I had just came back from my 17 days 14 nights
trip to Denmark, Stockholm and Finland and I would like to share how I managed to budget it at below SGD4,000. You may be like a lot of people wondering if its true as this is consider cheap for a trip to Scandinavia for 14 nights. Yes it is possible if you take the effort to plan your own trip! The SGD4,000 that I have budgeted are for essential expenses which includes transportation, accommodation, food and activities but does not include personnel expenses.
Travelling makes me happy because that anticipation feeling of having something to look forward to and to experience new stuff and places just excites me. I know people who travel often always get comment like “Wah seh! You always travel must be rich”. Yes it makes me rich not in financial terms, but rather in my experiences and happiness. You don't really have to be financially rich to travel. I did it by following these 2 rules:
Travelling makes me happy because that anticipation feeling of having something to look forward to and to experience new stuff and places just excites me. I know people who travel often always get comment like “Wah seh! You always travel must be rich”. Yes it makes me rich not in financial terms, but rather in my experiences and happiness. You don't really have to be financially rich to travel. I did it by following these 2 rules:
1)
Have discipline.
2)
Live within your means.
In order to travel often, first you have to be disciplined with your own finances. As the
famous investment guru Warren Buffet once mentioned, “Do not save what is left
after spending, but spend what is left after saving.” With this advice, how i did it was to have
2 bank accounts with me. One is for my saving and investment while the other is
for my spending. Every month after getting my salary, I would transfer part of it to my spending
account and this will ensure that I won’t have the tendency to
touch the money in it. For the spending account,
it is for my monthly expenses, which also includes the occasional overseas trip. Any leftover funds from my spending account will be
accumulated and act as my “travelling allowance”. So if I want to accumulate my travelling allowance, I will have to control my monthly expenses. What this means is that I have to prioritise what is important in my life. For example, travelling is more important than shopping or buying the latest gadget, therefore I will spend less on shopping in order to save up more for travelling.
In order to learn about my monthly spending habit, I am assisted by an app like “Wally” to help me keep track of my daily transaction. It helps to sort each transaction to different category like “food”, “entertainment”, “clothing” so that I can analyse the information and know which category I had overspent. I find it quite useful as I got to know my average monthly expenses, which category can I save further on and how much I am capable to save up each month for my travelling allowance.
In order to learn about my monthly spending habit, I am assisted by an app like “Wally” to help me keep track of my daily transaction. It helps to sort each transaction to different category like “food”, “entertainment”, “clothing” so that I can analyse the information and know which category I had overspent. I find it quite useful as I got to know my average monthly expenses, which category can I save further on and how much I am capable to save up each month for my travelling allowance.
Travelling can be affordable if you live
within your means. If you don’t have extra fund, a 3-star hotel can serve the
same purpose as a 6-star hotel. A meal at the hawker centre can be as delicious
as a 3-course meal in a fancy restaurant (Yes I’m proud of our 1 star Michelin
chicken rice). So during planning, weigh between your budget
and priority and plan accordingly.
Lastly, if you have that extra bit of luck,
patience and flexibility, it can save you quite a bit of money. For example, 6
months before the trip, there’s a Swiss Airline promotion going on. We decided
to meet up for a discussion on where to go because the price is too attractive
to ignore. I was never an impulse decision maker and have never thought of
making any booking yet. However after deciding on the destination, we booked
the tickets straight away fearing that other kiasu Singaporean will book the tickets ahead of us and drive up the prices. And yes our flight ticket to Copenhagen, with a stopover at Zurich cost us only SGD763!
Below is the rough write-up of our daily itinerary. The full summary
of the cost and link to my itinerary can be found at the end of the post. And one last advice, I find that the most ideal group size to travel is 4 as it can help to save even more cost. For example, expenses like accommodation and taxi fare can be shared among 4 person which is cheaper. So if you plan to go on a honeymoon trip instead, then do budget a little bit more. Also, try to book the transport and accommodation early to enjoy cheaper fare. For example our train tickets from Copenhagen to Stockholm cost SGD75.30 instead of the late booking fare of SGD130+.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Day 1 and 2
(24 & 25 December 2016)
We met up at the airport for our midnight
flight to Copenhagen with a 5 hours layover at Zurich. For the layover, instead of wasting
time waiting at the airport, we explored the city centre at dawn where we visited a few churches and take in the view from the bridge across Limmat River which are all within walking distance. Zurich Airport is
just 15 minutes away from the city center with return ticket costing SGD19 which is valid for 24hrs. In total, we budgeted SGD50 for the layover which was more than enough. We even had extra Swiss France left that we changed to Danish Krone at the Airport.
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| Hot Chocolate with Croissant at only SGD5 |
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| Extra money made us buy this |
After that, we caught our flight in the afternoon to Copenhagen. Our initial plan was to travel directly to Stockholm, Sweden and make Copenhagen our last stop. But because it was Christmas, we really wanted to visit the Tivoli Garden which was said to be Denmark best christmas market. So we stayed for a night before moving on to Stockholm.
