Our 4-Week Train Adventure across Europe

Bergen, Norway

Our itinerary started in Bergen where we spent a couple of days to chill before starting the adventure. We took the time to explore the harbour, try a couple of restaurants, take the cablecar to Mount Ulriken where we spent several hours hiking (see hikes on Komoot). We also went to see St John’s Church, one of the last remaining viking (gothic) churches.

Things to do in Bergen, Norway

• See St John’s Church, one of the last remaining viking churches
• Cablecar or hiking to Mount Ulriken
• Visit the KODE museums – access several with one ticket!
• Skiing in Voss or Eikedalen, accessible with by train

Oslo, Norway

We only had a short time in Oslo and made the most of it. Sleeping at centrally located Citybox Oslo, allowed us to see as much as possible in little time.

The weather was glorious so we spent one exploring the city while Kardemummabullar hunting; and out of the ±12 we tried, our hearts fancied Håndbakt Oslo‘s best (perhaps because of its cozy interior, too).

In the evening, we watched the sunset on top of the Oslo Operahuset and spent the evening right across, hanging out at sauna SALT.

Things to do in Oslo, Norway

• Go Kardemummabullar hunting (cardamom bun)
• Spend the evening at the sauna, i.e SALT
• See a performance at Operahuset
• Wander in the old town, from the Royal Palace to Damstredet through the Akershus Fortress
• Go culture-hopping at Munch, the Intercultural Museum and the Astrup Fearnley Museum Of Modern Art

Train 2: The Dovre Railway, or Dovrebanen from Oslo – Trondheim

The journey from Oslo to Trondheim takes 7 to 8 hours, so we opted for a night train and embarked around 11pm in Oslo to arrive in Trondheim around 6am.

Trondheim, Norway

We spent a day in Trondheim before catching the next bus to Narvik. It was incredible snowy when we visited, but we still managed to see quite a bit: the Svartlamon neighborhood, the Defense Museum and Armory, the Kristiansten Fortress, spent the evening at sauna HAVET and swom in the ice of the harbor. Most people stay in Trondheim as a base to exploring nature around; here are the most common activities:

Narvik, Norway

In Narvik, we visited the war museum (Narvik was the most memorable Norwegian battle of WWII) and grabbed reindeer hotdogs near the train station before taking off with the next train in destination to Sweden, the 2nd country of our trip.

Things to do in Narvik, Norway

Narvik is surrounded by georgeous nature, so most people stay there as a hub:

• Narvik War Museum
• Polar Park
• Northern lights in Winter
• Midnight sun in Summer

Train 4: Malmbanan railway from Narvik to Abisko with VY

There are two train options to reach Abisko from Narvik; you can either take the Arctic Circle or the InterCity line, both operated by Swedish Railways. We chose the latter as the price difference between the two was ridiculous. We got off at Abisko Östra to reach Abisko Guesthouse, our accommodation for the next 2 nights.

Abisko, Sweden

The tiny village of Abisko is small but resourceful; in a couple of days, we went dogsledding, snowmobiling and snowshoed in the tundra and Vuolip Njakajavri, located in the Njakajaure Trail of Abisko National Park. The Naturum near the Abisko Turiststation has temporary exhibits so we learned about the fjällräven (arctic fox), grabbed souvenirs and coffee and hung out there most of our downtime.

If you’re into sweets, great news! Sweden has no tax on sugar so half of the surface of the small but mighty Godisfabriken supermarket is full of inexpensive candy.

things To do in Abisko, Sweden

Things To Do in Kiruna, Sweden

Flight 6: Kiruna to Stockholm

We were supposed to take the Norrland line from Kiruna to Stockholm, but the snow storm canceled all daily trains for several days. The Swedish Railway company lodged us at the Scandic Kiruna, and we were fortunate enough to have miles to use for a last-minute flight from Kiruna to Stockholm. This was a good reminder that any adventure requires flexibility.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm is known for its fashion industry and it didn’t disappoint; refined, minimalistic styles of pastel colors were floating around the whole city and making our heads turn. I highly recommend checking out Swedish brands that are available in your city as they usually have special products in their flagship stores.

