Experience the quiet power and poetic beauty of the Nordic North on a private journey through Finland, Sweden, and Norway.
This 12-day itinerary invites you to move at your own rhythm through three distinct yet deeply connected countries—beginning in the design-rich calm of Helsinki, continuing through Sweden’s medieval towns and archipelago charm, and culminating in Norway’s fjordlands, where mountains tumble into glassy waters and Viking history lingers on the wind.
From forest saunas to royal palaces and reindeer trails to sculpture gardens, this is a journey of balance—between city and nature, heritage and innovation, stillness and movement.
Destinations on Your 12-Day Finland, Sweden & Norway Private Tour
Day 1: Helsinki – City & Design District walking tour, Market Hall food tasting
Day 2: Helsinki – Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, Rock Church & Oodi Library tour
Day 3: Porvoo – Coastal Drive, Old Town artisan tour & overnight stay
Day 4: Porvoo to Stockholm – Forest walk with wild tasting, travel to Sweden
Day 5: Stockholm – Old Town & Royal Palace tour, Vasa Museum & Djurgården
Day 6: Stockholm – Fika culture in Södermalm, private archipelago boat charter
Day 7: Sigtuna or Uppsala – Viking runestones, medieval churches & overnight stay
Day 8: Sweden to Oslo – Garden or manor visit en route, transfer to Norway
Day 9: Oslo – City tour, Vigeland Park, Viking Ship & Fram Museum visits
Day 10: Oslo to Flåm – Scenic transfer through countryside & fjord village arrival
Day 11: Flåm – Private fjord cruise, Stegastein Viewpoint & nature stops
Day 12: Flåm to Bergen – Waterfall hike or cultural farm visit, transfer to Bergen or airport
Day 1: Arrival in Helsinki – Nordic Simplicity & Baltic Charm
Upon arrival, your private guide will meet you for a gentle introduction to Helsinki’s downtown neighborhoods.
Walk elegant boulevards lined with neoclassical façades before slipping into the more playful streets of the Design District, where window displays showcase Finnish artistry—from ceramics and textiles to minimalist homewares.
Along the way, your guide shares the layered story of Helsinki, where East once met West and where design isn’t just aesthetic—it’s a way of life.
Market Tastes & Nordic Bites
In the late afternoon, we have a privately guided food-tasting walk planned for you through the city’s atmospheric Market Hall. Beneath its wooden beams and lantern lighting, you’ll sample sweet pastries spiced with cardamom, creamy salmon soup, and perhaps a slice of rye topped with butter and smoked reindeer.
With each bite, your guide offers insight into Finnish food culture—seasonal, simple, and rooted in the forest and sea.
Day 2: Helsinki & Suomenlinna
Today offers a dialogue between past and present, island fortress and civic art, tradition, and innovation.
Crossing to Suomenlinna Sea Fortress
Board a ferry to reach Suomenlinna, the island fortress that once shielded Helsinki from foreign fleets.
With your private guide, wander over cobblestone paths and grassy ramparts while uncovering tales of kings, cannons, and sailors. Peer into storied courtyards and climb old bastions for Baltic Sea views. This is history you walk through—not behind museum glass, but layered into the landscape itself.
Modern Icons of a Nordic Capital
Back in the city, explore Helsinki’s architectural soul through a curated tour of its modern masterpieces.
Step into the stone-carved serenity of Temppeliaukio—the Rock Church—where natural acoustics and light fill the space like a hymn.
Then on to the Oodi Library, where books, birchwood, and bold architecture combine in a luminous public space that feels more like a sanctuary than library.
As evening descends, you may find yourself pausing in one of Helsinki’s understated cafés, reflecting on a city that feels both ancient and utterly new.
Day 3: Porvoo – Painted Houses & Timeless Craft
Trace the Baltic coast to the fairytale town of Porvoo, where cobbled streets and crimson riverfront warehouses tell tales of trade, poetry, and handmade beauty.
Coastal Drive with Hidden Histories
Depart Helsinki with your driver-guide for a scenic route eastward, where glimpses of the Gulf shimmer through spruce groves and farmsteads dot the fields.
Along the way, stop for countryside photos and brief moments of pause—a chapel tucked in woodland, a dock jutting into a still lake. These are the landscapes that inspired Finland’s national poets and painters.