We stayed at Urban House Copenhagen in an ensuite dormitory room for 4 adults. So technically we have the whole room to ourselves. This is a highly recommended accommodation. Even though it is a hostel, the place is very lively, clean and have every basic things that you need like power socket at each bed. Another plus point is its location. It is located just a stone throw away from Copenhagen main central station and Tivoli Garden. The only downside of this hostel is the squeaking of the bed frame when you toss and turn in bed.
We stayed at Urban House Copenhagen in an ensuite dormitory room for 4 adults. So technically we have the whole room to ourselves. This is a highly recommended accommodation. Even though it is a hostel, the place is very lively, clean and have every basic things that you need like power socket at each bed. Another plus point is its location. It is located just a stone throw away from Copenhagen main central station and Tivoli Garden. The only downside of this hostel is the squeaking of the bed frame when you toss and turn in bed.
We spent our entire evening at Tivoli Garden. The christmas lighting and crowd was superb. We also bought the all rides ticket to take on some thrilling rides and ended the night with some christmas fireworks. If first impression matters, this was it.
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| Tivoli Pork Burger. The pork skin is really crispy! |
Day 1 and 2 (24 & 25 December 16) Summary
Transport
Flight - Swiss Airline - Return Ticket from Singapore to Copenhagen - SGD763.20
Local Train - Copenhagen Airport to Copenhagen Central Station - SGD6.50
Local Train - Copenhagen Airport to Copenhagen Central Station - SGD6.50
Accommodation
Hostel - Urban House Copenhagen - 1 Night - SGD63.78
Food
Breakfast - Flight provide
Lunch - Fight provide
Dinner - Tivoli pork burger - SGD12
Activity
Zurich Layover - SGD50
Tivoli Garden entrance fee - SGD23
Tivoli Garden all ride pass - SGD47
Day 3 (26 December 2016)
We caught an 8.16am train from Copenhagen, Denmark to Stockholm, Sweden. Thanks to the close proximity of the main train station, we were able to get more sleep. Remember to pack some entertainment for the train ride as the journey takes 5hr and 20min. We also top up another SGD10.30 for a breakfast set that consist of sandwich and hot drinks. However, it is highly recommended to bring your own food as that sandwich was not
When we reached Stockholm, it was already 1.40pm. Our main mode of transport around Stockholm will be by taking the public transport. So we got their local transport card - SL Access Card, which is similar to our own ez-link card. The card cost SGD3.20 which is non-refundable. Stockholm public transport fare system is very different from Singapore where they go by per trip system as compared to our distance fare system. This means that for each trip that you take, it cost SGD4 no matter the distance. So if you take a bus and transfer to another train or bus, that is going to cost you SGD8. So try to walk if it is within walking distance (less than 30mins). All in all, our transport fare cost around SGD50 in Stockholm which also includes the midnight bus that we took to the airport which usually cost a little bit more.
We took a bus to our accommodation- Connect Hotel City. This is a very value for money hotel which cost us less than SGD30 per night with free breakfast! It is cosy and clean. The only downside is its location which require a 30 minutes walk to the city centre.
When we reached our accommodation, it was already mid-day. After chilling in our room, it was late afternoon and we actually didn't had our lunch. Our hungry stomach force us to leave our room in search for food. Initially we wanted to eat at "Kajsas Fisk & Restaurang" recommended by TripAdvisor. But due to it being Boxing Day, they were closed. We ended up having McDonald's for dinner. The only activity that we did that day was to shop around Hotorget, Stockholm city square.
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| Hotorget City Square |
Day 3 (26 December 16) Summary
Transport
Train - SJ - Ticket from Stockholm to Copenhagen: SGD75.30
Local Transport - SL Access Card: SGD50 (total in Stockholm)
Local Transport - SL Access Card: SGD50 (total in Stockholm)
Accommodation
Hotel - Connect Hotel City - 3 Nights - SGD87.20
Food
Breakfast - Included in train fare by topping up
Lunch - Did not eat
Dinner - Mcdonald's - SGD12
Activity
Shopping around Hotorget - Own expense
Day 4 (27 December 2016)
Our accommodation comes with free breakfast where the selection of food is good.
The main mode of transport today was by using our legs. The first stop was to Stadsbiblioteket, Stockholm Public Library. The interesting thing about this library is its beautiful architectural which was designed by a Swedish designer. The tall cylindrical open court yard is filled with three tier of bookshelves!
After that we proceed to Kajsas Fisk & Restaurang to have our lunch. When we arrived, there was a long queue but we didn't have to wait very long. The Kajsas Fish Soup is superb! 1 bowl of fish soup is more than enough to share between 2 person. For the mains, I ordered the steamed cod fish but it was a bit bland though. Guess the fish and chips or the salmon would be nicer.
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| Kajsas Fisk & Restaurang |
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| Kajsas Fish Soup |
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| Fried Salmon |
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| Steamed Cod Fillet |
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| Challenging having an ice cream on a really cold day |
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| Bibliotekstan |
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| Gamla Stan |
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| Strortorget, the building that you always see in Swedish postcard |
After that, we walked to Fotografiska, a museum that exhibits contemporary photography. The main theme for the night was "We have a Dream" that tells story about people who stand up for their own values and beliefs.
We then took a bus back to our accommodation. The bus stop that we alighted at has a shopping mall just beside it where we had our dinner. Craving for Asian food, I had chicken teriyaki set. After that we proceed back to our accommodation.
