First car trip to Sweden with children: bridges or ferry?

Road trip to Sweden with children: how we tackled it

There comes a moment, somewhere between inspiration and departure, when dreams suddenly become very concrete. The car is loaded. The suitcases are just a little too full. And in the back seat sit our two daughters with that typical mix of excitement and healthy nerves. Today we drive north. To Sweden.

Until then, everything had been an idea. Stories. Maps. Photos. But now it was real. And just like with so many first times, doubt also crept in.

Which route do you choose when you drive towards Scandinavia for the first time? Do you fully commit to the bridges, impressive but long, or do you choose the ferry? And if so... how does a ferry actually work? Do you have to be on time? What if you're late? What if you're early? And that booked hour... it's not just there for nothing, is it?

We decided on the ferry. Puttgarden – Rødby. Simple on paper. A little less so in our heads.

The drive to the Puttgarden Rødby ferry

As we traversed Germany, the clock started ticking louder. Traffic jams. Roadworks. That typical feeling that you've planned everything neatly, except life itself.

"We're not going to make it," someone said out loud.
And at the same time, everyone thought exactly the same thing.

The idea that a ferry is waiting for you, or not, feels strange if you've never experienced it before. No plane gate. No announcement. Just a harbour, water and a time that creeps ever closer.

But then the beautiful thing happened.

Missing a ferry with children: what if you're late?

Upon arrival in Puttgarden, it soon became clear that our stress was mainly... our own doing. No rush. No panic. Just cars calmly queuing, staff friendly pointing where to stand, and suddenly the realization:

You don't necessarily have to take that ferry at that exact hour.

During the day, ferries depart so frequently that you simply take the next one. Too late for the booked one? No problem. Too early? Even better.

Even better: we were allowed to drive straight through. No waiting time. No delay. And before we knew it, we were heading to Rødby - Denmark a ferry earlier than planned.

The crossing itself felt almost symbolic. Park briefly. Get out briefly. Salt in the air. Water around us. And a peace that you don't expect, but turns out to be necessary.

This was the turning point.
Here Europe let go.
Here the North began.

From Denmark to Sweden: how does the transition feel?

Once back on solid ground, Denmark behind us, Sweden closer, everything fell into place. The roads became quieter. The landscape more open. And the tension that had travelled with us for so long, stayed somewhere out at sea.

We arrived as you hope to arrive on a trip: without drama, without haste, with the quiet realization that everything actually went smoothly. Afterwards, I realized that this is exactly what they call lagom in Scandinavia, not too much, not too little, but just enough.

And perhaps that is the greatest lesson of that first trip to Sweden.

Practical tips for your first road trip to Sweden with children

If you, as a family, dream of a road trip to Sweden, let this reassure you:

• Your preparation may feel uncertain – that's part of it
• The ferry is simpler and more flexible than you think
• Traffic jams won't ruin your trip, at most they'll change the pace
• And even with children, everything will work out in the end

Sweden doesn't require perfect planning.
It only asks that you leave.

And that first drive, that first ferry, that first time "facing the North" –
that's not an obstacle.

That's already part of the story.

How Sweden changed our lives and gave birth to Nordisk Ro

What we could not have possibly suspected then, on that first departure full of stress and doubts, was that it would not be just that one trip. In the meantime, we have sought out the North again in various ways. Via bridges and via other ferries, in other seasons, with the same curiosity but ever less uncertainty. Every crossing felt familiar, almost like coming home.

What's more: that very first trip to Sweden turned out to be the beginning of something much bigger. We had no idea then what impact the North would have on our lives. How it would change our way of travelling, of being together, and of slowing down. And certainly not that precisely there, somewhere between traffic jams in Germany and an unexpectedly calm ferry crossing, a seed was planted that would later grow into Nordisk Ro with various collections to introduce the tranquility of the north into our homes.

Today we are preparing again. Again maps on the table, ideas in our heads, and that same quiet longing for the North. For a place where we feel at home. With more peace than then, but with just as much desire to leave.

Because sometimes you only realize much later:
that first trip was not just a holiday.
It was the beginning of a story that is still being written.

Do you want more tips? Send a personal email to hej@nordisk-ro.com and we will reply as soon as possible.