Upon reaching Stockholm, we started working remotely and had less time to explore and immerse ourselves in the cities. Yet we felt part of the working crowd, which gave us a totally different sense of belonging. In our few days there, we explored the neighborhoods of Katarina Sofia, Gamla Stan, Norralm and Kvarteret Hästen; did some travel gear shopping at re-adventure (2nd hand!); had amazing Asian food at Misshumasshu (Westernized ramen) and EatNam (Vietnamese) and tried the popular staple at Meatball for the People. After 2 full days, we left with an afternoon ferry to Helsinki.

One of my favorite things to do: be on a ferry and sleep! We took the night ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki to make the most of our time in both cities, and the trip didn’t disappoint: we played casino and I learned to play blackjack, went in many of the shopping malls where Finnish and Swedes enjoy cheap alcohol (Swedes go on trips to Finland to replenish their alcohol stocks as it’s oh-so-expensive in their own countries). And there we reached the 3rd country of the trip!

Helsinki, Finland

Upon arriving with the ferry, we set off to find somewhere with wifi to camp for the day and ended up at Mothership of Work (MOW), a several-story coworking space with day passes that give you the same perks as members: unlimited drinks, access all facilities and the building is delightfully quirky-looking. During lunch, we went to visit the Design Museum, which exhibited pieces from Vuokko Nurmesniemi (also designs for Marimekko) and the St Johannes Church, and after work we set off to the Kotiharjun sauna (one of the coolest sauna experiences I’ve had – and I’ve had a few), had a bohikeitto (salmon soup) in a restaurant and grabbed cake to go from Fazer Cafe, the desert chain institution.

On the 2nd day we worked from Sofia Helsinki (not as good as MOW but still cool), and headed to sauna Loyly, a very design area with access to icy sea water and a whole other level of experience.

Ferry 8: Eckerö Line from Helsinki to Tallinn

There are 3 options to get from Helsinki to Tallinn with Interrail: the Eckerö Line, Viking Line, and Tallink Silja Line, which your pass grants discounts for. Viking Line is giving out the biggest discount (50% vs 20% for the 2 other), but it is a short and affordable trip so we just went for the most convenient with our work meetings.

Tallinn, Estonia

I was very impressed with Tallinn. Witnessing the highly technological society among this medieval city and its gorgeous architecture was truly special – especially the colorful doors.

Things to do in Tallinn, Estonia

Bus 10: Tallinn to Warsaw with Flixbus

Train connections are pretty rare in Eastern Europe so all options were big busses or coaches. There was no easy way to go through the Baltics so we had to skip Latvia and Lithuania for the sake of time.

Warsaw, Poland

I had been looking to visit Warsaw for the longest time. The city has the reputation to be incredibly lively, and while we were working during the day, we visied lovely cafes and restaurants at night.

Train 11: from Warsaw to Kraków

Krakow, Poland

The city just had an art and alternative feeling to it, with amazing bars, restaurants and hangout places. One of my favorite bars was the Hevre, a kinda old ballroom with defect walls that gives you the feeling to still be in the war era.

Where to Eat in Krakow, Poland

• HEVRE
• Pub Propaganda
• Cytat Cafe, a book lover dream
• Ciastkarnia Vanilla, a delicious cake shop
• The Tokio Tower, where we had a delicious Japanese curry
• Pączkarnia | Lody Świderki, another delicious cake shop

Budapest, Hungary

My favorite and the most romanic city in Europe. Budapest is just a wonder to visit, with its romantic architecure and beautiful buildings.

Train 12: Night Train from Budapest, HU to Amsterdam, NL through Vienna, AT

After a full month of traveling and working, we were just exhausted and couldn’t wait to get home. We hopped onto the train for Vienna, to reach the direct line to Amsterdam.