Day 4 (27 December 16) Summary
Transport
Not Applicable
Accommodation
Not Applicable
Food
Breakfast - Provided by Hotel
Lunch - Kajsas Fisk & Restaurang - SGD28.60 (Soup share by 2 and 1 main)
Dinner - Chicken Teriyaki Set - SGD18.60
Activity
Stadsbiblioteket, Stockholm Public Library - Free
Shopping at Bibliotekstan - Own expense
Gamla Stan - Own expense
Fotografiska - SGD19.40
Shopping at Bibliotekstan - Own expense
Gamla Stan - Own expense
Fotografiska - SGD19.40
Day 5 (28 December 2016)
After having our breakfast, we took a bus towards Strandvagen and stroll along the bay accompanied by its unique building architectural.
We then walked to Vasa Museum, a maritime museum about the Vasa ship that capsized and sank in Stockholm in 1628. The warship was salvaged in 1961 and preserved in the museum ever since. It is also interesting to learned about the life of the people who lived on board through their remains and personal belongings. If you have a student pass, do bring along to enjoy student rates!
We then walked towards Karlaplan metro station where there's a shopping mall and had Mcdonald's for our lunch. From there, we took the metro train to Skarholmen train station where we transferred to a bus that took us to IKEA Kungens Kurva which was 2 bus stops away. The food there was value for money where the meatball is cheaper then Singapore! Other than IKEA, the place is full of other warehouse stores that tempt you to spend money.
Day 5 (28 December 16) Summary
Transport
Not Applicable
Accommodation
Not Applicable
Food
Breakfast - Provided by Hotel
Lunch - Mcdonald - SGD12
Dinner - Fish and Chips with Potato Salad - SGD13
Activity
Strandvagen - Free
Vasa Museum - SGD17.50 (Student rate. Adult at SGD20.70)
IKEA Kungens Kurvae - Own expense
Vasa Museum - SGD17.50 (Student rate. Adult at SGD20.70)
IKEA Kungens Kurvae - Own expense
Day 6 (29 December 2016)
Today is the day where we will be leaving Stockholm and head to Rovaniemi, Finland. As our flight is at 640am, we had to catch a midnight bus to the airport. The cheapest way to the airport is by using their public transport - midnight bus number 593.
We started off at 3am and dragged our luggage to a bus station called Sankt Eriksgatan based on Google Map. However, when we reached the bus stop and looked at the board, there were no indication of any buses that go towards the Airport. We managed to get the help of a kind lady that directed us to the correct bus stop. Referring to the picture below, highlighted in red is the point that Google Map directed us to. However, the correct bus stop is the one highlighted in yellow. We managed to catch our bus in time at around 350am.
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| Red is the wrong point that Google Map shows. Yellow is the correct bus stop |
Our flight to Rovaniemi had a layover of nearly 5 hours at Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Thankfully, all of us have Priority Pass where we are entitled to 2 free lounge visit per year. So we visited Aspire Lounge in Helsinki Airport to pass time by watching drama and having our free breakfast and lunch there. If you are also interested in the Priority Pass, you can sign up for DBS Altitude Card which comes with it.
I have previously made a comparison between some air miles card offered in Singapore. You may read about it at the following link "Comparison of Air Miles Credit Card"
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| Breakfast from the lounge |
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| Lunch from the lounge |
We arrived at Rovaniemi in mid afternoon. As we missed the bus to the city (the next bus would be around 5pm+), we took a taxi to our accommodation. In Finland, the taxi fare is regulated and go by taximeter so you would be sure that the price is transparent and reasonable.
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| Rovaniemi is situated at the outer line of the Arctic Circle |
Our accommodation in Finland was booked via Air BnB and located at a quiet neighbourhood that was situated 20mins walk away from the city centre. We have the whole house to ourselves which is clean and spacious. It has a kitchen where we can cook the groceries that we bought from Singapore and interestingly, it has a Sauna room which I used it everyday! The house comes with a double bed, a single bed and a sofa bed. The neighbourhood also has a small supermarket that is less than 5 minutes walk from our accommodation and it opens till 9pm to 10pm which is very convenient if you need anything urgently. We bought additional groceries from there for our self-prepared meals.
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| Living room |
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| Kitchen |
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| Living room |
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| Bedroom |
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| Toilet with Sauna |
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| Groceries that we brought from Singapore |
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| Dinner for the night - Spaghetti with Mushroom Soup |
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| Neighbourhood of Veitikanranta |
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| Snow fight during the trip to the supermarket |
Day 6 (29 December 16) Summary
Transport
Flight - Norwegian Air - Stockholm to Helsinki: SGD186.92
Flight - Norwegian Air - Return from Helsinki to Rovaniemi: SGD125.10
Taxi - Rovaniemi Airport to accommodation: SGD9
Flight - Norwegian Air - Return from Helsinki to Rovaniemi: SGD125.10
Taxi - Rovaniemi Airport to accommodation: SGD9
Accommodation
Air BnB - Veitikanranta - 5 Nights - SGD225.25
Food
Breakfast - Provide by Lounge
Lunch - Provide by Lounge
Dinner - Self prepare
Additional Groceries - SGD6
Additional Groceries - SGD6
Activity
-
After having our breakfast of sandwich with eggs, we walked to the city centre. The main activity for the day was snow mobile and ice fishing with tour operator Safartica. One thing that I would recommend is to do away with the ice fishing and just go for the snow mobile instead as there are not really much time left for ice fishing after we did the snow mobile. All equipments and clothing will be provided by the operator so you don't really have to bring anything along for the activity except for your camera. We snow-mobiled to a hut deep inside the forest and had our lunch which was cooked by our guide. We then snow-mobiled back to the city while doing some pretentious ice fishing along the way due to the shortage of time. Was this a great experience? Yes! Its like riding a bike on snow with the great view of the dense snow trees! Furthermore, I got to experience the heavy snowfall that I have longed for throughout the day!
