandinavia in the winter? We were also thinking a London, Naples, or the alps. I really value your opinion so please respond 🙏.
for the most part it is fine in the winter, they clear their roads off really well in scandinavia nad the public transport can help a lot. november tends to be the dreariest part of the year for europe with rain and darker, but still worth a visit then
Scandinavia in general and Sweden in particular was a great place 30 years ago. But things have changed, and mostly for the worst. Sure, the weather is still usually lousy, and the nature marvelleous. But Sweden has become a multicultural society, and crime rate has gone through the roof. If careless you have a fair chance of getting mugged or raped, or possibly both. As things are right now, New York is a far safer place than Stockholm.
True! I live in Stockholm now for 25 years and its going worse and worse. Its not safe at all, specially night time. I am a cabdriver, working nightshift, hade several incidents, 15 years ago it was much safer. Sweden has a very high crime rate for such a small country,( 9 millions). Its not very clean eather, and expensive too, there are better places to live.
Hate #4. Is 3/4 part true. Sweden, Norway and Finland has a harder time finding alcohol compared to Denmark. But in Denmark (I live there) you can buy alcohol as easily as water. I'm 16 now and it's the official age of buying lighter alcoholic things up to 16,4% Alc. While 16,5% Alc. and up you have to be 18. You can buy alcohol in supermarkets, but at least in some parts of Skåne (south sweden) you have to go to special stores to get alcohol. And it's not that expensive if you buy the cheap version. you can buy beer in my neighborhood for 54 cents (9-6-2014) But I could buy beer and other light alcoholic drinks since i was 13 in supermarkets, because it's so normal to drink in Denmark, so if you look old enough (as I did) you can just buy without any passport or other ID cards :) And for the last 2 years i have visited a special alcohol store to buy Vodka, Whisky and Rum and he would sell me the things without even asking :) Just wanted to add, I DON'T drink often ONLY at party's. So it's a bad controlling on ID's.
In Finland we have nearly 10 000 lakes. So fresh water fishing or boat trips are thing that you have nowhere else in the world. Most unigue is Lake Saimaa. Fishing lisens are 50€ for whole year. Rapid river fishing cost more.
I'm curious about what food you tried when you were here? There are lots of dishes that are great that can be quite hard to come by in a restaurant, but then again that's the case with every countrys cuisine. :) In short, the best advice I could give is "try the fish". If anyone else is travelling across Scandinavia, feel free to send a message if you want tips on where to stop by and eat or what to try. I'd be happy to give a tip or two when I can if it's of interest to anyone. :)
I love Sweden because all my relatives are there! I feel right at home every time I step off the plane! I love their fish, fish and more fish. The salmon the the toothpaste tube. lol. I love their Beer! Class 1, 2, 3, 4 lol. I love the clean-ness about the city!
The most important points in Norwegian culture, (as a Norwegian, I can confirm it myself), is swearing, annoying dialects, skipping lines and complaining.
Ade Larsen It's not only in Oslo, but most cities in Norway, like Bodø and Trondheim. I must say that swearing have gotten better than it was before, but it's still an active part of our culture. I also forgot to mention: we have to written languages we have to learn. Bokmål and Nynorsk.
Finland and Iceland are not Scandinavia ! Norway, Sweden, Finland are Finnoscandia! Norway, Sweden and Denmark are Scandinavia! Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland are called "The Nordic Countries"
Luis Cásseres Well, it's common knowledge in the Nordic countries that Scandinavia only refers to the three kingdoms of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The Wikipedia articles on both Scandinavia and the Nordic countries are fairly accurate in describing this distinction. Outside of the Nordic countries however, the lines are usually blurred and the term Scandinavia is frequently used when people actually are talking about the Nordic countries. The misuse of the term is often perpetuated in educational literature.
Bryce McLin Finland and Iceland mostly have what can be described as a Scandinavian culture though (despite the Uralic finnish language), so the Americans are not all wrong, lumping us together. We did the same, not long ago. Current geographical definitions, such as the Scandinavian Peninsula, are not always the most meaningful or interesting to people. The original "Scandia" were just Skåne, so the boundaries of Scandinavia are not exactly carved in stone. (Finland were part of Sweden for about 600 years, and the Icelandic people were originally Norwegians.)
+Sven Ekeberg Let's point out that Scandinavia is named after the mountain range, "Skanderna" and that Skåne is "Scania" in English. Like he mentioned, Swedes do not consider Finland a part of Scandinavia. I would think that is mostly because of culture and politics. (All people were originally African.)
Laurits Mathiassen Well, if a slice of pizza cost the same as a whole large pizza in the US, imagine how much would a meal cost in one of those places, probably the price of the plane ticket. NO THANKS!!! I rather go eat some meatballs at IKEA,
It's best to came here in the summer around middle of june to late august. It can rain abit in june but here in sweden we got a pretty big thing called Midsummer, It's a nice experience the sun never go down in the northen part of sweden. If you are looking for some nice nature adventures you should head north the nature there is wonderful. I'm living in sweden in the middle part of it, in the region called Dalarna and we got best from the north and south.
woltersworld Couldn't have had a better comeback! ;) Heads up though, Scandinavia is Nor, Swe and Den, while the inclusion of Finland and Iceland is called "The Nordic countries", or "Norden" as we call it
I haven't read all the comments and I don't know if it has been mentioned already, but one should bear in mind that the Norwegian krone (NOK) has depreciated quite substantially lately, because of the crude oil price drop. This should imply that Norway is cheaper for tourists than it used to be.
Ehrm.. Finland is NOT in scandinavia. Iceland isn't either Finland is an old part of russia, but in around 100 years, they've been pretending to be scandinavian to escape the russian community.
If you had been paying attention during your history lessons you would know that Finland was very Swedish even during the Russian occupation. Russians didn't try to force their systems or believes here. Russian has never been an official language here, whereas Swedish still is. Our education system and judicial system are almost identical to Swedish counterparts. Hell, they were set up by swedes in the first place. You have to be stupid to argue that Finland and its culture are closer to Russia than Sweden. I've both Finnish and Swedish citizenship.
