Michi Photostory

If we are traveling to another country, I always do my own research so we can save time and money. One way to save money is to look for good offers, discounts, promos, or travel cards. So when I was planning for our Scandinavian trip, I knew that I would purchase the Copenhagen Card, Stockholm Pass, and Oslo Pass. Unfortunately, our Oslo, Norway trip fell on Holy Week so we decided not to purchase the Oslo Pass because we knew that not all attractions and museums are open so we won’t be able to maximize the value of the card.

Sayang! I was really looking forward to our Oslo Trip but what can I do if the sightseeing tours and activities will be limited, all the shops are closed and approximately half of the restaurants will also be closed. Anyway, that is how Norway celebrates their Easter holiday, it is really time for family so the majority of Norwegians take their vacation leave to spend an entire week in the mountain cabin or travel outside the country.


Despite the limitations, we know that we can still enjoy our trip because there are still more interesting places that we can visit in the city. So for our Day 2 in Oslo Norway, we had our own version of DIY Walking Tour and we started our adventure from Cochs Pensjonat at 8AM. I mentioned in my previous blogs that our guesthouse is very near to tourist spots so we saved money on transportation.

Oslo Walking Tour

The Royal Palace Park 


The Palace Park was opened in the year 1847 by King Oscar I and it was designed by the palace architect H.D.F. Linstow. This park is open to the public all year round, where you can see ponds, lawns, and trees that were planted since 1842. You can also see a lot of sculptures in the palace park like the Statue of mathematician Niels Henrik Abel, the Statue of the author, and defender of women’s rights Camilla Collett, the Statue of Queen Maud, Statue of Princess Martha, Roedeer sculpture, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s Sculpture Park.


Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s Sculpture Park


A sculpture park that has been created by children and for children on May 19, 2016. It was a gift from the Savings Bank Foundation DNB in honor of the 25th anniversary of the accession to the Norwegian throne of their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja. The park has twelve sculptures that are based on the designs that were submitted in a nationwide competition of grade 6 students. The permanent sculptures are geometric fox, rabbit in trouble, pillow man, and many more.

The Royal Palace 

Det Kongelige Slott or The Royal Palace in English was built in 1824-1848 as the Norwegian residence of King Charles II John who was king of Norway and Sweden. This is also the official residence of the current Norwegian monarch. It is located at the end and top of Karl Johans gate.


We visited some of the castles and palaces in Copenhagen and Stockholm so if we will compare it to The Royal Palace, the Oslo palace looks simple. We were not able to witness the changing of the guards at 1:30PM and we were not able to go inside because the Royal Palace is only open during summer.

Karl Johans Gate


Karl Johans Gate is the famous main street of Oslo city, it was named in honor of King Charles III John also known as King Charles XIV John of Sweden. Walking on this street, you will pass other tourist attractions like the National Theatre, Parliament of Norway Stortinget, Eidsvolls Square, and the old University Building. 


University of Oslo Building


It was renamed Royal Frederick University. The oldest university in Norway and it used to be the largest Norwegian institution of higher education in terms of size.

National Theatre 


This building was designed by architect Henrik Bull and it is one of the largest and most prominent venues for dramatic arts in Norway. It is often considered as the home for Ibsen’s play.

Stortinget or Parliament of Norway 

This is the supreme legislature of Norway that was established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway.

Oslo Cathedral


Oslo Cathedral is also known as Our Savior’s Church, this is the main church for the church of Norway Diocese in Oslo. This is used by the Norwegian Government and the Norwegian Royal Family for public events like weddings and funerals.

Oslo Central Station


Of course the Oslo Central Station, is the busiest main railway station and largest railway station within the Norwegian Railway system. Outside the train station, you will see statues of tiger and hammer.


The Tiger 

Do you know that Oslo is also known as Tigerstaden or the Tiger City? So it is not surprising if you see the famous tiger statue outside the Oslo Central Station A 4.5 meter bronze statue made by Elena Engelsen.

Den Norske Opera & Ballet or Oslo Opera House 


The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet is the largest music and stage institution in Norway. One interesting about this building is you can walk on the roof of the Opera House, it is like climbing the building so it drains our energy. Good thing that you have a beautiful panoramic view of Oslo city and fjord. We saw the DFDS Cruise Ship that we took when we went to Copenhagen Denmark.

Read: Cruise to Copenhagen


Akershus Slott or Akershus Castle and Akershus Festning or Akershus Fortress 

This is the medieval castle that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. It was used as a military base and prison. It contains banquet halls, a Royal Mausoleum, a small church, and the government’s reception rooms. It is now a popular venue for major events like ceremonies, public holiday celebrations, and concerts.



