From Plate to Palette - a Scandinavian Culinary & Design Adventure

Arrive in Copenhagen and take a taxi to the 4-star Coco Hotel, named by Travel & Leisure as the best hotel in Scandinavia in 2023. Consider arriving a day before the tour starts to help with jet lag. We can help arrange an extra night at the hotel if you decide to come early. We’ll meet in the afternoon for a walking tour of Copenhagen at around 4 p.m.

Later, we'll walk to dinner at the Michelin-recommended Selma for elevated contemporary Scandinavian food. 

Sleep will come easy after a hearty meal.  

Our first stop after breakfast today, is The Design Museum Denmark. Housed in a historic building dating back to 1757, the museum features designs from the past, present, and future. If you love design, you'll love this museum. It contains everything from furniture to industrial design and even posters. 

We'll be ready for lunch after this inspiring visit, so let's head over to Schønnemann. The restaurant dates back to 1877 and is the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen. It serves only lunch.  

After lunch, we’ll stroll over to the Christianborg Palace, where the current monarch, Queen Margrethe II, presides over galas and state visits. We’ll visit the Royal Reception Rooms, the Royal Kitchen, and the Royal Chapel. We’ll treasure the artwork, tapestries and authentic antique Danish furniture. The Queen traces her Danish heritage back 1,000 years to the Vikings.

We'll meet for dinner and drinks at the Apollo Bar on Nyhaven port after a rest at the hotel.

We’ll wander over to The Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket after breakfast. The Carlsberg Beer family opened the museum, specializing in cultural and historical artifacts and artwork. Along with the Danish furniture exhibit, you'll find many French Masters, including sculpture and painting.   

We'll stop for lunch at the museum, either in the Winter Garden amongst the trees or on the rooftop, depending on which is available. 

Next, we’ll head over to the Finn Juhl House. Completed in 1942, Finn Juhl was not only an architect but a famed furniture designer. We'll see the house where he lived and some of his most famous furniture pieces, like the Chieftain Chair, the Poet Sofa, and the Silver table. Don’t forget to look at the walls. The artwork is almost as impressive as the furniture. We'll also take the time to explore the grounds.

After a busy day of sightseeing, you’ll have time to shop and dine on your own or with a new friend. We can offer suggestions. 

After a leisurely morning, we’ll pack up and depart Copenhagen, heading for a nearby Swedish island for a day and night of serious foodie fun! We’re off to a new country.

We’ll board the ferry to Ven Island and check into our simple historic island inn, the House of Ven, for the night.

Take time to relax before we start our first exciting activity. This afternoon and evening, we're off on a guided nature walk, learning about the local flora and foraging as we go. We’ll end up in a natural kitchen where we'll help the chef prepare dinner. 

Few places on earth have such a vast, exciting, and varied range of ingredients as this small island. Here, soil conditions and the unique microclimate create a bountiful harvest. 

The site is rich in fish, seaweed, and shellfish. In addition, there is a large population of deer, hares, pheasants, ducks, and pigeons. Wild berries, fruits, and herbs grow here in abundance.  

This is what our afternoon and evening schedule looks like. 

3-5 pm - A guided walk collecting raw materials for our evening food and drink.

5-5:30 pm - We'll make a refreshing pre-drink at our "nature restaurant."

5:30-6 pm - Together, we'll prepare the dinner, helping the chef with the evening's meal.

6-9:30 pm Relax and enjoy a multi-course meal surrounded by breathtaking Swedish nature.

The island air and the abundant stars will surely lull us to sleep tonight.

Stockholm-bound!

We’ll have breakfast at our Inn on the island of Ven. Then, we'll head out to catch the 10 a.m. train to Stockholm. The city occupies 14 islands. 

We'll have lunch in transit. 

After checking into our new home in Stockholm, the 5-star Nobis Hotel, we’ll do a guided walking tour of Stockholm. We’ll spend some time in the Old Town marveling at the architecture. We’ll learn about Swedish history as we walk past the Parliament building and the Royal Palace. 

After a long day of travel and sightseeing, we’ll dine at a Stockholm institution, Konstnarsbaren. It's known as the artist's bar. Open since 1931, this classic Swedish bar and restaurant will wow you! 

After a hearty Swedish breakfast, we’re off on a gallery, design & shopping tour, covering everything from leather goods to the newest Swedish designs for home and body. We'll pop into Iris Hantvek, an interesting shop where visually impaired crafters hand-make brushes of all shapes and sizes.  

You'll be hungry by now, so we’ll stop for lunch at Mom’s Kitchen Nybrogatan. Here, we’ll sample traditional Scandinavian food, like Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes.  

After lunch, we’ll visit several shops and schools focusing on traditional and modern handicrafts made and created in Sweden, including textiles and wooden kitchen items. 

You'll have plenty of time to explore on your own this afternoon. You may want to visit the Nobel Prize Museum or the National Museum. 

Later, we’ll meet in the hotel lobby to walk to dinner. Dinner this evening will be very different from the food we’ve enjoyed so far. Pat’s Place specializes in Thai Tapas.  

We’ll have breakfast at the hotel. Then, we'll ferry to the "countryside" for a step back in time at the Skansen Open Air Museum. We’ll experience traditional Swedish culture first hand, including how people farmed and lived in past generations. We’ll watch the locals dance. The music is catchy, so you may feel like joining them! Study Swedish horticulture by wandering through the gardens.  

Since we’ve worked up an appetite, we'll head to the Flickora Helin café for a late lunch. This beautiful café specializes in worldwide cuisine that changes daily based on seasonal products.  

After lunch, take time to rest or do some last-minute shopping. The Hortorget flea market is a great place to rummage for treasures. 

Our farewell dinner will be at the award-winning Restaurant in Fotografiska Stockholm. We'll arrive early to enjoy the vast array of photographs. The restaurant, with its set menu, specializes in distinctive dishes focusing mainly on vegetables begging to be photographed and sent to your friends and family.  

After breakfast, it's sadly time to depart. Take your time and leave when you wish by asking the hotel to call you a taxi to the airport. Or stay an extra night or two and soak in Stockholm's last days of summer.