There is so much to do and see around Malmö and if you hire bikes, you have the opportunity to see even more! I have pulled together my favourite things to do in Malmo, so you’ve got a compact and essential list ready for your next adventure.
The Western Harbour is close to the city centre and to experience Malmö´s culture, entertainment and shopping you can get there in five minutes by bike or by bus. In the closest area, right across the street you will find Stapelbäddsparken which is the biggest skatepark in the north of Europe, along with a boulder park and a roller derby course. If you like the sea you’ll be happy to know the beach is only round the corner and in the summer you can relax on the long sandy beach of Ribersborgsstranden. Or maybe you prefer deeper waters at Scaniabadet where you can dive from the jetties or sunbathe on the wooden deck.
Nearby Scaniabadet you can also find beachvolley courses and Musikullarna, hills with built-in speakers playing music and all year round you can enjoy sauna and maybe winter bathing at Kallbadhuset, a beautiful and charming facility from the 19th century, where Swedes take the opportunity to go swimming in the sea naked – we did this but didn’t go naked as we were too shy! I dare you…. Last but not least, also close by is the iconic Malmö landmark, the Turning Torso, that you can see from the hotel. This spectacular building with it’s 190 meters and 54 floors is the highest residential building in Sweden. Keep reading for more things to do in Malmo….
Things to do in Malmo
1. The Oresund Bridge
This bridge is the longest cable-tied road and rail bridge in Europe, measuring 7.8km from Lernacken (on the Swedish side, near Malmö) to the artificial island of Peberholm (Pepper Island), south of Saltholm (Salt I…
2. Rundan Sightseeing
Travel along the canals and under the bridges and see Malmö from a new side. The guide onboard will give you a vivid tour about history, personalities, buildings and anecdotes. The sightseeing tour goes through parks, the harbor, passing the Malmöhus Castle in the old part of town and back through the modern Malmö. The sightseeing boats are without roof so you will get a great view of Malmö. We pass some low bridges on the tour where you have to curl up!
3. Turning Torso
Architect Santiago Calatrava’s iconic, energy-efficient Turning Torso is the tallest building in Scandinavia and soars to a spectacular 190m height above the sustainable Vastra Hamnen district. It twists 90 degrees from the base to the top – and makes a great backdrop to your selfie. You can’t miss the eye-boggling Turning Torso, a futuristic skyscraper designed by Spaniard Santiago Calatrava.
4. Gamla Stade
Focusing on the area around Stortorget (the town square) and lively Lilla Torget (the little square) Malmö’s Old Town is a gorgeous warren of cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses and bold facades that feel like they’d be more at home in Hamburg.
5. Nudist bathing at Kallbadhus
Ribersborg open-air bath is an open-air public bath on the Ribersborg beach in Malmö, Sweden approximately one kilometre southwest of Turning Torso. The bathhouse is open for a skinny dip year round and has separate areas for men and women.
6. Västra Hamnen
Located about 2.5km northwest of the Old Town, buzzing, bayside Västra Hamnen represents the modern face of Malmö. It’s a popular spot to stroll, sip coffee and browse boutiques, but mostly people come to marvel at the Öresund bridge and ogle the Turning Torso twisting its way skyward: it’s beautiful and an engineering marvel, but one can’t help feel it’s out of place here.
7. Modern Museet
Architects Tham & Videgård chose to make the most of the distinct 1901 Rooseum, once a power-generating turbine hall, by adding a contemporary annexe, complete with a bright, perforated orange-red facade. Venue aside, the museum’s galleries are well worth visiting, with regularly updated exhibitions featuring art from their collection, which includes works by Dalí and Picasso.
8. Malmo Live
Malmo Live opened in 2015 and it’s an entire neighbourhood crammed with entertainment possibilities; a concert hall, congress centre and a hotel with a Skybar on the 25th floor, as well as a collection of great eateries.
9. Centralstation
It might seem strange to pick a railway station as a highlight, but Malmo’s has an amazing food court, where you can grab a bargain bite. Read a Scandi-noir novel in the gorgeous library cafe, which is adorned with an enormous spherical chandelier.
10. Malmohus Slott
Erik of Pomerania built the first fortress here in 1436 but it was destroyed between 1534 and 1536 during a popular uprising in Skåne. After this rebellion, Denmark’s King Christian III had the castle rebuilt in a Danish Gothic/Renaissance style, but his castle was devastated by fire in 1870. It lay in ruins until the 1930s when the functionalist, factory-like red-brick buildings were added to what remained of the main building and the intact gun towers, and Malmo Museer was born.
