Michi Photostory

Our Holy Week school vacation started last Saturday but unfortunately, we are stuck at home because of the rainy weather. Aside from the weather we did not plan any Holy Week trip, unlike our previous trips, we were in Røros, Norway and we had our Scandinavian Trip. I did not plan any trip because my husband was not with us, my mom’s health condition is uncertain and I’m hesitant to visit other Schengen States because of COVID19. 

My brother’s family is currently planning for their Norway trip, they were supposed to visit two years ago but unfortunately, the COVID19 virus happened so their Europe trip plan was canceled. Almost three years ago, we were able to visit Oslo, Norway so I’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding our trip so I decided to finish my Oslo Norway Trip series. 

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

Do you miss traveling? I miss traveling but I guess there will be no travel trips this year. My only wish is that we can go out as a family. My son and I are still stuck at home because kids are not allowed to go out yet and I have an autoimmune disease so even I’m itching to go out, part of me is scared. I don’t want to put my health at risk.

Even I’m an introvert, I don’t like this “new normal” because, for more than 3 months, my world revolves inside our tiny house. To keep me sane, I kept myself busy and productive. I was working last weekend and my client is from Denmark. And because of that, I suddenly missed Denmark so I’m reminiscing about our trip last year.


4 Days in Copenhagen, Denmark with Kid 

Denmark is part of Europe so if you are a Filipino like me, you need to apply for Schengen Visa. We applied for our visas at VFS Norway since we will be staying most of our summer vacation there. We took Qatar Airways from the Philippines to Norway and we stayed in Elverum for few days before we started our Scandinavian Trip.

Read: How to Apply for Schengen Visa for your Europe Trip 
Understanding your Visa: How to Read the Visa Sticker  
Philippines to Norway via Qatar Airways 

There are different ways to travel from Norway to Denmark, we can ride the plane, bus, train or ferry, we chose the latter because it is cheaper and we wanted to experience it. From Elverum, we took a bus to Oslo and we walked from the bus station to ferry port where DFDS Crown Seaways is located. We sailed from Oslo Norway to Copenhagen Denmark for less than 18 hours. We’ve been meaning to try cruise but no budget for that yet so we’re happy that we experienced cruising even for one night. 

Read: Cruise to Copenhagen Denmark from Oslo Norway 

After 18 hours in the sea, we landed in Denmark and our travel adventures begin. We bought a Copenhagen Pass at the convenience store but the 72-hours card is not available so we just purchased the train ticket so we can travel to Copenhagen Central Station where our accommodation is located.

We stayed at Urban House by Meineger which is only 200 meters away from the train station. The location is very strategic so we have no problem in exploring and commuting because it is near restaurants, tourist spots, bus stops, and train stations. Urban House offers different rooms, in our case we availed the family room which is perfect for 4 persons.

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

Urban House by Meineger has a guest kitchen so it is a big saving in our pocket because we can eat breakfast and dinner at the hostel. For lunch and snacks, we were able to try a few restaurants, fastfoods, and kiosks. We missed the Danish hotdogs, Cocio, and waffles.

Read: Food Trip in Copenhagen Denmark 

I prepared an itinerary for our Copenhagen trip but everything changed when we reached Denmark, we tweaked it a bit. Despite the changes, we still enjoyed our trip. In fact, there are so many tourist spots that we wanted to visit but we don’t have time anymore. Anyway, let me share our four days itinerary in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Day 1 in Copenhagen

We arrived in at DFDS Terminal Seaport before 10 in the morning and we reached Urban House by 11AM, we were too early for the 3PM check-in time. We took a rest and decided to store our luggage in the locker area so we can start our tour. Due to limited time, we only visited City Hall Tower, Ripley’s Believe it or Not, and Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale House.

Day 2 in Copenhagen

We visited a lot of tourists spot on our second day, a total of 9 tourist spots so we were all tired by the time we reached our hostel. We started our tour in Roskilde where we visited the Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde Town Hall, Roskilde Cathedral, and Roskilde Palace or Royal Mansion. After that, we traveled back to Copenhagen Central Station for our Canal Tours, it is a one-hour tour where you can see different tourist attractions. Then we walked to the longest shopping street in Europe which is called Strøget. We visited the Guinness World of Records Museum, Mystic Exploratorie, and lastly the Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli is the oldest theme park in the world.

Read: Viking Ship Museum
Roskilde Cathedral
Canal Tours in Denmark
Tivoli Gardens

Day 3 in Copenhagen

It snowed on our third day so we started our tour a little bit late because we don’t want to be frozen. We had a walking tour at The Round Tower, The King’s Garden, Rosenborg Castle, Amalienborg, and The Marble Church. My companions were all tired so we ended our tour early.

Read: Rosenborg Castle 

Day 4 in Copenhagen

Our fourth day in Copenhagen and my companions don’t want to go out anymore, they are afraid that we would miss our train ride. But I persuaded them to maximize our trip so we had our last tour at Christianborg Palace, The Ruins, and The Royal Kitchen. We’re glad that we did not miss this tour because we enjoyed our visit there. If time is not limited, there are more places that we could see within Christianborg Palace.

We rushed back to our hostel, picked up our luggage, ate quick lunch at the Food Market, and off we went to the boarding gate. This time we’re going to ride a train to Stockholm, Sweden, it was our first time traveling to another country via train.

