Ranking the Nordic Capitals: Which City Is Best?
I’ve now traveled to all of the Nordic capitals, so today I thought it would be fun to rank them and share my opinion on which cities are the best for travelers, and which are not quite as impressive.
What are the Nordic countries? The five Nordic countries are Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. (And if you’re wondering, “Scandinavia” refers to just Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.)
So that means that the five Nordic capitals are:
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Oslo, Norway
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Helsinki, Finland
- Reykjavik, Iceland
I have personally been to each of these cities, and while I think they’re all worth visiting, some stand out more than others. For this not-so-scientific ranking, I’ll be taking into account the following factors:
- Things to do: Is there enough for multiple days of sightseeing, or can you see the highlights in a day?
- Overall vibe: What’s the atmosphere of the city like? How’s the style, design, and architecture?
- Day trip potential: Are there other cool destinations nearby you can easily visit on a day trip?
- Value for money: They’re all very expensive cities, but which offer the best value for money?
So with that being said, let’s get into it and rank the Nordic capitals!
1. Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen stands out to me as the best of the Nordic capitals. It’s a beautiful city with lots of historic architecture, including colorful canal-front houses, palaces, and gardens. But it’s also balanced out with plenty of modern Scandinavian design, and it’s a city that just feels effortlessly cool.
I definitely think Copenhagen offers the best variety of things to do for tourists, and you could easily fill several days here without ever getting bored. From touring royal castles to visiting one of the world’s oldest amusement parks to strolling around an anarchist commune to exploring the city by bicycle to checking out the city’s cafe scene, there’s something for everyone in Copenhagen.
When it comes to day trips, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is definitely worth your time. I’d also love to go back and visit Kronborg Castle one day, which inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
As for costs, Copenhagen is hardly a bargain-priced destination (the Nordic capitals are among the most expensive cities in Europe), but it does fall in the middle of the pack. While it’s expensive, the prices of groceries and dining out in Copenhagen didn’t give me quite as much sticker shock as other cities.
My Copenhagen travel guides:
- Where to Stay in Copenhagen, Denmark (For Every Budget)
- 7 Best Hostels in Copenhagen, Denmark
- 12 Best Things to Do in Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm is my second-favorite Nordic capital. Even though I was only here for a couple of days, I really liked the vibe of this city, and I definitely want to go back one day and revisit it (and see more of Sweden!) Stockholm is another city where you’ll find really beautiful, colorful, old buildings in the historic center.
There are lots of fun things to do in Stockholm, from visiting the ABBA Museum (probably my favorite thing because I love ABBA!) to learning about maritime history at the Vasa Museum to touring the Royal Palace to checking out the art and photography on display at Fotografiska Stockholm.
Stockholm is a city that’s great to see from the water, so I also highly recommend a boat tour while you’re there. The city is actually spread across more than a dozen islands. When it comes to day trips, the only one I did was to the small town of Sigtuna, which is definitely worth visiting if you have the time.
Like Copenhagen, I think you can easily spend several days in Stockholm without running out of things to do. It’s also the second most affordable of the Nordic capitals, so your money goes a bit further here.
My Stockholm travel guides:
3. Oslo, Norway
Oslo is the Nordic capital I visited most recently (just last week as of writing this!), so it’s fresh on my mind. To be honest, I had always thought Oslo looked like a pretty boring city. But I was surprised by how much I ended up liking it, which is why it made its way into the number three spot on this ranking.
I will say that with Norway, Oslo is not the best that the country has to offer. The real beauty of Norway is in its mountains and fjords and far northern reaches, like the Lofoten Islands. It’s hard for Oslo to compare to the breathtaking natural beauty of Norway, but taken for what it is, it’s still worth visiting.
For me, Oslo is all about the cool, modern vibes. There are many historic buildings in the city center, but they don’t have the wow factor of Copenhagen or Stockholm. The harbor area, where you’ll find modern buildings like the Oslo Opera House, the Deichman Library, and the Munch Museum, was my favorite.
However, you also can’t miss strolling along the pedestrian-only Karl Johans Gate, which ends at the historic Royal Palace. Along the way, you can see more of Oslo’s most historic buildings on this street.
I don’t think Oslo is great for day trips. Most of the best destinations in the country are way too far. It’s also an insanely expensive city, with the next city on this list being the only one to rival Oslo’s prices. And if you’re short on time, you can see the highlights of Oslo in a day or two — there’s not that much to do.
My Oslo travel guides:
4. Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik is a very unique capital city. Iceland is by far the smallest Nordic country. All of the others have a population of over five million people (with Sweden having over ten million), but Iceland has just 400,000 people. And roughly 140,000 of those people live in Reykjavik, so it’s actually a very small city.
You won’t find historic palaces or centuries-old cobblestone streets here. It’s a much more functional, modern city, although it does have a certain charm. Much like with Oslo, I’d say that Reykjavik can’t hold a candle to the rest of the country. Iceland, known as the Land of Fire and Ice, is home to truly amazing natural beauty and dramatic landscapes, including waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes, geysers, and more.
There are some great day trips you can take from Reykjavik, like visiting the country’s famed Golden Circle route, or soaking in the incredible hot springs of the Blue Lagoon. But many of the best destinations in Iceland are much too far for a day trip, and you need to spend at least a week exploring this country.
Much like Oslo, Reykjavik is shockingly expensive. In fact, it ranks as the most expensive Nordic capital. It’s also a city where there’s not a ton to do in terms of must-see tourist attractions. One day is enough.
My Reykjavik travel guides:
5. Helsinki, Finland
Finally, we have Helsinki. It’s not that I disliked the Finnish capital, but I found it underwhelming. I also spent a very short amount of time here, so I’d like to revisit Helsinki (and see more of Finland!) one day.
Helsinki has some tourist attractions, but I would honestly say you can see the highlights in a day. Some of the things I did in Helsinki, like taking the ferry to Suomenlinna, an 18th-century fortress, were kind of disappointing. I just don’t feel like there’s that much to do. It’s also not the prettiest city, in my opinion.
I wrote about how you can take a day trip from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia (which is just two hours away by ferry), but honestly, I’d recommend doing this in reverse. Stay in Tallinn, which is a gorgeous, historic city with a lot more to do, for several days, and use one of those days to take a day trip to Helsinki.
One good thing to note about Helsinki is that it’s actually the most affordable of the Nordic capitals, so your money will stretch a little further here. Still, I found Helsinki to be the most bland of the cities.
My Helsinki travel guides:
Nordic Capitals Ranked: Final Thoughts
So there you have it, my honest thoughts and rankings of the Nordic capitals!
The Nordic region is not my favorite in Europe, and none of these countries would actually be contenders for my favorite destinations in Europe. But that being said, I think they’re all still worth visiting! Each of these cities regularly ranks highly for the safest, cleanest, happiest, and most equal cities in Europe.
If you’re interested in the Nordics, I want to leave you with a book recommendation. The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth is a deep dive into all five of the Nordic countries. It’s equal parts entertaining and informative. I definitely recommend picking this up before you travel to the Nordics!
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