In September we took a short trip to Oslo, Norway, via the DFDS ferry, which is an overnight boat trip where you embark in the afternoon in Copenhagen (or Oslo if starting from the opposite direction), enjoy your evening on the ferry, and arrive in Oslo the next morning. Then you have a day to explore the city, hop back on the ferry, and head home. This is a fun way to explore a new place, and our kids absolutely love traveling on the boat, for them its an adventure complete with hot tubs, restaurants, new friends, and a duty-free store. 
The ferry
Taking the ferry from Copenhagen, you board around 3:30 for a 4:30 departure. This allows for plenty of time on the ship to explore, shop, eat, and, if you want to, take a soak, which is my kids’ favorite.
Regarding tickets, you can buy per person, and if you are bringing a car you can add that on, too. What I’ve seen is that it is quite a bit cheaper to book on the danish site, so if you can navigate it, you’ll pay less. Round trip, the lowest price you’ll pay for a 4 person cabin (it’s tiny, with 2 bunk beds and a bathroom) is 704 DKK, or about $110. That’s a deal for 2 nights’ sleep. The prices vary depending on the season as well. If you are going for a higher end experience, the premium cabins are much prettier, and you’ll even get a window :).
The ship has quite a few restaurants to choose, from buffet to gourmet. If you prefer, you can bring food on board, but the rooms do not have microwaves or refrigerators, so you’re stuck with simple fare.
One of my favorite parts of the trip are all the great views. On a clear day, the sunset and sunrise are first rate, and I never tire of watching the water and the birds.
Oslo
In Oslo, one day is not quite enough to do everything, but you can do a lot.
Opera House
We began with a walk around the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, which you spot from the deck of the ferry upon arrival into Oslo, is designed by Snøhetta, and really is an architectural enchantment. Walking towards the entrance, you are actually walking on the slanted roof of the building, winding your way up, with the Oslo Fjord as the backdrop. Inside, the walls light up in green and white diamonds.
Lunch
For lunch, we met up with a friend at Fiskeriet Youngstorget for some great seafood soup. The food was incredible, and the wall mural wasn’t bad, either.
Castles and Forts: Akershus
We also spent about and hour and a half traipsing around the Akershus Fortress, and the weather was perfect. Building of the castle and fortress began in 1299 and was completed in the 1300s. Concerts are held here in the summer, but we simply enjoyed the grounds.
Art: The Nasjonalmuseet
We had 45 minutes before we needed to head back to the ship. Could we see an art museum in that amount of time? Yes, for the Nasjonalmuseet. Realistically, it’d be better to have a couple hours, but this museum is a delightful size; completely engaging and you don’t feel exhausted by the time you’ve finished exploring. We went primarily to see The Scream, as I expect a lot of people do, since its touristy. But I really like Edvard Munch and I also really like The Scream, so we wanted to see it for real. There is so much great art at the National Gallery, we enjoyed every single one of our 45 minutes there.
Churches: Oslo Cathedral
One last site we toured, the Oslo Cathedral. The absolute coolest part was the painted ceilings, painted by Hugo Lous Mohr between 1936 and 1950. You could crick your neck staring at them. The original church is from 1697, and it was restored in the 1950s.
On the outside of the cathedral, you can find the “Devil of Oslo” – a sculpture of a man covered in beasts.
And on the grounds. The heart sculpture outside the church is a memorial to the bombing of the government quarters and the Utøya massacre in Oslo in 2011. It reads ‘greatest of all is love’. My little one doesn’t know about the history, but she really loved the saying and the heart. Greatest of all is love.
thecloudsarelowerhere 