So what? Finland isn´t maybe part of Scandinavia geographically but the culture, people, weather and nature are very similar to Scandinavia. That´s why so many people think that Finland is part of Scandinavia. I don´t understand why it´s so big deal when someone thinks that Finland is part of Scandinavia
Wolter downplays the pickpocket situation, but don't take anything for granted there. I was almost pickpocketed while in Copenhagen, outside of Tivoli Garden. Also, the tour guides will sometimes warn you about the pickpockets in the major cities.
ya drinking in Nyhavn is exepensive...but your kinda asking for it when you sit there. there are loads of taverns/værtshuse where beer is not that costly :)
SOSO Finland, Sweden and Norway are Fenno-Scandinavia, though. If you want to talk about all five countries (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden an Finland) that region is called the Nordics or the Nordic countries.
I was in Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) in 2010. Yes, it's expensive, but I had known that for many years. As for the food, there are great restaurants in Copenhagen and elsewhere, but they are quite expensive. Hotel dinner buffets were quite bland and the lunches along the highways weren't good. Good salads are expensive when they are available, but mostly not available in the hotel dining rooms.. However, we had a great smoked salmon dinner in Stockholm and later, for lunch, the most delicious Swedish meatballs I have ever tasted.
I love your videos and you are a lucky guy who have the time and money to travel many places and how many times do you travel in a year? I'm hoping to see more of your videos and same as usual i've clicked the 'like' button. BTW are there any Canada videos? because i'm coming to USA and Canada in late August this year.
Finland is not part of Scandinavia. And Island?!? Why not throw in Estonia and Poland when you're at it. History lesson: Scandinavia consists of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The biggest reason for this is that the union is more based on linguistic than geographical commonalities. Finnish has nothing to do with the Scandinavian languages. I'm quite frankly tired of foreigners coming here and think that they can dictate the rules. I know you are an American but that's not an exquse. When you are traveling outside America please try to restrain your empirialist impulses and let us define what we are and what we belong to. Thank you.
***** I'm sorry, but it's not like this is a debate - Scandinavia consists only of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and everyone in Scandinavia knows it. Just because Iceland wants to become part of Scandinavia doesn't mean that it is suddenly part of Scandinavia. Iceland - and Finland - is part of what we in Scandinavia call "Norden" or what in English you call "the Nordic countries". Also - Icelandic is not at all intelligible for anyone in Scandinavia. So, there is a big difference between Norden and Scandinavia, and alot of "foreigners" doesn't seem to realise this. And it's not like this is a controversial subject in Scandinavia, everyone here knows and agrees that these three countries constitute Scandinavia. The only ones that might not agree is people outside Scandinavia. But I don't see that as a problem. And that some people don't consider Denmark part of Scandinavia is just not true. And the reason you give for this is very strange. The first example you give is that Denmark is so mixed with Norway. This is strange because it's so illogical: Norway is also part of Scandinavia, so how can that be a problem? Your next example is Germany, but then again - Germany is not part of the lingustic/historical/cultural heritage that makes up Scandinavia. So, to end at the beginning: Scandinavia is Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
***** Sorry, my mistake: my response to the last example about Germany dosen't make sense at all. But, again, I don't see the problem. I have never heard that argument about Denmark before in my life. It's very strange. And, after all, Denmark and Germany are two different countries with very different history, linguistic traits, and so on. So I don't see why this should be a reason for Denmark not being part of Scandinavia. It's a very strange argumentation. By the way, where are you from?
***** You say that many Scandinavians view the Nordic countries as Scandinavia. This is just not true. Every Scandinavian knows that there's a big differens between Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. Otherwise there would be no reason to have two different names for it. The two names designates two different things: the Nordic countries and the Scandinavian countries. Every historian will tell you this. There is no ongoing debate about this. At least not in Scandinavia. You can, which you propably already have, go to Wikipedia to read all about this. I am half Swedish and half Danish born and raised in Sweden, so you and I are both part of the "Nordic community". And I agree with you we should definitely work for a better cooperation between the Nordic countries. Perhaps start a joint tv-network and Daily Newspaper as a kind of cultural exchange. Absolutely. But my point is just that this still wouldn't make Åland or Greenland part of Scandinavia. And any confusion surrounding this topic has to to with that fact that they just don't know what Scandinavia is. And I'm not just talking about people outside Scandinavia but also people within Scandinavia who are clearly confused about this. To take an example: my brother, who was born and raised in Denmark, always thought that Finland was part of Scandinavia until he looked it up. So my point is that just because you talk with people and get many different anwers doesn't mean that there is an ongoing debate about this, it just means that they simply don't know what is called what and what is part of what. But that doesn't mean that there is no clear answer to this question. Never confuse beliefs with facts. But, of course, this also dosen't mean that we exclude you from feeling that we belong together, we belong together by being part of "Norden", the Nordic countries. But I absolutely agree with you that our bond could be even stronger, and I think that would be a nice thing. Another way to go about it is, of course, to just "change to rules" and skip the name "Norden" altogether and just call it Scandinavia. Maybe it will happen in the future, who knows.
***** Wait a minute, Finnish and Russian belong to two separate language families. Finnish is under the Uralic language family while Russian is under the Indo-European family.
Finland isn't included in Scandinavia because Scandinavia is a linguistic term here - finnish isn't an scandinavian language -, while it seems to be a geographical term in USA. We more often use "norden" ('the north'), since it's geographical.
If you are coming to Sweden you should be prepared that taking a cab or taxi is really expensive compared to the US and same with eating on restaurants. And i have found out that the cleanliness can vary greatly between cities, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki are all very clean but for example Gotheburg is pretty dirty. Atleast in comparison to the other 3. And atleast swedes are pretty used to foreign people since we have a lot of immigration, but most people find it fun when tourists come up to you to ask a question so dont be afraid about that!
Well I'm Form Denmark here. So sadly i don't really hate anything. But the thing i love the most but Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland is just how beautiful the nature is.
I'm a Swedish guy 19 years old vasa he talked about was built for Gustav II adolf the Swedish king in the early 17:th century back then Finland and Estonia was a part of Sweden
Its very true. But about the safety, be careful where you go. The normal tourist places is generaly very safe and most of the inner city parts is quite safe to (well, as long at it is light, that is in summer, almost all the time). But in the city suburbs, be very careful. A other ting to remember. You can generally not just jump on a bus or tram or train go traveling. Most buses, trains and trams accept payment onboard, Most cases have to buy ticket before boarding. Thais also true for innre city busses
Btw. Buy your alcohol in Denmark! Its cheaper and readily accessible here, compared to the rest of Scandinavia. Every Scandinavian is buying their alcohol in Denmark, except the Danes, they buy it in Germany to save more money :-)
I'm seeing a lot of people bickering in the comments so let me see if I have my head wrapped around this complex and divisive concept (sarcasm). Nordic refers to Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Scandinavian refers to a more specific region Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
Got to love scandinavia
I agree :)
woltersworld Did you just reply to yourself? Forever alone level: OVER 9000!!!