After the tour ended at around 3pm, we shop around the city centre before heading back to our accommodation for dinner.
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| 930am |
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| 20mins walk to the city centre |
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| Rovaniemi City Center |
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| Our transport for the day |
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| Into the forest |
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| All White |
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| The hut that keeps you warm |
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| Our guide making lunch for us |
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| Traditional Finnish Bread |
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| Salmon fish soup |
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| The fishing hole |
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| Doing some pretentious ice fishing |
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| 330pm |
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| Dinner for today - Tomato Egg, Basil Chicken, rice with korean seaweed |
Day 7 (30 December 16) Summary
Transport
-
Accommodation
-
Food
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Provide by tour
Dinner - Self prepare
Activity
Snowmobiling, ice-fishing and tasty food - Safartica - SGD235.50
Day 8 (31 December 2016)
After having our self-prepared breakfast of sardine sandwich with egg, we head out hoping to catch a taxi to Ounasvaara Ski Resort. We tried to catch a taxi around our neighbourhood but apparently, there are only taxi available at the bus station or city centre.
We decided to go for the 3 hours ski lift tickets and ski rental. There are different pricing for students and therefore do bring along your student pass. They also have lockers for rental at 5euro and all of us shared a locker.
After falling for 3 hours, we head back to the city centre and had our lunch at this Chinese restaurant called Xiang Long where they had some lunch buffet that is on promotion. We were really excited because we really miss Chinese food for quite some time and it's also due to the hunger from all those calories burning ski!
We then shopped around the city centre for a while and proceed back to our accommodation to catch some rest before heading out again for the new year count down!
After having our self-prepared breakfast of sardine sandwich with egg, we head out hoping to catch a taxi to Ounasvaara Ski Resort. We tried to catch a taxi around our neighbourhood but apparently, there are only taxi available at the bus station or city centre.
We decided to go for the 3 hours ski lift tickets and ski rental. There are different pricing for students and therefore do bring along your student pass. They also have lockers for rental at 5euro and all of us shared a locker.
After falling for 3 hours, we head back to the city centre and had our lunch at this Chinese restaurant called Xiang Long where they had some lunch buffet that is on promotion. We were really excited because we really miss Chinese food for quite some time and it's also due to the hunger from all those calories burning ski!
We then shopped around the city centre for a while and proceed back to our accommodation to catch some rest before heading out again for the new year count down!
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| Breakfast- Sardine Sandwich with Egg |
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| No Taxi! |
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| Ski Time! |
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| Its more comfortable to lie down than to ski |
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| Enjoying the snow |
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| Chinese Restaurant! |
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| The buffet spread |
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| Dinner - Kimchi Ramen with seaweed egg |
After dinner, we head back to the city for the new year countdown. Lucky us, we caught a glimpse of the Aurora even though there's light pollution around us! As there are still some time till the clock strike 12am and to avoid the chilling wind, we head to Amarillo bar to keep ourselves warm. We shared a plate of chicken Nachos and cheesecake and had some hot drinks.
The best place to catch the main fireworks is along Koskenranta overlooking the frozen Kemioki river. It's the main fireworks because there are other smaller fireworks being shot by individuals throughout the night.
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| The faint streak of Aurora! |
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| Nachos Con Pollo |
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| Cheese Cake |
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| Small firework |
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| Another small firework |
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| The real thing |
Day 8 (31 December 16) Summary
Transport
Taxi - Rovaniemi Bus station to Ounasvaara Ski Resort - SGD6
Taxi - Ounasvaara Ski Resort to Rovaniemi City Centre - SGD6
Taxi - Ounasvaara Ski Resort to Rovaniemi City Centre - SGD6
Accommodation
-
Food
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Xiang Long Buffet Lunch - SGD24
Dinner - Self prepare
Snack - Amarillo Bar - SGD15 (Shared Nachos, & Cheesecake. Individual hot chocolate)
Snack - Amarillo Bar - SGD15 (Shared Nachos, & Cheesecake. Individual hot chocolate)
Activity
Ski Lift Ticket for 3hrs- Student SGD37.50 (Adult SGD47.30)
Ski rental for 3hrs - SGD47.90
Day locker rental - SGD1.90 (Shared by 4pax)
Ski rental for 3hrs - SGD47.90
Day locker rental - SGD1.90 (Shared by 4pax)
Day 9 (01 January 2017)
We had 2 activities for the day - Husky Safari into the deep forest in the morning and snowshoe trip in the afternoon. After having our breakfast, we proceeded to our pick up location which was at a hotel in the city centre. We took their bus to a dog farm which was a 30 minutes ride away.
