Things to do in Malmö
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Malmö
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Many locals' favourite month: long light, blossom in the park ring, full restaurant life and shoulder prices.
Summer headline season: beach, canal boats and day trips at full timetable, with Malmöfestivalen in mid August.
Early September keeps swimming and terraces at easing prices; a local favourite fortnight.
Christmas market weeks on Stortorget and Gustav Adolfs Torg, with Kallis and restaurants carrying the trip.
Worst months plainly: November is dark and in between, January after the holidays suits only a sauna and restaurants trip.
What's on
- Christmas markets late November to 24 December
Markets fill Stortorget and Gustav Adolfs Torg from late November.
- Melodifestivalen Malmö heat February in tour years
Sweden's biggest TV party live at Malmö Arena, a recurring host city.
- Valborg 30 April
Walpurgis bonfires, notably around Folkets Park and the beaches.
- Midsummer Friday to Sunday around 19-25 June
Locals head to the countryside while Folkets Park hosts the public celebration; some small restaurants close.
- Malmöfestivalen mid-August, about a week
Scandinavia's largest free city festival, with concerts, street food and a closing crayfish party.
- Falsterbo Bird Show late August to October migration season
The raptor migration spectacle over the Skanör-Falsterbo peninsula tip.
Best things to do in Malmö
Ribersborgs Kallbadhus
The 1898 bath house at the end of the beach pier, with saunas, sea ladders and a sauna to sea plunge routine year round.
Gamla Staden
The Danish era old town walk through Stortorget, Lilla Torg, St Peter's Church and the painted lanes of Gamla Väster.
Malmöhus Castle
A 1530s Renaissance castle holding the city museums and aquarium, ringed by Kungsparken and Slottsparken.
Västra Hamnen
The modern harbour district walk past Daniaparken sea steps and swimming jetties, with the Turning Torso above it all.
Disgusting Food Museum
About 80 foods the world finds revolting, displayed, smelled and tasted at a hosted tasting bar in a funny 90 minutes.
Moderna Museet Malmö
Sweden's national modern museum southern branch, with rotating shows in a converted 1901 power station.
Malmö Konsthall
One of Europe's largest single contemporary exhibition halls, flooded with skylight and free to enter.
Form/Design Center
A small, free design and craft stop in a courtyard off Lilla Torg, easy to fold into the old town walk.
Where to stay in Malmö
Gamla Staden
first trip, all-round base
Lilla Torg terraces, the station five minutes away, museums and parks a short walk west and Möllevången to the south.
Västra Hamnen
sea air, design and quiet
Waterfront promenades and swimming jetties by the Turning Torso, calm at night, 15 minutes on foot to the centre.
Möllevången / Triangeln
local life, food and value
Sleep at the edge of the eating and nightlife district by Triangeln station, walking distance to Folkets Park.
Davidshall / Rådmansvången
residential-central compromise
Leafy streets with boutiques and cafés around Davidshallstorg, the Opera and Konsthall at hand, centre ten minutes away.
Hyllie
an event or an early train south
The district around Malmö Arena and Emporia mall, well connected but a commute from Malmö's neighbourhoods.
Think twice about
- Rosengård
A police listed especially vulnerable estate several kilometres out, with no visitor sights or hotels and a documented serious crime problem.
- Lindängen
Grouped with Nydala and Hermodsdal in the police vulnerable area list, far from everything a visitor needs.
- Holma / Kroksbäck
Police listed vulnerable estates with no visitor sights; avoid ultra cheap flat listings marketed simply as Malmö here.
- Södra Sofielund
Police listed vulnerable area; not a base for a Malmö trip despite any cheap listing.
Best restaurants in Malmö
Vollmers
Malmö's only two-star restaurant, a small old town room serving a Scania mapped tasting menu.
Lyran
A small matbar serving a creative seasonal set menu at a Malmö price, with proper vegetarian versions.
Mutantur
Playful Scandinavian small plates from an open kitchen by the Opera, good for groups sharing plates.
aster
Open flame cooking with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inflections, much of it from the restaurant's own garden.
Ruths
An all day deli restaurant in the former Bastard space, with preserves, charcuterie, bread and European plates.
Malmö Saluhall
The city's food hall near the station, with bakery, cheese, seafood, burgers and noodles under one roof.
Saltimporten Canteen
A weekday only harbour canteen serving one or two dishes of the day at canteen prices, with unlimited house bread.
