Malmö is the most southern of the big cities in Sweden. Located in Skåne and only around 40km from Copenhagen, and the trip only takes 40 minutes from central station to central station. Spending one day in Malmö, or a day trip to Malmö from Copenhagen, is the perfect way to get a taste of Southern Sweden. Whether you are spending the day in Malmö or taking a day trip over the bridge from Copenhagen, this Malmö one day itinerary will guide you through all the things you can’t miss in the city (and a few more).
If you’re planning to spend more time in Sweden you might want to check out these guides:
- Day trips from Malmö
- 10 Day Scandinavia Itinerary
- 3 Days in Stockholm
- Places to visit during summer in Sweden
- All Sweden Guides
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How to get to Malmö from Copenhagen
There are a few different ways to get from Copenhagen to Malmö. Being so close, I recommend taking the public transport options unless you plan to travel further in Sweden after your day in Malmö. Taking the train or bus is usually the cheaper option, and when just visiting Malmö for the day you don’t need to worry about needing to drive as the city is pretty accessible.
You can compare all the public transport options here!
Copenhagen to Malmö by Bus
The bus takes one hour to get from Malmö to Copenhagen and runs all throughout the day. It costs around 89 – 130 Danish Kronor (€12 – €15) for the trip.
Copenhagen to Malmö by Train
The train from Copenhagen to Malmö takes 39 minutes and runs much more regularly than the bus. It costs a flat rate of 93 Danish Kronor €13 and is overall the best option to travel between the two cities.
Driving from Copenhagen to Malmö
You can also drive from Copenhagen to Malmö, across the Oresunds Bridge. While it might be a good option if you want to use your car in Malmö or are continuing on to see more of Sweden, it is much more expensive at 490 Danish Kronor each way (980kr return). You can buy tickets in advance here.
A Guided Tour to Sweden
If you want to take a day trip to Sweden from Copenhagen and see more than just Malmö, it can be good to consider a guided tour. This guided tour from Copenhagen takes you to Helsingør in Denmark where you can visit Hamlets Castle, before crossing the water to Lund and down to Malmö.
Malmö Day Trip Itinerary from Copenhagen
There are so many different things to see and do in Malmö that for this day trip itinerary from Malmö to Copenhagen I have included a list of everything I recommend so you can pick and choose. Being so close to Copenhagen means that a day trip from Malmö gives you the possibility to spend the whole day enjoying the city and not have to worry about returning back too early.
Here are a few things you have to add to your itinerary while on your one-day trip from Malmö to Copenhagen!
Turning Torso
The Turning Torso is the architectural wonder that Malmö is known for. A twisting skyscraper than towers over the city, it is really a special and unique building that you can see from most points in the city. Finished in 2005, this was once Scandinavia’s tallest building. While it’s nothing special to go inside, no trip to Malmö is complete without visiting the base of the Turning Torso.
Sundspromenaden
Sundspromenade is the harbourside walk that runs along the water by the Turning Torso. This is a popular spot for locals in the summer, with Citybadet and Daniapaken badplats swimming areas here.
Slottsparken
Slottsparken is the main park in Malmö, located in the centre of the city its perfect for a walk. Within the garden you’ll find restaurants, kayak hire, the castle and many cosy little areas for picnics.
Don’t miss Slottsträdgården (the castle garden) in the centre of Slottsparken. Known for its colourful flowers that bloom throughout the summer this is one of the most picturesque places in Malmö. By the garden you will find Slottsträdgården Kafé, known for its cosy eating area inside one of the greenhouses. On the other side of Slottsträdgården you will find Castle Mill, the old-style windmill that you will often see in photos and guidebooks to Malmö.
Malmöhus Slott
In the middle of Slottsparken you will find Malmöhus Slott, the old moated castle that is now home to the Malmö museum. This is a great rainy-day activity and a great place to start if you want to learn more about the history of Malmö.
Pedalo along the canal
If you want to see Slottsparken and the city fo Mlamö from the water, there is no better activity in the summer than hiring a pedalo and paddling through the canal. You can hire pedalos from the dock by Raoul Wallenbergs Park, just by Kaptensbron. From here you have several hours to paddle along the canal, perhaps stopping at the dock by Slottsträdgården for a bit of lunch of a fika.
Atrium
Atrium is a lovely cafe in the centre of Malmö. In the summer, they have a great outdoor garden area where you can eat lunch between the trees, while in the winter it is super cosy to sit inside at a candle lit table. This is a place we visit regularly for lunch in Malmö. They have some great salads, coffee and fika!
Malmö City Library
Malmö City Library is well known for its contemporary architecture. On one side is a big glass window, while the ground floor is perfectly arranged with lines of bookcases. The upper floor is more of a terrace that wraps around one edge of the main room, with blocks of private study rooms. The building is a photographer’s dream and one of the architectural highlights of Malmö.
MJ’s
MJ’s is a lovely hotel in the centre of Malmö, known for their beautiful courtyard restaurant. They are open all day, but I recommend going for the breakfast! Served 7-10 on weekdays and 7.30 – 10.30 on weekends, this is by far one of the best breakfasts in Malmö! They have warm food, breads with all sorts of toppings, a waffle station, a yoghurt station, and of course, good coffee!
If you fancy staying longer than one day in Malmö – this is my absolute favourite hotel to stay in and I couldn’t recommend it more! You can find it here!
