Scandinavia Travel Tales

Most people planning a Norway trip think Oslo, Bergen, the fjords. But there's a region on Norway's northwest coast that contains some of the most dramatic, least-known fjord landscape in the entire country and it's where James Bond, Mission Impossible, Harry Potter, Succession and Marvel's Black Widow have all been filmed. Join me as I sit down with Gareth Brauteseth, ambassador for 62°Nord, a family-owned company built around two of Norway's most extraordinary hotel properties, Storfjord Hotel and Union Øye, the first Relais & Châteaux property in Norway. Gareth grew up in South Africa, in a family with Norwegian heritage whose ancestors sailed from Sunnmøre to Africa in 1880 seeking a better life. Coming back to live and work in the very region his family left over a century ago is, as he puts it, a remarkable full circle.In this episode Gareth takes us deep into Sunnmøre, a place he describes as completely otherworldly. We talked about Norse mythology and the ravens on Odin's shoulders, switching off the boat engine in the middle of a fjord with a bottle of champagne, why fall is the season to visit if you love food, what it means to sit in contented nothingness, and why the best apple juice you'll ever taste in your life is reason enough to come.LINKS + MENTIONS62°Nord Storfjord HotelUnion ØyeGareth's email: gareth@62.noLOVE THIS EPISODE?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Scandinavia Travel Tales: @scandinaviatraveltalesFollow Olivia's Instagram: @livguineOlivia's Substack

Most people who visit Denmark know about Noma, have heard of smørrebrød, and want a cinnamon scroll. But the real food culture of Denmark goes so much deeper than that and most tourists never find it.Join me as I sit down with Trine Hahnemann, one of Denmark's most celebrated food writers and cookbook authors. Trine has written over 20 cookbooks, spent 40 years living and cooking in Copenhagen, and now splits her time between Denmark and Piedmont in northern Italy - which, as a former Piedmont resident myself, I find rather wonderful. She was one of the first people to bring Scandinavian food to an international English-speaking audience, and in this conversation she opens up the Danish kitchen in a way that will leave you excited to try the cuisine.This episode is not a list of restaurants. It's an invitation into the food culture that Danes actually live - the ingredients, the rhythms, the home traditions, and the dishes that most visitors never encounter.Trine's Copenhagen restaurant recommendations:Aamanns 1921: classic smørrebrød with a twistSelma: cutting-edge gastronomy, for those wanting more adventurous smørrebrødMøntade: old-school classic smørrebrødLyspunktet, Hanstholm: a summer restaurant in Jutland run by a young couple, rustic and deeply localThings to look for at Danish markets and shops:Naturmælk and Thise dairy: both from Jutland, both organic, both exceptionalLeverpostej from a butcher rather than the supermarketNew potatoes from a farm shop or roadside shed: bought on the honour system and eaten the same day with butter and dillKartoffelmel: cold sliced potatoes on rye with mayonnaise, onions, chives and fried onions. LINKS + MENTIONSTrine Hahnemann's websiteMidnight Sun cookbook  Olivia's Instagram: @livguine Scandinavia Travel Tales Instagram: @scandinaviatraveltales Olivia's Substack: livguine.substack.com

Almost every Scandinavia trip starts in Copenhagen and it's easy to see why. But most visitors spend their time in the same few streets, see the same sights, and leave having only scratched the surface of one of Europe's most extraordinary cities.Join me as I sit down with Rikke, founder of Copenhagen Free Walking Tours, who has been showing visitors the real Copenhagen since 2011. She knows this city as only a local guide can and in this episode she takes us well beyond Nyhavn and The Little Mermaid to uncover the Copenhagen that most tourists never find - the hidden stories, the neighborhoods where locals actually live, the food you absolutely cannot leave without trying, and why Copenhagen just won the most livable city in the world award once again. Places mentioned:Copenhagen Museum: central location, full history of the city Tivoli Gardens: one of the world's oldest amusement parks Rosenborg Castle: the only proper Renaissance palace in Copenhagen Amalienborg Palace: where the royal family actually lives Assistens Cemetery, Nørrebro: green space, picnics, and graves of American jazz legends Superkilen, Nørrebro: architectural park built from objects brought from around the world Frederiksberg Garden: free elephant spotting from the zoo next door Christiania: the 50-year-old free state social experiment Christianshavn: the island neighbourhood built on sunken ships Cisternerne, Søndermarken: underground art gallery in a former water reservoir Carlsberg Neighbourhood: former brewery turned arts and residential quarter The Meatpacking District, Vesterbro: bars, restaurants and atmosphere in the old slaughterhouses Buca Bakery: multiple locations, orange zest cinnamon snail Lagkagehuset: the famous bakery whose original location was once Copenhagen's women's prison Organic hotdog stand, near the Round Tower: the green one, fully organic, multiple sausage options GoBoat: electric solar-powered self-drive boats on the canals Hey Captain: social sailing with conversation built inLINKS + MENTIONSCopenhagen Free Walking Tours Thomas Dambo's Forgotten Giants I Am Queen Mary statue Follow Rikke on Instagram: @guidedtourscopenhagenLOVE THIS EPISODE?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Scandinavia Travel Tales: @scandinaviatraveltalesFollow Olivia's Instagram: @livguine

