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Things to See and Do in Malmö, Sweden with Kids

As much as we loved Denmark, we couldn’t pass up a day trip to its neighbor, Malmo, Sweden, during our visit. One of Copenhagen’s appeal was its close proximity to Sweden enabling a two-nation vacation. We enjoyed our visit and found an interesting city with so much more to explore beyond the day. Here are the things to see and do Malmo Sweden with kids.

Malmo drain cover

Sweden’s third largest city, Malmö, is separated from Denmark by the Oresund Bridge.

Oresund Bridge

While crossing the bridge on the bus, we passed by huge windmills on the Oresund strait which were quite amazing to see.  They were part of Sweden’s largest offshore wind farm, Lillgrund, which provides electricity to more than 60,000 homes.

Oresund windmills

See Art Work

One of the first things we stumbled upon was a whimsical sculpture of a musical group called Optimistic Orchestra (Optimistorkestern) on one of the pedestrian streets.  This public art work was created to represent Malmö – “optimistic, enthusiastic and happy”.  It was a nice way to greet the visitors.

Malmo Optimistic Orchestra Optimistorkestern sculpture

Explore the Great Square

Walking around Malmo provided opportunities to explore many places of interest in this lovely city. Our first destination was the Great Square (Stortorget) which is Malmö’s central square.  We arrived in Malmö around 9 AM on a Friday morning and found the square a bit empty. We were either too early for all the tourists or everyone else was at work.

Malmo Stortorget

The City Hall(Radhuset) was one of the more impressive structures on the square.  Built in 1546, it was very stately looking in a Dutch Renaissance style.

Malmo City Hall Radhuset
Malmo City Hall Radhuset

The upper area was filled with statues with the griffin prominently displayed on its flag. 

Explore Churches

Not too far from Stortorget and behind the City Hall was the St. Peter’s Cathedral (Sankt Petri Kyrka). This is Malmö’s oldest building. Despite its name, it is actually dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul.

Malmo St. Peter's Cathedral Sankt Petri Kyrka
 Malmo St. Peter's Cathedral Sankt Petri Kyrka

The Gothic-style church was built in the early 14th century and had a commanding presence in the city’s skyline.  We didn’t expect it to look so white, modern, bright and sparse inside.  It was a contrast to its dark exterior architecture.  The centerpiece was a striking 17th century altar at 49 feet (15 m) tall. 

We also found the Tradesmen’s Chapel located towards the back of the church.  Its wall and ceiling frescoes from the 15th century were very impressive.  The walls depicted various scenes with greenery surrounding the images.  They were well preserved and were a joy to see.

Malmo St peter church Tradesmen's Chapel

On the other side of Stortorget was Lilla Torg.  This was a small, charming and lively square with many restaurants offering outdoor dining. We were here a little early and caught a glimpse of the flurry of delivery activity but didn’t have a chance to eat at the restaurants.  Old timbered houses and historic buildings surrounded the square.

malmo lilla torg

Visit the Castle

Malmöhus Castle is Scandinavia’s oldest Renaissance castle dating back to the 15th century.  It had a varied use as a royal residence, prison and citadel over the years but now houses several museums including the Art Museum, City Museum, Natural History Museum and the Science and Tech/Maritime Museum.

Malmohus castle

Pressed for time, we decided not to visit the museum. This was our quick glimpse within the castle walls.

Malmohus inside courtyard
Malmohus castle drum towers

 The red castle looked a bit plain on the outside and reminded me more of an old factory plant.  It was surrounded by a moat and accessible by a bridge.  Two huge red drum towers stood guard outside the castle walls that were once used as barracks and a prison.

Behind the castle was the Castle Mill (Slottsmöllan) which was a historic Dutch style windmill from the mid-1850s.