Lilla Torg
If you only choose to visit one place in Malmö, it should be Lila Torg. The history of this square dates back to 1592 when it was a popular shopping market. Today, it is a hub with restaurants and bars, and a few buildings that hint back to its medieval past.
Make sure to take a walk around the medieval buildings that line one edge of the square. Here, you will find an array of boutique craft shops – the perfect souvenirs to take back to Copenhagen to remind you of your day trip to Malmö!
Make sure to walk through the little tunnel into the inner courtyard at Hedmanska Gården. Here you will see the best of the half-timbered houses along with the Form/ Design Centre.
Form/ Design Center
This is a museum of sorts, built to house all sorts of exhibitions about art and design! They usually have events and some really interesting exhibitions about contemporary subjects! It’s a really great place to stop by if you are interested in design or any sort!
Café Pronto
This little cafe in Lilla Torg has undoubtedly the best cheesecake in Malmö. The New York classic flavour is a must, while the banoffee pie is also worth a try! The upstairs of the cafe is really cosy, with soft chairs and bookcase at one end and great views out of the windows on to Lilla Torg.
Stortorget
Stortorget is the bigger market square of medieval Malmö. Built in the 1540s and once the biggest market square in Northern Europe, Stortorget today is an important landmark in Malmö with regular events and small markets being held here. On one end of the square you will see Malmös’ historical Town Hall. This was built in 1544, with the facade rebuilt in the 1860s. On the opposite corner you will see the Kocksa Huset, the former palace of Westphalian Jörgen Kock, an important player in the Danish Empire and later the major of Malmö.
If you are interested in this, it can be worth taking The most well-known building on Stortorget is Apoteket Lejonet. This is a pharmacy founded in 1571 with the building itself being rebuilt in 1896. The inside here is beautiful, with wooden shelves and an ornate counter. It’s definitely worth a walk around! Lejonet Passagen is th elittle alleyway to the right of the old pharmacy, a cosy little space to walk through with a nice restaurant at the end. If you want some good fish and chips, then make sure to stop by Blå Hoddan. This cosy little fish shop makes some of the best fish and chips I have had outside of the UK, and the eating area behind looking over the water makes you feel like you are in a small fishing harbour not in the centre of Sweden’s third largest city. Lilla Kafferosteriet is a really cosy café that is a must if you want a good Swedish fika. The best thing about this café is definitely the interior, like a little house with different rooms, it has so much character and atmosphere. They also have a lovely outdoor courtyard perfect for taking a coffee in the summer months. The Öresundsbron Viewpoint looks back over the water towards Copenhagen, with the Öresundsbron in full view. From here, you can really appreciate how close Malmö and Copenhagen really are. If you follow the path around the water, it will take you up to the grassy parklands above the viewpoint. Here you can wander around, and perhaps even pick some sea-buckthorn if it is in season. Yes, Malmö is definitely worth visiting. It is a beautiful city with a lot of great restaurants, parks, and cultural buildings. It is Sweden’s third largest city and very close to Copenhagen so makes for the perfect day trip. There are so many great day trips from Malmö such as the cosy farm shops and restaurants at Hörte Brygga or Hallon Gården, the castle Torup Slott, or the unusual town of Jakriborg. Head south east to beautiful nature of Österlen and Ystad, or north for the dramatic cliffs of Torekov and Hovs Hallar. Malmö is definitely a great base for exploring the region of Skåne. Make sure to check out this guide for more tips on day trips from Malmö! Malmö is a lovely city and definitely worth a day trip from Copenhagen if you have time to spare in the city and want to see something new. You probably don’t need more than a day in Malmö to see all the best sites, however, if you really want to experience what Malmö has to offer, I would recommend staying for a few nights and trying some of the amazing restaurants and cafes or taking a day trip to other areas of Skåne while you are there. Yes you do need a passport to go from Copenhagen to Malmö as you are crossing the border from Denmark to Sweden. I recommend spending 3 days in Malmö if you also plan to take a few day trips from the city to places such as Lund, Helsingborg, Jakriborg, or any of the smaller villages Skåne is known for. If you are just spending time in Malmö then one or two days is enough. Malmö is a very walkable city. It is quite small and well connected so very easy to explore on foot. It is also very well set up for cyclists which makes exploring much easier if you want to hire a bike for a few hours to reach a specific place. The language spoken in Malmö, and Sweden, is Swedish. However, English is a compulsory language in all Swedish schools so you will find that the majority of people have a good grasp of English! In this one-day itinerary for Malmö I have outlined everywhere you should include in your visit if you want to experience the best the city has to offer! Heading further into Sweden? You may be interested in these guides: Lysekil is a beautiful town on the West Coast of Sweden. It’s the perfect place to base yourself for a… Gothenburg is known as ”Sweden’s Christmas City”, and for good reason! From late November through to Christmas the city lights up the winter… The coastal region of Falkenberg, located in Halland in Southern Sweden, is renowned for its long, sandy beach, fantastic spa,… Gothenburg is a city best seen from the water, with a beautiful archipelago, a canal system circling the old city…
Apoteket Lejonet and Lejonet Passagen
Blåhudden
Lilla Kafferosteriet
Öresundsbron Viewpoint
Frequently asked questions about Malmö
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Day trip to Malmo from Copenhagen: Malmö One Day Itinerary
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