Malmö

Malmö is Sweden's third largest city with a population of about 352,000 (2021), and the capital of the province of Scania (Skåne) on the southern tip of the country. Malmö is a port city on the Öresund strait, facing Copenhagen on its other bank, with which it is connected by the Öresund bridge. Together, the two cities form a duopolis and a core of a larger Oresund region spanning parts of Denmark and Sweden.

Malmö used to be an industrial city, with a port and a shipyard, but the shipyard was dismantled in the late 20th century. The city has managed to recover and reinvent itself as a modern metropolis, a poster example of sustainable development and a thriving multicultural centre, even though it lacks the recognition as a major tourist destination like Copenhagen or Stockholm.

History
Founded in 1272 as a fortified port a day's walk from Lund, Malmö was for centuries the second-largest city of Denmark. It served as a Hanseatic port and a very lucrative trade area. Malmö dominated Skåne as the largest market hub, until Copenhagen grew larger during the 16th century. In 1658, as a result of the Great Northern War, Denmark ceded the Scanian lands, including the city of Malmö, to Sweden in the Second Treaty of Roskilde. As Copenhagen experienced a series of devastating fires and bombardments, in particular through the 1700s, Malmö is surprisingly the best place in the world to see Danish Renaissance architecture.

After an industrial revolution, Malmö grew rapidly and served as one of the earliest and most industrialized cities of Scandinavia. Until the turn of the millennium it was regarded more as a dull worker's city in the backdrop of Lund (a university and cathedral town) and Copenhagen. The opening of the Öresund Bridge-tunnel in 2000 reignited the soul of a bustling Hanseatic port that had lain dormant for so many centuries. Since 2011, this new landmark is featured in the acclaimed Swedish-Danish Nordic noir crime series The Bridge.

Today about a third of the Malmö population are from various other countries, making the city the most cosmopolitan in Sweden. This has contributed to a rich cultural life and many exotic and fine food opportunities. The ship building Kockums company used to be the city's biggest employer, but today the industrial city of old has been replaced by vast areas of middle-class suburban housing and modern eco-friendly neighbourhoods.

Tourist information

 * Visit Malmö website

Malmö Airport


Malmö Airport is mostly served by low-fare, charter and regional carriers. There are three connections from Stockholm – with SAS (Arlanda), Norwegian (Arlanda) and BRA (Bromma) – and regional airlines fly from other destinations within Sweden. International flights are covered by many charter and scheduled flights from vacation destinations in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

The only carrier operating scheduled international flights to Malmö Airport is WizzAir, connecting Malmö to the largest cities in central, eastern and southeastern Europe.

From Malmö Airport you can take the Flygbussarna coach to Malmö centre (40 min). On Saturdays, however, there are only a limited number of buses, so please check the bus-schedule at Flygbussarna's webpage. Another option is taking a taxi, but this is far more expensive.

Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport in Kastrup is one of the major aviation hubs in Europe and offers a multitude of European and intercontinental connections by most European flag carriers, as well as other major international airlines.

Kastrup is right at the other end of the Öresund bridge from Malmö. There are frequent Øresundståg trains departing from a station inside the airport terminal that stop in stations in Malmö (Centralstation, Triangeln and Hyllie). The journey from the airport across the bridge to Malmö takes about 20 minutes. You can also take a bus across the Oresund, which is often cheaper than the trains. You can also take a taxi across the bridge. Signs in the arrivals hall of Kastrup Terminal 3 direct you outside to two separate queues of Danish and Swedish taxis. Taxi fare to Malmö city centre should be about 650–750 kr. As always with Swedish taxis, check the window sticker on the taxi to check the fare before boarding to avoid inadvertently selecting an overly expensive option (there is no limitation of taxi fares in Sweden and all taxis can charge anything they want as long as it is clearly indicated), or better yet, discuss the fare to Malmö with the driver before deciding – you can expect them to speak good English.

By train
Malmö is well served by trains, including frequent regional and commuter services within Scania as well as long-distance trains from Gothenburg and Stockholm. There are trains running across the Öresund bridge from Copenhagen at least every 30 minutes. In Copenhagen, there are further connections from most Danish cities as well as from Hamburg.