Have you always had Scandinavia on your bucket list but kept putting it off? Perhaps you weren't sure where to start, overwhelmed by the planning, or worried it would cost a fortune? You're not alone. This first episode is for you.Join me, Olivia Windsor, as I introduce myself and share the story behind Scandinavia Travel Tales - why I started it, what you can expect, and why an Australian travel expert who spent seven years living and working in Italy is now living in Denmark, and ready to help you discover Scandinavia in a way most travellers never do.I share the honest truth about my own honeymoon in Scandinavia and what happened when we moved to a Danish city I'd never even heard of before...Your quick win this episode: Already planning a trip to Copenhagen? Add Aarhus. It's three hours by train, feels like a completely different Denmark, and has more going on than you think - especially in September when the Aarhus Food Festival and Aarhus Festuge both take over the city.LINKS + MENTIONSAarhus Festuge: Denmark's largest cultural festival, SeptemberNorthSide Festival: Aarhus, JuneAarhus Food Festival: first week of SeptemberOlivia's Substack: livguine.substack.comLOVE THIS EPISODE?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Scandinavia Travel Tales: @scandinaviatraveltalesFollow Olivia's Instagram: @livguine

Planning a trip to Scandinavia can feel overwhelming. Norway, Sweden or Denmark, or all three? How long do you need? And how do you avoid spending two weeks rushing between highlights and coming home feeling like you missed everything?Join me as I sit down with Satu Vänskä-Westgarth, from 50 Degrees North - one of the world's leading Nordic travel specialists - to talk about how to plan a trip to the region. Satu is Finnish, has lived in Norway for over 15 years, and designs Scandinavia itineraries for travellers every single day. From the differences between the three main countries to the biggest mistakes first-time visitors make, Satu gives us some practical tips to planning a Scandinavia trip that goes beyond the obvious and ends with a hidden gem off the Norwegian coast that I'd love to visit myself one day.LINKS + MENTIONS50 Degrees North: fiftydegreesnorth.comSatu's hidden gem - Støtt Island, near Bodø: stott.noFlåm Railway: visitflam.comLofoten Islands: lofoten.infoVesterålen: visitvesteralen.comTromsø: visittromso.noTelemark region: visittelemark.noOlivia's Substack: livguine.substack.comLOVE THIS EPISODE?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Scandinavia Travel Tales: @scandinaviatraveltalesFollow Olivia's Instagram: @livguine

Join me as I sit down with Laura Hall, a British journalist who has been writing about this region for 25 years and lives in Copenhagen, to talk about why you should travel to Scandinavia. Laura writes for the BBC, The Guardian and Condé Nast Traveler among many others. She also runs a Substack called Modern Scandinavian and has just published her new book, The Year I Lay My Head in Water, about the year she spent swimming in Nordic seas.In this episode we chat about why this region deserves so much more of your attention than it currently gets. We cover everything from the differences between the countries, to the hidden beaches of Denmark, to why she's obsessed with Greenland, to what happened when she accidentally ended up in a naked mixed sauna in Malmö!LINKS + MENTIONSLaura Hall's Substack: modernscandinavian.substack.comLaura's book: The Year I Lay My Head in Water Laura's website: hellolaurahall.comLaura's Instagram: @laura_hall_copenhagenOlivia's Substack: livguine.substack.comIslands Brygge swimming pool, Copenhagen: free harbour swimming, diving boards, children's poolNordhavn swimming spot, CopenhagenKallis, Malmö: the naked sauna (you've been warned)The Arctic Hideaway - Bodø, Norway Bornholm, Denmark - Denmark's sunniest island, great food, sandy beachesGotland, Sweden - Viking history, good hotels and food, accessible from StockholmThe Faroe Islands - 18 islands linked by underwater tunnels, dramatic hikingGreenland - Disko Bay whale watching, kaffemik coffee mornings, the west coast ferry routeStejnujokk Plateau, Arctic Sweden - where Laura saw the Northern Lights while on assignment for KinfolkNorway in a Nutshell - Bergen to the fjords day circuitLOVE THIS EPISODE?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Scandinavia Travel Tales: @scandinaviatraveltalesFollow Olivia's Instagram: @livguine

Here's a sneak peek of the brand new podcast Scandinavia Travel Tales launching August 4, 2026. Subscribe now to be the first to hear episodes. Want more? You can follow us on Instagram and read our Life in Denmark Substack now.