Oslo; Stockholm; or Copenhagen. It is hard to decide!

Oslo; Stockholm; or Copenhagen. It is hard to decide!

I am trying to decide between these for a long weekend. I have never been to this region of the world.

My interests are Art, Architecture, Natural Beauty, Dining, Wine.

Which of these would you recommend?

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I%26#39;ve been to them all - my order would be ...

1 - Stockholm

2 - Copenhagen

3 - Oslo

but, I did love Helsinki too - have you considered that?

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Since you posted this in the Denmark forum, my guess is that some of the response(s) may be somewhat biased. And I say that in a good way.... Having spent lots of time in all three cities (and worked in two of them), all I can say is that there are some similarities, and LOTS of differences.

Natural beauty - assuming you mean nature, Oslo in my opinion is the clear winner. Stockholm also has some very nice surroundings, but you have to get a bit further away from downtown. In Oslo you can be deep in the forest within 30-45 minutes after leaving downtown.

The others are tougher - dining %26amp; wine, you can find great places in all 3 even though Stockholm and Copenhagen probably have the upper hand here.

Art and architecture - sorry, I don%26#39;t even want to touch this one since I may offend a number of people! You can certainly find this in all three cities. One thing I would like to mention though - talking about art - Vigelandsparken in Oslo with its hundreds of lifesize statues is an amazing collection of art and absolutely unique.

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After I posted the above I also noticed that you posted in the Norway and Sweden forums as well. Will be interesting to see what the responses are! And even though I agree - Helsinki is another great city - seems to me you already have your hands full trying to decide between the 3 above! I would keep it at that, and following what seems to be popular on so called reality shows: after you%26#39;ve had a number of responses in all three forums, compare the answers with what your interests are and then drop the city that seems to be LEAST likely to suit those interests. That way, you%26#39;ll end up with just two candidates, which will make a decision easier! And you can always ask for more feedback...

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I have not been to Oslo but my sense is that the highlight of a trip to Norway is its natural beauty not its capital city. So if you are looking for a cityscape I would take either Stockholm or Copenhagen with a slight edge to Copenhagen. In terms of your interests.

Art - toss up

Architecture - Copenhagen

Natural Beauty - Stockholm

Dining and Wine - In my experience, Copenhagen hands down! And also the baked goods (breads, pastries, etc.) are much better in Denmark.

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Even though it%26#39;s true that the natural beauty of Norway (specifically the fjords on the west coast) is unsurpassed, the city of Oslo has more %26#39;natural beauty%26#39; than most other capitals. Stockholm is spectacular with the water and all the various islands of different sizes. Oslo also has water and islands PLUS an amazing backdrop. And you can get up to that area in a relatively short time with public transportation. Right off hand, I can%26#39;t think of any other capital city with as much natural beauty as Oslo (apologies for posting this in the Denmark forum....!).

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I am with Daoboston.

Architecture and food - Copenhagen.

Stockholm is a beautiful city, though. So is Copenhagen, but just taking an overview and not getting into the smaller streets, Stockholm would win here.

I would narrow it down to Copenhagen and Stockholm. Oslo is quite small and very expensive. I don%26#39;t want to offend any Norwegians, but I have to say I find it to be one of the dullest capitals in Europe.

There are thousands of Norwegians living in Copenhagen, but I have never met a Dane living in Oslo. That might tell something.

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If architecure is high on your list of priorities, you may consider Copenhagen with a day trip to Malmö in Sweden (easy with train or bus). In Malmö you%26#39;ll be able to view the Turning Torso, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It%26#39;s Europe%26#39;s second tallest apartment building at 623 feet and with 54 stories, but what really makes it unique is that it turns 90 degrees from the base to the top. Google %26#39;Turning Torso%26#39; and you%26#39;ll get photos. Calatrava has designed a number of other pretty unique structures throughout the world. Google his name for more info.