Scandinavia Road Trip with Kids: Denmark, Sweden and Norway in Two Weeks

Scandinavia in summer is made for a family road trip. The days are long, the cities are small enough to manage with a pushchair, and the amusement parks are old, loved and built with small children in mind: Tivoli in Copenhagen, Liseberg in Gothenburg and Gröna Lund in Stockholm. Between them lie forests, lakes and the villages of Astrid Lindgren’s stories. This guide sets out a two-week loop from Copenhagen through Sweden and Norway and back, with plenty of picnic stops and the rules on tickets, heights and food that help a family day go well.

Every attraction here has its own page on JuniorTravelClub with entry rules and family details from the attraction’s own website. Distances are straight-line figures worked out from each place’s coordinates. Roads are longer, so check your route before each driving day.

The route at a glance

• Start and finish: Copenhagen
• Stops: Gothenburg, Oslo, Stockholm, Vimmerby and Värnamo
• Countries: Denmark, Sweden and Norway
• Length: about two weeks, with a few nights in each city
• Works for: all ages, and especially well for children from 2 to 10. The parks here are generous to small riders.

Before you go

Crossing from Denmark to Sweden

The Øresund Bridge links Denmark and Sweden, and it is a toll bridge. The bridge operator recommends buying your ticket in advance to save time. If you are hiring a car, check that the rental company allows you to drive it into Sweden and Norway.

Which parks need booking

The good news is that several of the big parks on this route don’t make you commit to a date:

• Liseberg: you don’t need to book your visit in advance.
• Astrid Lindgren’s World: you don’t need to pre-book for a specific day.
• Gröna Lund: a Ticket to Ride is valid on any day of the season, not just the date you booked.
• Experimentarium: tickets are valid only on the date you booked, so this one is fixed.
• Skara Sommarland: everyone taller than 1 metre must book in advance, and entry is in a 20-minute slot.

Picnics are welcome

Scandinavia is expensive for eating out, and many attractions here are relaxed about food from home. You can eat your own food at Copenhagen Zoo’s picnic spots, Experimentarium’s picnic area, anywhere on a blanket at Skansen except around the historic houses and the churchyard, and at Gröna Lund, which even allows baby food in glass jars as an exception to its glass ban. Skara Sommarland has picnic tables around the park. Keep a cool box in the car.

Cashless

Skansen is cashless, so bring a card or phone. It’s sensible to carry a card that works abroad for the whole trip.

Day by day

Days 1–3: Copenhagen

Give Copenhagen three days. Tivoli Gardens is the heart of the city for children. Entry only gets you into the Gardens; the Ride Pass is separate or sold as a package. Children under 3 get in free, and children aged 1 to 7 get the Ride Pass at half price. Small children have their own base at Rasmus Klump’s World, a playground with a baby house where you can warm bottles and baby food. With a regular entry ticket, you can get a re-entry stamp and come back the same day, which suits a nap at the hotel. Tivoli says weekdays are its quieter days.

On day two, try Experimentarium, a hands-on science centre with separate play worlds for toddlers (The Miniverse) and preschoolers (The Valley), and a water-play area called The Beach. You can bring your own lunch to the picnic area, and buying online gives a 10% discount.

On day three, choose between The Blue Planet aquarium, where tickets are for a one-hour entry slot and children aged 0 to 2 go free, and Copenhagen Zoo, open every day of the year, with three indoor sections for a rainy day and outdoor picnic spots.

Day 4: Copenhagen to Gothenburg

Cross the Øresund Bridge into Sweden. Gothenburg is about 230 km north of Copenhagen in a straight line.

Day 5: Liseberg

Liseberg has been open since 1923. Younger children get an area of their own in Rabbit Land, with rabbit shows and a minidisco. In the summer, Halloween and Christmas seasons, children who leave their dummy at the Nappometer outside the Rabbit House get a diploma and a rabbit hug. For parents of babies, Rabbit Land has a nursery room with a changing table and a microwave, and extra nappies can be had from Guest Services. Liseberg uses a virtual queue instead of the old Express Pass. Some rides close in heavy rain, strong wind or a thunderstorm.

Days 6–8: Oslo

Drive north into Norway. Oslo is about 260 km from Gothenburg in a straight line. In the city, Vigeland Park is a free outdoor sculpture garden that is open day and night, all year, and reached by tram 12 or 15 or bus 20. Akershus Fortress in central Oslo has two museums inside its walls, where children under 6 go free and the weekend drop-in tours at the Armed Forces Museum are included in admission.

Spend a full day at TusenFryd, an amusement park a day trip from Oslo with its own car parks and several places to eat, including gluten-free and vegetarian dishes. Only guide dogs may enter, but there are covered outdoor dog cages outside the park.

Optional detour: Hunderfossen Familiepark near Lillehammer is about 150 km north of Oslo in a straight line. Children under 90 cm need no ticket, there are picnic areas and grills you can rent, and microwaves for baby food.

Day 9: Oslo to Stockholm

This is the long day: Stockholm is about 420 km east of Oslo in a straight line. Break it with a long stop. If you would rather split it, Skara Sommarland near Tibro is a water park and funfair. Children under 1 metre get in free without booking, but children under 12 may not swim without an adult who can, and one adult can supervise at most two non-swimming children in a pool.