Stupid comment .....
BehoLa den Almægtige ... well he was obiusly kidding
Hottest chicks in Europe... along with Serbia maybe.
Scandivavian is historical Denmark,Sweden and Norway (more or less identical language)...with Finland and Island it is the Nordic countries.Of course a beer is expensive when you buy it in the greatest tourist trap in Copenhagen: Nyhavn.Buy it in a shop you will pay 50cent
Very interesting. I knew it was an expensive place to go but when you can afford it, it looks wonderful. Nice northlightings. We also have those here, in Quebec. I don't exactly what the host meant by the alcool problem but I am sure that it cannot beat the Russian's one. Those guys are terrible. They start early in the morning until late at night. Vodka is cheap so let's be happy. They drink in the streets which is always a bit surprising when you come from a country where if you are caught with a beer in your hand in the streets, the police will get you in a matter of minutes.
I also have to agree with the host when he says that your english is perfect, better than most English people. It is nice to see people being proud from where they are.
Em
emilyn12 Thats maybe the reason why the Russians always act like a bully??There are two reasons why we are good at English in Scandinavia...1. We learn enlish from 2.class,and we don´t syncronize any foreign movie/tv.I thought it was a human right to enjoy a cheap beer or a breezer in the park or on the dock lol.....russian drinking: do you remember Jeltsin??,on the other side,Canada has Rob Ford
Ah!Ah! Rob Ford is a special case. He is hated by almost every Canadians except his electoral community in Toronto. Many mayors refused to shake his hand. Here in Québec, it doesn't bring much reaction. In this only french province where 7 millions people speak French, English movies and series are usually dubbed by actors and comedians from Québec. We learn English from grade 3 but the emphasis is on French. We live and are surrounded by american culture, music. And it is a direct influence. We fight for our language, for the right to be French within an English environnement. We are not French from France. We are not completely north american, We are an interesting mixture. :-)
Henrik Larsen Lol Jeltsin, my god i have nightmares from that shit, Vodka is a damn poison, clearly noticable when looking at Russia xD
the beer is alot more expensive in sweden compared to danmark tho but yea if u buy in a store its about 1-2$ and on bars about 8-10
Being Norwegian is great, because anywhere you travel, you'll be like "Oh, thats cheap"
Finland is a nordic country. It is not a scandinavian country, you cannot make your own geograpic rules:-)
John Anders Hagen let me live a little!
Actually you are a bit wrong there. Geographic Scandinavian peninsula is Norway, Sweden and a little bit of Finland and even a small bit of Russia. The culture Scandinavia on the other hand is Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
loch70 Finland is the weird child in Nordic group :D
Sami Systa
But a beloved child. Remember that Sweden and Finland has been the same nation for over 500 years. :)
loch70 yes daddy :P
Nordic countries
Thomas Pedersen true, very true... but no one watches things on "Nordic Europe" they love their Scandinavia :)
+woltersworld Nor- dick countries if you include oil pigs :) Subbed.
I had a "Norweeaboo" phase when I was younger. I became obsessed with anything that happened to be from Norway, and spoke in broken Norwegian. It's a phase I'll gladly forget, but I'm very excited to visit the country. I'm going to Norway for the first time this year.
kan du tale dansk :-) :-)
Prepare for a major disappointment
Just don't make the mistake so many does by going to Oslo only. The best parts of Norway are up north and to the west of the country, Oslo is... Well. While better than many European cities, just a regular city.
Red Tuesday
Are you telling him to drop into the ocean? Hope it's in the summer then :D But honestly, where would you recommend more specific? Planning where to go in the summer, and thought I went north instead of south for a change.
Jay Dobbelv Em
Well, you could start off in Oslo, and then when you are done with it, rent a car and drive up along the coast to see the rest. :)
The roads are excellent during summer, just make sure to bring some sunglasses, for when the sun hangs low in the evening, it can be absolute blinding.
And it stays there for a long time, because of the earth axis tilt.
I love the fact that the reason for why the Vasa Ship is SO famous is because she sank after sailing only about 1,300 m (1,400 yd).
exactly :)
Another to like:
- If you can deal with the cold and dark, some unique experiences can be enjoyed in winter such as skating on lakes/fjordes, driving snowmobiles, visiting the ice hotels, seeing the cities light up when night falls around 2pm, getting hyped up on coffee then loosened up with mulled wine. The winters also bring people indoors, forcing more social interaction.
I agree. I loved the beauty of the snow and cross country skiing. I broke my collar bone doing downhill in Levi, Finland so I wont be doing that again :)
Totally agree!
I've been in sweden and denmark last month. Everything you said is really true.
For the prices in sweden it is pretty high but you will be satisfied with the quality of service and product that you get. moreover, you can manage your budget effectively and save a lot of money.
I want to say that I am really amazed by the morality and well behaviour of swedish people. everyone smiles at you and tries to help you.
Thanks scandinavia for this unforgetable experience :)
I was also curious to see the northern lights and the winter darkness, so I visited Tromsø in January just after mørketiden and it was beautiful. The sun peaked just above the horizon for about 15 minutes on the first day, and gradually slightly longer each day after, and everybody was so happy to see it again after two months. I would love to stay in northern Norway between January and June and see the gradual transition between the polar night in the winter and the midnight sun in the summer. And the climate is far milder in the winter there than other places on the same latitude. Where it's maybe -25C in the Finnish and Swedish Lapland, it's between -10C and 0C on the coast of Norway on the same latitude. And while northern Norway is still expensive compared to most of Europe, I believe it's slightly cheaper than southern Norway, and while there are several toll roads in southern Norway, there aren't in the north.
Say that we have to much pride?
Americans say that we have to much pride?
What the hell?
That was funny shit.
He didn't say too much pride. He said a lot of pride. Nothing wrong with that.
I'd love to go again. Only time I ever went was when I was a small child (Sweden, barely remember anything) because my grandmother lives there. Planning a trip to go back in a few months.
19Jones91 very cool. I hope you get back and get to enjoy it again. I always enjoyed it there. Going twice this year actually :) all the best!
