Sofiero Palace — Attraction in Helsingborgs kommun

Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, but not what I expected for paying 120 sek in entrance fee. Lovely gardens with a beautiful castle, places to eat, have a picnic, exhibitions, etc.

As I said previously, the gardens are lovely and I can only imagine what the rhododendron is like in full bloom throughout the estate. There is also a maze, a mystic tree garden like something out of the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. It's gorgeous. But taking the entrance fee into account, there are other free gardens and parks in Helsingborg, although maybe not quite as pretty, that I'd rather visit. I expected something more from Sofiero Palace, as it had the facade of a theme park.

Furthermore, the exhibitions. They had ads placed in Helsingborg while on the way to Sofiero Palace and we thought it to be a big deal. They are "free" as they are included in the entry fee, but you need to book a time due to the current situation and that is fine. I was a bit bummed out to know that the time in the exhibition was limited to just 25 minutes. It starts with the history of the palace and the swedish royal family, with photos, and rooms that are designed with certain eras in mind. Then came the temporary exhibition, in my opinion it was quite small an underwhelming, but it might just be that I wasn't as interested in the theme of the exhibition, eternal fashion. I realized that 25 minutes was quite enough for the rather small exhibition.

I summary, over-hyped and in my opinion expensive. It's ok if you're willing to drop some bucks for going to a park. Would reconsider visiting when the...

Unfortunately for us, we were too early for most of the spring blooms (the park was not officially open, and we didn't need to buy tickets), but it was not hard to see that it is a spectacular place when the flowers are out. There are even little "forests" for the kids to play in. We will be back at a better time, for sure. Well worth the little detour to visit.

EDIT / UPDATE We returned later in the season and the grounds were lovely. Plenty of flowers out to enjoy and more importantly, the buildings were open to visit inside. The "castle" is lovely and I am so glad to have been able to see it. There was an art exhibit inside (it was only so-so), in addition to the historical exhibit (well worth the time to read). I think we will return for out third visit later in the fall when the leaves have turned colour.

Bottom line: We made two trips from Oslo (14 hours total driving each time) to see this place and are planning a third trip, so I think it is very high on out list, based on our willingness to undertake such...

I was here for a great rock concert, so the place - with thousands of people - certainly looked different from is average day, but nonetheless I was able to recognise the features of a great landscaped garden surrounding the fine palace. Definitely well worth a renewed visit under normal conditions during my next stay in Helsingborg.

I visited Sofiero again one year later and this time, having set aside a good 3-4 hours to wander about, to see the inside of the manor and to have a bite at the restaurant, our visit has been more than complete... and satisfactory! The gardens are a joy: colourful, well-tended, magic. The manor is a rich source of information about the royal couple of Oskar II and Sofie, with some very interesting exhibits and photos. No wonder Sofiero is a favourite spot for Helsinborg inhabitants (and not only) with even just a little leisure time on...