We don’t really celebrate birthday.
But, we love to have an excuse to travel 😀
So, in the mid of July, we went to Helsingør to “celebrate” my husband’s and my daughter’s birthday. That was our first time to this port city in eastern Denmark. We planned to go there with a friend long time ago, but had to cancel it because my friend forgot to bring his passport that time 😀 .
Yep! Since Sweden still impose border control, everyone travels to Sweden must bring valid ID when enter the country. And even though Helsingør is only separated by a narrow strait from it’s Swedish twin city, Helsingborg (you can even see it from the port), you better bring your passport with you when you go there, otherwise you might get a problem to re-enter Sweden.
Anyway, we went to Helsingør by ferry from Helsingborg. Helsingør is also accessible by train via Öresund Bridge, if you prefer, but it takes bit longer. By ferry, it only takes 20 minutes and the view is super nice. The experience inside the ferry itself is quite something as you can dine, have a fika and even shop there. You can also stay as long as you wish if you just wanted to enjoy the cruise 😀
The ticket for the ferry can be purchased in Helsingborg terminal or you can buy via Skånetrafiken, the operator of public transport in Skåne.
We arrived before midday in Helsingør. We were lucky because it was sunny and warm that day despite the wind. We strolled around and Zaki was instantly busy with his camera (of course! 😀 ) then we decided to go to Kronborg Castle, the main tourist attraction in Helsingør. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and was the actual castle of the setting of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.
In summer, there are live actions in the castle so you can experience Hamlet’s world as you walk around, including the most famous one:
To be or not to be, that is the question.
We then had lunch at the Maritime Museum of Denmark‘s cafe but didn’t go inside the museum as we didn’t have enough time to explore (which was too bad because the museum seems really good and worth a visit 😦 ). The birthday girl only played with one of the museum attractions for a while before we left.
Instead, we just strolled around the city, captured pictures here and there, and I must admit that Helsingør is really pretty! It may not as big as Copenhagen, but it has this charm and aura of an old town. So, if you’re still wondering “to go or not to go to Helsingør”, I think the answer is most certainly to go.
Hayu Hamemayu 
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