This guy is SO frenetic....I now feel that I need a tranquilizer.
Hello, im from helsinki, and nice knowing you learned alot of different berween the countrys.
Nice video, I found your 5 for and against quite interesting. My visit to Scandinavia for their last summer was epic. The bed 'n' breakfast accommodation was first class and very cheap, the assortment of tasty local produce was wonderful and the duty free alcohol on board the large ferries was well within budget. People were polite, friendly, spoke English and made me (Australian) feel very welcome. One day of rain in 26 days of travel and never a question of feeling unsafe or preyed upon. So looking forward to returning to this magical place in June :)
I was born in Stockholm and I still live here.
I Love It!
Kävelet kadulla, näet kusipään penkillä valittamassa kotimaastasi, mitä teet?
Sciencymiency Kuka valitti ja missä? Jatkan kävelyä.
Sciencymiency menet hymyilemään sen vitun kameran taakse niin kuin joku idjootti
I am really happy to say that you really got it spot on. I've been living in Denmark for 5 years and so many of the things you said couldn't have been more accurate.
DeepWit Recordings thanks deepwit. I appreciate the support and good to hear some "locals" agree with my tourist perspective. great travels for you my friend!
I live in Sweden and sooo want to see the Northern Lights! I'm not living north enough to see it during the winter. cx
#1. Weather here is not so bad. On average you get 1820 sunshine hours in Stockholm. That is quite close to Milan for example. As for the darkness, you need to understand that after the shortest day in the end of December, the days get longer at a rate of 30 minutes per week. As such, the days are getting quite a lot longer. Now (26th January) we're getting day lengths of 7h and 30 minutes. By the first of February, the day length is 8 hours. As such, it isn't as dark as you might expect and it gets a lot longer as times goes on.
#2. There is a lot of difference between the cultures towards drinking in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Around payday (25th for most people) in Sweden, you get binge drinking, whereas other times in the month it's not as excessive.
#3. Some things are expensive, but we get paid quite a lot. Even as a PhD student here in Sweden I get a salary that a number of people in my home countries (New Zealand or UK) are envious of. I do not envy foreign tourists coming here, though! If you want cheap, the supermarkets for fresh fruit and meat (if you can cook yourself in your accommodation) are actually quite cheap and about the same as the UK - plus the quality is good. That is a good way to make Swedish prices seem a bit more down-to-earth!
Oslo a good city? I'd have to disagree on that. Definitely not the best City to visit. I'd recommend Bergen or Stavanger. The Western Norway is where the beauty is. But it's also the most expensive due to the oil inflation. And I don't know where you got the Alcohol problem from. At least here we're re very reserved about it, until the weekend comes along.
I think he meant Finland with the alcohol problem thing...
i feel like travelling by the way you describe things.. wonderful
you must've been to the cheap restaurants, we have ultra high end quality on our foods if you go to the right places
I would love to visit Sandinavia someday. I have not ever traveled to any of the Scandinavian countries before.
I did see pictures of them many times.
You won't regret it.
Also... Very educated and well-read people. And you're right in saying that they speak better Eng than us Americans. Most also know more about American politics. So embarrassing!
Nice video, now I can't wait to study abroad at DTU!
I am so tired of hearing from non-Scandinavians what Scandianavia is. Time and time again someone comes along and declare Finland part of Scandinavia, and they use the word "consider". Stop doing it please.
Scandinavia is Denmark, Norway and Sweden. End of story.
What makes you think you have the authority to tell Scandinavians what Scandinavia is?
There ara Political Scandinavism and Political Nordism. Scandinavism even had their own flag based on the flags from Denmark, Norway and Sweden, why do you think that is?
It would be almost the same as I would declare Germany part of Britain. And say that most British people don't consider Germany part of Britain. Who the fuck am I to do that?
Vem bryr sig gör inte så stor grej av det .herregud... Jag har alltid trott att Finland är en del av Skandinavien och dom borde vara det också tycker jag.
Scandinavia is southwest and south east part of norway and sweden + denmark
***** There is a correct use of Scandinavia, and there is an incorrect use of the word. Scandinavia is Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. If you try to say anything else, you are just plain wrong. Read up on history please! It's not a country, but it was close to become a one nation once, which was the goal of the Scandinvanism movement. The countries in question, Denmark, Norway and Sweden! It doesn't matter how much you and others want to include Iceland and Finland into the equation. It's just wrong.
Even geologically it is only parts of Norway and Sweden, and Denmark like vilzku39 mentioned!
vilzku39 Absolutely correct sir! :)
Pungslark Laksekjønn thank you
My most recommended locations in Scandinavia + Finland:
1. Lofoten and Vesterålen Islands, Norway
2. Tromsø, Norway
3. Lappland (Sweden/ Finland/ Norway)
4. Western Norway (Ålesund > Bergen)
5. Stavanger, Norway
6. Stockholm, Sweden
7. Copenhagen, Denmark
8. Odense, Denmark
9. Trondheim, Norway
10. Aalborg, Denmark
Honorable mentions:
Helsinki, Finland
Svalbard, Norway
Hurtigruta (cruise journey along Norwegian coastline)
A lot of strange kind of journalists try to tell the dif between the Nordic/ Scandinavians...
FU...!
WE ARE ONE...!!!
...
Danes, Norwegians, Finns, Swedes, Icelandics, Greenlandics and Færøerne....
WE ARE ONE......!!!
...
THE VIKINGS...!!!
Norway sweden and denmark were orginal scandinavians who spred it in other nordic countrys so yeah its same thing
jan andersen love seeing more people agreeing that all of scandinavia / the nordic lands, are all the same people :) got so pissed the other day when i heard about some girl in norway who hated swedes.. im like.. im swedish and i love norway! and finland! and denmark and iceland! i feel at home in all those countries :D
Hah, that is so true.
Heck, there are people in Skåne (southern Sweden) that consider Copenhagen (Denmarks Capitol) to be _their_ capitol.
Most people in Copenhagen finds that a bit strange, but they like people from Skåne, so they don't make a fuss about it.
Heck, if someone else like Copenhagen as much as the people living there, that's allright .. right ?
"Come on over", they say, "and bring your wallet too."
>_
jan andersen But only Swedes, Norwedians and Danes were vikings.
Sipu97 and island and greenland
Are Scandinavian prices generally higher than those in Switzerland? I've heard Switzerland is the most expensive place to visit.
