INFORMATION AND MAPSnS Before you leave, it's worth contacting the national tourist boards for free maps and brochures though don't go mad: much of it can easily be obtained later in Scandinavia. The rail timetables for the most popular tourist routes are worth taking, as are the accommodation listings booklets. Addresses of the national tourist boards are given below, but if you can't find what you want from them, try the Norwegian State Railways INSR) Travel Bureau{2\ Cockspur Street, London SWl; «071 930 6666), who are also agents for Swedish State Railways (SJ) and have brochures, timetables, maps and endless information. TOURIST OFFICES Once in Scandinavia, every town and some villages have a tourist office, from where you can pick up free town plans and information, brochures and other bumph. Many book private rooms (sometimes youth hostel beds), rent bikes, sell local discount cards and change money. During summer, they're open daily until late evening; out of high season, shop hours are more usual, and in winter they're normally closed at weekends. You'll find full details of individual offices throughout the text. The maps and plans we've printed should be fine for reference, but drivers, cyclists and hikers may require something more detailed. Tourist offices often give out reasonable road maps and town plans but anything better you'll have to buy. There's a list of specialist map shops in the box below. For Scandinavia as a whole, Kummerley and Frey produces a road map on a scale of 1:1,000,000: Rand McNally produces a good road atlas of Scandinavia. For really detailed plans of the capital cities, the foldout Falk maps are excellent and easy to use. As for the individual countries, maps of Denmark are produced by Kummerley and Frey (1:300,000), Ravenstein (1:500,000), and Baedekers (1:400,000); Finland is covered by Kummerley and Frey (1:1,000,000). The Terrac 1:1,000,000 is the best general map of Norway; for Sweden and Denmark there are Hallwag maps. If you're staying in one area for a long time, or are hiking or walking you'll need something more detailed still a minimum scale of 1:400,000, much larger if you're doing any serious V NATIONAL TOURIST BOARDS BRITAIN: Denmark Sceptre House, 169173 Regent St, London W1 (»071734 2637); Norway Oiarles House, 511 Lower Regent St, London W1 W71839 2650); Sweden 73 Welbeck St, London W1 («071487 5007); Finland 6668 Haymaricet. London SWl («071930 5871). HUE. No tourist boards as such, but the embassies handle tourist information (see p.l 1). MSTRAUA: No tourist boards as such, but the embassies handle tourist information (see p.l 1). NEW ZEALAND: Again, embassies and consulates supply tourist infomiation. USA: Scandinavian Tourist Board, 655 Third Ave, New Yori<, NY 10017 («2129492333); Norway and Sweden, 8929 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA 90211 («2138541549).