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If you’re visiting Copenhagen for a few days, why not add a visit to Sweden, just over the Øresund Bridge, to your trip? Here you’ll find everything you need to know to plan a day trip to Malmö from Copenhagen.
In August, during an unfortunately stormy week, we spent four nights in Copenhagen to celebrate my birthday. As well as the many brilliant things to do in Copenhagen, I really wanted to make sure we had time for just 30 minutes to cross the stunning Øresund Bridge (made famous in the exceptional thriller series ‘The Bridge’) and explore the Swedish city of Malmö; It’s not every day you get to experience two countries (both first time visits for me) in such a short space of time and distance.
I didn’t necessarily know what to expect from Malmö, but I didn’t really care too much about that; We wanted to visit for the day and spend a few hours exploring. Malmö is Sweden’s third largest city with a more industrial feel than perhaps Copenhagen and I mean that in the sense that I don’t think it’s really a “touristy” place to visit; just a normal Swedish city for workers both here in Malmö and for travelers working in Copenhagen. Lund, about 10-15 minutes by train, is a popular and vibrant university town that also makes a great day trip from Copenhagen.
So, we hopped on an early morning train and headed to Malmö to just wander around and experience our first trip to Sweden. Now I must preface all this with the fact that the weather in general was quite atrocious and the city was preparing for the 40th anniversary of the extremely popular Malmö Festival which was due to begin the following day. Therefore, it felt like it was the calm before the storm; In reality, everything was eerily quiet, or maybe it was because of the rain! It was therefore quite It’s really difficult to enjoy walking with the two little ones. However, the weather improved just after we made the decision to make our way back to Trianglen station to catch the train back to Copenhagen. So, we managed to spend a good few hours in Malmö and I will share my experiences and thoughts here to hopefully help others when planning a day trip to Malmö from Copenhagen.
VISIT MALMÖ FROM COPENHAGEN
HOW TO GET TO MALMÖ FROM COPENHAGEN
The easiest and most popular way to travel to Malmö from Copenhagen is by train. From Copenhagen Central Station trains leave every 20 minutes and arrive in Malmö about 35 minutes later. We noticed that the train passing through Central Station (København H) made an earlier stop at Nørreport Station, which was much closer to our hotel, so, having booked our tickets online through the Omio app, we were able to just sit back and relax all the way to Sweden. It added a little time to our trip, maybe 5 or 10 minutes, but it would have taken us longer to get to Central Station anyway.
One-way train tickets to Malmö Trianglen cost us £25.29 for two adults, a child and a baby. We didn’t book a return ticket because we weren’t entirely sure when we planned to return. We had a bit of a disaster running towards the train back to Copenhagen, trying to book tickets as we ran and the driver forced us onto the train; As soon as the doors closed, tickets were no longer available online and could not be purchased on the train. Ultimately, the driver was very kind and understanding, but told us that it was easier to book tickets through the official website, which he had to explain to us in detail: this website However, it seems much simpler.
A little tip is to get off one stop early at Malmö Trianglen thanks to the impressive architectural lobby.
Fortunately, apart from the small hiccup on our return trip, the trip from Copenhagen to Malmö was really easy. Honestly, it makes combining two countries on your trip to Copenhagen extremely easy.
Another option that I think I would be interested in next time is to take a trainer (e.g. Flixbus) on the other side, as you will get the best views of the Øresund Bridge; It takes a little longer, up to 60 minutes, but it will definitely be worth it.
Make sure you have your passport and travel documents with you, as there are routine border checks!
THINGS TO DO IN MALMÖ
EBBÁS HUS
Welcome to possibly the smallest house in all of Malmö. Ebba Olsson and her family moved into this small house around 1910, and when the town was being redeveloped in the 1960s, Ebba refused to sell it! So, that leads to this interesting contrast of a super small cabin in the middle of the city, squished between two full-sized buildings.
The house is now a museum, unfortunately it was closed when we visited, but inside you can find all the original furniture, decoration and belongings that are still in situ. Essentially frozen in time and offering a glimpse of historic Malmö.
At the time of writing, February 2026, the museum remains temporarily closed; however, you can still observe this unique piece of history from the outside.
STORTORGET
Stortorget is the main square in the center of Malmö dating back to 1540 and was once the largest market square in all of Northern Europe, measuring around 2,500 m2. When we visited, there were cranes and all kinds of workers preparing for the Malmö festival, so I think we didn’t get the full impact of such a beautiful square.
