Akershus Castle: what is inside, and why it is closed

The short version: Akershus Castle — Akershus slott — is the medieval royal castle standing inside the fortress walls. King Håkon V began it in the late 1290s and Christian IV turned it into a Renaissance residence in the first half of the 1600s. It is closed to all visitors until further notice, along with the castle chapel and the Royal Mausoleum, after the death of King Harald V on 28 August 2026. The fortress grounds around it are open, free, and worth the walk on their own.

What it isMedieval royal castle

BegunLate 1290s

Built byKing Håkon V

Rebuilt byChristian IV, 1600s

AddressRådhusgata 32

InteriorClosed until notice

Why the door is shut

King Harald V died on 28 August 2026 and was interred at Akershus after the state funeral in Oslo Cathedral on 9 September. The museum’s notice closes the castle, the chapel and the Royal Mausoleum to all visitors until further notice. Nobody has published a reopening date, and I am not going to guess one for you. The grounds and the two museums reopened on 11 September 2026, so the gates work normally. It is the castle door that does not.

This matters for planning in one specific way. If the inside of the castle is the reason you were coming, wait. If you were coming for the walls, the ramparts and the view over the harbour, nothing has changed and you do not need a ticket for any of it.

What the castle actually is

Håkon V started building on the headland after Earl Alv Erlingsson attacked Oslo in 1287. The castle appears in writing for the first time in 1300, and by 1308 it was already strong enough to sit out a siege. Over the following centuries it took over from Tønsberg as Norway’s principal castle: a royal residence, a treasury and the hard point the country fell back on. The full account is on the history page.

The Renaissance conversion

Christian IV rebuilt Akershus as a Renaissance castle during the first half of the 1600s. He added Italian-inspired bastions and new towers, among them Blåtårnet, the Blue Tower, and Romerikstårnet. That is the outline you photograph today: a medieval core inside a 17th-century skin. The same king, after the Oslo fire of August 1624, walked the ground below the walls and ordered a new city built there, which is why central Oslo sits where it does.

What you would see inside

Conditional, because you cannot currently go in. The castle holds the halls used for official state functions since it was reopened for them in 1947, the chapel with its royal box, the Arneberg staircase in the courtyard, and the Royal Mausoleum, which is normally viewed through a wrought-iron gate rather than entered. A major accessibility project inside the castle is finished and waiting, with lifts, ramps and better lighting throughout — see accessibility for what that covers and what it does not.

The castle chapel

Slottskirken is one of the oldest churches in Oslo. A chapel has probably stood on the spot since the early 1300s, under Håkon V. In normal times it is used for services, weddings and concerts, and musicians rate it as one of the best chamber-music rooms in the city. It is closed with the rest of the castle.

Hours, for when it reopens

These are the normal season hours. Sources disagree on the detail, and the castle is shut in any case, so treat them as a rough shape and check before you travel.

Season	Normal hours
May–August	Mon–Sat 10:00–16:00, Sun 12:00–16:00
September–April	Sat–Sun 12:00–17:00

The grounds keep entirely different hours and are open all year. They are set out on the opening hours page.

Insider tip

The castle was the ticketed part. The grounds never were. If you walk up and find the castle door closed, you have not missed something you paid for — there was nothing to pay. More on that on is it free.

What is open inside the walls

Norway’s Resistance Museum — ticketed, open, and the best thing inside the walls right now. See the museum page.
The Norwegian Armed Forces Museum — ticketed, open, in the old arsenal building. A combined ticket for the museums is sold at the visitor centre by Karpedammen.
The ramparts and the grounds — free, every day. The walls are high and the official advice is to keep hold of children.

Seeing the inside of the fortress with a guide

With the castle shut, the way to get past the outside of things is a guide and the Home Front Museum. The private tour below meets in front of Festningen at Myntgata 9, inside the fortress, and includes museum entry. It is a new listing with no rating and no reviews yet, which you should weigh yourself.

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Tours that pass the castle

Inside the walls

Frequently asked questions

Can I go inside Akershus Castle right now?

No. The castle, the castle chapel and the Royal Mausoleum are closed to all visitors until further notice, after the death of King Harald V on 28 August 2026, and no reopening date has been published. The grounds outside are open and free — see the opening hours.

Is Akershus Castle the same thing as Akershus Fortress?

No, and the difference matters. The fortress is the whole walled headland, free to walk into. The castle is the medieval royal building inside it, which is ticketed in normal times and is currently shut. Nearly every confused review I read comes from mixing the two up.

Who built Akershus Castle?

King Håkon V Magnusson began it in the late 1290s, after Earl Alv Erlingsson’s attack on Oslo in 1287. Christian IV rebuilt it as a Renaissance castle in the first half of the 1600s. The history page follows it through to 1945.

Do I need a ticket for Akershus Castle?

In normal times, yes, and it is free with the Oslo Pass. Right now there is no ticket to buy, because the castle is closed. The grounds have never charged admission.