After our half-day tour in Oslo City, we went back to Cochs Pensjonat for our late lunch. It was a tiring day so we called it a day. Tomorrow is another day to explore the city.

Read: Traveling to Oslo Norway from Stockholm Sweden 
Where to Stay in Oslo Norway 
Day 1 in Oslo Norway

How I wish, I could extend our vacation in Copenhagen, Denmark because four days are not enough. Sad to say, we could no longer extend our stay because everything was pre-booked already including our train ticket and hotel. And because Day 4 is our last day in Denmark, my companions don’t want to go out anymore.

They prefer to stay in the hotel until our check-out which is 11AM but I don’t want to waste my time waiting at the hotel so I insisted that we should go out. I convinced them that we had enough time to visit Christianborg Palace before our train ride at 12:23NN. Thank God, pinagbigyan na nila ko.

So we had an early breakfast and we stored our luggage in the locker room so just in case, we could not make it before 11AM for check-out, we wouldn’t pay any extra because our room was already empty.

Again, we just walked from the Urban House by Meininger to Christianborg Palace. We arrived before 9AM so we were freezing cold while waiting outside of the palace door. If you have limited time in Copenhagen, I suggest you go to Christianborg Palace because you can visit several tourist spots in one location. You can visit The Royal Reception Rooms, The Royal Stables, The Royal Kitchen, The Ruins under Christianborg and Christianborg Palace Chapel.

Read: Where to Stay in Copenhagen: Urban House by Meininger   

To save money, don’t forget to buy a Copenhagen Card. We’re thankful that we were able to maximize and save a lot of money using this card. I’ll share the pros and cons of the Copenhagen Card in a separate post. And because of limited time, we only visited three tourist spots.

Buy Copenhagen Card 

Christianborg Admission Price 

The Ruins: 60.00 DKK
The Royal Reception Rooms: 95.00 DKK
The Royal Stables: 60.00 DKK
The Royal Kitchen: 60.00 DKK
Child: Free
Combined ticket: 160.00 DKK

Christianborg Palace 

Christianborg Palace is not only a palace but a government building too which is located on the tiny island of Slotsholmen in Central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is where you can find the remains of the country’s principal castle of the Middle Ages and the home of three government branches; the Danish Parliament, Danish Prime Minister’s Office and Supreme Court of Denmark. It is the only building in the world that contains the 3 supreme powers of government; executive power, legislative power, and the judicial power.

Christianborg Palace is owned by the Danish government, some parts of the palace are still being used by the Danish Royal Family for their events and functions like the Royal Receptions Rooms, The Tower Room, The Oval Throne Room, The Palace Chapel, and the Royal Stables. Some parts are open to the public.

Christianborg - The Royal Reception Rooms 

At exactly 9AM, they opened the Royal Reception Rooms. There is a free guided tour that you can join, don't forget to check the schedule. But during our visit, no English Tour Guide at 9AM so we just explored the palace on our own. I just showed our Copenhagen Card and the staff advised us to wear shoe covers before exploring the place. We’re the first guests so we had the palace to ourselves, no photobomber.




We’ve been to Rosenborg Castle, Amalienborg Palace but Christianborg Palace is my favorite. The place is well-preserved, well-decorated and looks elegant. Every corner of the palace is very stunning. I was glad that we were able to visit Christianborg Palace before going to Stockholm.




We took our time exploring Throne Room, The Great Hall, The Dining Hall, and the Library. As I mentioned before, some parts of the palace are still being used by the Queen like the majestic hall and other rooms for their state dinners, banquets, and other royal ceremonies. So it is a great feeling that ordinary people like me can enter this palace. Don’t forget to check out the unique tapestries at the Great Hall which illustrates the History of Denmark and the world over the past 1000 years.


While waiting for 10AM, we bought some souvenirs at The Palace Shop and off we went to the Ruins for our next tour.

The Ruins under Christianborg

Under the new Christianborg Palace is the ruins of two principal castles that were built in the same location. The Absalon’s Castle that was built in the 11th century, you can still see the remaining wall. And that same wall protected the castle from Wend pirates. The second ruin is Copenhagen Castle that was built in 1369 but it was torn down and they built a new one. Another ruin is the foundation of the Blue Tower where King Christian’s favorite daughter, Leonora Christine, political prisoners, soldiers, and other criminals were held captive.




The Christianborg Ruins highlights the more than 800-year-old underground history of the palace as a medieval castle, royal residence, political and cultural center. We did not stay that long in this place because it is dark and the smell is not nice so it is kinda creepy to explore.