Regional Øresundståg leave all day from Helsingør, traversing the east coast of Sjælland, before crossing through Copenhagen and then across the Öresund bridge to Malmö, also connecting Kastrup airport to the city. In the opposite direction trains run from Gothenburg (with connections from Oslo) via Varberg, Halmstad, Helsingborg and Lund. Trains from Copenhagen's central station to Malmö Central take approximately 40 minutes (including border checks at Hyllie), costing 123 kr when purchased from Skånetrafiken or 91 DKK if using a Danish Rejsekort (as of October 2022). However, using the Skånetrafiken app to purchase tickets will provide passengers a 24-hour ticket option for unlimited use in Copenhagen and Malmö’s public transport systems (including Oresundstag stations covered in the zone which the ticket is valid) from 246 kr (the cost of two one-way tickets between Copenhagen H and Malmö Central). Additionally, frequent and regular commuter trains, called Pågatåg and operated by Skånetrafiken, run from destinations throughout the province of Scania such as Lund, Helsingborg, Höör and Ystad.

From Stockholm, there are hourly high-speed trains taking 4½ hours, operated by SJ. A low cost alternative on the same route is the twice or thrice daily Snälltåget, taking around five hours (depending on number of stops).

Limited night train services are available too. During summer, Snälltåget runs a train from Berlin thrice a week. In winter season, the same company runs a service to and from the ski resort Åre.

The main stations on the line running through Malmö are:





The above three stations are served by regional trains to and from Copenhagen, direct trains from Stockholm and Gothenburg, as well as regional trains. Other train stations in Malmö include Persborg, Svågertorp, Oxie, and Burlöv, which are only served by a limited number of regional trains and are of little interest to tourists, as they are in residential locations far from major points of interest.

The central station also includes a small supermarket, food stalls, coffees, ATMs as well as lockers, toilets and showers.

By car


Another way of crossing the Øresund Bridge (both bridge and tunnel) is to drive for yourself. It is a toll bridge, with tolls charged in both directions (entering and leaving Sweden). Since the road is a motorway (one-way passage only), it is not possible to change direction after passing the last exit in Denmark. The prices for an ordinary car shorter than 6 m begin at €48 per single trip. With a BroPas subscription it is possible to reduce the cost substantially. easyGo customers qualifies for a 5% discount on cash payments. Credit cards are also accepted.

The view is much less obstructed if you choose to go by car as compared to train. Keep in mind, though, that the road over the Øresund Bridge is a motorway, hence it is prohibited to stop for other reasons than if your car should break down. There is no public access to Peberholm Island, where the tunnel and the bridge connect.

By bus
Gråhundbus, FlixBus and NettBuss have routes from Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and other places. From Copenhagen the buses take longer (about an hour) but are cheaper than the train, from 60 kr (as of 2017).

Autoprevoz,, has buses from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 25 hr, twice weekly, ~ €150. Whereas Toptourist,, offers connection from Sarajevo via Salzburg, twice weekly, €140 return, tickets can be paid on the bus, but advance booking and payment is recommended.

By boat
Finnlines runs a ferry line between Travemünde in northern Germany and Malmö. The ferry line is mostly directed towards trucks and car drivers, but it is possible to book tickets for pedestrians. Departures that do not need a compulsory cabin booking are Tu–F at 10:00, Sa at 11:00 from Travemünde. The trip takes nine hours, the fares for a one-way trip for an adult begin at €30. The fare for a car shorter than begins at €49 in the low season, €67 in the high season. Motorcycles can be taken on board for free during the low season, bicycles can be taken on board for free all year round. A booked return trip will grant a 20% discount on the return part of the trip.

As an alternative, Trelleborg and Ystad offer ferry connections from other ports in Germany and Poland. The travel time of these ferries are usually between five and ten hours, and Malmö Central Station can be reached from Trelleborg by regional bus #146 in about 50 min, or by Pågatåg train line 9 in 32 minutes.

Bicycle
Malmö is best experienced by bicycle, the city is interlaced with lots of bicycle roads. Malmö is known as a very bike-friendly city (and indeed, biking is the preferred method of transportation here). The official bike map can be found on bike rentals and the tourist office. There are guided bike tours in Malmö during the summer.

