Kronborg Castle, Elsinore

Photo: Ted Fahn

Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, at the seaward approach to the sound, Øresund, is one of northern Europe's most important Renaissance castles. Known all over the world from Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is also the most famous castle in Denmark and is visited each year by about 200,000 Danes and tourists.

For kids and adults alike

The castle now serves as museum and adult visitors will probably find the very diverse artistic offerings of the castle worth a closer look. Around 1580, King Frederik II commissioned about 40 tapestries featuring no fewer than 113 Danish kings. The tapestries are now on public display in one of the castle halls. On a very different note modern art can be found in the outer fortifications of the castle, where working studios of upcoming Danish artists reside. The children shouldn't feel neglected as the booklet Kronborg for kids will keep them entertained with quizzes and puzzles about the castle. Moreover, children and adults alike will undoubtedly be impressed by the splendour of the ballroom or a trip down the dark casemates, where you will meet the national hero Holger Danske. The myth says that when the kingdom is threatened by a foreign enemy, the stone figure will become flesh and blood, and Holger Danske will rise up to defend the fatherland. Your trip to Kronborg could very well be combined with a stroll down the cobbled streets of the atmospheric town of Elsinore and a classic Danish ice cream cone. A combined ticket for all the sights is DKK 80.