If you’re thinking about taking a VIP tour of the Nordic countries and territories, you’ve probably come across private Scandinavia tours. It is widely considered to be among the best premium options in the industry and is very popular right now.
But we didn’t want to take the Internet’s word for it. We wanted to check it out ourselves to see what it’s like.
So was it worth it? And what do we think? In this no-holds-barred review, we look at everything you need to know, including some of the things we’d like to see the service improve in the future.
Who are private Scandinavia tours for?
Before we dive into the main review, it’s worth mentioning who Scandinavia Private Tours is for. We wouldn’t recommend it for solo backpackers going from hostel to hostel. It’s not that kind of cheap travel service.
It’s also not for people who want to do everything themselves, including all the logistics. It’s more for people who are looking for a service that does all the hard work for them so they don’t have to think about it.
You will want to think about whether you fit the type of client Scandinavia Private Tours wants to serve. Typically, you will be short on time and want to do everything you need to do in whatever period you have available, but without the usual hassles associated with travel.
The advantages of private tours in Scandinavia
So what really caught our attention about this service? Why would you want to use it instead of something else?
Fully customizable tours, VIP standards
The biggest draw of the service is the fact that it offers fully customizable tours with a high VIP level. This is something we’d like to see more often from a larger number of providers, so we’re happy to see it here.
Really, you should think of Scandinavia Private Tours as a boutique service. That’s what we did. When you look at it this way, it’s almost natural for the female-led team to organize everything based on your needs.
For example, you can do things like book optional luxury hotels or visit off-the-beaten-path places. It’s really your decision on what you do.
Hassle-free inclusions
As part of this, we really liked the no-fuss inclusions. It’s really annoying when you pay for a package and then the operator demands more money from you in separate payments for the services you use. Most of these should be included, and we were pleased to see that that is what Scandinavia Private Tours does.
For example, one of the things it does is include restaurant reservations. After a long day of touring, booking a meal in a strange city in a foreign country is the last thing we wanted to do. But the fact that Scandinavia Private Tours was leading the way on this was really exciting and rewarding for us.
Good reputation
Another thing we liked about Scandinavia Private Tours was that we weren’t just taking pictures in the dark. The company has served countless travelers over the years and has many five-star reviews online. Therefore, we felt we were in good company and that our impressions of the operator were broadly in line with other people’s experiences. The positive reviews on independent third-party platforms such as TrustPilot were the icing on the cake and confirmed our experience.
Distant travel options
You will also find that Scandinavia Private Tours offers distant travel options to places you would normally never expect. Standard operators take you to Norway and perhaps Finland, but this operator was willing to go as far as Greenland and Iceland if we wanted to see the most spectacular territories and natural spaces. It was quite remarkable. This is even more extraordinary when you realize that only around 50,000 people live on the coast of Greenlandwhich makes the territory one of the most unknown in the world.
US Phone Numbers and English Communication
Lastly, we were pleasantly surprised to see that Scandinavia Private Tours offers communication in English first. Everyone we spoke to was able to converse with us the way we wanted. We didn’t need to learn any Nordic languages, which was a real blessing. There was no need for Google Translate at any point, so we could simply request something and they would give it to us. This is what a private VIP boutique tour experience should be like in our book.
The cons of private trips to Scandinavia
As with all services, we noticed a couple of minor drawbacks. There was nothing that made us think we should go with someone else, but there were a couple of things you should keep in mind.
One of those things is that Scandinavia Private Tours is registered in the United Kingdom and operated by PTE Travel. They have a lot of experience traveling to the region, but it is worth keeping this fact in mind. They are not Scandinavian, but they can converse with the Nordic people and make all the necessary arrangements.
They also have premium prices, so you should not use the operator if you are looking to travel on a budget. You won’t get too far if you do that. However, we noticed that the price per person dropped quite a bit if the group size was larger, so it was an added benefit that we were not expecting.
Then lastly, when traveling to such extreme places in the far north, weather is a factor. Sometimes planes don’t fly or it’s just not safe to travel to certain places, so it’s worth keeping that in mind.
Summary: what we think
So what do we think of private Scandinavia tours? Ultimately, this operator is for anyone looking for a done-for-you service that really covers all the bases with luxury add-ons. For this reason, we agree with the operator’s five-star rating and it is a service we would gladly use if we had the opportunity.
