| | Overview (Source: Frommers) |
230km (143 miles) S of Gothenburg, 560km (348 miles) SW of Stockholm, 63km (39 miles) N of Malmö Helsingborg likes to call itself Sweden's gateway to the Continent or even the "pearl of the Öresund." But it took us a long time and several visits before we warmed to its charms. We once viewed it as a not very impressive provincial town with a large ferry terminal. It was a mere gateway for us as we passed between Sweden and Denmark. After having spent a lot more time in Helsingborg, we've changed our minds. More and more, the city is taking great care to make it a more inviting and user-friendly destination. Now, at least there are enough attractions to make for 1 very busy day of sightseeing before you rush over to Denmark to see "Hamlet's Castle" or head south to sample the more continental charms of Malmö. At the narrowest point of the Øresund (Öresund in Swedish), 5km (3 miles) across the water that separates Sweden and Denmark, sits this industrial city and major port. Many people from Copenhagen take the 25-minute ferry ride (leaving every 20 min.) across the sound for a look at Sweden. Of course, what they see isn't "Sweden," but a modern city with an ancient history. In the Middle Ages, Helsingborg and Helsingør together controlled shipping along the sound. Helsingborg is mentioned in the 10th-century Njal's-Saga (an ancient Viking document), and other documents also indicate that there was a town here in 1085. The city now has more than 100,000 inh
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