2026 President’s Alumni and Friends Tour of Scandinavia

Depart from the airport of your choice to Oslo Airport (OSL). Flights are on your own.

• We begin at Oslo’s centrally located First Hotel Millennium, which offers easy access to a variety of restaurants where you can enjoy dinner on your own.
• Stroll along lively Karl Johans Boulevard — Oslo’s very own Champs-Élysées. Starting just two blocks from our hotel, this historic street is lined with cafés, restaurants and shops, stretching all the way to the Royal Palace (Det kongelige slott).
• Optional evening concert at Margareta Church. If your day’s travel hasn’t left you too tired, this evening’s Augustana Choir concert is only a fifteen minute stroll away.

• Start the day with a guided tour of Oslo, offering an introduction to Norway’s vibrant capital.
• Travel to Rättvik, Sweden, a picturesque village on the shores of Lake Siljan. Our hotel lies part way up a small mountain with its own Alpine luge and sweeping vistas.
• Welcome dinner and two-night stay at Lerdalshöjden Hotel
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner included

• Our exploration of the picturesque Dalarna region would not be complete without a visit to Nusnäs, and its traditional Dala horse workshop, where Sweden’s iconic hand-carved and hand-painted wooden horses have been crafted for generations.
• After lunch we travel to Mora for lunch and a guided tour of the Anders Zorn Museum and home, honoring one of Sweden’s most celebrated artists, who was an erstwhile classmate of Olof Grafström, first full-time teacher of art at Augustana. We’ll also visit Nittsjö Keramik, one of Sweden’s oldest handcraft businesses.
• Optional evening concert in Rättvik Church, a historic venue known for its acoustics and beautiful lakeside setting.
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner included

• Begin the day with a stop in Falun, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the historic Falun Copper Mine. Once one of the world’s most important industrial sites, this centuries-old mine played a key role in shaping Sweden’s economy and global influence.
• Continue to Sundborn, and enter a world where the traditional Swedish family life depicted by Carl Larsson comes to life in the home he and his artist wife Karin Larsson built for their family.
• Continue to Stockholm for four nights at the centrally located Clarion Hotel Amaranten
• Meals: breakfast and lunch included

• Begin the day with a panoramic bus tour of Stockholm, offering a sweeping introduction to the capital’s vibrant neighborhoods, elegant architecture, and scenic waterways. Pass by key landmarks such as the Royal Palace, the Grand Hotel and the elegant bridges that connect the city’s 14 islands.
• The tour concludes in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s enchanting Old Town, where cobblestone streets, colorful 17th-century buildings, and hidden courtyards tell stories from centuries past.
• Enjoy a traditional Swedish meatball lunch in the heart of Gamla Stan, followed by a guided walking tour through its winding alleys and charming squares.
• The evening offers an optional concert at Matteus Church, a beautiful venue with striking Neo-Gothic architecture. The sun won’t set until about 10 o’clock, so there’s plenty of time for exploring.
• Meals: breakfast and lunch included

• Enjoy a full free day to explore Stockholm at your own pace. Whether you're interested in world-class museums, shopping, art or simply soaking up the atmosphere, the city offers something for every interest. This is a do-it-yourself day with advance guidance from your Augustana hosts - simply let them know your interests, and they’ll help you make arrangements.
• An optional group bus transfer will be available to Djurgården Island, a cultural hub home to some of Stockholm’s most popular attractions, including:
  • Vasa Museum – housing a fully intact 17th-century warship
  • ABBA Museum – an interactive tribute to Sweden’s legendary pop group
  • Skansen – an open-air museum and zoo showcasing Swedish history and animals
  • Nordic Museum – focused on Swedish culture and traditions
  • Waldemarsudde – the former home of Sweden’s “Artist Prince” Eugen, now one of the world’s loveliest art museums
  • Gröna Lund amusement park
• Return transfers available from Djurgården at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
• End the day with President Talentino and the Augustana Choir’s concert in historic Sofia Church, followed by an informal gathering with Swedish alumni and friends in the idyllic Vitabergs Park, surrounding the church.
• Meals: breakfast included

Note: entry costs for today’s excursions are not included - no cost for the Djurgåren transfer, and the evening concert and gathering.

• Board a charming steamboat for a scenic cruise across Lake Mälaren to Drottningholm Palace, the private residence of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Sylvia. Lunch will be served onboard.
• Upon arrival, take part in a guided tour of Drottningholm Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its beautifully preserved Baroque architecture, exquisite interiors, and formal gardens. This “Versailles of the North” offers a glimpse into the grandeur of Swedish royal life, both past and present.
• Return to Stockholm by steamboat, then continue the day with a guided tour of Stockholm City Hall, one of Sweden’s most iconic buildings. Known for its soaring tower and elegant ceremonial halls, this is where the Nobel Prize banquet is held each year.
• Meals: breakfast and lunch included

• Begin the day with a guided tour of Linnaeus’s Hammarby, the charming countryside home and garden of renowned botanist Carl Linnaeus.
• Continue north to one of Sweden’s most important ancient archaeological sites: The Royal Mounds at Gamla Uppsala. These massive burial mounds date back to the 6th century and are believed to be the final resting places of early Swedish kings and chieftains from the Iron Age. The site was an unparalleled center of religious importance during the Viking Age, and remains a powerful symbol of Sweden’s mythic past.
• Lunch at Odinsborg Restaurant
• Evening dinner with President Andrea Talentino in Uppsala at Elite Hotel Academia
• Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner included

• Today we explore Uppsala, the intellectual and spiritual cradle of the Augustana Synod, which founded the “Grand Old School Upon the Hill” in 1860. From the hilltop Vasa castle to the academic buildings of the university and the cathedral which serves as the spiritual seat of the Church of Sweden, we’ll walk in the footsteps of President Emeritus Conrad Bergendoff, who earned his doctorate here in 1925.
• Attend a special concert in Uppsala Cathedral, not only the largest church in Scandinavia, but the resting place of Gustav Vasa, the legendary king who founded the modern Swedish monarchy. With its soaring Gothic architecture, centuries of history, and stunning acoustics, the cathedral provides a majestic setting for the final concert of the tour
• Following the concert, enjoy a delicious dinner with the Augustana Choir and President Andrea Talentino. Dinner location to be determined
• Meals: breakfast and dinner included

Return to the United States or continue your journey! Flights are on your own.