The dogs there are really strong! With just 4 dogs, they were able to pull 2 person and sometimes even when we stepped on the brake, they were still able to pull us forward. At the end of the ride we got to play with some husky puppies too.
After the husky adventure, we were transferred back to the city centre where we had a quick lunch before going for our next activity - Snowshoe adventure with another operator where we were brought into the forest with a tower overlooking Rovaniemi City Centre and a BBQ hut. The snowshoe trip was nothing much but having an open fire BBQ in the cold, dark night is quite cosy. We then head back to our accommodation and cooked Laksa for dinner!
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| Lunch - Croissant with ham and hot chocolate |
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| The Snow Shoe |
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| Good for walking in the snow as it prevent foot from completely sinking into it |
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| The BBQ Hut |
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| Dinner - Laksa |
Day 9 (01 January 17) Summary
Transport
-
Accommodation
-
Food
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Croissant with ham and hot chocolate - SGD13.50
Dinner - Self prepare
Additional Groceries - SGD6
Additional Groceries - SGD6
Activity
Husky Safari into the deep forest - Wild Nordic Finland - SGD251.30
Snowshoe Trip - Lapland Welcome - SGD117.80
Snowshoe Trip - Lapland Welcome - SGD117.80
Day 10 (02 January 2017)
Today's breakfast consist of Mee Goreng and fish soup that we bought from the supermarket the previous day. We need all the calories because today's activity is a physical intensive one - Building a snow igloo. This is a full day tour where lunch is provided. Yes it is really tiring! Even though the temperature is -13°C, sweat kept streaming down my face. Even my hair was totally wet and it freezes once I stopped working. Even though its hard work, at the end of the day after I saw the final product of the igloo that we built, it's a great sense of achievement!
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| Time to start building |
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| Digging |
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| A cup of hot chocolate after all those intensity workout is the best |
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| walking towards the hut for our BBQ Sausage |
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| Patience cooks the best sausages |
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| The final product after 4 hours of intense workout |
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| Shopping time! |
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| Dinner - Chinese Udon with Vegetables Maggie Mee |
Day 10 (02 January 17) Summary
Transport
-
Accommodation
-
Food
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Tour provide
Dinner - Self prepare
Activity
Building a snow igloo tour - Lapland Welcome - SGD237
Day 11 (03 January 2017)
Today we left our Air BnB with a heavy heart because it has been such a good host. However we were excited for what is coming up next because we will be staying in a glass igloo for a night! This is by far the most expensive accommodation that I have stayed in where it cost each of us more than SGD400 per night! But since we have travelled this far, it would be a waste not to experience it.
Our transfer to the Glass Igloo is at Santa Claus Holiday Village at 240pm. Therefore we planned our entire morning itinerary to be at Santa Claus Village. We reached there at around 10am via a taxi and it was more than enough time to explore the area. We wrote some postcards, took picture with Mr Santa Claus, did a very slow 1km reindeer sledding which made me feels like i'm riding on a sloth that lasted 20 minutes. We then had a nice salmon lunch at Santa's Salmon Place.
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| Breakfast - Vegetable porridge with Luncheon Meat |
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| Santa Claus Village |
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| Sending out postcards |
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| A picture with Mr Santa! |
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| Santa's Salmon Place |
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| Working in progress |
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| Lightly salted salmon meal. The salad is a great appetiser |
We then head towards our meeting location for the transfer to Arctic Snow Hotel and Glass Igloo which was a 45 minutes ride away. We got a family room that can accommodate 4 people. Even though it is expensive, this is a no-regret experience if you ever come to the arctic circle. It is a bonus that we even get to see the aurora through the glass roof. We also visited the arctic snow hotel where each room has its own theme. It also consist of an ice chapel, ice restaurant and ice bar. We had a 3-course meal at the resort itself which taste so-so but expensive. It consist of a soup (mushroom), a main course between deer meat or salmon and a dessert. While we were having our dinner halfway, we saw people rushing out of the restaurant and the first thing that came to our mind is the northern lights performance! And so we dressed up hurriedly and followed the crowd out and true enough the aurora was on display! Throughout the night, I was camping for more aurora until I accidentally fell asleep on my bed with all my thermal and jacket still on.
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| Glass Igoo |
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| Our Family room |
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| Interior of the glass igloo |
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| Ice Hotel - With the ice slide |
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| Ice Hotel - The queen size bed |
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| Ice Hotel - A room with chess theme |
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| Ice Chapel |
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| Ice restaurant |
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| Ice Bar |
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| Dinner starter - Mushroom Soup |
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| Main course - Deer Set |
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| Main course - Salmon Set |
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| Some apple dessert |
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| Aurora display while we were having dinner |
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| Trying our best to get a picture with Aurora |
Day 11 (03 January 17) Summary
Transport
Taxi - Air BnB to Santa Claus Vilage - SGD9
Accommodation
Snow Igloo Family Room - 1 Nights - SGD404.70 (include 2-way transfer)
Food
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Santa's Salmon Place - SGD29
Dinner - 3-course meal at Lappish Kota - SGD68
Activity
1km Reindeer Ride- Santa Claus Village - SGD44
Softcopy photo & Video with Santa Claus - Santa Claus Village - SGD15
Softcopy photo & Video with Santa Claus - Santa Claus Village - SGD15
Day 12 (04 January 2017)
Breakfast buffet was provided by Arctic Snow Hotel. With some time left before our transfer to the airport for our flight to Helsinki, we wanted to try throwing up 100°C of water towards the -27°C chilling air that we had seen in a youtube video. It was really amazing to see the water condensed immediately and turned to ash cloud. It was so addictive that we tried several time and felt guilty for wasting the precious water.
