Gamla stan
First-timersThe old town: Stortorget, Lilla torg, the castle and the station nearby.
Malmö city guide
Things To Do In Malmö
Southern, multicultural and thirty-five minutes from Copenhagen over the bridge, with a twisting skyscraper, a sea-bathing house on a pier, and the best cheap food in Sweden.
1
Hostels in the city
35 min
To Copenhagen by train over the Öresund Bridge
190 m
The Turning Torso, twisting 90 degrees top to bottom
~180
Nationalities living in the city
Sweden's most international city, and Copenhagen's neighbour
Malmö is Sweden's third city, at the southern tip of the country, and it faces Denmark more than it faces Stockholm. The Öresund Bridge — the one from the television series — connects it to Copenhagen, thirty-five minutes away by train.
It was an industrial shipbuilding city that reinvented itself after the yards closed, and the Western Harbour, where the shipyards were, now holds the Turning Torso, a residential skyscraper that twists ninety degrees from bottom to top.
It is also the most multicultural city in Sweden, with residents from around a hundred and eighty countries, and that shows in its food. Möllevången, the district around the market square, is where to eat cheaply and well.
The old town has a moated Renaissance castle and a pair of squares, Stortorget and Lilla torg, and the long beach at Ribersborg has a traditional cold-bath house on a pier, with saunas and the sea.
Two days, and Copenhagen is a day trip away.
Where to stay
A compact old town, a food district and a new harbour quarter.
Möllevången
Food and nightlifeSouth of the centre: the market square, cheap international food and the best bars.
Västra Hamnen
Sea and architectureThe Western Harbour: the Turning Torso, waterfront promenades and the beach nearby.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 1 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Malmö
Go to Ribersborgs Kallbadhus, the cold-bath house at the end of a pier off Ribersborg beach, around 90 SEK (€8). It has wood-fired saunas and ladders straight into the sea, and Swedes use it year-round, including in winter. The sauna areas are gender-separated and nude, which is normal here.
Walk out to the Western Harbour and look up at the Turning Torso, a 190-metre residential tower that twists ninety degrees from base to top. The waterfront promenade around it is free.
Malmöhus Castle, a moated Renaissance fortress, houses several museums in one ticket.
Lilla torg, the small cobbled square in the old town, is the most attractive part of the centre and full of terraces in summer.
Moderna Museet Malmö, the city's branch of the national modern art museum, is in a converted power station.
Then take the train over the bridge to Copenhagen, thirty-five minutes away.
More on things to do in Malmo
Free things
Free things to do in Malmö
Ribersborg beach is free, and so is the long waterfront promenade to the Western Harbour.
The Western Harbour and the Turning Torso are free to walk around.
The old town squares, Stortorget and Lilla torg, cost nothing.
The city parks — Slottsparken and Kungsparken beside the castle — are free.
Möllevångstorget market is free to browse and gives the best picture of the city.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Malmö
The cheapest good food in Sweden. Malmö calls itself the falafel capital of the country, and a falafel wrap is around 50 to 70 SEK (€4.50–6.50), which is extraordinary by Swedish standards.
Möllevången is where to eat — Middle Eastern, Balkan, Asian and Latin American food at low prices.
Dagens lunch runs about 110 to 140 SEK (€10–13).
Skåne, the southern region, has its own food traditions, including spettekaka, a tall cake baked on a spit, and eel feasts in autumn.
A beer is 60 to 90 SEK (€5.50–8), noticeably cheaper than Stockholm, and strong alcohol is sold only at Systembolaget, closed on Sundays.
Nightlife
Going out in Malmö
Möllevången is the centre — relaxed, mixed and cheaper than anywhere else in Swedish cities, with bars around the market square.
Lilla torg has the terraces and a more polished crowd in summer.
A beer is 60 to 90 SEK (€5.50–8) and cocktails 120 to 160 SEK (€11–14.50).
Lund, with its large university, is ten minutes away by train and adds a student crowd.
Copenhagen is thirty-five minutes away, and plenty of Malmö residents go out there.
Getting around
Getting around Malmö
The centre is walkable and flat, and Malmö is one of the best cycling cities in Sweden, with hire bikes widely available.
Buses cover the rest, paid by app or card.
Copenhagen airport is twenty minutes by train over the bridge, and is how most people arrive.
Trains to Copenhagen take thirty-five minutes. Carry photo ID — Sweden has at times reintroduced identity checks on the crossing, and the rules have changed several times.
Lund is ten minutes by train, Gothenburg about two and a half hours, and Stockholm about four and a half.
Costs
What Malmö costs
Cheaper than Stockholm and Gothenburg. Dorms are 250 to 450 SEK (€23–41), a main 150 to 250 SEK (€14–23), and a beer 60 to 90 SEK (€5.50–8).
A day is €55 to €95.
You pay in kronor, almost always by card.
