Focus on Scandinavia Reviews

This is the first time we booked a tour through Global Journeys, we were deeply impressed by the service provided by their tour consultant, so helpful, efficient and professional, paying attention to every details in what we requested. We did really enjoyed our holiday. Would highly recommend Global Journeys to our friends.

We enjoyed the tour very much. Our guide and bus driver were well organised, caring and made the trip so easy and educative for us. Michelle made the organisation of our trip easy and we appreciated her getting back to us quickly when we had queries/ dilemmas.

I did the Focus on Scandinavia tour in June 2014. It was the first time I'd ever travelled solo, and I had some concerns about it - which were all completely unfounded as I had the most brilliant time! I would definitely recommend paying the extra and going for the single supplement. To me Cosmos, and this tour, totally exceeded my expectations of what read more a budget coach tour would be like. Others on the tour seemed to have some disappointments, but you get what you pay for and I honestly believe it was great value for money. I'd previously done a Trafalgar tour, so I didn't know what to expect from Cosmos. It actually wasn't that different, other than there's less inclusions (which for me is a bonus as I like to wander around on my own). The optional excursions were always there if you wanted them. Apart from the Copenhagen and Stockholm hotels being very far out of town (near airports) the accommodation was mostly central, especially in the smaller towns. I joined the tour on Day 3, as I wanted to stay more central in Copenhagen. Cosmos and Global Journeys were super accommodating with this request. Our Tour Director was Alessandro Giudice, and our driver was Arne. They were both great. The first and last days of the tour really don't include anything and some said the first evening (meet and greet dinner) was disappointing as the TD didn't facilitate conversation or really introduce themselves. Probably only a concern if you were travelling solo.

Some of the hotels were definitely better than others. Stand-outs in terms of modernity were Oslo, Bergen and Karlstad. Others were a bit kooky, but that is all part of the experience I guess! Don't expect air conditioning and be prepared for the Scandinavian way of showering (no screen or curtain, and water can go everywhere). If you're paying the Single Supplement, you'll often get the smallest rooms but I have to say you don't really spend much time in them. The included dinners were so-so, quite often they're were buffets which I guess they do to appeal to as many people as possible. Almost all of the breakfasts were good, with cooked and continental options. I thought I'd forgo the included dinners, but given how expensive Scandinavia is, I soon changed my mind and went to them all! For this reason I also did any optionals that included dinners (entree, main, dessert and one alcoholic drink) as there is no way I could have got the same value if I did it myself. What can I say about the scenery? Well, its just stunning!! Norway TOTALLY blew my mind. It was majestic - with snow capped mountains, might fjords, and stunning waterfalls. The fjord cruise was wonderful and the view out of the coach was just WOW. The local guide in Oslo and Stockholm were really great - very insightful and really gave you an idea of what life was like living in those cities today. We even had free wifi on the coach while we in Norway, something that Cosmos were trialling apparently.

Bergen is a lovely town, very walkable and if you are independent, just see it yourself rather than getting locked into organised tours. The tourist centre is near the Fish Market, and you can get all the info you need. The Bergen Card is a great way of seeing lots of things at a discounted rate. Bryggen can get very busy with cruise ship passengers, so go and see it very early in the morning or later in the evening. Mt Floyen also gets busy with tourists in the day, so I went up the funicular late afternoon. The views are spectacular. Do it! Others on our tour did. Grieg's house but said they'd have preferred to stay in Bergen.... and there's always the Hop On Hop Off bus. The old town in Stockholm is a wonderful place to explore, and do try and get out on the water if you can. I'd HIGHLY recommend staying at least 2 extra nights in Copenhagen and Stockholm before/after the tour if you can, but go stay somewhere central so that you really 'feel a part of it'. Thanks to Georgie Walpole who was an absolute dream to deal with. Do this tour - you won't regret it! I'll even do it again someday I think! Now... where shall I go next?

We booked the Cosmos Focus on Scandinavia trip with Michelle. We were hesitant at first to book online but our experience could not have been better as Michelle always got back to us and everything went like clockwork. Thanks Michelle. The Cosmos trip was 12 days and we had a very good trip. Copenhagen hotel was out near Bromma airport but access to read more city was good. The trip on the boat and all the hotels were very good and central to most of the towns. We had a full coach of 44 which made some of the toilet stops a bit of a wait for the females. All the meals were good with a cooked breakfast every day with a lot of variety. Our driver was good although not over friendly and the tour guide was always very helpful. The prices quoted for some of the optional excursions on the Cosmos website are not what we got charged but more. Overall we had a great tour and visited a all of the areas listed on the itinerary. In Stockholm we had prepaid for airport transfer and as we were later in the day Cosmos paid for a taxi for us to the airport, organised by the tour guide. We can recommend this tour to anyone who wants a quick tour of Denmark , Norway and Sweden.

While previously the thought of a bus tour had not held much appeal, this seemed our best option when considering how to see as much of Scandinavia as we could in a short time. We were more than pleasantly surprised! The tour delivered all the best city sights with plenty of time to wander around getting 'the feel' of the place as well. The castles read more in Denmark and the mountain routes in Norway were spectacular and the time spent beside or on the fjords was breathtaking. There were also the unexpected - an amazing and very unique sculpture park in Oslo; the site of an heroic act of sabotage against the Germans in Telemark; the imposing and unbelievable 17th century Vasa warship in Stockholm to name just a few. And of course a great tour director and bus driver added to it all! We were only disappointed that the first and last days were only meet and depart days and not actually tour days despite this being called a 12 day tour. Two more days would have made it outstanding!

This was a fun tour. Our tour guide Arne and driver Thomas were fantastic and really added to our experience of Scandinavia with their commentary and humour. Nothing was a trouble to either of them. The hotels were good but rooms were very stuffy and air con was not adjustable. Included buffet meals were very good with lots of choice. We weren't really read more prepared for the high costs e.g. $12 for a beer in Norway! However we really enjoyed each day and were surprised how much we managed to experience in each place. Norway has stunning scenery with mountains, lakes, fjords and snow a photographer's paradise! The royal palaces of Denmark were amazing. We are glad we had a couple of days before the start of the tour to explore Copenhagen as there is so much to see. We are sorry we had not added extra time in Stockholm to see more of that beautiful city. The many lovely harbour cities stand out as does the quaint Straand Hotel at Vradal, just magic with misty views over a lake. Our thanks to Georgie at Global Journeys for her efficient booking of our trip.

Well organised. Hotel in Oslo didn't meet the standards of the others. Guide was very approachable, but maybe a little light on detail for some venues. Obsession with moving seats to enable everyone to have a front seat does not suit those of us who are happy to sit towards the rear, and not move. Why not ask who wants to sit at the front and those read more who don't and organise accordingly?

I loved the tour but some of the stops were too short when there was a lot to see. I recorded this on my feedback sheet at the end of the tour. Tour guide and driver deserve medals!

I had booked 2 tours, one with Cosmos for Focus on Scandinavia and Insight's European Explorer. I was surprised by the quality of hotels and food and overall on the Cosmos tour. I actually expected more from Insight after touring with Cosmos and was a little disappointed. I love recommending the Cosmos Focus on Scandinavia to our friends and family read more - I was so impresssed. Global Journeys made the bookings so easy for us and also recommend everyone to use them.