November 18, 2004 -- The Scandinavian winter has its charms, beyond the powdery slopes, frigid fjörds, and pickled fish available year-round. Chief among them is discounted prices that make it affordable to experience, say, Sweden's magical Christmas celebrations -- beginning December 13 with St. Lucia's Day, when young women in white process through the streets wearing crowns of candles, shining light at the onset of the long, dark Nordic winter. The northern lights from north Norway and Sweden are also spectacular in winter -- especially if you wait until February. And after the new year, Copenhagen will begin celebrating the 200th anniversary of its most beloved man of letters, Hans Christian Andersen. Concerts, exhibitions, and theater productions around the country will commemorate the man who penned "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Ugly Duckling," "The Princess and the Pea" and countless other fables, which have endured over centuries and across continents.
While seats last, Go-today is organizing its "Hans Christian Andersen's Copenhagen" tour of the fabulist's favorite haunts: the Royal Theatre, the Nyhavn canal district, the Hotel D'Angleterre, and other historic spots. The $499 price includes round-trip airfare from Newark or New York JFK, 3 nights in the bright, pleasant Triton Hotel (or splurge and stay at the D'Angleterre for $769 inclusive), continental breakfast, and passes to the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. (All rates are per person based on double occupancy. See the website at www.gotoday.com for alternate departure cities, blackout dates, and additional fees and surcharges.)
Go-today is also featuring package bargains to Stockholm, the capital city on 13 islands. You can visit Stockholm's 13th century old town; City Hall, where the Nobel Prize festivities take place; or the surrounding archipelago of 24,000 islands for $519 from Newark or New York JFK, which includes airfare and 3 nights' accommodations. A range of hotels are available in central Stockholm, from the budget-level Arcadia ($519), to the tourist-level Freys Hotel and Lilla Radmannen Hotel ($619), to the luxury Sheraton Stockholm ($719).
Go-today's best air/hotel package features 6 nights in Stockholm and Copenhagen together (3 nights each), for $749 to $959, depending on the level of accommodations mentioned above, departing from Newark and New York JFK.
SAS (www.scandinavian.net) is running a two-for-one airfare sale from North America. Until December 8, U.S. travelers receive a free companion fare with the purchase of one round-trip, economy ticket to Scandinavia from Seattle, Chicago, Newark or Washington, D.C. Travel must be completed by December 15.
If you're jumping on the SAS two-fer, you might want to take advantage of one of the following hotel-only packages and tours. Until December 14, Nordic Saga's "Orca Whale Safari" (www.nordicsaga.com) floats you off the coast of Norway to observe four-ton, toothed killer whales, which prey upon the herring that migrate in profusion through the Norwegian Sea in later fall and early winter months. The package includes three days and two nights at the Rica Hotel or Svinoya Rorbuer in Svolvaer, daily breakfast, two dinners, and a day aboard the Killer Whale Safari for $380.
If you're pining for the fjörds now, you might also want to consider Cruise.com's "5 Days Scandinavia & Fjörds" tour on the Bergen Line Finnemarken, at $684 for five nights. Cruises tour the Norwegian Sea coast, departing December 11 and December 22, 2004, from Kirkenes to Bergen, Norway. Contact them at 800/821-4164 or online at www.cruise.com. If you'd rather explore the waters off the coast of Sweden, www.infohub.com will take you through the Stockholm archipelago and Aland Islands for $260, including two nights at the Scandic Savoy Hotel and breakfast daily.
Have you been to Scandinavia in the winter? Tell us about your experiences on our Scandinavia Message Boards today.