Bus to and from Helsingborg from $5.99

The city of Helsingborg is perfectly nestled between Copenhagen, Malmö, and Gothenburg making it a great and unique place to experience Swedish life. There’s plenty to do without the city feeling overwhelming. Helsingborg becomes a vacation hotspot for many Swedes, Danes, and Germans during the summer. While the beaches are great during the summer, they become increasingly cozier during the fall and late spring. The beach and harbor are scattered with great restaurants, cafes and shops all with wonderful views. If you are visiting the city during the winter, most eateries offer blankets to patrons, so you can enjoy slowing down while being bundled up and cozy.  A local favorite ice cream shop, Helsingborgs Glassfabrik, or more commonly known as “the ice cream bus” since their store is an old-school American school bus is smartly situated at the beginning of the harbor walk so one can enjoy homemade ice cream as you walk along the harbor and to the beach. Gröningen is a large green area beside the beach where you can set up barbeques, picnics or just sit and enjoy the waves all year long. 

The city of Helsingborg has many different outlets to do cultural things. Walk back in time at Fredriksdal, an open-air museum that allows you to experience what life was like for past generations in Sweden. During the warmer months, there are many festivals and demonstrations to enjoy. Dunkers Kulturhus is an art museum that lies right on the harbor in a cool funky update of a traditional Swedish building. There is always something going on at the museum whether it’s a rotation of exhibits or a jazz music festival. In the basement of the museum is a nice café that has a patio beside the harbor in case you need a small break from the art viewing. Only a 10-minute bus ride or a 20-minute bike ride from the beach is the former summer home to the Swedish royal family, Sofiero. The castle is home to the largest collection of rhododendrons in Europe which never ceases to amaze. Throughout the summer there are concerts and plays put on the green that leads up to the castle. Near the city center, you may have noticed a large staircase leading up to a tower, Kärnan, which is the only remaining part of the medieval fortress that protected the town from invaders. 

In the compact city center, there are many shops and cafes to choose from many of which are chains are can be found all over Sweden. However, while in Helsingborg you need to get the true feeling of the city and the best way to do so is through food at locally owned restaurants. Fahlman’s is a turn of the century styled Helsingborg bakery and staple of social life. Most locals would recommend that you try Fahlman’s at least once. Here you can get a light lunch and choose from an array of sweets. Ebba’s Fik is a fun and quirky 50's style diner offering hamburgers, toasties, and salads. Plus, don’t forget dessert! Ebba’s takes classic Swedish recipes and puts their own tasty spin on it. Get a few different kinds to share amongst your travel crew to get the best experience. 

Helsingborg is so lucky to be so close to the water, but you can also reach the forest and national park of Söderåsen in under an hour. There are a variety of hikes one can take depending on your preferred length and difficulty level. There are also many nice places just to chill and enjoy the nature. A little further away from Helsingborg is Kullaberg National Park which can also be reached by bus. Upon arrival,  it's hard to believe that you are still in Sweden. The cliffs and caves seem otherworldly and make for perfect pictures to show friends back home.

Just across the strait is Helsingör, Denmark a sweet little Danish city that always seems to have something different happening. All you need to do is take the ferry across. The ferry runs every 20 minutes from Helsingborg central station. This small city’s claim to global fame is its castle Kronborg which was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. All year you can take tours included in the price of the ticket around the castle. Be sure not to miss the statue of Hans Christian Andersen’s character Holger Danske who sleeps in the casemates if you’re lucky you may see a few bats too. During the summer months, the castle has actors act out scenes from the play and get visitors to participate. After your tour of the castle, you have many different small restaurants to choose from including a food market where you can choose from a great variety of food. If you have time before returning to Helsingborg, board the ferry and enjoy a tura. A tura is where you board the ferry with no intention of getting off anytime soon and is usually paired with a beer and hotdog. You may stay on the ferry as long or as little as you’d like, so do as the locals do and enjoy the tax-free goods and good company.