Christianborg - The Royal Kitchen

Beneath the Christianborg Palace is the Royal Kitchen which was built and completed in 1928. This kitchen was used for preparing food for royal parties and celebrations in the Great Hall. The Royal Kitchen is equipped and furnished and they have one of the largest collections of copperware in Europe. See, smell and feel what happened during the King Christian’s Silver Jubilee gala dinner last May 15, 1937. See the menu below.

1. Soup Ambassadeur
2. Filet of Sole a la Nantua
3. Tenderloin Bouquetiere
4. Chicken Parisienne
5. Ice Cream Royale
6. Dessert



Our Day 4 in Copenhagen, Denmark was short but it is one of the highlights of our trip and I’m glad that I really pushed this itinerary. After our Royal Kitchen Tour, we immediately went back to our hotel to pick up our luggage, check-out and off to Copenhagen Central Train Station. We had a quick lunch at Food Market before riding the SJ train to Stockholm Sweden.

Read: Food Trip in Copenhagen Denmark
Day 1 in Copenhagen 
Day 2 in Copenhagen 
Day 3 in Copenhagen 

Hans Christian Andersen is a famous Danish author who wrote countless fairy tales. I am not surprised where he got some of his inspirations because Denmark is surrounded by castles or palaces. In Copenhagen alone, there are several castles that you can visit so if you are castles fanatic, it is better to buy Copenhagen Card or Park Museum Ticket so you can save money.

Buy Copenhagen Card


On our Day 3 in Copenhagen, we were able to visit 2 castles; Rosenborg Castle and Amalienborg Castle. Rosenborg Castle is the first castle that I have ever visited so I was quite excited for my first castle experience and this castle did not disappoint me. While I'm busy getting our tickets, my companions are watching changing of guards.

Read: Day 3 in Copenhagen Denmark 






Rosenborg Castle was built at the beginning of the 1600s as a country summerhouse of King Christian IV, who is a popular king because of his colorful personality, architectural projects, and lost wars. In 1710, Rosenborg castle was no longer used as a royal residence but became a treasure chest of the family. In 1838, it opened its door to the public where people can have a glimpse of the wealth and status of the Danish royal family.

Admission Price 

Adult - 115.00 DKK
Child (0-17) - Free
Copenhagen Card - Free
Park Museums - Free
Student - 75.00 DKK

Things that you should remember 

1. Backpacks are not allowed inside the castle but don’t worry because they have a locker room where you can leave your stuff.
2. There is free wifi. You can use your smartphone as a guide to give you in-depth information about the rooms.
3. You can also use your smartphone to read the QR-codes found on many objects and explore them.
4. You can buy a guidebook at the museum shop.
5. Do not touch the objects and wall decorations in the castle.
6. You are allowed to take photos but not with a tripod or stick.


The admission ticket is not cheap so we took our time in exploring the castle The museum has 5 floors so don’t forget to get a guide map so you won’t miss anything. The main attractions of the castle are Knight’s Hall, coronation thrones, three life-sized silver lions,12 taspetries, collection of Flora Danica, and crown jewels.








Read: Day 1 in Copenhagen
Day 2 in Copenhagen

August month was so overwhelming, there were so many life events happening from left and right. In addition, I enrolled in an online class last month so since July I have been busy studying and finishing my project. Today, I received an email that I passed my final exam. Yey, at last makakahinga na rin ko. To keep me sane, let me reminisce about our travel to Copenhagen last summer. I already blogged about our Day 1 and Day 2 so let me share our Day 3 in Copenhagen.

Read: Day 1 in Copenhagen 
Day 2 in Copenhagen 

Day 3 in Copenhagen 

It was snowing in the morning so we’re praying for good weather because it is so hard to walk if it is so cold. And because of that, we left around 10AM so it is a little bit late but we’re thankful that we were able to visit 5 tourist places kahit naligaw-ligaw pa kami sa paglalakad. Hehehe! From Urban House, we just walked to the City Hall then the Strøget Shopping Street until we reached the Round Tower.

Read: Where to Stay in Copenhagen

The Round Tower 

If you are reading blogs or forums, then you are familiar with The Round Tower. It has been a popular structure in Denmark since 1642. King Christian IV built the tower for astronomical observatory purposes and to continue the Tycho Brahe research. It is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe.


Now, The Round Tower is famous because you can enjoy the 360-degree view of the old part city of Copenhagen. You need to walk around the building until you reach the spiral staircase. It is about 209 meters walk to reach the top which is only 36 meters tall.


