Experience the best of Helsingør

Helsingør, called Elsinore in English, lies 39 km north of Copenhagen at the point where the Øresund strait narrows to about four kilometres, with Helsingborg in Sweden in clear view across the water. Kronborg Castle, a Renaissance fortress on the headland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Elsinore of Hamlet. Its royal apartments, great hall and casemates under the ramparts can be explored, and the play is sometimes staged in its grounds.

The Maritime Museum of Denmark, set in an old dry dock beside the castle, tells the story of the country's seafaring. In the medieval old town, narrow lanes of pastel houses lead to St Olaf's Cathedral and to the Carmelite monastery with St Mary's Church. Along the coast road south, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art at Humlebæk looks over the strait, and Frederiksborg Castle at Hillerød and the beaches of north Zealand lie inland and to the west.

Danish open sandwiches called smørrebrød, smoked fish and herring, and fresh shrimp are everyday food here, and bakeries sell cinnamon pastries. The weather is mild and often grey, with long light evenings in June and July. Late spring to early autumn is the best time for walking the ramparts and the harbour front.