Our transfer to the airport was at 1130am and we had our lunch in the airport. The cafe in the airport has lunch buffet at 10euro per pax. However due to their weak control system, we managed to beat it whereby 2 buffet lunch were shared by 4 of us.
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| Breakfast |
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| Morning view of the glass igloo |
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| Interior of the glass igloo |
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| Abra Kadabra |
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| Dancing in the snow |
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| Arriving at Helsinki |
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| Omena Hotel Yrjonkatu |
Day 12 (04 January 17) Summary
Transport
Flight - Norwegian Air - Rovaniemi to Helsinki - Included
Train - Local Train - Helsinki Vantaa Airport to Central Station - SGD8.30
Train - Local Train - Helsinki Vantaa Airport to Central Station - SGD8.30
Accommodation
Omena Hotel Yrjonkatu - 2 Nights - SGD76.20
Food
Breakfast - provided by Hotel
Lunch - Rovaniemi Airport Cafe - SGD7.50
Dinner - Self Prepare
Activity
-
Day 13 (05 January 2017)
we woke up late today and heads off to Helsinki Old Market Hall - A food market in Helsinki for our brunch. The old market hall is situated right beside the harbour and the view was really interesting. Due to the sea water being warmer than the chilling air, sea smoke was formed and it looks like the sea is burning hot. I had some Vietnamese Popiah and Chicken Pie for lunch from the Old Market Hall.
After that, we took a ferry to Soumenlinna fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The wind was especially strong today and I had to brave through the extremely chilling weather to complete the route. We then head back to Helsinki city centre and shop around the many shopping malls.
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| On our way to Old Market Hall |
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| Steaming Hot Sea |
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| Exterior Facade of Old Market Hall |
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| Food and Cafes on both side of the alley |
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| Vietnamese noodles and Popiah |
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| Chicken Pie |
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| Ferry to Soumenlinna Fortress |
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| A very chilling cold day |
Day 13 (05 January 17) Summary
Transport
Ferry - 2-way ticket Helsinki market Square to Soumenlinna - SGD8
Accommodation
-
Food
Breakfast - NA
Lunch - Old Market Hall - SGD15
Dinner - Chinese Buffet in a mall - SGD14
Activity
Old Market Hall - Free
Soumenlinna Fortress - Free
Shopping - Own Expense
Soumenlinna Fortress - Free
Shopping - Own Expense
Day 14 (06 January 2017)
Our activities for the day was to visit Helsinki Cathedral and experience Finnish Traditional Sauna before catching our night flight to Copenhagen. As the day was not packed, we woke up late as usual and have some simple brunch in the Central station after storing our luggage. We walked to the Cathedral and took some photos with it before taking the train to Kotiharjun Sauna, situated in a residential neighbourhood. Well if you really want to experience a traditional Finnish Sauna, then this is a must go place.
Upon arrival at Copenhagen Airport, we realised that our baggage was delayed due to a strike by SAS baggage handler. Luckily we had insurance coverage and that helps to console our "spirit". We also managed to get an overnight kit from the airline that we survived on for the night.
As it requires us to take public transport for the next 2 days, it would be advisable to get the city pass. Each city pass cost SGD16.50 which is valid for 24 hours. For us, we need to purchase the city pass 2 times as we will be travelling around for more than 24 hours.
For our accommodation, it was the same as the first night that we stayed in - Urban House Copenhagen.
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| Helsinki Cathedral |
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| Interior of the Catherdral |
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| Kotiharjun Sauna |
Day 14 (06 January 17) Summary
Transport
Train - Local transport 2-way ticket to Kotiharjun Sauna - SGD7.50
Train - Local Train - Central Station to Helsinki Vantaa Airport - SGD8.30
Flight - SAS Airline - Helsinki to Copenhagen - SGD88.50
Local Transport 24 hours Citypass - SGD33 (2 x 24 hours citypass)
Train - Local Train - Central Station to Helsinki Vantaa Airport - SGD8.30
Flight - SAS Airline - Helsinki to Copenhagen - SGD88.50
Local Transport 24 hours Citypass - SGD33 (2 x 24 hours citypass)
Accommodation
Urban House Copenhagen - 2 Nights - SGD98.40
Food
Breakfast - NA
Lunch - Sandwich from Central Station - SGD10
Snack - Pastry from supermarket - SGD5
Dinner - Flight provide
Dinner - Flight provide
Activity
Helsinki Cathedral - Free
Kotiharjun Sauna - SGD23
Baggage Storage in Helsinki Central Station - SGD4.5 (Shared by 2 person per big locker)
Kotiharjun Sauna - SGD23
Baggage Storage in Helsinki Central Station - SGD4.5 (Shared by 2 person per big locker)
Day 15 (07 January 2017)
As our accommodation is just beside the central train station, taking public transport is very convenient. First we visited The little Mermaid Statue and then to Rosenberg Castle. We then head to Papiroeen, a street food warehouse to have our lunch but were disappointed that it was closed due to the festive season. We then head to Nyhavn, a waterfront district in Copenhagen and had our best Churros but the worse lunch. We saw this restaurant with the word Herring and a fish logo hanging outside its door. Looking at the price which looks reasonable, we head in. Never did we expect that the Herring fish was actually prepared raw!