I really enjoyed the architecture at the east end of the square with the gable end of the huge five-story Lejonet Pharmacy building covered in fully restored advertising paintings from around 1900. This was really interesting and so was the fact that the pharmacy that houses this building is the oldest in Sweden. The old town hall occupies the eastern end and in the northwest corner is the former palace of Jörgen Kock, who later became mayor of Malmö.
There are a few restaurants around the perimeter, but it’s Lilla Torg where you’ll want to spend your time if you’re looking for something to eat. Stortorget is the kind of square you will no doubt stroll through, admire the buildings and continue exploring Malmö.
LILLA TORG
Although we didn’t stay in Malmö for long, we immediately fell in love with Lilla Torg and it became our favorite part of the city. From the slight disappointment of Stortorget on the day of our visit, with cranes and construction fences everywhere, it was as if we had been transported to a completely different city; Lilla Torg, a historic market square, was the Sweden we expected.
Lilla Torg, or Small Square compared to Stortorget which is the Big Square, is surrounded by old traditional buildings that now house restaurants, bars and shops. I wanted nothing more than to return on a warm, sunny day to soak up the atmosphere sitting in front of one of the restaurants having a beer and some food.
If there is one place that you cannot miss on your trip to Malmö from Copenhagen, it is this beautiful little square.
MALMÖ CASTLE
Within the extensive green parks of Kungsparken and Slottsparken, lies the 16th century Malmö Castle. Once you pass the deep moats and enter, you will find a museum, a restaurant and an aquarium; It’s probably not exactly what you imagine finding in a castle with so much history.
For those who have a few hours to spare, especially those with children, Malmö Castle is a great destination where you can learn about natural history, view artwork, observe marine life and reptiles before grabbing a bite to eat. Admission for adults costs SEK 40 and children under 19 are free.
FIKA
With all that exploring, you’re going to need to get some rest, and so what better place to do it than Sweden. Swedes have a daily tradition, fika, according to which things are slowed down and paused with a coffee and a sweet. Too often at home, I rush through coffee while multitasking on work emails and trying to take care of morning tasks. That’s not fika.
Here in Malmö, you’ll need to find a cafe, grab a seat, grab a cinnamon roll and a flat white and relax, recharge and savor the moment. There are many great cafes and coffee shops in Malmö and some highly recommended ones are Lilla Kafferosteriet, Beans & Tales Café, Nostra Café and Nordic Brew Lab.
DISGUSTING FOOD MUSEUM
What else could you want to do in Malmö? If you’re interested, there’s a Disgusting Food Museum that showcases 80 of the world’s most disgusting foods… Now, I love food, we probably all love food, but there are plenty of foods I’d rather stay away from (I’m thinking of the durian fruit that I could happily never smell again).
At the Disgusting Food Museum, once you’ve seen enough exhibits, you’ll head to the tasting bar where, yes, you can smell and taste some of the foods you just learned about and should stay away from. There are around 18 delicacies to sample, as well as a variety of super spicy sauces, all of which will probably make you vomit; no wonder they have a vomit counter for life. Not for me, but some will really enjoy this museum!
TURNING TORSO
North of Malmö lies the infamous Turning Torso, a twisted residential skyscraper that can be seen from Copenhagen on a clear day. While the most interesting views are those of the skyscraper itself, it is regularly noted online that the public viewing areas can be accessed by booking in advance through Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything official about it. So, at least for now, you’ll just have to enjoy observing this architectural marvel from the ground!
QUICK TIPS
As I mentioned above, don’t forget your passport and travel documents – you’re traveling to a different country and it could be turned around if there are border controls in place on your particular travel day. We had ours with us, but we did not experience any control.
We didn’t have any cash with us, but the currency in Sweden is the Swedish Krona rather than the Danish Krone, so plan ahead if you intend to use cash. However, most places are cashless and using the card is no problem. We actually didn’t have any cash either when we visited Copenhagen and had no problems; Of course, if we needed to, we would have simply visited an ATM.
I hope you enjoyed this post and it helps you plan your own trip to Malmö from Copenhagen. Although we were very unlucky with the weather, I would still say that one of the best things to do in Copenhagen is to take the time to travel to Malmö and experience a different country for at least a day.
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