Jalla Jalla
Beloved falafel rolls you can customise with halloumi, feta, hummus or fried cauliflower, open very late at weekends.
Best bars in Malmö
Malmö Brewing Co & Taproom
A local craft beer taproom on Bergsgatan by Folkets Park.
Best coffee in Malmö
Lilla Kafferosteriet
A fika and locally roasted coffee stop where a cardamom bun is a daily ritual.
Solde
A locally roasted coffee and fika stop, in the same league as Lilla Kafferosteriet.
Outdoor things to do in Malmö
Ribersborgs Kallbadhus
The active version of the beach ritual: swim the marked beach or do the winter wood sauna, sea ladder and coffee circuit.
BookABoat
Electric self drive picnic boats for up to eight on the canals, no licence needed, bring your own food.
Barsebäck Golf & Country Club
Two 18 hole courses by the Öresund, host of the 2003 Solheim Cup and Henrik Stenson's home club.
Falsterbo Golfklubb
A classic 1920s links at the very tip of Sweden, with wind, dunes and sea on both sides.
Bokskogen
Two golf courses in beech forest near Bara, the practical third option about 20 minutes from Malmö.
Malmö Burlöv Golfklubb
The in city golf option, with 27 holes for a less ceremonial round than the headline Skåne courses.
Stapelbäddsparken
A skater built skate park of about 3,000 square metres in Västra Hamnen, free, with bowls and street terrain.
Lund
A 12 minute train ride to Lund Cathedral, the university botanical garden, Kulturen museum and cobbled student streets.
Best hotels in Malmö
MJ's
The city's character splurge, a flamboyant plant filled boutique hotel by Lilla Torg with a much loved bar.
Clarion Hotel Malmö Live
The big modern tower by the station and concert hall, with high floor city and sea views and a rooftop bar.
Story Hotel Studio Malmö
Studio style rooms in a waterfront tower with big windows and a rooftop restaurant, five minutes from the station.
Mayfair Hotel Tunneln
A characterful mid range hotel in a building with a 14th century cellar, on one of the old town's oldest streets.
Elite Hotel Esplanade
A grand traditional hotel near the main square, with big rooms, classic polish and everything walkable.
Elite Plaza Hotel Malmö
The other half of the grand traditional pair on and near the main square, with classic hotel polish.
Moment Hotels
Small, modern, well reviewed budget rooms near Central Station, the honest budget hotel tier in the centre.
Comfort Hotel Malmö
A budget hotel option in the station area, paired with Moment Hotels for cheap central stays.
Is Malmö expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | SEK 650 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | SEK 1,250 a person |
| Splurge | SEK 2,800 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Disgusting Food Museum: a few days ahead
- Malmö Live: weeks ahead
- BookABoat: a few days ahead
- Barsebäck Golf & Country Club: weeks ahead
- Falsterbo Golfklubb: weeks ahead
- Bokskogen: weeks ahead
- Malmö Burlöv Golfklubb: a few days ahead
- MJ's: weeks ahead
- Vollmers weeks ahead, then Lyran and Mutantur days to weeks for weekend evenings.
- Malmöfestivalen week in August books out centre hotels; book two to three months ahead.
- Book Disgusting Food Museum weekend slots, canal boats on summer Saturdays, and Barsebäck and Falsterbo tee times in season.
Is Malmö safe?
- Central Malmö is safe by European big city standards; watch for pickpockets at Central Station and in festival crowds, and lock rental bikes.
- Swim at marked beaches and bath house ladders; the Öresund has currents off the jetties.
- Bring a passport for any Öresund crossing, as ID checks on Denmark trains do happen. Emergency number 112.
Malmö travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Turning Torso alone is not a destination; fold it into the Västra Hamnen seafront walk.
- Lilla Torg front row terraces charge for the view; the same beer is cheaper a lane away or in Möllevången.
- Emporia mall at Hyllie is a rainy day utility, not a Malmö sight.
Getting around Malmö: public transport and more
- Walk and cycle first: the centre, Västra Hamnen and Möllevången triangle is within a 30 minute walk of Central Station.
- Use the Skånetrafiken app for buses, City Tunnel trains and Öresund tickets to Copenhagen and Lund.
- Copenhagen Airport is about 20 minutes by direct train to Malmö Central and is often the fastest airport routing.
Who Malmö suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Malmö your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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