Scandinavia has never been hotter. A combination of cameo appearances in stellar TV shows—yes, The Bear, along with Apple TV’s new food show, Omnivore, and the final season of Vikings: Valhalla—plus a renewed appreciation of the coolcation has put Northern Europe on many U.S. travelers’ must-see lists.
As the summer fades into fall, there are plenty of reasons to keep visiting. For one thing, a renewed focus on culture; for another, as dark nights beckon, the dazzling northern lights will be putting on a show to end all shows.
Fly into the hub of Copenhagen, which recently received new direct U.S. flights from Philadelphia and Atlanta, and use that city as a hub to explore the region. Or head out to sea and take a ferry within this part of Europe. Through the last month of summer and into the early autumn, the absolute best time to travel here, here’s what to look for this season.
Copenhagen’s Opera Park opened October 2023.
Photo by Birger Niss/Shutterstock
Copenhagen puts culture in focus
Strolling cobbled streets beside colorful houses and historic canals in search of interior design and world-beating pastries never gets old. Copenhagen is a city of culture and design, and it’s not afraid to shout about it. At the end of August, literary luminaries including Lauren Groff will be speaking at Louisiana Literature, a festival held an hour out of the city at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. And this fall, Noma will be playing host to a new festival called Heartland at Noma. Expect intimate performances and readings from Rupi Kaur, Jeremy Strong, and Lily Collins.
Collins also recently opened the new Danish Modern exhibition at DesignMuseum Danmark, a brand-new permanent installation showcasing the iconic story of Danish design. Expect to see beautifully crafted chairs, lamps inspired by artichokes, and a range of avant-garde pop designs. Meanwhile, fashion is in focus at Nobis Hotel, one of the city’s most attractive luxury hotels and a former music college, where clothing brand Ganni has just launched an in-room styling service.
The city’s new Opera Park opened this year and it’s a lovely place to wander, bursting with late-season wildflowers.
Where to stay
- Book now: 25hours-hotels.com | hotelbellagrande.com | coco-hotel.com
This year’s pick of the bunch is 25 Hours Paper Island, which opened at the end of July. It may have the best location in the city: a former paper mill area close to historic Nyhavn harbor, up and coming Refshaleøen, and classic Christianshavn. The hotel was conceived as a traditional Scandinavian island hotel by superstar Swedish designers Stylt. The largest rooms—named “gigantic” —give you the sense you’re living in your own summerhouse. Common spaces include a bar at the top of the building with an East London pub feel and views to the royal palace, plus an eclectic foyer full of fishing rods, sleek German bikes, and vintage books about nature.
There’s also a new four-star boutique hotel, Hotel Bella Grande, close to the Town Hall Square in the center of the city. Sophisticated and historic with Italianate detailing, it’s the sister hotel of the much-awarded Coco Hotel and is run by Cofoco, a Danish hospitality group known for its excellent restaurants.
Other new hotels in Scandinavia
Norway
- Book now: thelindenberg.com | woodbodo.com
Sustainability focused German hospitality group Lindenberg is due to open a mysterious hotel on Lindøy Island later this year. Sea views are a given. Located in Vestland, it will offer luxury paired with seclusion. New to the scene in Arctic Norway this year, in time to celebrate Bodø’s status as a European Capital of Culture, Wood Hotel Bodø has island views from its rooftop wellness area.
Sweden
- Book now: eriksberg.se | hotelvilladahlia.com | stockholmstadshotell.com
Fall might be the best time to visit Sweden’s top nature hotel, Eriksberg Hotel & Nature Reserve in Blekinge, southern Sweden, where a new designer wing opened this year. Dining is exceptional, and your days can be spent viewing wild boar, moose, and deer in the largest game reserve in Europe.
Two more hotels will debut in Stockholm this year: Opening in the fall, Villa Dahlia promises a divine boutique hotel experience in a 1960s Italian townhouse with a cocktail bar, spa, gym, and boules court. In winter, Stockholm Stadshotell opens; it’s a reworking of a landmark 1870s building in Södermalm with 32 rooms, two restaurants, and strong cultural and historical significance.
In addition to memorable hotels, Swedish Lapland offers plenty of spots to see the northern lights.
Photo by Robert Harding Video/Shutterstock
Less-traveled spots for viewing northern lights
After a strong showing last winter, this year promises even more dramatic northern lights experiences. Northern lights–watching in Scandinavia has an abundance of appeal, and you’ll know why when you’re wrapped up in fleeces, hiking through snow as guides recount the region’s myths and legends connected to the aurora borealis (warriors on a path to Valhalla, in one version). Iceland offers a couple of unique remote spots, including Highland Base, reached via an adventurous jeep ride across snow-covered interiors, and Deplar Farm in north Iceland, where astro tours are available by snowshoe.
Don’t sleep on Swedish Lapland, which offers perhaps the most distinctive aurora experiences around. Luxury and nature come together at the Arctic Bath in Haralds, with the chance to try ice bathing under ink-black skies, while the classic Icehotel, rebuilt annually, is also in prime northern lights territory. You can see light displays from as early as August here—typically they’re visible November through April. But this far north, as long as the night is dark and cloudless, you could see them on a late summer night.
