7/24 Day trip to Helsingør and Helsinborg

During our second weekend in Copenhagen, my classmates and I set out for an excursion to the world's famous Hamlet's castle, Kronborg, in Helsingør (or Elsinore in English). Built in the 1420s and recognized as one of the World's Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2000, Helsingør is internationally known as the setting for Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. It is also one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe.

We left our dorm at around 9:30am and first went to Nørreport Station to buy tickets (4-zone clipcards, or klippekort ).  Then we took the regional train and headed north for 35 minutes to the tip of Zealand, where Helsingør is located. Upon arriving at the Kornborg castle, all of us tourists were in awe of its magnificent appearance and started snapping photos. After we crossed two moats to get to the interior part of the castle, there was already a long line in front of the ticket office. Luckily, the line moved quite fast so all of us got our tickets within 5 minutes.

We visited several parts of the castle. The royal apartments and the ballroom are definitely the must-see's of the castle. The tour guide even said that people can make reservations to use the breathtaking ballroom for private special occasions, though it can be quite costly.  The famous statue of Holger Danske, or Ogier the Dane, can be found in the casemates. He is the national symbol of all Danes. According to the legend, Holger Danske will awaken from his slumber and save Denmark when the country is in grave danger. The castle chapel also has an interesting history. Besides being spared from the catastrophic fire that destroyed most parts of the castle in 1629, it had been once incorporated into military barracks and used as a fencing hall before being switched back to its original purpose.  

After visiting Helsingør, we decided to take the ferry across to Helsinborg, the Swedish town just on the other side of the Øresund strait. Because Helsinborg is located on Sweden's closest point to Denmark, the ferry ride was very convenient and only took about 20 minutes. The medieval tower Kärnan (or Kernen in Danish, meaning "the core") is the oldest part of the town, and it is actually what remains of a larger Danish fortress that, along with the fortress in Kronborg in Helsingør, controlled the gateway to the Baltic Sea. Although we really wanted to climb up Kärnan to see the parorama of the city and the beautiful Øresund, by that time of the day our legs were already giving out on us. In the end, we opted for a walk along the scenic coastline in the breezy afternoon.

Despite the overcast weather, it was a great decision we made to immerse ourselves in the rich historical and cultural significance of Kronborg castle and the breathtaking scenery of Helsinborg coastline instead of staying in our dorm. The excursion made a profound impression on us, the same way Shakespeare was inspired to set his play in this magnificent castle and extraordinary town.