PsychGoth it is a tough call to be honest.
its about the same.. regards Denmark:-)
Norway is more expensive than Switzerland, the rest is about the same to my experience.
When it comes to alcohol, Swedes go to Denmark to shop, or take the boat to Finland because the boat has a tax-free shop.
Norwegians go to Sweden to shop, because practically _everything_ is cheaper in Sweden than in Norway.
Expect to pay twice as much for a beer at a pub in Sweden or Finland than in Denmark or Germany. Expect to pay three times as much in Norway.
PsychGoth Prices in Switzerland are nothing compared to Norway. Compared to Oslo, stuff in Berne may as well be free.
Finland is part of the Nordics, which includes: Denmark (Greenland & Faroe Islands), Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Finland.
Scandinavia includes: Denmark, Sweden and norway.
No, Scandinavia includes: Norway, Sweden and denmark. :)
*****
Not true. I was in Norway. My Norwegians hosts hammered into me the concept that Scandinavia consists of only three countries: Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. If you look at the Nordic Council website, you will see that Scandinavian languages are Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish (www.norden.org/en/the-nordic-region/language). The governments of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden together own half of SAS Group, which includes SAS the airline. Finland and Iceland have their own airlines. From a linguistic point of view, I think it's cool that the three Scandinavian languages are mutually intelligible with each other. I also think it's cool that the Finns were able to preserve their language under years of Swedish rule. I definitely find it fascinating that modern Icelanders can understand a great deal of saga because the Icelandic language has changed very little.
*****
Hold on now, don't you guys have a good portion of Gaelic/Celtic ancestry too?
Being Swedish - I´m not biased. These are the top sightings in Scandinavia + Finland:
1. Svalbard
2. Stockholm - Almost every time ranked the greatest city in the world with the combination of nature and city life
3. Bear Hides in eastern Finland
4. Troms and Nordland regions of Norway for nature purposes (cities are not that great, go to New York instead if that´s your agenda)
5. Sarek National Park, Sweden
Sorry Denmark, but I would not advise anyone go to an expensive country when they don´t have either great city life or nature or both. A single statue just isn´t worth it for tourist attractions
What do you mean by "some people don't consider finland to be a part of scandinavia" it just isn't, it is a fact that it isn't, not a debatable subject
Iceland, Norway, Denmark, (faroese islands and greenland) Sweden and finland (Åland islands) are the nordic countries not scandinavia. Scandinavia i only Norway, Sweden and Denmark
+Víkingur Magnússon discussing how some people link them all together.
Euro System goscandinavia.about.com/od/scandinaviatripplanning/p/scanbasicstats.htm
www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-18618,00.html
www.quora.com/Is-Finland-considered-part-of-Scandinavia-How-do-the-various-countries-there-feel-about-being-called-Scandinavian
www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-scandinavia-the-nordics/finland/is-finland-in-scandinavia-or-not
Euro System please try to do some research before you make a public statement about any subject including this.
these are not links that i chose only because they are in my favor, these are just the top results of a quick google search all of which conclude that finland is not a part of scandinavia. oh and just because its on the peninsula doesn't mean that it is a scandinavian country!!!
+Euro System scandinavia is named after the area Scania in southern sweden, which belonged to Denmark for a long time. It has nothing to do with the scandinavian peninsula. The countries on the scandinavian peninsula, Sweden, Norway and Finland, are collectively called Fenniscandia. Scandinavia is culturally linked countries, and since finland is, both culturally and linguistically, more connected to the baltic countries and russia, it is not a part of scandinavia.
Lawyered.
I like the trees in the cities.
I haven't been to that many cities outside of Scandinavia. But it seems to be so much more trees and green spaces where I live, compared to cities in other countries. I never realized it until after my last trip abroad, because I am so used to it.
museums are free in sweden
Christian Edwall glad I am going there next summer :) thanks for the heads up
woltersworld go on the archepelago
no they're not
***** in my city they are
Christian Edwall So the workers there do not get paid?
The reason why many argue whether Finland is a part of Scandinavia or not, is because in English, when you say Scandinavia, you mean Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. However, in, for example, Norway, when you say Scandinavia, you mean Norway, Sweden and Denmark. When we talk about Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, we have a term that, directly translated from Norwegian to English, would be something like "the northern countries".
I was never really too interested in learning about Scandinavia until I recently had a good amount of Scandinavia show up on my ancestry DNA test results. Now here I am watching videos about Scandinavia! Lol
If you are going to visit scandinavia and have a bit of money I would recomend flying to Gothenburg live at a hotel and just do enjoy life. And when you're done with that just rent a car and drive down to Ullared and visit Gekås(scandinavias biggest mall kind of.) When you're done in Ullared you could drive over to Denmark.
i love the finnish wintertime...i always go there in winter...all those moskitos in summer,,,brrrr... winter there is magical..
Thank you so much for posting!
Considering Finland as a part of Scandinavia isn't optional tho. Scandinavia is just Norway, Sweden and Denmark. And that's just the way it is.
One of the good things about living in Scandinavia is; when you travel somewhere else, things are (usually) much cheaper and affordable than you're used to! :D
Well we mostly cook our own food so if you don't like the "Swedish food" become a better cook! ;)
right now in sweden the sun is up to 12 at night and go down 1-2 hours and you can see it get light again at 2-3 ;) im from sweden and now it's almost sunny again and the clock is 5 :P
Copenhagen has some of the best restaurants in the world. Pretty expensive though
Thats what every country says about their restaurants.
Noma* :)
***** Maybe you thought is was called Novo because of the big Danish medicine company "Novo Nordisk" (Novo Nordic).
Don't know if you have hear of it :)
Denmark, Sweden and Norway are Scandinavia, this is due to their background and similiar languages. Some will consider Finland whom where under Sweden for a long time and some will consider Iceland apart of Scandinavia due to it being under Norway and later Denmark for a long time. But by that standard Scotland and parts of England would be a part of Scandinavia as well. They were under viking (most notably Norwegian and Danish) influence and they had a quite similar language for a long time.
The Nordic countries, being Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greeland (even though they are technically under Denmark, The Faroe Islands and Åland, all have a strong comradery. Quite a few mix up Scandinavia and the Nordic countries, no big deal.
You do know that beers in Denmark is ALOT cheeper than in America, on average a beer in Denmark cost 3,34 dollars.
Kim Hansen really? I never felt that when I was there traveling.