Read: Traveling from Copenhagen Denmark to Stockholm Sweden via SJ Train

Even though I prepared an itinerary for our Copenhagen trip, we were not able to follow it day by day. But we have no regrets because we were able to visit a lot of tourist spots in Copenhagen. Our second day is the most tiring one, we started our tour in the Viking Ship Museum and we ended our day at Tivoli Gardens.

Read: Day 1 in Copenhagen

Day 2 in Copenhagen 

First thing on our list is The Viking Ship Museum, it is located at Roskilde, Denmark so we left Urban House before 9AM to make sure that we will arrive at the Viking Ship Museum before the opening which is 10 in the morning. Good thing that we left early because we just walked from Roskilde Train Station up to The Viking Ship Museum, about 2 km walk.

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

1. The Viking Ship Museum 



The Viking Ship Museum was opened in 1969, it is where you can see the five original Viking ships that were excavated in 1962. Aside from the boat collection, you can also watch short videos, read about Viking history, dress like a Viking, and if you visit during summer, you can ride the Nordic boat and participate in some workshops. We missed the boat ride and workshops because we visited in the month of April.

Read: The Viking Ship Museum 

2. Roskilde Town Hall 



On our way to the Viking Ship Museum, we saw this Roskilde Town Hall. It is the old city hall that was designed by architect O. Momme and was built in 1884. After the town hall, you will pass a long pedestrian street where restaurants, cafes, and shops are located.


3. Roskilde Cathedral 



Do not leave Roskilde without visiting Roskilde Cathedral, this cathedral is part of UNESCO World Heritage List since 1995. It is not just a cathedral, it is where the 39 Danish kings and queens were buried. You will pass this cathedral if you are walking to The Viking Ship Museum. If you have kids in tow, don’t worry because there is a treasure hunt activity that they can join.

Read: Roskilde Cathedral

4. Roskilde Palace or Royal Mansion (Yellow Palace)



Beside the Roskilde Cathedral is the four-wing yellow baroque building called Roskilde Palace. It used to be the residence of the royal family whenever they attend royal funerals at Roskilde Cathedral. Now, it is used for exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events. We just took a picture outside and then we had our lunch at Algade Pizzaria.

Read: Food Trip in Copenhagen Denmark

 After our lunch, we’re supposed to visit National Aquarium Denmark, Den Blå Planet because my son loves aquarium but I changed our itinerary to Canal Tours Copenhagen because I want to see Nyhavn. Feeling ko hindi ko nakapunta sa Denmark kung hindi ko nakita ito.

5. Canal Tours Copenhagen 

From Roskilde train station, we traveled back to Copenhagen Train Station and from there, we just walked until we reached the Ved Stranden. It is where we can ride the Canal Tours using our Copenhagen Card.


It is just a one-hour guided tour and you can already see different tourist spots. It is the best option if you are pressed of time because you can see several popular attractions from afar like Christianborg Palace, Nyhavn, The Copenhagen Opera House. The Little Mermaid, Amalienborg Palace, Church of Our Savior and many more.

Read: Canal Tours Copenhagen 

6. Strøget Shopping Street 

After our Canal Tour, we went to Strøget, it is one of the longest shopping streets in Europe. It is about 1 km long that covers the streets in Kongens Nytorv Square (King's New Square) up to City Hall Square. It covers Frederiksberggade, Gammel Torv / Nytorv (Old Market), Nygade, Vimmelskaftet, Fiolstræde Jorcks Passage, Købmagergade (connects to Nørreport Station via Kultorvet), Amagertorv and Østergade.

Thanks to Alfred Wassard because he was the one who initiated to have a pedestrian zone. It started on Nov. 17, 1962, when he was a mayor. He is the Father of car-free Strøget.  Strøget Shopping Street is a combination of expensive brands and budget-friendly shops.

We did not shop because we wanted to visit Guinness World of Records and Mystic Exploratorie. Aside from the shops, there are also restaurants and cafes where you can satisfy your food cravings. We ate waffle and churros at Gelato Rajissimo.

7. Guinness World of Records Museum 



My son wanted to visit this attraction after reading a flyer. It is included in our Copenhagen Card so we added this to our itinerary. This is the only Guinness World of Records Museum in Europe where you can see world records from all over the world like the fastest, strongest, tallest and many more. There are also some displays, trivia, galleries and interactive games.



8. Mystic Exploratorie 




Beside the Guinness World of Records Museum is Mystic Exploratorie. It is a hands-on experience house putting all your senses to the test. It was a small museum so it is better to buy a combination ticket to save money. If you are brave enough, you can sit on the electric chair.

9. Tivoli Gardens



Finally, our last attraction is the Tivoli Gardens. the second oldest theme park in the world. It is already 175 years old. This theme park served as an inspiration to Walt Disney, that’s why we have Disneyland. Do not compare this to Disneyland because it is small but it has its own charm. It is not open all year round so better visit their website for the schedule.

Read: Glimpse of Tivoli Gardens 

I can’t believe that we visited 9 tourist spots in one day. When I checked my activity in my health app, I walked 17.8 km, took 24,578 steps and climbed 12 floors. I’m glad that we made it and I’m so proud of my son kasi kinaya din niya maglakad ng ganito.

Read: Cruise to Copenhagen Denmark from Oslo Norway 
Day 3 in Copenhagen
Day 4 in Copenhagen