Public transport
Skånetrafiken is responsible for public transport in Malmö and all of Scania. The green buses (stadsbuss) all have routes within Malmö city, and the yellow buses are regional buses to other cities in Scania.

VISA, VISA Electron, MasterCard and Maestro payment cards can be used as payment for tickets in both yellow and green buses. It is not possible to use cash as payment in buses and trains. Tickets or cards can also be purchased in advance, either in vending machines, at Skånetrafiken customer centres (kundcenter), at service partners (serviceombud or ombud) or via a smartphone app. The smartphone app also supports an English language version. The old JoJo-card system has been replaced by a "Reskort" which can only be purchased at Skånetrafiken customer centres and service partners, and can not be topped up with a cash balance, only loaded with tickets at a customer centre, service partner, or ticket machine. Generally speaking, prices with Reskort and the app are the same, so Reskort can only be recommended for those unable to use the app. Both the physical ticket (from vending machines) and the electronic ticket (Reskort and smartphone app) is valid for one hour as single fare (enkelbiljett), which begins immediately when the ticket is printed, scanned or activated. Transfer between rides is unlimited within this one hour. Public transport fares in Malmö also include train rides between the three stations: Malmö Central, Triangeln and Hyllie Station. The violet-coloured Pågatågen and the silver-coloured Øresundstågen normally stop at all three stations. Additional train stations can be included if specified when purchasing a ticket.

Note that if you have arrived from Denmark, within Malmö a Danish Rejsekort can only be used for travel between Malmö Central, Triangeln and Hyllie Station. Journeys between these stations cost 19 DKK for one hour of unlimited travel, but you must have a sufficient balance to cover all expected travel (as well as the required prepayment – 25 DKK for registered Rejsekort or 70 DKK for anonymous Rejsekort) before arriving as there are no Rejsekort top-up machines in Malmö. As in Denmark, you must check in and out at the Rejsekort check-in/out machines located at the entrances to each station.

Taxi
Taxi is also an option, fixed rates begin at 49/59/79 kr for trips within Malmö city.

The taxi market is unregulated, and some independent drivers charge high prices. Check the price tag in the window, prefer well known companies such as 171717, 232323, Taxi Skåne, Taxi Kurir etc, and always ask for the price of your trip before getting in.



Main squares and streets
The historic central parts of Malmö is called Gamla Staden ("Old Town"), and this area has three squares; Gustav Adolfs torg (Gustav Adolf's Square), Stortorget (Great Square) and Lilla torg (Little Square). Stortorget and Lilla Torg are directly connected at one corner, and a pedestrian-only shopping street connects them with Gustav Adolfs torg.





Historic buildings and modern architecture




Museums and cultural institutions




Guided tours and sightseeing

 * Bike tour with a guide at Malmö Bike Tours. About 2 hour tour with some 7 stops. Runs one or several days a week during summer.
 * Open boat sightseeing Rundan. About 40–50 people per boat. 50 min. Runs several times per day from spring to fall.

Parks




Sports
The Stadium Area (Stadionområdet) is a landmark area in Malmö in the central parts of the city next to Pildammsparken. With a total of four stadiums, a stadium park, including a Walk of Fame and other sports facilities, this is a must see for sport fanatics.



The flat landscape of Skåne is ideal for golf. Around Malmö there are quite a few good courses.



Malmö has six skateboarding venues. The first dedicated venue Bryggeriet Malmö Skatepark was built in 1998 as an indoor venue, and it is still the largest skatepark in the city. The other five parks are outdoor spots in concrete, all of world-class quality. The last addition to the Malmö skateboarding scene came in 2016, when Kroksbäck Skatepark was inaugurated.





Swim in the sea or in one of Malmö's bathhouses. There is also a total of three outdoor pools around town, open for the public in the summer months of June through August. Four city parks offer paddling pools for the public, and they can be great fun if you are with small kids. The water quality is regularly surveyed.



In the winter, outdoor ice skating is a popular pastime. Skating rinks can be found at Stortorget, and when the lake in Pildammsparken freezes over, it is also a popular venue.