Kim Hansen And in Denmark the beer is good. In USA the beer is just piss.
woltersworld
He's talking about supermarket prizes (or sorry-ass tavern-like bars). You're right about the exorbitant high prizes. This is partly due to the ever present taxes (25% VAT). Also - it IS true that food is also very expensive in restaurants, however - you don't need to tip the staff as tipping is included in the bill. Adding tips is thus paying for the waiter twice. I don't know if this applies outside DK as well.
Loved it. Thanks for sharing!
For me price isn't to problem, not because i'm rich, because I live in Brazil.. I already pay about 9US$ for a beer, the diference is: our beer sucks :D
thanks for the video
Roger Bezerra brahma bem geladinha nao e boa?
Boa é. Mas não ótima. Prefiro uma irlandesa :)
The thing about Mämmi is that you eat it wrong. You're not supposed to eat it as is. Add some cream and sugar, it's pretty great then. I used to hate it, but then I actually started eating it right, and it's pretty good.
It does not matter what you think, Finland is not a part of scandinavia, it just isn't by fact. It's like me saying i think france is a part of africa, it's just wrong.
@Big blue whale France-Africa was an analogy. www.britannica.com/place/Scandinavia That link sums it up
Great video and info for how tourist see Scandinavia.
i love our food (from Denmark)
I love your food as well (from Italy)
Gianluca De Angelis Love your food too:) (Pizza and pasta)
Hey guys I really appreciate all your help and support. I am taming my girlfriend Rhonda tob Europe for her first time. We are going in early November. I thought she might enjoy the northern lights. Is it too cold and dark in early November? Now she is a picky eater, doesn't like it real cold,, and we want to rent a car. Is it safe to drive to northern Scandinavia in the winter? We were also thinking a London, Naples, or the alps. I really value your opinion so please respond 🙏.
for the most part it is fine in the winter, they clear their roads off really well in scandinavia nad the public transport can help a lot. november tends to be the dreariest part of the year for europe with rain and darker, but still worth a visit then
Scandinavia in general and Sweden in particular was a great place 30 years ago. But things have changed, and mostly for the worst.
Sure, the weather is still usually lousy, and the nature marvelleous. But Sweden has become a multicultural society, and crime rate has gone through the roof. If careless you have a fair chance of getting mugged or raped, or possibly both.
As things are right now, New York is a far safer place than Stockholm.
True! I live in Stockholm now for 25 years and its going worse and worse. Its not safe at all, specially night time. I am a cabdriver, working nightshift, hade several incidents, 15 years ago it was much safer. Sweden has a very high crime rate for such a small country,( 9 millions). Its not very clean eather, and expensive too, there are better places to live.
Hate #4. Is 3/4 part true. Sweden, Norway and Finland has a harder time finding alcohol compared to Denmark.
But in Denmark (I live there) you can buy alcohol as easily as water. I'm 16 now and it's the official age of buying lighter alcoholic things up to 16,4% Alc. While 16,5% Alc. and up you have to be 18. You can buy alcohol in supermarkets, but at least in some parts of Skåne (south sweden) you have to go to special stores to get alcohol. And it's not that expensive if you buy the cheap version. you can buy beer in my neighborhood for 54 cents (9-6-2014)
But I could buy beer and other light alcoholic drinks since i was 13 in supermarkets, because it's so normal to drink in Denmark, so if you look old enough (as I did) you can just buy without any passport or other ID cards :) And for the last 2 years i have visited a special alcohol store to buy Vodka, Whisky and Rum and he would sell me the things without even asking :) Just wanted to add, I DON'T drink often ONLY at party's.
So it's a bad controlling on ID's.
The reason why everything is expensive in Norway is because everyone are rich :D
Its true!
Absolutely false. Ignorant and false.
In Finland we have nearly 10 000 lakes. So fresh water fishing or boat trips are thing that you have nowhere else in the world. Most unigue is Lake Saimaa. Fishing lisens are 50€ for whole year. Rapid river fishing cost more.
Finland is not a part of scandinavia?..
scandinavia is not whole sweden norway and denmark either so there is no scandinavian country anymore
The mountains in the north part in norway is fantastic!
Sweden has, by far, the best food in the whole of Scandinavia. Denmark is a close 2nd.
How the hell can Denmark be a close 2nd when Sweden "by far" has the best food in the whole Scandinavia? ;-)
Hammerhook12
Don't be that guy.
You can't really be a close 2nd when the number 1 is BY FAR the best. It's contradictive.... just saying
Hammerhook12
Dude, I know. I was just thinking about norwegian food while I was typing. ^^
Nope Denmark has the best food...
how can you save some money while travelling to scandinavia?
Here's a cool finnish word play: Kokko, kokoo koko kokko kokoon = (Mr.) Kokko, gather up the whole bonfire =)
***** and this is why the Rotary club told me I would not learn finnish when I lived in finland :)
***** Koko kokkoko?
Go to Stockholm in August and go the restaurant in the archipelago. It is super super nice..
But still we have the best restaurant in the world....... and u say the food is meh
Lol I live in Northern Minnesota. We see Aurora Borealis all the time during winter.
9 dollars for a beer.....on a pub!? o_O
That's cheap!
Sad but true !
is that expensive ???? regards Denmark..:-)
+Mystogan Edolas
Holy shit that's expensive. Anything over 5-6 euros for a beer is expensive.
then dont come over here ;-) cause its really expensive for US citizens in skandinavien.....
I'm curious about what food you tried when you were here? There are lots of dishes that are great that can be quite hard to come by in a restaurant, but then again that's the case with every countrys cuisine. :) In short, the best advice I could give is "try the fish". If anyone else is travelling across Scandinavia, feel free to send a message if you want tips on where to stop by and eat or what to try. I'd be happy to give a tip or two when I can if it's of interest to anyone. :)
SNOW IS NOT A NEGATIVE ALL THAT POWPOW.
I love Sweden because all my relatives are there! I feel right at home every time I step off the plane! I love their fish, fish and more fish. The salmon the the toothpaste tube. lol. I love their Beer! Class 1, 2, 3, 4 lol. I love the clean-ness about the city!
National pride, in sweden XD
Would it really be very expensive for a long backpacking trip ? I really love the Northern Europe and would like to make friends there
The most important points in Norwegian culture, (as a Norwegian, I can confirm it myself), is swearing, annoying dialects, skipping lines and complaining.
zukodark I will remember that one :) we are heading to Norway next summer :)
Sounds a lot like the US.
