Five Reasons To Love Cycling in Scandinavia
Scandinavia makes a fantastic cycling destination, with quiet cycle routes and a varied collection of tours adding to its appeal.
Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway are sometimes overlooked, with more traditional cycling destinations Germany and Holland nearby. However there are plenty of reasons to fall in love with Scandinavia.
To give you more of an insight into why we love this region we’ve compiled our top five reasons why you should explore Scandinavia with Freedom Treks:
World Class Cycle Routes
Scandinavia has some of the best cycle routes in the world, with hundreds of kilometres of safe, clearly signposted paths and terrain that varies from easy to challenging. Cycling is a more common part of Scandinavian culture than here in the UK and even major capital cities like Copenhagen are built with cycling in mind. In fact, there are more bikes in the city than cars!
Unrivalled Scenery
Scandinavia has a plethora of unique, exciting things to see and do whilst on your cycling trip. From gothic cathedrals and pretty villages with old wooden houses to breathtaking fjords and pine forest-lined mountains, this is a region with something for everyone. We really enjoy cycling in ;the clean air, through serene and beautiful unspoilt landscapes which are synonymous with Scandinavia, plus with longer summer days there is more time to explore as much as possible.
See a selection of Sweden's stunning landscapes in our video (below) from Catherine, head of Freedom Treks, who cycled our Swedish Archipelago tour in June 2017:
Cultured Cities
Although Scandinavia might be most well-known for its natural scenery, we think it’s foolish to forget about its wonderful cities. Sophisticated Stockholm, set across 14 islands and connected by 57 bridges is home to a collection of classy museums. The western-Norwegian city of Bergen has an incredible coffee culture and the city’s oldest quarter Bryggen is a UNESCO World Heritage site, featuring a wharf with rows of traditional buildings that are painted in enchanting colours. Copenhagen is stylish and compact, with world-famous museums and cosy, candlelit cafes.
Authentic Food and Drink
For a long time Scandinavian food may have been purely associated with fish, bacon and potatoes, but a Scandinavian food revolution has seen national cuisines intertwine with modern influences to produce truly world class, exciting dishes. We recommend tasting local cheeses, pastries and meats – all of which go very nicely with traditional beers.
Welcoming locals
Denmark is ranked as the happiest in the world according to the World Happiness Report, in fact all four Scandinavian countries have featured in the top 10 since the survey began in 2012! One reason may be “hygge” (pronounced hoo-gah), which has no direct translation but its meanings include warmth, cosiness and intimacy. There’s a long outdated stereotype that Scandinavians are reserved and quiet, but we’ve always found hospitable, friendly and good-natured locals who go out of their way to make you feel welcome in their country.