I’m going to be completely honest with you. I don’t know how anyone, as a tourist, could spend more than one day in Malmö (often spelled Malmo in English). The old town of Sweden’s third largest city is charming, but there’s really nothing more in it for a regular visitor that couldn’t be seen in a single day.
That’s what we visited, along with a nice park and the repurposed market hall for some fantastic food, when we hopped on the train from Copenhagen to Malmo to spend a lovely November Saturday here.
Let me share with you our day trip in Malmö with some beautiful pictures, give you some ideas on what to do here, and also a complete itinerary with an interactive map that you can easily follow.
Malmö Old Town
When you cross the canal in front of Malmö’s Central station, just behind the first line of houses you’ll find the charming old town. This is definitely the single most important part of the city that you want to include in your one-day stay.
For me, coming from Copenhagen, it was actually as interesting to see the massive difference between the architecture of the two neighboring cities as it was the charming old town itself.
In Malmö, you feel like you’re in just another European city, which is definitely not true in Copenhagen, the latter having its own distinct charm and character. Some of the houses and streets in Malmö give you the impression of being in Central Europe, with a hint of a German vibe. I took this picture below of a house that could just as easily have been in any German city, or even in my hometown in Hungary.
Architecturally Malmö—at least the historic old town—is so different from Copenhagen that it feels as if they were two completely different worlds. Just 25 kilometers and 40 minutes apart, yet the two cities have such a different vibe that you have to come here and experience both to believe it.
There was another difference that we spotted that establishes Malmö as a much more “regular” city than its cousin on the other side of the Øresund strait.
“Look, there are leaves on the sidewalk” said my wife while walking on one of the pedestrian streets, quietly referring to the natural feeling brought about by the autumn leaves on the pavement on a lazy November Saturday. Things that you rarely experience in the extremely clean, sometimes even sterile environment of Copenhagen.
Places That We Visited in Malmö Old Town
We walked from the central station all the way to Triangeln, another stop on the Copenhagen-Malmö train line. It is the southern end of the historic old town, and for the way back there is another nice corner of the city which I’ll talk about later. But first see what stops we did in the old town part.
Nybergs Café
This was the first stop in our Malmö one-day trip, but it is also a good option to end a tiring day in the city. This cozy place had a definite mid-20th-century vibe for me, but certainly in a good way. They offer bakery and pastry items, plus a buffet-style breakfast option that caters to almost everyone. I tried the famous Swedish Princess cake—where else if not in Sweden—along with a good cappuccino, and both were delightful.
Sankt Petri Kyrka
Sankt Petri Kyrka (Saint Peter’s Church in English) is just next to Nybergs café, two blocks from the central station. This beautiful cathedral was an amazing stop in our one-day Malmö trip. I’ve honestly never seen a church like this.
Looking at the plain white walls you could be certain that you are in a protestant church. But looking at the baroque engraved altars with an enormous amount of golden decoration, you could swear this was a Catholic place of worship. Yet the two very different styles of decoration work well together here, giving you the unmistakable impression of a church of the Church of Sweden.
Nice Streets and Squares
Malmö’s historic old town has some really charming and interesting streets and squares. What I like the most is that the architecture of centuries mix here with remarkably different types of buildings, yet blending together into an organic and distinctive urban fabric.
You can see some modern buildings, though they are not the most representative, fortunately, in this part of town. On the other hand, majestic buildings from the 19th and 20th century along with centuries-old one-story houses will make you feel that you are in a major European city and a small forgotten town at the same time. International yet Swedish and unique; something you really have to experience for yourself, even if just for one day.
Quick tip: Make sure to visit Stortorget square, Lilla Torg Square, and Jakob Nilsgatan street if you want to experience all types of streets and buildings.
Slottsparken
We continued our walk through the old town, crossing the southern canal and then along Södra Förstadsgatan pedestrian street to Triangeln, then back by the Malmö Opera. Coming back we made a detour and zigzagged through the sleepy autumn pathways of Slottsparken.
Slottsparken, one of the biggest green areas in central Malmö is right on the other side of the historic old town. This park is a nice stop in your Malmö one-day visit whether you have just a couple of minutes or hours to spend. Walk along the pathways; take a picture with the nicely renovated windmill in the background; admire the beauty of the trees and the waters; and even take a peak at Malmö’s famous skyscraper, the Turning Torso.
Slottsträdgårdens Kafé is the ideal place to stop for a drink, and the city garden with dozens of different micro-settings, is really worth a walk.
Malmö Museum is a popular tourist destination in this park, however we decided to skip it today, this was not a day for museums.
Malmö Saluhall
The Malmö Saluhall or Market Hall is my favorite place to visit when in town. It is quite touristic, I agree, but the food is still amazing no matter which stall you choose for your foodie adventures. And while a lot of tourists come here to taste the international array of restaurants, you can definitely hear and see that the place is also very popular among locals.
This time we ate one of the best Mexican tacos of our life at Maya (actually endorsed by the Municipality of Mérida, Mexico), but I had also tried the world-famous Swedish meatballs at Clemens Kött & Husman here before. This renovated marketplace has its own vibe, and if you don’t mind a bit of waiting in line I recommend you come here to eat. Sitting down might be a challenge, but check upstairs for more places.
The Malmö Turning Torso
As an option to add to your Malmö one-day trip, you can visit Malmö’s only skyscraper, the Turning Torso. But be prepared that the 190 meter high building is about a 15 minutes walk from the market or the central station, and you can’t visit it from the inside. It’s actually a residential building, only occasionally open to the public on select days. Check out this website for current visiting options.
Emporia Shopping Center in Hyllie
I know this is not a typical destination for a one-day trip in any city or town, but especially if you’re coming to Malmö from Copenhagen or Denmark, don’t miss this opportunity. The mall is just a two-minute walk from Hyllie train station, a stop we could easily include in our one-day Malmö trip.
Emporia is a huge mall by Danish standards, we did not have time to see it all. But of course nothing really special if you’re coming from the U.S. or other parts of Europe where these temples of shopping and commerce are more common. But the grocery section…
There are two supermarkets on level -1, and we were blown away by one of them, ICA Kvantum. I wouldn’t say it’s a big deal or anything special in an international context, but contrast it to grocery stores in Denmark and you want to cross the strait every week to do your shopping here. Their selection is much larger than any shop’s in Denmark; you could easily find international goodies or an enormous variety of gluten-free food, just to give you two examples. And it’s way cheaper: I’d say grocery prices in Sweden felt at least about 30% lower than in Denmark. So yes, we returned home from our Malmö one-day trip with a couple of bags full of yummy things.
Malmö One-Day Itinerary
Follow our recommended Malmö itinerary, starting and ending at the central station (Malmö C), in this interactive map. Please note that the Turning Torso and Emporia Shopping Center are not included in the itinerary itself.
Gibraltargatan 6, 211 18 Malmö, Sweden
An Extra Tip For Transit Lovers
If you’re a transit lover, or just a fan of any kind of transportation, there is another reason why you should visit Malmö, even if for just one day. Their so-called Malmöexpressen double-articulated buses on line 5 and 8 look just like trams and look amazing. I’ve never tried them, but I was really astonished by the look of them at Malmö Central Station and all along the way to the Turning Torso.