Days 10–11: Stockholm

Skansen, open since 1891 on Djurgården, is an open-air museum, a zoo of northern animals and a children’s zoo, Lill-Skansen, on one ticket. Bring a blanket and lunch: you can picnic almost anywhere. All the washrooms have changing tables, and buggies can be hired at the entrances.

Next door, Gröna Lund is a waterfront amusement park founded in 1883, where the gentlest rides sit close together. Measure your child once at the station by Pettson & Findus and get a wristband that proves their height at every ride. The Tuff-Tuff train has no height limit with an adult and takes children from 90 cm alone. Pumpen takes children from 95 cm and age 4 with an adult, and Tekopparna from 105 cm and age 4 with an adult.

On a rainy day, the Swedish Museum of Natural History has nature, space and the deep sea under one roof, plus the Cosmonova dome cinema. Visitor numbers are capped, so book ahead if you can. Take the metro to Universitetet.

Days 12–13: Astrid Lindgren’s World, Vimmerby

Drive south-west to Vimmerby, about 220 km from Stockholm in a straight line. Astrid Lindgren’s World, founded in 1981, is made up of places from Astrid Lindgren’s stories, from Villa Villekulla to Katthult, and children walk through them rather than look at them. Children under 3 always get in free, and a child whose birthday falls on the day of the visit, up to age 14, can get a birthday ticket at the ticket office with valid ID. Tickets come in one-, two- and three-day versions, and you don’t have to pick the day in advance. Two days here is not too many for children who know the books.

Day 14: High Chaparral, then back to Copenhagen

On the way back south, High Chaparral near Värnamo is a Wild West theme park founded in 1966. Admission covers the Natchez paddle steamer, archery, rafts and the hayloft jump. Children have their own miniature town, Buffalo City. Children aged 0 to 2 go free, and children up to 14 enter free on their birthday with valid ID. From Värnamo, Copenhagen is about 190 km in a straight line, over the bridge again.

Variations

• Shorter trip (one week): Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Liseberg, Vimmerby and back. You lose Oslo and Stockholm but keep the best of the children’s highlights.
• Add southern Norway: Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park is about 240 km south-west of Oslo in a straight line. The zoo is open every day of the year, and you can bring your own food into both the zoo and the water park.
• Add Denmark’s theme parks: start in Billund with Legoland and Lalandia. Our European theme park road trip covers them.
• By campervan: this route works well in a van. Our campervan guide for families covers licences, car seats and sleeping.

Good to know with kids

Long, light evenings

Summer evenings in Scandinavia are long and light, which is a gift for late playground sessions but makes bedtime harder. Pack eye masks or something to darken the bedroom.

Rain plans

Every city on this route has an indoor option: Experimentarium and The Blue Planet in Copenhagen, the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, and Copenhagen Zoo’s indoor sections. Liseberg and Gröna Lund both have rides that close in bad weather, so keep the park days flexible where your tickets allow it.

Birthdays

If a child has a birthday on the trip, plan around it. Astrid Lindgren’s World and High Chaparral both offer birthday entry for children up to 14 with valid ID.

Supervision rules

Some places set firm rules for children’s supervision. At Skara Sommarland, children under 12 may not swim without an adult who can swim. At Hunderfossen’s climbing park, children under 14 must be with an adult, and each adult can take at most two children. Plan the number of adults to match.

Plan and book

Car hire for the loop: car hire in Denmark or car hire in Sweden on AutoEurope. City passes: Go City Gothenburg and Go City Stockholm. Check what each pass includes before you buy. Mobile data: Sweden eSIM on Airalo.

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Frequently asked questions

How long do you need for a Scandinavia road trip with kids?

Two weeks covers Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Oslo, Stockholm and Astrid Lindgren’s World with a few nights in each city. With one week, keep to Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Vimmerby.

Which Scandinavian amusement park is best for small children?

All three city parks are good with small children. Tivoli has Rasmus Klump’s World and half-price Ride Passes for ages 1 to 7. Liseberg has Rabbit Land. Gröna Lund keeps its gentlest rides close together and measures children once for a height wristband.

Do we need to book Liseberg or Astrid Lindgren’s World in advance?

No. Liseberg says you don’t need to book your visit in advance, and Astrid Lindgren’s World says you don’t need to pre-book for a specific day. Gröna Lund’s Ticket to Ride is valid on any day of the season.

Can we bring our own food to attractions in Scandinavia?

Often, yes. Copenhagen Zoo, Experimentarium, Skansen, Gröna Lund, Skara Sommarland and Kristiansand Zoo all allow your own food in some form. Check each attraction’s page for the details.

Is the Øresund Bridge a toll bridge?

Yes. The bridge between Denmark and Sweden charges a toll, and its operator recommends buying your ticket in advance.

What is there for children in Oslo?

Vigeland Park is free and open all day and night. Akershus Fortress has museums where under-6s go free. TusenFryd amusement park is a day trip from the city.

When is the best time for a Scandinavia road trip with kids?

Summer is when the parks have their main season and the days are longest. Check each park’s calendar for your dates, because opening days and seasons differ.