That's only people in Oslo.
Everyone else is too busy farming, fishing, eating or sleeping to do all those things.
Ade Larsen It's not only in Oslo, but most cities in Norway, like Bodø and Trondheim.
I must say that swearing have gotten better than it was before, but it's still an active part of our culture. I also forgot to mention: we have to written languages we have to learn. Bokmål and Nynorsk.
Favorit mat min er Torsk tunge, finnbiff og hval lapskaus
I personally think you should visit norways, swedens or finlands mountains during easter.
For me it's the best time during the year
Finland and Iceland are not Scandinavia ! Norway, Sweden, Finland are Finnoscandia! Norway, Sweden and Denmark are Scandinavia! Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland are called "The Nordic Countries"
Bryce McLin Good to know, thanks. Where did you get it from?
Luis Cásseres Well, it's common knowledge in the Nordic countries that Scandinavia only refers to the three kingdoms of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The Wikipedia articles on both Scandinavia and the Nordic countries are fairly accurate in describing this distinction. Outside of the Nordic countries however, the lines are usually blurred and the term Scandinavia is frequently used when people actually are talking about the Nordic countries. The misuse of the term is often perpetuated in educational literature.
Bryce McLin Finland and Iceland mostly have what can be described as a Scandinavian culture though (despite the Uralic finnish language), so the Americans are not all wrong, lumping us together. We did the same, not long ago.
Current geographical definitions, such as the Scandinavian Peninsula, are not always the most meaningful or interesting to people. The original "Scandia" were just Skåne, so the boundaries of Scandinavia are not exactly carved in stone.
(Finland were part of Sweden for about 600 years, and the Icelandic people were originally Norwegians.)
Interesting, I'm so grateful for your clarifications.
+Sven Ekeberg Let's point out that Scandinavia is named after the mountain range, "Skanderna" and that Skåne is "Scania" in English. Like he mentioned, Swedes do not consider Finland a part of Scandinavia. I would think that is mostly because of culture and politics.
(All people were originally African.)
Denmark is ridiculously expensive.
latengocomoburro I agree. I so agree... and my wallet just told me he agrees as well :)
woltersworld they dont have bad food though. Denmark has some of the best resturants in the world, including the best actually!
Laurits Mathiassen Well, if a slice of pizza cost the same as a whole large pizza in the US, imagine how much would a meal cost in one of those places, probably the price of the plane ticket. NO THANKS!!! I rather go eat some meatballs at IKEA,
But Sweden has the highest individual tax rate in the world, at 57%.
skrivbok Both Sweden and Denmark have sort of a communism with elections and human rights.
Hi Wolter, when is the best to visit those Csandinavia countries, is ok on August? Hmm...btw Im quite scare of coldness
It's best to came here in the summer around middle of june to late august. It can rain abit in june but here in sweden we got a pretty big thing called Midsummer, It's a nice experience the sun never go down in the northen part of sweden. If you are looking for some nice nature adventures you should head north the nature there is wonderful. I'm living in sweden in the middle part of it, in the region called Dalarna and we got best from the north and south.
You forgot to talk about the girls!
Eduardo Reategui my wife was there :)
woltersworld Couldn't have had a better comeback! ;)
Heads up though, Scandinavia is Nor, Swe and Den, while the inclusion of Finland and Iceland is called "The Nordic countries", or "Norden" as we call it
+Eduardo Reategui scandinavian girls, yes, in general they are feminists, demand gender-equality and won't accept being talked about as objects
I haven't read all the comments and I don't know if it has been mentioned already, but one should bear in mind that the Norwegian krone (NOK) has depreciated quite substantially lately, because of the crude oil price drop. This should imply that Norway is cheaper for tourists than it used to be.
Ehrm.. Finland is NOT in scandinavia.
Iceland isn't either
Finland is an old part of russia, but in around 100 years, they've been pretending to be scandinavian to escape the russian community.
If you had been paying attention during your history lessons you would know that Finland was very Swedish even during the Russian occupation. Russians didn't try to force their systems or believes here. Russian has never been an official language here, whereas Swedish still is. Our education system and judicial system are almost identical to Swedish counterparts. Hell, they were set up by swedes in the first place.
You have to be stupid to argue that Finland and its culture are closer to Russia than Sweden.
I've both Finnish and Swedish citizenship.
still not scandinavian
Håvard Nesje Did I argue that it was? Finland is part of Fennoscandinavia.
So what? Finland isn´t maybe part of Scandinavia geographically but the culture, people, weather and nature are very similar to Scandinavia. That´s why so many people think that Finland is part of Scandinavia. I don´t understand why it´s so big deal when someone thinks that Finland is part of Scandinavia
Sampling Reality And did the argue that it was more Russian? No. Crybaby.
Wolter downplays the pickpocket situation, but don't take anything for granted there. I was almost pickpocketed while in Copenhagen, outside of Tivoli Garden. Also, the tour guides will sometimes warn you about the pickpockets in the major cities.
Finland is not scandinavia... Its just north europe....
ya drinking in Nyhavn is exepensive...but your kinda asking for it when you sit there. there are loads of taverns/værtshuse where beer is not that costly :)
finland and iceland are not scandinavia for fuck sake everyone gets it wrong
I thought I said that it isn't but since most people consider it I was just adding them in.
hahahahahaha FINDLAND SWEDEN AND NORWAY ARE THE MAIN COUNTRIES IN SCANDINAVIA HHAHAHA
SOSO Denmark, Norway and sweden is scandinavia
shit, man i got that twisted didn't i lol
SOSO Finland, Sweden and Norway are Fenno-Scandinavia, though. If you want to talk about all five countries (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden an Finland) that region is called the Nordics or the Nordic countries.
I was in Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) in 2010. Yes, it's expensive, but I had known that for many years. As for the food, there are great restaurants in Copenhagen and elsewhere, but they are quite expensive. Hotel dinner buffets were quite bland and the lunches along the highways weren't good. Good salads are expensive when they are available, but mostly not available in the hotel dining rooms.. However, we had a great smoked salmon dinner in Stockholm and later, for lunch, the most delicious Swedish meatballs I have ever tasted.
If you´re cheap; Don´t go here!
Sad but true
Lennart Andersson ok, I won't.
Yeah...
