Fodor's Scandinavia, 8th Edition: Expert Advice and Smart Choices: Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore On and Off the Beaten Path (Fodor's Gold Guides) [Paperback]

Fodor's (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 14, 2000 | Series: Fodor's Gold Guides

Fodor's Scandinavia 8ed."Fodor's guides are always a pleasure." - The Chicago Tribune

"Teeming with maps and loaded with addresses, phone numbers, and directions." - Newsday

Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over.  Completely up-to-date, Fodor's Gold Guides are essential for any kind of traveler.

Insider info that's reliable and smart
Local experts show you all the things to see and do -- from top sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from sports to shopping, from nightlife to recommended walks.

Hotels and restaurants in all price categories
From B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to elegant restaurants, we list hundreds of detailed reviews that show what is distinctive about each place.

Practical info that's completely up-to-date
Useful maps and background information; key contacts; how to get there and get around; when to go; what to pack; local do's and taboos; costs, hours, and tips by the thousands.

We've compiled a helpful list of guidebooks that complement Fodor's Scandinavia. To learn more about them, just enter the title in the keyword search box.Fodor's NorwayFodor's Sweden

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Fodor's Scandinavia 8ed."Fodor's guides are always a pleasure." - The Chicago Tribune

"Teeming with maps and loaded with addresses, phone numbers, and directions." - Newsday

Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over.  Completely up-to-date, Fodor's Gold Guides are essential for any kind of traveler.

Insider info that's reliable and smart
Local experts show you all the things to see and do -- from top sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from sports to shopping, from nightlife to recommended walks.

Hotels and restaurants in all price categories
From B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to elegant restaurants, we list hundreds of detailed reviews that show what is distinctive about each place.

Practical info that's completely up-to-date
Useful maps and background information; key contacts; how to get there and get around; when to go; what to pack; local do's and taboos; costs, hours, and tips by the thousands.

We've compiled a helpful list of guidebooks that complement Fodor's Scandinavia. To learn more about them, just enter the title in the keyword search box.Fodor's NorwayFodor's Sweden

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Destination: Scandinavia

The islands of Stockholm, mirrored in the water, the ships and Little Mermaid of Copenhagen, Oslo and its majestic fjord, the bay and peninsulas of Helsinki, Reykjavík with its busy deep-blue harbor: The capitals of Scandinavia are unthinkable without the water that surrounds and sustains them.

Water has never separated the Scandinavian nations. In the early days it was far easier to cross a stretch of water than it was to penetrate dense and trackless forests. It was their mastery of shipbuilding that enabled the Vikings to rule the waves 1,000 years ago. Their ocean-going ships could be beached, and this gave them the advantage of surprise.

Scandinavians, like the British, often talk of Europe as though they were not part of it. They see themselves as different. They dream of the joie de vivre that they believe all southerners enjoy, but maintain that the moral fiber and know-how of the Scandinavians are superior to anything you find south of the border.

More than the rest of Europe, Scandinavia has been influenced by the American lifestyle and its ethos of professionalism. This coexists, sometimes precariously, with the "socialism with a human face" that has influenced these societies for the past 50 years or more. Among the measures introduced recently is Sweden's 12-month maternity-paternity leave, which requires fathers to take at least 30 days for themselves -- an idea that was decried as madness has done wonders for marriage and fatherhood.

Stereotypes about national characteristics abound among Scandinavians. Danes believe the saving grace of humor will take the sting out of most of life's vicissitudes. The Finns attribute their survival to their sisu, or true grit. Icelanders are known as a nation of hard workers, singers, and drinkers, who think there is always a way for things to get fixed. The Norwegians find virtue in being, like Ibsen's Peer Gynt, sig selv nok, which means self-reliant in all things. The Swedes, the most introspective of the lot, take pride in their reliability and admit to "Royal Swedish envy" as their principal vice.

Modern Scandinavia is largely a secular society, but woods and lakes hold a special mystique. A midnight boat ride on an island-studded lake, with the moon suspended just above the treetops, is very close to a religious experience for the people of the north, as their souls fill with a tremendous wistfulness and a sense of simultaneous sadness and joy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; 8th edition (March 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067900372X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679003724
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,156,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for Scandinavian travel, April 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fodor's Scandinavia, 8th Edition: Expert Advice and Smart Choices: Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore On and Off the Beaten Path (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

Overall a good book for Scandinavian travel. The things I liked about the book include the general information about each country, it was very helpful during a recent trip to Norway and Denmark. The hotel and restaurant information was useful and right on. It is a good guide to use if you want to see the highlights of each country, but perhaps lacks in-depth information about off the beaten path.

A couple of things that are lacking in the book include web site and email addresses for hotels, restaurants and museums. Also, there is not a lot of information in the book about train or boat travel in Scandinavia.

Even though this book was released in 2000, some of the times museums were open differed from the guide, so confirm with the museum before exploring.

If you are just going to one country, I would recommend purchasing a specific book on that country. Overall, I was pleased with my purchase and it served me well while in Scandinavia.