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Helsingør

Fascinating Helsingør commands the narrowest point of the Øresund, the sound that separates Denmark from today's Sweden. In the 15th and 16th centuries the city became immensely wealthy by taxing shipping that had to pass this way between the Baltic Sea and the open ocean. For a sizeable town, Helsingør has done a pretty good job of maintaining mementoes of its medieval character, best appreciated by strolling through the grid of narrow cobbled streets between the harbour and the bustling shopping core. Here, half-timbered back-alley houses lean precariously behind towering hollyhocks and creeping ivy. The main sight, however, is the gigantic Kronborg Slot, made famous as Elsinore Castle in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, although the intimate psychological nature of the play is a far cry from the real-life military colossus.

Very frequent ferries shuttle to Helsingborg (Sweden).

Explore Helsingør

Kronborg Slot
Best known as the Elsinore Castle of Shakespeare's Hamlet, this Unesco World Heritage Site is a vast Renaissance masterpiece topped by baroque green…
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M/S Museet for Søfart
Ingeniously built into a dry dock beside Kronborg Slot, this subterranean museum merits a visit as much for its design as for its informative multimedia…
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Helsingør Bymuseum
One block north of the cathedral, Helsingør Bymuseum occupies a former sailors’ hospital, built in 1516 by the monks of the adjacent monastery. It…
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Sankt Mariæ Kirke & Karmeliterklostret
Karmeliterklostret is one of Scandinavia’s few fully preserved monastic cloisters, its arched brick arcades giving the feel of an Oxford college. The…
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Skibsklarerergaarden
Meaning 'Shipwreck Garden', this 1580 terraced building has a feel that has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. The ground floor 'Boutik' …
S
Sankt Olai Domkirke
The handsome, red-brick Sankt Olai Domkirke is a Gothic cathedral built in 1559 on the site of a 13th-century original. Eclectic features include a…
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Danmarks Tekniske Museum
On an industrial estate southwest of Helsingør, Danmarks Tekniske Museum displays innovative technological inventions from the late 19th and early 20th…
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Værftsmuseet
This free museum hosts changing exhibitions that highlight the role of shipbuilding in Helsingør's 19th- and 20th-century history. Once the city's main…
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Han
A humorous dig at the Little Mermaid, Han is a 2012 male version of that statue in a similar pose to the Copenhagen original but made in gleamingly…

Kronborg Slot
Best known as the Elsinore Castle of Shakespeare's Hamlet, this Unesco World Heritage Site is a vast Renaissance masterpiece topped by baroque green…
M
M/S Museet for Søfart
Ingeniously built into a dry dock beside Kronborg Slot, this subterranean museum merits a visit as much for its design as for its informative multimedia…
H
Helsingør Bymuseum
One block north of the cathedral, Helsingør Bymuseum occupies a former sailors’ hospital, built in 1516 by the monks of the adjacent monastery. It…
S
Sankt Mariæ Kirke & Karmeliterklostret
Karmeliterklostret is one of Scandinavia’s few fully preserved monastic cloisters, its arched brick arcades giving the feel of an Oxford college. The…
S
Skibsklarerergaarden
Meaning 'Shipwreck Garden', this 1580 terraced building has a feel that has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. The ground floor 'Boutik' …
S
Sankt Olai Domkirke
The handsome, red-brick Sankt Olai Domkirke is a Gothic cathedral built in 1559 on the site of a 13th-century original. Eclectic features include a…
D
Danmarks Tekniske Museum
On an industrial estate southwest of Helsingør, Danmarks Tekniske Museum displays innovative technological inventions from the late 19th and early 20th…
V
Værftsmuseet
This free museum hosts changing exhibitions that highlight the role of shipbuilding in Helsingør's 19th- and 20th-century history. Once the city's main…
H
Han
A humorous dig at the Little Mermaid, Han is a 2012 male version of that statue in a similar pose to the Copenhagen original but made in gleamingly…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Helsingør.

See
Kronborg Slot
Best known as the Elsinore Castle of Shakespeare's Hamlet, this Unesco World Heritage Site is a vast Renaissance masterpiece topped by baroque green…
See
M/S Museet for Søfart
Ingeniously built into a dry dock beside Kronborg Slot, this subterranean museum merits a visit as much for its design as for its informative multimedia…
See
Helsingør Bymuseum
One block north of the cathedral, Helsingør Bymuseum occupies a former sailors’ hospital, built in 1516 by the monks of the adjacent monastery. It…
See
Sankt Mariæ Kirke & Karmeliterklostret
Karmeliterklostret is one of Scandinavia’s few fully preserved monastic cloisters, its arched brick arcades giving the feel of an Oxford college. The…
See
Skibsklarerergaarden
Meaning 'Shipwreck Garden', this 1580 terraced building has a feel that has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. The ground floor 'Boutik' …
See
Sankt Olai Domkirke
The handsome, red-brick Sankt Olai Domkirke is a Gothic cathedral built in 1559 on the site of a 13th-century original. Eclectic features include a…
See
Danmarks Tekniske Museum
On an industrial estate southwest of Helsingør, Danmarks Tekniske Museum displays innovative technological inventions from the late 19th and early 20th…
See
Værftsmuseet
This free museum hosts changing exhibitions that highlight the role of shipbuilding in Helsingør's 19th- and 20th-century history. Once the city's main…
See
Han
A humorous dig at the Little Mermaid, Han is a 2012 male version of that statue in a similar pose to the Copenhagen original but made in gleamingly…

Guidebooks

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