Got preferable places already: Poland, Mexicali, Japan, Philippines, etc.
I love your videos and you are a lucky guy who have the time and money to travel many places and how many times do you travel in a year? I'm hoping to see more of your videos and same as usual i've clicked the 'like' button. BTW are there any Canada videos? because i'm coming to USA and Canada in late August this year.
Beautiful blonde women :))
Hi woltersworld. I am going to scandinavia for the summer and I was just wondering if the northern lights are visible during summer
no, but if you go to north Norway or north Sweden, you can see the midnight sun
As I said North Norway
Yes it is possible to see northern lighst during summer, but rarely. I wouldn't expect seeing them if I went up north a few weeks.
No, at least I haven't seen any and I have been living north from the arctic circle for 30 years.
you haven't seen the northern lights?
Finland is not part of Scandinavia. And Island?!? Why not throw in Estonia and Poland when you're at it. History lesson: Scandinavia consists of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The biggest reason for this is that the union is more based on linguistic than geographical commonalities. Finnish has nothing to do with the Scandinavian languages. I'm quite frankly tired of foreigners coming here and think that they can dictate the rules. I know you are an American but that's not an exquse. When you are traveling outside America please try to restrain your empirialist impulses and let us define what we are and what we belong to. Thank you.
***** I'm sorry, but it's not like this is a debate - Scandinavia consists only of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and everyone in Scandinavia knows it. Just because Iceland wants to become part of Scandinavia doesn't mean that it is suddenly part of Scandinavia. Iceland - and Finland - is part of what we in Scandinavia call "Norden" or what in English you call "the Nordic countries". Also - Icelandic is not at all intelligible for anyone in Scandinavia. So, there is a big difference between Norden and Scandinavia, and alot of "foreigners" doesn't seem to realise this. And it's not like this is a controversial subject in Scandinavia, everyone here knows and agrees that these three countries constitute Scandinavia. The only ones that might not agree is people outside Scandinavia. But I don't see that as a problem. And that some people don't consider Denmark part of Scandinavia is just not true. And the reason you give for this is very strange. The first example you give is that Denmark is so mixed with Norway. This is strange because it's so illogical: Norway is also part of Scandinavia, so how can that be a problem? Your next example is Germany, but then again - Germany is not part of the lingustic/historical/cultural heritage that makes up Scandinavia. So, to end at the beginning: Scandinavia is Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
***** Sorry, my mistake: my response to the last example about Germany dosen't make sense at all. But, again, I don't see the problem. I have never heard that argument about Denmark before in my life. It's very strange. And, after all, Denmark and Germany are two different countries with very different history, linguistic traits, and so on. So I don't see why this should be a reason for Denmark not being part of Scandinavia. It's a very strange argumentation. By the way, where are you from?
***** You say that many Scandinavians view the Nordic countries as Scandinavia. This is just not true. Every Scandinavian knows that there's a big differens between Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. Otherwise there would be no reason to have two different names for it. The two names designates two different things: the Nordic countries and the Scandinavian countries. Every historian will tell you this. There is no ongoing debate about this. At least not in Scandinavia. You can, which you propably already have, go to Wikipedia to read all about this. I am half Swedish and half Danish born and raised in Sweden, so you and I are both part of the "Nordic community". And I agree with you we should definitely work for a better cooperation between the Nordic countries. Perhaps start a joint tv-network and Daily Newspaper as a kind of cultural exchange. Absolutely. But my point is just that this still wouldn't make Åland or Greenland part of Scandinavia. And any confusion surrounding this topic has to to with that fact that they just don't know what Scandinavia is. And I'm not just talking about people outside Scandinavia but also people within Scandinavia who are clearly confused about this. To take an example: my brother, who was born and raised in Denmark, always thought that Finland was part of Scandinavia until he looked it up. So my point is that just because you talk with people and get many different anwers doesn't mean that there is an ongoing debate about this, it just means that they simply don't know what is called what and what is part of what. But that doesn't mean that there is no clear answer to this question. Never confuse beliefs with facts. But, of course, this also dosen't mean that we exclude you from feeling that we belong together, we belong together by being part of "Norden", the Nordic countries. But I absolutely agree with you that our bond could be even stronger, and I think that would be a nice thing. Another way to go about it is, of course, to just "change to rules" and skip the name "Norden" altogether and just call it Scandinavia. Maybe it will happen in the future, who knows.
*****
Wait a minute, Finnish and Russian belong to two separate language families. Finnish is under the Uralic language family while Russian is under the Indo-European family.
helsinkisuomi I was waiting for that xP
Finland isn't included in Scandinavia because Scandinavia is a linguistic term here - finnish isn't an scandinavian language -, while it seems to be a geographical term in USA. We more often use "norden" ('the north'), since it's geographical.
If you are coming to Sweden you should be prepared that taking a cab or taxi is really expensive compared to the US and same with eating on restaurants. And i have found out that the cleanliness can vary greatly between cities, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki are all very clean but for example Gotheburg is pretty dirty. Atleast in comparison to the other 3. And atleast swedes are pretty used to foreign people since we have a lot of immigration, but most people find it fun when tourists come up to you to ask a question so dont be afraid about that!
The mountains in Norway like Besseggen. Its just amazing
Well I'm Form Denmark here. So sadly i don't really hate anything.
But the thing i love the most but Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland is just how beautiful the nature is.
thank you for this video mark!
How do you get to visit all these places? I'm extremely jealous
I'm a Swedish guy 19 years old vasa he talked about was built for Gustav II adolf the Swedish king in the early 17:th century back then Finland and Estonia was a part of Sweden
Its very true. But about the safety, be careful where you go. The normal tourist places is generaly very safe and most of the inner city parts is quite safe to (well, as long at it is light, that is in summer, almost all the time). But in the city suburbs, be very careful.
A other ting to remember. You can generally not just jump on a bus or tram or train go traveling. Most buses, trains and trams accept payment onboard, Most cases have to buy ticket before boarding. Thais also true for innre city busses
Btw. Buy your alcohol in Denmark! Its cheaper and readily accessible here, compared to the rest of Scandinavia. Every Scandinavian is buying their alcohol in Denmark, except the Danes, they buy it in Germany to save more money :-)
I'm seeing a lot of people bickering in the comments so let me see if I have my head wrapped around this complex and divisive concept (sarcasm). Nordic refers to Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Scandinavian refers to a more specific region Norway, Sweden and Denmark.