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I am intending to spend a week to 10 days in September 2009 in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and possibly Finland. I will be travelling alone and wondered what sort of tours there are for people in their 30s. I am not in the Contiki age bracket and would
like to do something more active. Can you suggest any such tours and also an itinerary if I decide to make my own way around Scandinavia?
C. Jack, by email
Bentours (www.bentours.com.au) offers a variety of Scandinavian tours, including escorted and non-escorted tours, adventure and activity-based tours and fjord cruises.
A 10-day tour taking in all that Scandinavia has to offer could kick off in Denmark's cosmopolitan capital, Copenhagen. After a couple of days exploring the 1000-year-old city's cobbled squares and cutting-edge modern gallery precincts, you could jump on a train to stylish and beautiful Stockholm. Spend a day wandering through the old town of Gamla Stan and catch a ferry across to Djurgarden to visit the city's best museums.
Catch the overnight ferry to the intimate and upbeat harbour city of Helsinki (Finland). Small and compact, with open boulevards and lovely city parks, this is the perfect city for walking or cycling around. Back in Stockholm, take the overnight train to Oslo, the capital of Norway, for the day and stretch your legs with a walk along the banks of the Aker River.
From Oslo, take the scenic rail trip to the tiny village of Flam at the head of the Aurlandsfjorden. From here, the combination bus/boat trip along the spectacular Sognefjorden, Norway's longest and deepest fjord, continues on to Bergen. Set on a peninsula surrounded by mountains and the sea, Bergen is a tangle of crooked streets, wooden houses and hilltop views. Continue on to the pretty beach town of Kristiansand, Norway's closest port to Denmark, with its large concentration of 17th and 18th century white houses.
Catch a ferry to the fishing town of Hirtshals in Denmark before returning to Copenhagen via Arhus, Denmark's second-largest city. This round-trip itinerary will make sure you see the best of Scandinavia.
Sofia sojourn
I intend to travel to Bulgaria in early August, flying to Sofia from London. I would like to travel around the country anticlockwise and then travel to Suceava and Bukovina to see the painted monasteries in northeast Romania. Would travel by car be preferable to taking trains? John Hodgson, by email
Driving in Bulgaria and Romania has its advantages and disadvantages. Travelling by car will be a great off-the-beaten-track adventure, giving you the freedom to travel when and where you want to go. The possible downside is that you'll need to be a keen driver with steely nerves if you want your driving holiday to be relaxing rather than taxing.
The problems travellers are likely to come across while driving in Bulgaria and Romania start with very average road conditions. Potholes are most likely to be an issue so your suspension could take a hammering if you're not on the lookout. Erratic driving and a dizzying assortment of road vehicles, including horse-drawn carts and tractors, are also likely to keep you on your toes.
While you're in Bulgaria, make sure you have a map with the names of places written in both Cyrillic and Latin. It will make things a little easier finding your way around. It's also important to make sure that all the necessary paperwork is in order from your car hire company if you intend taking your car across the border from Bulgaria into Romania.
If you decide against driving, travelling by bus in Bulgaria and train in Romania are your best options. Buses in Bulgaria cover most destinations and are cheap and reliable. The Central Bus Station Sofia website (www.centralnaavtogara.bg/cbs/home.nsf) will give you an idea of destinations covered and the cost of tickets.
Rail is by far the most popular way of travelling around Romania, with trains providing a fast and frequent service to most cities, towns and larger villages within the country. Buying tickets on the day shouldn't be a problem but booking a day in advance is always a good idea.
Relax in Japan
My wife and I are travelling to Nagoya in July for a wedding and will have seven to 10 days free to travel around Japan. We are in our late 50s and enjoy a relaxed time, some travelling around but also some time to relax. Do you have any suggestions of things we should not miss?
Martin Thomson, by email
The best way to dip your toe into the wonders that Japan has to offer is the classic Tokyo to Kyoto route. This allows you to take in some of the country's most famous attractions and get a feel for Japan, without having to cover too much ground in too short a time.
Tokyo is an adrenalin rush of a city, pulsating with flashing neon and action. But there are also plenty of introspective moments to be had, with a nod in the direction of Japan's quieter traditions.
Leaving the neon lights of Tokyo behind, hitch a ride on a shinkansen (bullet train) to take a trip into Japan's past by exploring the Kansai region's historic sites of Kyoto and Nara.
Kyoto offers Western travellers the quintessential Japanese experience and many of its ancient structures and gardens have been declared Unesco World Heritage Sites.
Japan's first real capital, Nara, like Kyoto, lays claim to a swag of culturally important Unesco World Heritage Sites.
The Todai-Ji temple is Nara's number one attraction. Reputed to be the largest wooden building in the world, the temple is home to a bronze statue of the Buddha.
You could also take a trip to the mountain-top Buddhist temple complex of Koya-san, a raised tableland in Wakayama covered with dense forest and surrounded by eight peaks.
Take a look at the very useful Japan Rail website (www.japanrail.com).
