Day Trip: Copenhagen to Malmo

One thing I’ve always admired about people living in Europe is their ability to go to another country so easily (and quickly). Being able to get on a flight or a train and travel an hour to be immersed in another country’s culture, language, architecture and food is something I will always be jealous of. An hour flight for me from Vancouver gets me to Portland or Calgary. Both fantastic cities (depending on who you ask) but there’s not a lot of difference food or culture wise from Vancouver. The closest culture shock I have is Quebec and that’s still a 5 1/2 hour flight for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating on Vancouver. I live in one of the greatest cities in the world with all our mountains, food options, cultural diversity and much more, I wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else. But I would love to have more convenient access to other countries.

On my last trip to Copenhagen, I did just that. I decided to hop on a train and head to another country.

These are my top spots to visit for a Day Trip from Copenhagen to Malmö.

A Day(ish) Trip

Okay, so I should be honest and admit it wasn’t a FULL day trip. I left Copenhagen around 10am and then returned from Malmö around 4:30pm but it was enough time to squeeze in a bunch of walking, shopping and a few beer. That said, I know there are probably a bunch of great spots I missed and I invite you to tell me about all of them in the comments.

Here’s how my day broke down:

• I boarded a train from Copenhagen Central Station headed to Malmö Central Station around 10am. The train ride is only 44 minutes long and crosses the Øresund Bridge which is Europe’s 2nd longest railway/roadway combined bridge. In total it’s 15.9 km long and consists of bridge, tunnel and artificial island in the middle of the crossing. The ticket price is about 150 Swedish Krona each way which is roughly $20 Canadian or $14 USD.
• I arrived at Malmö Central Station at 10:50am and walked about 2o minutes to Gamla Väster which is Malmö’s old town. This is where you’ll find the historic buildings and brick walkways of Malmö. It’s also a great spot to grab a coffee as you continue strolling the streets.
• Continuing through Gamla Väster I walked towards Slottsparken & Kungsparken, two of the main parks in Malmo featuring waterways and trails surrounded by trees and greenery. Across the street, south of the parks, is the beautiful Malmö City Library which, if you’re a fan of architecture, is a must-visit. It’s an amazing blend of old-meets-new inside and out.

• A couple blocks away on the same street as the library (Regementsgatan), I visited some great apparel stores; Street Lab, Hiatus and Impala. These are really cool spots to check out the latest in streetwear and skate trends. Regementsgatan is also a very picturesque street to walk along with a waterway running alongside.
• On the next block off of Regementsgatan I took a right turn onto Södra Förstadsgatan which is one of the main shopping strips in Malmö. You can find restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores and one of my favorite shops (which also has a location in Gothenburg), Grandpa. They have a great mix of apparel, home goods and gifting items to bring home.
• At this point my stomach was growling and I decided to walk 10 minutes over to Malmö Brewing to enjoy a burger and a beer from their extensive tap list. Located in an old factory building, Malmö Brewing has transformed their space in to a cozy pub vibe with wooden bench-style seating surrounded by the brick-and-mortar that makes up the facade of the building. It’s a great spot to enjoy a bite and a pint.
• My Malmö tour continued a block away with a stroll down Friisgatan, which is a more hip, younger family area with restaurants, cafes and a bunch of outdoor communal seating areas.

• From Friisgatan I headed back towards Slottsparken & Kungsparken to explore more of the parks. This is where I figured out that this was a very popular spot for locals to sit on the grass under the shade of the trees enjoying snacks and bottles of wine. I love Sweden! I also stumbled upon the famous Castle Mill which has been located in the garden of Malmöhus since 1851. While in the park you can also visit the Malmö Castle which is the oldest preserved Renaissance castle in the Nordic region. It was completed in 1539 and since then has housed royal families, prisoners and the Malmö Art Gallery.
• I didn’t have time to visit Malmö Castle as my path lead me towards the renowned Fiskehoddorna (fish market). It’s colourful wooden buildings and bustling market atmosphere give a glimpse in to years passed. Unfortunately I arrived a little late and only one market stall was open but it was still a very cool experience. I would suggest to anyone wanting to visit that you should try do show up earlier in the morning.

• From the Fiskehoddorna I walked 10 minutes east to the Malmö Saluhall (food hall) to check out all the different food, drink and gift options they had to offer. The food hall features 14 different vendors inside a beautifully restored building from the 1800’s. They also have a few different areas outside to sit and enjoy your food and drink. For all the beer and ramen lovers reading this, Mikkeller also has one of their “Ramen to Biiru” locations inside the food hall.
• After the Saluhall I decided it was time to start heading back to the train station as the looming wind & rain storm was looking to be overhead soon. I walked in the direction of the train station while admiring all the great architecture and sculptures near the Malmö University. Side note, if you’re in to skateboarding (which I am) there are also some legendary skate spots along this walk. And another fun fact; Malmo is also home to world’s only highschool that is built around a skatepark and has skateboarding as part of the curriculum. They’ve even had people like Tony Hawk as guest speakers.
• My last stop brought my to Hyllie Bryggeri which is conveniently located only a 4 minute walk from Malmö Central Station. It offered a great respite from the rain and wind while I waited for my train back to Copenhagen. Hyllie Bryggeri’s tasting room was adorned with art on the walls and a giant bay door at the front to let more light and fresh air inside. Their food menu sounded great but I was just there for a beer and I ordered their ‘Illumination’ Double IPA which I was very impressed by as European breweries typically aren’t known for their IPAs. I would definitely come back here to wait for a train!

I’ve also documented this quick day-trip guide on my YouTube Channel and embedded the video below so you can see a bit more of everything I’ve listed above.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to any of these spots and what your thoughts are on them. Skål!