With some time left, we went to Stroget, one of Copenhagen shopping district to shop around before heading to Copenhagen University to visit our friend, Susan who is currently studying there. She and her friends cooked up some delicious food for us!
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| The Little Mermaid |
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| Rosenberg Castle |
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| Nyhavn |
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| Churros! |
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| Raw Herring |
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| Stroget |
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| Dinner at our friend's place |
Day 15 (07 January 17) Summary
Transport
-
Accommodation
-
Food
Breakfast - NA
Snack - Churros - SGD8
Snack - Churros - SGD8
Lunch - Herring - SGD16
Dinner - Self Prepare
Activity
The Little Mermaid - Free
Rosenberg Castle - Free (did not enter the museum)
Nyhavn - Own Expenses
Stroget - Own Expenses
Rosenberg Castle - Free (did not enter the museum)
Nyhavn - Own Expenses
Stroget - Own Expenses
Day 16 and 17 (08 & 09 January 2017)
We managed to sleep through till the check-out time and proceeded to Copenhagen Central station to store our luggage (an alternative is to store it at Urban House for a fee) before meeting up with Susan where she brought us to Freetown Christina, a lawless neighbourhood to explore. We then head to a pastries shop and had some food before shopping in a local supermarket. After that, we proceeded to the airport early and used our priority pass to visit a lounge for dinner before boarding the flight back to Singapore.
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| Freetown Christiana |
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| Delicious Pastries! |
Day 16 & 17 (08 & 09 January 17) Summary
Transport
-
Accommodation
-
Food
Breakfast - NA
Lunch - Pastries - SGD12
Dinner - Lounge
Activity
Freetown Christiana - Free
Baggage Storage in Copenhagen Central Station - SGD12
Baggage Storage in Copenhagen Central Station - SGD12
One final advice before I end this post. Because this trip involved a lot moving around like taking 7 flights and also taking part in some extreme activities like skiing, the risk of travel inconvenience is higher. Therefore, it is highly recommended to purchase a travel insurance so that you can have better protection. For example, Janice luggage handle was broken due to the mismanagement by the baggage handler and our baggage was delayed due to a strike in Copenhagen. Lucky for all of us, we did have an MSIG travel insurance that includes adventure activities coverage which allow us to make a claim for our travel inconvenience. Our insurance cost SGD74.50 which was bought when there is a 50% off promotion. Including this travel insurance expenses, our total budget would still be below SGD4,000.
Expenses Summary
Exchange rate:
1 EUR = 1.50 SGD
1 DKK = 0.2062 SGD
1 SEK = 0.1587 SGD
Transport
Flight - Swiss Airline - Return Ticket from Singapore to Copenhagen: SGD763.20Local Train - Copenhagen Airport to Copenhagen Central Station: SGD6.50
Stockholm, Sweden
Train - SJ - Ticket from Stockholm to Copenhagen: SGD75.30
Local Transport - SL Access Card: SGD50 (total in Stockholm)
Rovaniemi, Finland
Flight - Norwegian Air - Stockholm to Helsinki: SGD186.92
Flight - Norwegian Air - Return from Helsinki to Rovaniemi: SGD125.10
Taxi - Rovaniemi Airport to accommodation: SGD9
Taxi - Rovaniemi Bus station to Ounasvaara Ski Resort - SGD6
Taxi - Ounasvaara Ski Resort to Rovaniemi City Centre - SGD6
Taxi - Air BnB to Santa Claus Village - SGD9
Helsinki, Finland
Flight - Norwegian Air - Rovaniemi to Helsinki - Included
Train - Local Train - Helsinki Vantaa Airport to Central Station - SGD8.30
Ferry - 2-way ticket from Helsinki Market Square to Soumenlinna - SGD8
Train - Local transport 2-way ticket to Kotiharjun Sauna - SGD7.50
Train - Local Train - Central Station to Helsinki Vantaa Airport - SGD8.30
Flight - SAS Airline - Helsinki to Copenhagen - SGD88.50
Copenhagen, Denmark
Local Transport 24 hours Citypass - SGD33 (2 x 24 hours citypass)
Total
for Transport: SGD1,391.50
Accommodation
Copenhagen, DenmarkHostel - Urban House Copenhagen - 1 Night - SGD63.78
