Getting Between Stops
Copenhagen to Stockholm is easiest by train. Swedish high-speed services take about five to five and a half hours and run several times a day. Book first class for more space and a quieter carriage. Flights take about 70 minutes, but airport time makes the total similar.
Stockholm to Gotland is a short flight to Visby or a train or bus to Nynäshamn and a ferry of about three hours. If you want a car on Gotland, book ferry space early for July, since it sells out.
In Copenhagen and Stockholm, you will not need a car. Walk, bike and use the metro. Archipelago ferries leave from Strömkajen and other central quays, with frequent summer timetables.
On Gotland, rent a car or bikes. The island is flat and quiet, but distances to Fårö and the south are long for a bike.
Where to Stay
In Copenhagen, Hotel d'Angleterre on Kongens Nytorv is the classic grand hotel. 71 Nyhavn sits in a converted warehouse on the canal. Hotel Sanders, near the Royal Theater, feels like a stylish private home with a rooftop terrace. Nimb Hotel is inside Tivoli Gardens, a fun splurge if your dates fall in a Tivoli season.
In Stockholm, the Grand Hôtel faces the Royal Palace across the water and has a spa. Ett Hem is a small Arts and Crafts townhouse in Östermalm. Hotel Skeppsholmen sits in a 17th-century building on a quiet museum island. For your archipelago night, Grinda Wärdshus has rooms, cabins and a well-regarded restaurant.
On Gotland, stay inside or just outside Visby's walls in a small hotel in an old merchant house. For something different, Fabriken Furillen is a minimalist design hotel in a former limestone works on the northeast coast.
When to Go
June to August is the season for this route. Days are very long, archipelago ferries run full timetables and the sea is warm enough for quick, bracing swims. June has the longest light and Midsummer celebrations. Late August is quieter, with warmer water.
July is the busiest month in Visby, when Swedish families take their holidays and prices rise. Book Gotland hotels and ferries well ahead.
Outside summer, the cities are still pleasant, but Gotland and the archipelago close down. From September to May, consider a city-only version. December brings Tivoli's Christmas lights in Copenhagen and Christmas markets in Stockholm's old town, though days are very short.
Scandinavian summer weather is changeable. Pack a rain jacket and a warm layer, even in July.
What It Costs
Scandinavia is expensive. As an approximate guide, good summer hotels in Copenhagen and Stockholm cost about $350 to $700 a night for two, with the grand hotels higher. Nice dinners for two often run well over $150. On Gotland, a good double room in summer costs roughly $150 to $350, rising during festival weeks.
Trains between Copenhagen and Stockholm are reasonable if booked early. Domestic flights to Visby and archipelago ferries are moderate.
The things worth paying for are a GoBoat in Copenhagen, a tasting menu at one of the city's New Nordic restaurants, a night at an archipelago inn and a rental car on Gotland. Save with smørrebrød lunches in Copenhagen and Sweden's weekday lunch menus, which offer a main course, salad and coffee at a fair price.
Tips for the Two of You
Bikes rule in Copenhagen and Stockholm. Ride on the right, signal before stopping or turning and keep out of the fast lane. If you are not confident on a bike in traffic, start on quiet park paths.
The Baltic and the harbor baths are cold even in summer. Get in slowly. A sauna before or after makes it more fun.
Bring sleep masks. Hotel blackout curtains vary and the sky stays light late into the night around Midsummer.
The route offers different pleasures. One of you might spend a morning at the Louisiana Museum while the other runs along the harbor. On Gotland, one could cycle to country churches while the other reads on the beach. Copenhagen's restaurants and Stockholm's archipelago inns book up early in summer, so reserve your special dinners ahead.
Make It Shorter or Longer
With a week, skip Gotland. Spend three nights in Copenhagen, then three in Stockholm with one of them in the archipelago.
With 14 days, add Oslo and the Norwegian fjords. A train from Stockholm to Oslo takes about five to six hours. From Oslo the Flåm railway and Bergen line lead to the fjords. Another option is Helsinki, an overnight ferry from Stockholm through the archipelago, with sea saunas and good design.
For a slower Danish start, add two nights on the island of Bornholm, a short flight from Copenhagen, or in Skagen at the northern tip of Jutland, where two seas meet. In Sweden, the rocky Bohuslän coast north of Gothenburg is beautiful for seafood and sea kayaking on the way between Copenhagen and Stockholm, though it adds a day.