Falafel and the Möllevången restaurants make eating cheap. The Kallbadhus is around 90 SEK (€8), and the castle museums are modestly priced.
Copenhagen across the bridge is more expensive, so staying in Malmö and visiting Copenhagen saves money.
Safety
Staying safe in Malmö
Malmö is safe for visitors, and the areas they use see little trouble.
The city has had a well-publicised rise in gang-related violence in recent years, concentrated in some outer suburbs. It rarely affects visitors or the centre, the beach and the harbour.
Pickpocketing happens around the central station at ordinary levels.
The sea at Ribersborg is cold for much of the year, and cold-water shock is a risk if you jump in from the Kallbadhus pier without warming up — go in slowly.
Carry ID if you cross to Copenhagen.
Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Malmö
Copenhagen, a university town and a stone ship on a cliff.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Denmark's capital across the Öresund Bridge. Carry ID.
Lund
A university town from the seventeenth century with a Romanesque cathedral and an astronomical clock.
Ales stenar
Fifty-nine standing stones in the shape of a ship on a clifftop above the Baltic.
Ystad
A medieval town of half-timbered houses, the setting of the Wallander novels.
Falsterbo
Long white beaches and one of Europe's great bird migration points in autumn.
What's on
What is on while you are there
A free city festival in August.
9 October
London Symphonic Rock Orchestra
London Symphonic Rock Orchestra is a musical show combining the power of a symphony orchestra with rock music. The orchestra performs epic reinterpretations of…
30 October
Benjamin Ingrosso
Benjamin Ingrosso is embarking on his first arena tour called What Happens Next? in 2026, with stops at major indoor arenas across the Nordic…
4 October
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester
Max Raabe & Palast Orchester return to Malmö with their captivating blend of period elegance and charm, transporting the audience back to 1920s golden…
8–9 October
Big in Japan 2026
Big in Japan 2026 is a concert presented by Malmö SymfoniOrkester featuring music from various aspects of Japanese popular culture. The program includes pieces…
10 October
Sven Ingvars
Sven Ingvars is embarking on a major jubilee tour in 2026 to celebrate 70 years as one of Sweden's most beloved musical treasures. The…
17 October
Viktor Norén & Linus Wahlgren
Viktor Norén and Linus Wahlgren, two of Sweden's most beloved artists, reunite for a unique concert hall tour celebrating the power of musicals, life…
17–18 October
Oh What a Night
Oh What a Night is a musical and concert experience featuring Peter Johansson, Bruno Mitsogiannis, David Lindgren, and Robert Rydberg, who originally starred in…
18 October
Mnozil Brass: Strau$$
Mnozil Brass presents a musical show honoring Johan Strauss Jr. on the occasion of his 200th birthday in 2025. The performance explores Strauss's role…
Hostels
Where to stay in Malmö
A modest scene in the centre, and a cheaper base for Copenhagen. Live from Hostelworld.
When to go
May to September. The bathing house stays open year-round.
Jan
Cold and grey. Kallbadhus weather
Feb
Cold
Mar
Brightening
Apr
Spring
May
Excellent
Jun
Midsummer and long light
Jul
The best beach month
Aug
Warm. Malmö Festival
Sep
Crisp and pleasant
Oct
Autumn and eel season
Nov
Dark and wet
Dec
Christmas markets
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Malmö is the mildest major city in Sweden, but it is windy and the sea stays cold for most of the year.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros — you will pay in kronor, at roughly 11 to the euro, and mostly by card.
Shown in euros for comparison; you pay in kronor. The cheapest major city in Sweden.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Malmö travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Can I visit Copenhagen from Malmö?
Easily. The train takes about thirty-five minutes over the Öresund Bridge. Carry photo ID, since Sweden has at times reintroduced identity checks on the crossing and the rules have changed several times.
What is the Kallbadhus?
Ribersborgs Kallbadhus, a traditional cold-bath house at the end of a pier off the beach, with wood-fired saunas and ladders into the sea. It is used year-round, including in winter, and the sauna areas are gender-separated and nude, which is normal in Sweden. Around 90 SEK (€8).
Is Malmö cheaper than the rest of Sweden?
It is the cheapest of the major cities. A falafel costs 50 to 70 SEK (€4.50–6.50), a beer 60 to 90 SEK (€5.50–8), and a day around €55 to €95.
What is the Turning Torso?
A 190-metre residential skyscraper in the Western Harbour that twists ninety degrees from base to top, completed in 2005 on the site of the old shipyards.
Is Malmö safe?
Yes, for visitors. Gang-related violence has risen in some outer suburbs, but it rarely affects the centre, the beach or the harbour.
Where should I eat?
Möllevången, the district around the market square, which has the best cheap international food in Sweden. Malmö claims the title of the country's falafel capital.
How do I get there?
Fly into Copenhagen airport, which is twenty minutes from Malmö by train over the bridge. It is the usual way in.
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