Stockholm, Sweden
Hotel - Connect Hotel City - 3 Nights - SGD87.20
Rovaniemi, Finland
Air BnB - Veitikanranta - 5 Nights - SGD225.25
Snow Igloo Family Room - 1 Night - SGD404.70 (include 2-way transfer)
Helsinki, Finland
Omena Hotel Yrjonkatu - 2 Nights - SGD76.20
Copenhagen, Denmark
Urban House Copenhagen - 2 Nights - SGD98.40
Total
for Accomodation: SGD956
Food
Day 1 & 2Groceries from Singapore – SGD20
Breakfast - Flight provide
Lunch - Fight provide
Dinner - Tivoli pork burger - SGD12
Day 3 - Stockholm
Breakfast - Included in train fare by topping up
Lunch - Did not eat
Dinner - Mcdonald's - SGD12
Day 4 - Stockholm
Breakfast - Provided by Hotel
Lunch - Kajsas Fisk & Restaurang - SGD28.60 (Soup share by 2 and 1 main)
Dinner - Chicken Teriyaki Set - SGD18.60
Day 5 - Stockholm
Breakfast - Provided by Hotel
Lunch - Mcdonald - SGD12
Dinner - Fish and Chips with Potato Salad - SGD13
Day 6 – Stockholm/ Rovaniemi
Breakfast - Provide by Lounge
Lunch - Provide by Lounge
Dinner - Self prepare
Additional Groceries - SGD6
Day 7 - Rovaniemi
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Provide by tour
Dinner - Self prepare
Day 8 - Rovaniemi
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Xiang Long Buffet Lunch - SGD24
Dinner - Self prepare
Snack - Amarillo Bar - SGD15 (Shared Nachos, & Cheesecake. Individual hot chocolate)
Day 9 - Rovaniemi
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Croissant with ham and hot chocolate - SGD13.50
Dinner - Self prepare
Additional Groceries - SGD6
Day 10 - Rovaniemi
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Tour provide
Dinner - Self prepare
Day 11 – Rovaniemi
Breakfast - Self prepare
Lunch - Santa's Salmon Place - SGD29
Dinner - 3-course meal at Lappish Kota - SGD68
Day 12 – Rovaniemi/ Helsinki
Breakfast - provided by Hotel
Lunch - Rovaniemi Airport Cafe - SGD7.50
Dinner - Self Prepare
Day 13 - Helsinki
Breakfast - NA
Lunch - Old Market Hall - SGD15
Dinner - Chinese Buffet in a mall - SGD14
Day 14 - Helsinki
Breakfast - NA
Lunch - Sandwich from Central Station - SGD10
Snack - Pastry from supermarket - SGD5
Dinner - Flight provide
Day 15 - Copenhagen
Breakfast - NA
Snack - Churros - SGD8
Lunch - Herring - SGD16
Dinner - Self Prepare
Day 16 - Copenhagen
Breakfast - NA
Lunch - Pastries - SGD12
Dinner - Lounge
Total
for Food: SGD366
Activity
Day 1 & 2 – Zurich & CopenhagenZurich Layover - SGD50
Tivoli Garden entrance fee - SGD23
Tivoli Garden all ride pass - SGD47
Day 3 - Stockholm
Shopping around Hotorget - Own expense
Day 4 - Stockholm
Stadsbiblioteket, Stockholm Public Library - Free
Shopping at Bibliotekstan - Own expense
Gamla Stan - Own expense
Fotografiska - SGD19.40
Day 5 - Stockholm
Strandvagen - Free
Vasa Museum - SGD17.50 (Student rate. Adult at SGD20.70)
IKEA Kungens Kurvae - Own expense
Day 7 - Rovaniemi
Snowmobiling, ice-fishing and tasty food - Safartica - SGD235.50
Day 8 - Rovaniemi
Ski Lift Ticket for 3hrs- Student SGD37.50 (Adult SGD47.30)
Ski rental for 3hrs - SGD47.90
Day locker rental - SGD1.90 (Shared by 4pax)
Day 9 - Rovaniemi
Husky Safari into the deep forest - Wild Nordic Finland - SGD251.30
Snowshoe Trip - Lapland Welcome - SGD117.80
Day 10 - Rovaniemi
Building a snow igloo tour - Lapland Welcome - SGD237
Day 11 - Rovaniemi
1km Reindeer Ride- Santa Claus Village - SGD44
Softcopy photo & Video with Santa Claus - Santa Claus Village - SGD15
Day 13 - Helsinki
Old Market Hall - Free
Soumenlinna Fortress - Free
Shopping - Own Expense
Day 14 - Helsinki
Helsinki Cathedral - Free
Kotiharjun Sauna - SGD23
Baggage Storage in Helsinki Central Station - SGD4.5 (Shared by 2 person per big locker)
Day 15 - Copenhagen
The Little Mermaid - Free
Rosenberg Castle - Free (did not enter the museum)
Nyhavn - Own Expenses
Stroget - Own Expenses
Day 16 - Copenhagen
Freetown Christiana - Free
Baggage Storage in Copenhagen Central Station - SGD12
Total
for Activities: SGD1,185
Grand
Total: SGD3,898.50
Itinerary Download: Project 1617 Itinerary
- The End -
- The End -
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| "It doesn't matter where you travel. It's who you have beside you" |
Thank you for the mention! Glad you enjoyed your stay with us, and it looks like you had a hell of an adventure in Scandinavia :)
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