After the Helsingborg Marathon: Helsingør

The Route: Helsingborg → Helsingør → Helsingborg Logistics: Ferry from the harbour beside the finish area, then a flat walk of under a kilometre to the castle. No car needed. Marathon Month: September Duration: Day trip

Helsingborg ferry terminal ──(about 20 mins, ferry)──> Helsingør ──(10 min walk)──> Kronborg Castle
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        └──────────────────────(about 20 mins, ferry)──────────────────────────────────────┘

The race finishes on a Saturday and Denmark is visible from the finish area. On a clear day the Danish shore sits about four kilometres away across the Öresund, close enough that the castle at Helsingør shows as a dark lump with a green copper roof. Sunday is the day to go and look at it properly, since the ferry makes the crossing in about 20 minutes and costs your legs nothing.

September in Helsingør. The ferry runs from 00:10 to 23:40 on the latest listing, so a day trip has no real timetable pressure. Early September is the end of the summer season. Cafés and the castle keep their normal hours, the crowds thin and the wind off the sound is the main thing to dress for. Bring a windproof layer and something dry to change into after the walk, because the quay is exposed.

Getting there

Foot passengers board at the ferry terminal on Helsingborg's waterfront, a short walk from the finish area and the station. The crossing takes about 20 minutes. Check the current fares and timetable with the ferry operator before you go, and ask whether you need a passport or national ID card on board. Both countries are in the Schengen area, but carrying photo identification is sensible. On arrival at Helsingør you walk off the ferry into the town centre, and the castle is a flat walk along the harbour front.

Kronborg Castle

Kronborg stands on the point where the Øresund narrows, and for centuries that made it a toll booth. From the late fifteenth century Danish kings charged ships to pass the strait, and the guns of the fortress enforced the payment. UNESCO lists the castle as a World Heritage site. Shakespeare set Hamlet in a place he called Elsinore, which is Helsingør in English spelling, though the castle's own website says he probably never visited. It is a stage set that happens to be real.

The castle is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 on the latest listing, and online tickets were DKK 150 for adults and DKK 135 for concessions at the time of writing. Prices vary and opening hours change with the season, so check the Kronborg website before you go. Allow two hours for the royal apartments, the chapel and the casemates. The casemates are the underground vaults, and they are cold, uneven and dim, so go slowly on the stairs.

The courtyard and the ramparts are level and open, with benches. The ramparts give the best view across the sound to the Swedish side, and you can pick out the Kärnan tower in Helsingborg on a clear day.

Lunch and a walk

Helsingør's old town is a grid of narrow streets behind the harbour, with painted merchants' houses and a cluster of cafés and bakeries. Check what is open on the Sunday when you arrive, since small places keep irregular hours in the shoulder season. The walk from the castle to the old centre is about 10 minutes on level cobbles and paving. Expect cobbles to be harder on tired quads than they look.

Back to Helsingborg

Return ferries run through the evening. Give yourself a margin if you plan to eat before the last crossings, and keep the last departure time on your phone.