I was excited to see Sweden, since it was the only country on the cruise I had not visited.  However, Kronborg Castle is right across the bay from Helsingborg and we really wanted to check out what is known as Hamlet’s Castle. 

We had to take a shuttle bus into the city.  The bus waited until every seat was filled and only left on the exact half an hour, which I found interesting.  It dropped us off in front of this museum with these cute bunny sculptures out front.  

In order to get to the ferry, we could have walked, but my husband miscalculated how long it would take, so we took an uber that was quite expensive for such a short ride. The driver was nice enough to drop us right outside where you bought the tickets though.

The ferry to Denmark was impressive.  It had at least two places to eat, plus a big store to buy duty free items.  The ride was only 20 minutes.  We went outside briefly, but it was at the back of the ferry and much too windy to remain there for long. 

We walked to the castle from the ferry terminal.  It was cobblestones the whole way there.  Before you enter the moated area, there is a shop to buy tickets.  

You walk into a walled section between the moat and the courtyard first, then into the main courtyard. 

Inside the courtyard there are several signs directing you where to visit.  There is the first floor, second floor, gift shop, Cannon Tower, church, and something called the casemates.  We started at the casemates because a huge group of teenagers went through the door to the first floor. 

It was the most interesting part of the castle, in my opinion.  You walk down this tunnel underneath the castle. There are candles lighting your way and you can smell the wax.  We used the flashlights on our phones because some areas are very dark and we are quite clumsy. 

There is a giant statue of Holger the Dane. There is a legend that this is where he lies sleeping and he will awaken if Denmark is ever threatened. Hans Christian Andersen was the author of this fairy tale from 1846 and he named Kronborg Castle as Holger’s resting place.  A statue was made in 1907 and this is a cast of the original.

I loved exploring the tunnels. We ended up at the bottom of a well. 

We would have been lost if there had not been arrows on the walls.  It was very dark and there were lots of twists and turns.  The floor was also uneven so you had to take care walking. 

We then put our backpack in a free locker and headed over to the first floor to find out about the history of the castle.  This rug/map shows all the lands that Frederik II ruled. 

Frederik II built this castle for his wife, Sophie (and to present himself as a powerful king). The castle was the site of lavish parties (as you can tell from this amazing ballroom).  Sophie was 15 when they married and Frederik was 38. They had seven children together.  They were remembered as one of the happiest royal marriages in Europe. Their son was one of the most famous kings of Denmark, Christian IV.  

Stories of Kronborg parties reached England and this was why Shakespeare used Kronborg Castle as Hamlet’s home. Obviously, not every day was a party. This room is where all the work was done. 

This room was a gathering space to enjoy free time. 

This is the bedroom. The King and Queen had separate beds, but the room is quite small in order to keep it warm. 

This is the main promenade for women. They did not go outside much, so they walked this hallway. 

Kronborg burned in the 1600s and almost all of the interior was destroyed, except the church.  The pews were so elegant.  

The second floor area of rooms were supposed to represent the rooms of a later king that actually never used any of these rooms.  It was interesting reading about this king on the placards. Apparently, he was a moron and always drunk, so his aides were the ones who actually wielded all the power.  History often repeats itself and we are always surprised. 

I loved the wooden floors of the castle.  The refurbished rooms still took you back in time.  

They set up interesting things to do in some rooms, like puzzles or writing with a quill pen or trying your hand at needlepoint.  It was a neat extra to experience while checking out the castle.  

You could lay in this bed and see if you thought it was comfortable or not.  (It’s was pretty firm.)

This room was where a member of the royal family was kept prisoner (a woman of course).  She could go out to the round room (you can see the door to it on the right) and look at the sea. She was brought back to her own country and was never to see her children again.  I wish I knew her name, but it was thought she was unfaithful. 

Before we left we had to check out the flag bastion and cannons.  It really is a beautiful and strategic view. 

We walked around the town of Helsingor. It is a neat town with a main promenade just for pedestrians.  

We stopped at a cafe and had coffees and pastries.  We were not impressed and they cost at least $5 for each thing we ordered.  

My husband was still hungry so we stopped at a grocery store that had a big bakery section.  I really enjoyed the views of this town.  It was lovely to walk around. 

We took the ferry back to Helsingborg, Sweden.  We had about an hour to wander around the town before the shuttle went back to the ship and only an hour and a half before the last shuttle left. This building was so impressive even with all the scaffolding. 

I believe these were the steps up to the gardens.  We didn’t get to explore that area.  There was just not enough time in the day.  I did manage to buy myself a magnet and a postcard.  Together it was $9, which is super high, but I wanted something to remember my stop in Sweden.