Shopping

Copenhagen:
Much of the action takes place on Strøget, the pedestrian street in the heart of the capital. The jam-packed street is lined with stores selling everything from porcelain statues of Youthful Boldness to open-faced sandwiches piled high with Greenland shrimp. All kinds of clothing and some of the most elegant porcelain in Europe can be found here. In two nearby walking areas, Gråbrødretorv and Fiolstræde, you can browse through antiques shops and bookshops.

Denmark imposes a 25% tax on goods and services, a "value-added tax" known in Denmark as MOMS (pronounced "mumps" and every bit as painful). Tax-free exports are possible, and many stores will mail goods to your home so you can avoid paying the tax. If you want to take your purchases, look for shops displaying Danish tax-free shopping notices. Such shops offer tourists tax refunds for personal export. This refund applies to purchases over a certain amount for visitors from the United States and Canada.

Oslo:
Oslo is one of the most shopper-friendly cities in Scandinavia, with traffic-free streets set aside for prospective buyers. The heart of this district is the Stortorvet, where more than two dozen shops sell everything from handicrafts to enameled silver jewelry. At the marketplace on Strøget, you can stop for a glass of beer at an open-air restaurant in fair weather. Look for bargains on sportswear, silver and enamelware, traditional handicrafts, pewter, glass by Hadeland Glassverk, teak furniture and stainless steel. A great place for wandering and shopping in Oslo is Aker Brygge, a former shipbuilding yard that was recycled into a postmodern complex of steel-and-glass buildings. In all, there are nearly 65 shops here, most of them upmarket fashion boutiques.

Norway imposes a 19.4% value-added tax (VAT), but there are ways to avoid paying it. Special tax-free exports are possible, and many stores will mail goods home to you, which makes recovering the tax unnecessary.

Stockholm:
Nearly everybody's favorite shopping area in Stockholm is Gamla Stan (Old Town). Near the Royal Palace, it even attracts shoppers such as the queen. The main street for browsing is Västerlånggatan, however prices are often high. Items to look for include silver necklaces, reindeer gloves, stainless-steel, hand-woven neckties and skirts, Swedish clogs and colorful handicrafts from the provinces. The most popular souvenir is the Dala horse from Dalarna. Swedish glass is popular as well.

Helsinki:
In the center of Helsinki is the shopping center, Forum, which is full of popular youth clothing shops like Backstreet, Lindex, H&M, Seppälä, KappAhl and O.N.L.Y. Close to the Forum is the department store Stockmann's. Itäkeskus is the largest shopping center in the Nordic Countries. Street shopping and small shops can be found along Aleksanterinkatu (in front of Stockmann’s), Eerikinkatu and Fredrikinkatu (behind the Forum shopping center).