Things to do in  Helsingør

Immortalized as the setting of Shakespeare’sHamlet, Kronborg Castle is one of Denmark’s top attractions. The fortress casts an imposing silhouette on Øresund (“the Sound”), and its towering Renaissance facade holds more than 400 years of history. From lavish ballrooms to the darkest of dungeons, this castle has it all.

Dramatically set on the shores of Øresund (the Sound), the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is Denmark’s leading modern and contemporary art institution. Behind its glass-fronted facade are more than 3,000 pieces, including works by Picasso, Warhol, and Bourgeois. Visitors also enjoy the museum’s idyllic seafront sculpture park.

The summer residence of the Danish Royal Family, Fredensborg Palace is a grand country home north of Copenhagen. For one month a year, visitors can explore the palace interiors and live like royalty for a day.

The Culture Yard is Helsingør’s cultural hub and backdrop to many of the city’s premier events. A must-see for lovers of music, literature, theater, and film, the complex includes performance spaces, a library, a shipyard museum, an art-tech center, and a café—all set inside shipyard buildings along the waterfront, which have been strikingly updated. Catch a performance, browse the library’s collection, visit an exhibition, or simply admire its contemporary architecture.

A mecca for gearheads and lovers of all things planes, trains, and automobiles, the Technical Museum of Denmark (Danmarks Tekniske Museet) impresses with its vast collection of steam engines, bicycles, cars, and airplanes, plus a variety of exhibits—many of them interactive—focused on science, technology, and industry.

You don’t have to be a boating enthusiast to appreciate the cutting-edge architecture and engaging exhibits at the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark. Capitalizing on the country’s seafaring history, this museum informs and entertains with interactive permanent and temporary exhibits. Learn about maritime culture, from its evolving technology to the people behind this legendary way of life.

Cruise ships from nearby Copenhagen and ferries from neighboring Helsingborg in Sweden sail along the Oresund Strait to Helsingør, home of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the UNESCO–listed Kronborg Castle. New arrivals will find themselves at the atmospheric harbor of Helsingor Havn, where traditional architecture is juxtaposed against modern masterpieces.