Music, theatre and film




Events

 * Malmö Pride is organised by the city's LGBT community. The next is probably 3-6 July 2024, tbc.
 * Malmöfestivalen is a free 8-day festival, with lots of cultural and culinary experiences. The next is 9-16 Aug 2024.

Street shopping
The main shopping streets are Södergatan and Södra Förstadsgatan, where you can find all kinds of shops. Look out for Village, well designed homeware, at reasonable prices.

Experience the multicultural area around Möllevångstorget. Here you can find exotic shops selling Asian and Middle Eastern foods and a wide selection of pubs and bars. In the mornings there is also an open market where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables.

Shopping centres
Malmö has four shopping plazas in the centre, offering the usual mixture of town shopping with clothes, cameras, jewelry, electronics, books, movies etc. blended with eateries, both international fast food chains and local ones, as well as world famous Swedish glassware:



There are also some shopping plazas outside the city centre, like:

Around Möllevångstorget
Many kitchen venues here cater to the budget option. Get a falafel (30-45 kr), Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern or Chinese meal from 60 kr. Plenty to choose from.

Mid-range
There are a lot of restaurants in the Little Square with outdoor seating (with heating year-round).

There are also lots of mid-range restaurants in other parts of town.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.
 * Restaurang Tryck Krusegatan 19. Great daily lunch M–F 95 kr.

Sweet


Around Christmas time, look out for 'pepparkakor' (literally pepper-cakes), spicy crispy cookies flavoured with cinnamon, ginger, molasses and cloves. Traditional accompaniment to 'glögg' (mulled wine).

Drink
Most people drink at home prior to going out, as alcohol at licensed premises is expensive. Finding a Systembolaget is the best way of getting what you need, open usually M–F 10:00–19:00, Sa Su 11:00–15:00.

Malmö has a vibrant night life, but prices are for the most part substantially higher than they are across the bridge in Copenhagen. Lilla Torg is the epicentre but prices are high, you could also try Möllevångstorget where any of the many bars, cafés and restaurants in this bustling part of town is good value. Like in Copenhagen, and indeed most of Scandinavia, expect most of the drinking to be limited to Friday and Saturday except at the height of summer where many Swedes have vacation. You can pick up the free Nöjesguiden and Dygnet Runt magazines in various stores to read more about Malmö's nightlife. They are only available in Swedish though.

Sleep
While prices in Malmö may seem high, especially in the summer, and there is little variance in prices across properties, staying in the city may be your best option in the region, as hotels are generally expensive in Sweden (and even more so across the bridge in Copenhagen), while Malmö boasts a wide selection of properties unusual for other Swedish cities.

As in the rest of Sweden, breakfast is generally included in room price, as is Wi-Fi. Do make sure to double-check the rates at different dates, as they may vary greatly depending on local events and time of year. The highest season is around the end of May and in June, when the days are the longest and the weather the best.

Splurge




Connect
As of Sept 2021, Malmö has 4G from Net4Mobility/Tele2, and 5G from 3 Tre and Telia. Wi-Fi is widely available in public places.

Stay safe
Malmö has had some issues with gang crime, but the overall crime rate is moderate compared to other European cities of similar size. Visitors who do not actively seek trouble are unlikely to be confronted by gangs.

Anti-Semitic hate crimes have been an issue in Malmö.

As in other Swedish cities, drunk brawls, bicycle thefts and pickpocketing are among the most common risk factors for visitors.

In the traffic, keep an eye out for bicycles, as cyclists automatically expect others to yield.

Consulates

 * 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
 * 🇩🇰 Denmark
 * 🇪🇪 Estonia
 * 🇫🇮 Finland
 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇮🇸 Iceland
 * 🇳🇴 Norway
 * 🇵🇪 Peru
 * 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Copenhagen, with many embassies, is a short train trip away.



Go next

 * Skånetrafiken's Around the Sound (Öresund Runt) ticket is a great way to see the surrounding region of Scania as well as North Zealand, Denmark (including Copenhagen). For 299 kr, you get unlimited train travel and one ferry trip, for two days.
 * Catch a ferry and head to Travemünde, Germany.
 * Catch a ferry and head to Travemünde, Germany.