Sofiero Slott (Castle), on the Northern Edge of Helsingborg, Sweden, is Open to the Public

Sofiero Slott is located on the northern edge of Helsingborg, in the southern region of Sweden which we call Skane. It is one of 25 castles located within a 50 kilometer radius of Malmo. There are over 200 castles in the region total. This is why Skane is often referred to as Castle Country. Sofiero may not be as old as others in the region, but it is lovely none the less, and it is open to the public. If you are planning a trip to Sweden, do be sure to put Sofiero Slott on your itinerary. I moved to this area of Sweden partly because of my life-long love affair with castles.

Slott is the Swedish word for Castle, so when researching castles do also search for Slott. You will get a lot more returns on Google that way.

Sofiero was built in the late 1800s (1864 to be exact) as a on -level summer home for then-Prince Oscar and his wife Sophia. When Oscar took the throne as King of Sweden about 10 years later, Sofiero Slott was renovated to how it looks today. It isn't a huge castle in comparison to others in the area, but it is glorious. Sofiero is a mere two-stories tall, but it is grand in appearance and has acres upon acres of lush gardens. The gardens are the work of Gustaf Adolf and his wife Margareta, who took possession of the castle as a gift from Oscar II around 1905. Sofiero is renowned for its rhododendrons.

This castle sits right at the edge of the Oresund, the arm of the Baltic which reaches up and separates Denmark from Sweden. Indeed, the Skane area once was a property of Denmark and was the scene of a very long and bloody battle between the two countries. Obviously, Sweden won. Denmark and Sweden are fast friends now, with intermingled royal bloodlines, but there is still a little hint of rivalry between the two. This section of the Oresund is very narrow, allowing a beautiful view of Denmark's Kronborg castle across the water from the back balcony of Sofiero. Stunning, that. If you have the fortitude to take in two castles in one day, you can hop aboard the Scandlines Ferry right there in Helsingborg for a mere 50 SEK (about 6 bucks.) This will take you directly to Helsingor, Denmark where you can oooh and ahhh at Kronborg Castle as well. Personally, that would be too energetic for me. I suggest you do Sofiero one day, and Kronborg the next.

Some of the castles in Skane are private residences to this day; and others have been converted into posh hotels. Sofiero was granted to the city of Helsingborg though and has been opened to the public. Admittance to the castle itself and the myriad gardens is 90SEK for adults. If you wish to just wander around the gardens, it is only 70SEK. the exchange rate as I write this is at 6.75 Swedish Kronor per US Dollar, but that fluctuates so do check on that when you decide to come.

Various activities are booked at Sofiero throughout the year. On my last visit they had the castle interior set up with the work of a prominent historical artist. My husband and I have also attended events such as car shows out on the lawn. I had to drag him away from the classic Mustangs at that one. It was almost a very expensive visit, that. Men. You can check all the special event dates and prices at their website.

There is a mini castle to the left edge of the grounds also. This is the adorable little gift shop built to match the main castle. In here you will find wonders galore. They have tons of books about castles in general, and Sofiero Slott in particular; t-shirts, coffee mugs, and all the other usual assorted tourist stuff. The prices are not outrageous at all, as you would expect from a tourist trap. there is also a smaller version of the gift shop at the entrance/exit to the grounds in case you forgot to buy a post card for Aunt Myrtle while you were in the main gift shop.

If you get hungry, wander out behind the main castle. there is a very nice lunch type of restaurant right there on the terrace of Sofiero serving a variety of sandwiches and drinks overlooking the Oresund. It is a nice place to sit and just sip a cup of Sweden's wonderful coffee while you rest up a bit.

If you are planning a trip to Sweden, do be sure to stop in and admire Sofiero Slott. Even if you are not at all into castles, it is worth the price of admittance just to see the gardens. They are amazing. If you are a castle freak like me, then Sofiero just has to be on your list of 'been there - done that' castles. Besides, you will inevitably find yourself in Helsingborg anyway given its wide array of things to do, so you may as well stop into Sofiero.