Porvoo Old Town Walk & Artisan Encounters
Arriving in Porvoo, join a local guide to wander the Old Town’s tangle of lanes, lined with wooden homes painted in soft pastels and rust-red hues.
Visit small artisan shops where candles are hand-dipped, books are hand-bound, and chocolate is crafted with love. Hear how the town once bustled with seafaring merchants and today embraces a slower, story-rich pace.
Settle into a riverside hotel for the evening, where the quiet of the old town after sunset feels like stepping inside a painting.
Day 4: Forest Flavors & Farewell to Finland
Before continuing to Sweden, savor one final taste of Finland’s deep connection to land, season, and stillness.
Wild Walk & Nature Tasting in Porvoo
Begin your morning with a guided forest walk just beyond the town limits. Our specialists will consult with you beforehand to ensure that the route is suitable for your mobility or experience.
Pause to touch lichens on bark, learn which plants are edible, and sip warm spruce-tip tea brewed beside a mossy rock. If the season is right, you may gather berries or mushrooms to taste, experiencing firsthand how the forest provides both food and a sense of grounding.
Southbound Transfer & Journey Onward
After returning to your hotel, your driver brings you back to Helsinki in time for your flight or train to Stockholm.
Day 5: Stockholm – Royal Streets & Baltic Legends
Step into a city shaped by centuries of seafaring, storytelling, and regal splendor, where every stone has a tale to tell.
Gamla Stan & The Royal Court
Your private guide welcomes you to the Old Town—Gamla Stan—a compact labyrinth of ochre-colored buildings, narrow alleyways, and cobbled squares that have stood since the Middle Ages.
Walk beneath wrought-iron balconies and cathedral spires as stories of kings, queens, and rebels unfold. At the Royal Palace, explore grand halls and royal apartments while learning how Sweden’s monarchy endures in understated Nordic fashion.
Shipwrecks & Gardened Isles of Djurgården
In the afternoon, visit the extraordinary Vasa Museum, where a 17th-century warship that once sank on its maiden voyage has been stunningly preserved. With your guide, uncover what the ship reveals about Sweden’s imperial dreams and fragile realities.
Afterward, wander Djurgården island—Stockholm’s cultural green heart—where tree-lined paths lead to sculpture parks, cafés, and views of the harbor, all framed by the soft Baltic light.
Day 6: Södermalm Stories & Archipelago Horizons
From artisan cafés to windswept islets, today’s exploration delves into both the cozy pulse of urban life and the wild serenity just beyond it.
Fika Culture in Södermalm
Begin your morning in Södermalm, Stockholm’s bohemian-spirited district, where vintage shops, indie bookstores, and design studios blend with centuries-old buildings.
On your private walking tour, learn the art of fika—Sweden’s ritual pause for coffee and conversation—as you stop for a warm cinnamon bun and talk about how Swedes balance modern life with mindful slowness.
Stockholm Archipelago by Private Boat
Later, step aboard a private boat for a leisurely charter through the Stockholm Archipelago—a dazzling constellation of some 30,000 islands. Glide past summer cottages, forested inlets, and the occasional historic lighthouse as your skipper-guide shares insights into archipelago life.
Breathe in the fresh air, soak in the shifting seascapes, and pause on a small island for a simple Swedish picnic surrounded by silence and sky.
Day 7: Sigtuna or Uppsala – Vikings, Churches & Living History
Travel north into Sweden’s historical soul, where Viking runes, medieval cathedrals, and centuries-old streets offer a slower, deeper rhythm.
Exploration of Sweden’s Oldest Settlements
With your private driver-guide, head to either Sigtuna, Sweden’s oldest town set along Lake Mälaren, or Uppsala, a scholarly city with roots in both Viking lore and intellectual legacy.
In Sigtuna, stroll past ruins, rune stones, and quaint timber houses that whisper of pilgrims and poets. In Uppsala, explore grand university buildings, botanical gardens, and a towering Gothic cathedral that anchors Swedish spiritual history.
Viking Heritage & Runestone Tour
In the afternoon, meet a local historian or archaeologist for a focused dive into Viking-age Sweden.
Visit hidden runestones carved with messages from the past and learn how pagan and Christian symbols merged in the centuries that followed. Tonight, stay in a manor house, boutique hotel, or lakeside inn near Sigtuna or Uppsala, where the air feels heavier with stories and stillness.
Day 8: Swedish Gardens & Journey to Norway
Before crossing into Norway, savor a final morning of Swedish beauty and calm.