Halfway to the top, there is a Library Hall too which was a university library until 1861. Today, it accommodates art exhibitions, souvenir shops, and restrooms. Han Christian Andersen, the famous Danish writer used to visit this library too.


We’ve been to Copenhagen City Hall Tower so I can say that The Round Tower is an easy climb, hindi kami napagod dito. We were not able to try the telescope in the observatory because it was closed. The panorama view was nice but I prefer the bird’s eye view of the City Hall. You can also visit The Church of Our Saviour if you like to see some views too. I’ve seen that church during our Canal Tours in Copenhagen.


Admission Price 
Copenhagen Card - Free
Adult - 25.00 DKK
Children (5-15) - 5.00 DKK

The King's Garden 

From The Round Tower, we went straight to The King’s Garden or Rosenborg Castle Garden. It is the oldest royal garden in Denmark which was established in early 1600 by King Christian IV. The garden is home to a large herbaceous border, a rose garden, a lime tree (Knight’s Path and Lady’s Path), a cherry blossom tree, and some famous statues. The King’s Garden is popular for tourists because there is no entrance fee.



I’ve been meaning to revisit Japan because of Sakura so I was really happy when I saw the cherry blossom trees in The King’s Garden. My husband even told me, hindi na tayo pupunta ng Japan, meron naman pala dito. Hehehe!

Rosenborg Castle 

You can already see Rosenborg Castle from The King’s Garden, we just had snacks at the garden then we went straight to the castle. Denmark does not have many castles and I think the majority of the castles are free using the Copenhagen Card.


It was 400 years ago when Rosenborg Castle was built by King Christian IV as a pleasure palace and became the King’s favorite residence. Now, it is where you can see the oldest, finest, and rarest objects of the royal family. Visiting the castle is like traveling back in time and having a glimpse of wealth, status, and how the royal family lives their life.


The Rosenborg Castle is indeed an art treasure, the castle has five floors for you to explore. Take time to visit each floor because the entrance ticket is not cheap.

Read: Rosenberg Castle 

Admission Price

Adult - 115.00 DKK
Child (0-17) - Free
Copenhagen Card - Free
Park Museums - Free
Student - 75.00 DKK

After our visit to Rosenborg Castle, we moved to the Botanical Garden because according to the map, it is near Rosenborg Castle but we could not find it. I was so tired looking for it and was already hangry (hungry and angry, hehehe!) so I suggested to my mom to let go of the garden and we just go to Amalienborg Castle.

Lunch at Diamond Rice Restaurant

Of course, we had to eat first so we just walked and walked until we saw the Diamond Rice Restaurant. At last makakapaglunch na rin, is one of our dilemmas if we are traveling abroad because rice is life so we always look for an Asian restaurant.

Read: Food Trip in Copenhagen

Amalienborg Castle 


After lunch, we went straight to Amalienborg Castle and we were surprised that we only have less than an hour to explore the castle because their closing time is 3PM. I’m not aware that they changed the schedule because the last time I checked, 4PM is the closing time. But we’re still thankful that we’ve made it, sa dami ng nilakad at ligaw namin from Rosenborg Castle. Hehehe!



We saw this castle too during our Canal Tours Copenhagen. Amalienborg Castle is a sister museum of Rosenborg Castle and it exhibits the royal history from the mid 19th century until today. It is the continuation of your journey through time from Rosenborg Castle. The museum is not that big so we were able to finish it before 3PM.


Admission Price 
Adults - 0 DKK- 95.00 DKK
Children - Free
Copenhagen Card - Free

Frederik's Church or The Marble Church 

Frederik’s Church is just few steps away from Amalienborg so it is impossible that you will miss this church. It is also known as the Marble church because the church is made of Norwegian marble and Danish Faxe marble.



The Marble Church is a regular parish church, part of the Danish State Church, and an Evangelical-Lutheran church. During the summer months, you can go to the church dome every 1PM to check the view. We did not experience it because we visited last April so it is not summertime yet.

Admission Price 

Visits to the Dome (Child) - 20.00 DKK
Visits to the Dome (Adult) - 35.00 DKK

Tycho Brahe Planetarium 

After the Marble Church, my companion wanted to go back to the hotel but I told them that we could still visit Tycho Brahe Planetarium but nobody agreed with me and nobody allowed me to go alone. So goodbye Tycho Brahe Planetarium, we went back to our hotel and rested. We packed our stuff because we would be going to Stockholm, Sweden the following day.

Read: Cruise from Oslo to Copenhagen
Day 4 in Copenhagen