Helsingør (Elsinore)

Fascinating Helsingør dominates the narrowest part of the Øresund, the sound that divides Denmark from modern-day Sweden. The city grew extremely wealthy in the 15th and 16th centuries by charging vessels that had to travel through this route between the Baltic Sea and the open sea.

Helsingør has done a wonderful job of preserving relics of its medieval character for such a large town, best enjoyed by meandering along the grid of tiny cobblestone alleyways connecting the port and the lively retail district. Half-timbered back-alley homes lean perilously against tall hollyhocks and creeping ivy here. The primary attraction, though, is the massive Kronborg Slot, best known as Elsinore Castle in Shakespeare's Hamlet, despite the fact that the intimate psychological aspect of the play is a far cry from the real-life military giant.