Countryside Garden Visit or Manor Walk
Begin your day with a peaceful visit to a garden estate or historic manor on the way back to Stockholm.
Depending on the season, walk through rose gardens, apple orchards, or along sculpture-dotted lawns with a guide who shares stories of aristocrats, botanists, or literary guests who once walked the same grounds. It’s a gentle farewell to Swedish soil.
Afternoon Transfer to Oslo
Continue to Stockholm for a short flight or direct train to Oslo, arriving in the Norwegian capital as the next chapter of your Nordic journey begins.
Day 9: Oslo – Nordic Artistry & Viking Echoes
Begin your Norwegian journey in a city where modern culture and ancient seafaring legends meet beneath forested hills and minimalist design.
City Icons & Sculpture Parks
Your private guide welcomes you to Oslo with a relaxed city tour that strikes a balance between grandeur and intimacy.
Stroll past the Royal Palace and parliament buildings before entering Vigeland Park, where over 200 expressive sculptures tell universal stories of love, struggle, and connection.
As you walk, your guide shares the more profound philosophy behind Gustav Vigeland’s artistry and the way Oslo seamlessly blends nature into every urban breath.
Shipwrecked Histories at Bygdøy Peninsula
In the afternoon, journey into the heart of Norway’s maritime past with private visits to the Viking Ship Museum and the Fram Museum.
Stand before ships that once crossed oceans and ice, perfectly preserved in their final resting places. Hear tales of fearless Norse explorers and polar pioneers as you gaze into weathered hulls and maps inked by survival and discovery. The scent of tarred wood and the whisper of old wind fill the air—it’s history you feel in your bones.
Day 10: Scenic Transfer to Flåm – Fjell Roads & Fjord Light
Leave Oslo behind as dramatic landscapes begin to rise—green valleys turning to cliffs, rivers tumbling into vast fjords.
Countryside Drive & Waterfall Vistas
Your private transfer becomes an experience in itself as you wind through Norway’s heartland. With your guide, stop to admire roadside waterfalls spilling from the fjell, pause at mountain lakes shimmering with the sky, and breathe in the high-altitude stillness.
Arrival in Flåm & Fjordside Introduction
In the afternoon, descend into the serene beauty of Flåm Village, nestled between soaring peaks and the tranquil Aurlandsfjord.
Settle into your accommodation and enjoy a gentle orientation walk with your guide—perhaps along the water’s edge or to a scenic overlook, where your first glimpse of the fjord reminds you why this land has inspired stories for generations.
Day 11: Fjord Cruising & Mountain Majesty
Today unfolds in the arms of Norway’s most breathtaking natural wonders, where land and water perform a silent symphony of scale and serenity.
Private Fjord Cruise Through Aurlandsfjord or Nærøyfjord
Step aboard a private vessel for a journey through mirror-like waters between mountains that rise like ancient giants.
As your skipper glides through the fjord’s narrowest passages, you may pass waterfalls, grazing goats, and tiny villages that cling to rock and tradition. Whether you cruise the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord or the glassy Aurlandsfjord, the sense of awe is the same—humbling and transcendent.
Stegastein Viewpoint & Nature Photography Stops
Later, your guide brings you to Stegastein—a jaw-dropping viewing platform that juts out above the fjord-like a floating plank in the sky.
It’s the perfect place for panoramic photography, quiet reflection, or simply breathing in the clarity of mountain air. Additional photo stops along the route offer moments to slow down, listen to the birdsong, and collect memories framed in the fjord’s light.
Day 12: Flåm to Bergen – Coastal Culture & Farewell Trails
Your final day leads westward to the coast, tracing waterfalls, farms, and fjords as you journey toward the sea.
Waterfall Walk or Cultural Farm Visit
In the morning, choose one last experience, perhaps a short hike to a local waterfall where mist kisses your face and moss carpets the ground or a visit to a traditional cultural farm where stone barns and grazing sheep paint a portrait of rural life.
Your guide adapts the route to your interests, ensuring your final chapter is both scenic and soulful.
Transfer to Bergen – Journey’s End (or New Beginning)
Arrive in Bergen by afternoon for either your international departure or an optional overnight stay to explore Norway’s colorful coastal city.
Whether your Nordic journey ends here or continues, you’ll carry with you the silence of the fjords, the taste of cloudberries, and the feeling of being very, very far from the ordinary.
