Malmo (Sweden)

The first 17 years of my life I spent in Malmö, Sweden so as you might just guess it is indeed a part of the world very close to my heart. I thought I'd start off by telling you a bit of the history of the city, what to do and see and share a few of my own favourite gems.

Malmö, Sweden's third-largest city, is a commercial hub and a cosmopolitan metropolis, with a population of 270,000 people who between them speak more than 100 languages ...
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Malmö, which once belonged to the Danes, is first mentioned in writing in the 1170s. It grew in the following centuries from the size of a small village into a fortified town that played its part in the violent history of the medieval period. The swedes and Danes then battled it out for the next couple of hundred years, when finally the Swedes in 1658 took control of Skåne, Halland and Blekinge from the Danish king.

Malmö ... more

The first 17 years of my life I spent in Malmö, Sweden so as you might just guess it is indeed a part of the world very close to my heart. I thought I'd start off by telling you a bit of the history of the city, what to do and see and share a few of my own favourite gems.

Malmö, Sweden's third-largest city, is a commercial hub and a cosmopolitan metropolis, with a population of 270,000 people who between them speak more than 100 languages and have roots linking them to more than 160 countries.

Malmö, which once belonged to the Danes, is first mentioned in writing in the 1170s. It grew in the following centuries from the size of a small village into a fortified town that played its part in the violent history of the medieval period. The swedes and Danes then battled it out for the next couple of hundred years, when finally the Swedes in 1658 took control of Skåne, Halland and Blekinge from the Danish king.

Malmö has undergone massive changes at several levels through out its history, the most notable of these changes is the city's transformation from an industrial city into a seat of higher learning, technology and modern housing. The city opened its first university, Malmö University, in 1998. The university now boasts over 21.000 students and is already Sweden's eighth-largest institution of higher education.

Who would have guessed that a city in Sweden, a country where ill-informed tourists still inquire about polar bears and igloos, features a 2.5 mile stretch of white sand in the city centre? In the summertime, though, Malmö’s Ribersborg beach is often referred to as Little Copacabana. In the summer months, people come here to sunbathe, swim, barbecue and or go jogging along the beach and its surrounding green belt. You can swim here in winter too, but I would recommend a visit to Kallbadhuset's (an old wooden bathhouse at the end of a pier) wood-fired sauna first! But it's surely not for the "badkruka" as we would say in Sweden. (Swedish idiom. Kruka is jar, in sweden a nickname for a "chicken", afraid of something, in this case jumping into the water)

Malmö's numerous parks are a key part of the city. In Kungsparken and Slottsparken (which border the old town centre) you will find canals, rare trees and - weather permitting - a leisurely crowd of people out for a stroll with their picnic baskets looking for that perfect spot in the grass. I would highly recommend hiring a paddle boat for an hour or two and cruising the canal which runs all throughout the city centre parks. Gorgeous summertime!

Möllevångstorget is the scene of Malmö's largest and liveliest open-air market, while around the square and in the neighbouring streets you will find stores and restaurants offering an array of tantalizing aromas and flavours from all corners of the world.

Something you simply can not miss is the biggest renaissance castle in Scandinavia! It is well preserved and modern, including the magnificent Hall of Knights. The gun turret dates from the 17th century when the castle was used as a fortress in the war against the Danes. The modern part is home to the Malmö art museum, the Aquarium, the Tropicarium and opposite the castle you will find the Science and Maritime Museum.

The Lilla Torg square is the sort of place that splits the locals in two camps. Those who adore the place and no evening out is complete without bar hopping here, and those who think it is a tourist trap with overpriced bars. Personally, I think that yes, the place is more expensive than some others but you can't beat it on a warm summer evening when all the bars and restaurants have their tables outside. Not that it is bad in winter either when you have a skating rink at your leisure! Apart from the appeal of the restaurants, the square itself belongs to the oldest part of Malmö and consequently has some very nice half timbered brick buildings with handicraft and design shops in too. You also want to stroll the side streets on the food hall side as there you will find typical Scanian cottages with roses climbing on the walls in summer.

During the third week of August every year, the centre of Malmö is taken over by a friendly, festive crowd. The Malmö Festival is the largest annual event taking place in southern Sweden and attracts some 1.5 million visitors. The Festival's opening ceremony takes place at Stortorget (the Main Square), where the biggest crayfish party in the world is held. For eight days and seven nights, you can enjoy music and entertainment to suit all tastes on outdoor stages or in music marquees all around the city centre. Experience the culinary variety offered by the hundreds of food stalls throughout the week, and for the little ones and teenagers there are lots of fun activities. The best of all, IT'S FREE! Apart from the food obviously!

One big plus is that with the Öresunds bridge you can now easily get across to the Danish capital of Copenhagen in a mere 35 min from city centre to city centre. The trains run every 20 min every day of the week between 6 am and 12 pm, and once every hour during the night.

So not only can you combine your stay in Malmö with a day trip to Copenhagen, it also opens up the world of budget airlines! From London Stansted you can fly with easyjet to Copenhagen, then catch the train over to Malmö in 20 min. Some people would argue that you might as well stay in Copenhagen as it's a bigger city then Malmö, but the pros of Malmö would for example be cheaper hotel prices as it is a smaller city. If you like me live in central uk you can from October fly from East Midlands Airport with Sterling, a Danish budget airline.
You can fly directly to Malmö from Stansted (and other airports on the UK I'm sure!), however I find that Copenhagen airport is the easier option with the regular train services that run between copenhagen and malmö now. The cost is also almost the same, one way from copenhagen airport is SEK 90.00 (app. £7-8) with the bus from Malmö airport at around SEK 95.00.

The Malmö card is your best option if you want to make the most of your visit to Malmö. The card entitles you to free rides on local buses, free parking, discount on train fare to Copenhagen and lots of other discounts making is a definite must. The Malmö Card is available for 1, 2 and 3 days. Price for 1 day - SEK 130 (app £10), 2 days - SEK 160 (app £12) and 3 days - SEK 190 (app. £14). (subject to future changes of course) The card is valid for one adult and two children under the age of 16. 

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