Malmo castle mill Slottsmöllan

 From the castle, this was our view of Malmö’s HSB Turning Torso, Scandinavia’s tallest building and the city’s unofficial symbol.  It was hard not to miss this architectural marvel that looked like cubes twisting in the air.  It is largely a residential building with some spectacular views and generally not open to the public.

HSB Turning torso malmo

Stroll the Parks

Near the castle and the windmill was the large area known as the King’s Park (Kungsparken).  This is Malmö’s oldest park and used to be a burial ground until it was turned into a park in 1872.

Malmo King’s Park Kungsparken

While its origins may sound eerie, it was actually a beautifully maintained and clean park. Malmö is known as the “City of Parks” because of the numerous parks and green spaces that have been around the city for over a century.  Part of it lies along the canal where the kids excitedly fed the ducks.

malmo king's park ducks

There were plenty of benches to relax and look out into the water where we saw stand up paddle boarders, canoers and these floating barges where people were eating with accompanying musicians.  The floating restaurant in the canal was a wonderful idea especially on a nice summer day.

malmo canal restaurant  barge

Do a Canal Cruise

Our day trip to Malmö with the kids included a wonderful orientation of the city with the Rundan canal tour.  The different perspective from the water was a fantastic way to see the city. 

One of the most unforgettable scenes we saw in Malmö was the many open top trucks driving around carrying teenagers. There was loud music blaring, whistles and a lot of loud cheers from the teens who were all wearing white hats (which looked a lot like captains’ hats).

We found out this was part of their tradition to celebrate high school graduations.  The festive atmosphere was infectious and we found ourselves waving to each passing truck.  It made me wish high school graduations in the US were this much fun.

Malmo studenten

Day trips can be a hit or a miss. Sometimes, there’s so much to see and do you wished you planned for a weekend getaway instead or other times when you were glad you were only at a place for a day. 

Malmo had a lot to offer day-trippers – lively squares and streets, numerous parks, great shopping and interesting architecture.  It was certainly a hit with our family and a delightful city to visit.

Malmo with Kids: Getting There

Getting to Malmo from Copenhagen is possible through a car (paying a hefty toll on the Oresund Bridge – about $57 US one way) or  by taking the bus and train.  We rode the bus which was the cheapest option.

  • By Bus.  Take Bus 999 which starts at Kongens Nyrtov by the royal theater with stops at Norreport Station and the Profil Hotel in  the Tivoli area.  The bus looked like large tourist buses with reclining seats.  Kids 16 and under ride free with each paying  adult.  Roundtrip adult tickets cost 120 DKK ($21 US).  Pay the driver when you board in cash.  The ride was about 45 minutes one  way and was comfortable.  It dropped us off by Gustav Adolfs Torg which was at the city center and  near many attractions. Check the Copenhagen to Malmo bus website for times.
Malmo Central Station
Malmo Central Station
  • By Train. It takes about 30 minutes one way to get to Malmo from Copenhagen’s Central Station with stops at Kastrup  Airport.  The trains run about every 20 minutes.  Adult tickets cost about SEK 105 ($16 US) one way and kids are SEK 53($7 US).  Trains arrive at Malmo’s Central Station which was within walking distance to the city center.

*Have you explored Malmo?  Would you make a day trip to visit the City of Parks?

Things to do Malmo with Kids

40 thoughts on “Things to See and Do in Malmö, Sweden with Kids”

  1. Your family really got a lot out of this daytrip! Does the park still have bodies underground or were they exhumed beforehand? Does the Turning Torso actually turn or is it a static structure. I love all the shots, especially both the old and modern windmills — such a contrast.

    1. Thanks Michele! We did! It’s all about taking advantage of daylight hours. I’m not sure if they exhumed the bodies. I’m thinking they probably exhumed it which still makes this a very creepy place to be at night. The turning torso is static. We loved the windmills!

    1. It was a wonderful day filled with surprises. Malmo was lovely! I had to double check when we were researching to make sure there were no typos. It has to be the most expensive I’ve ever seen. I guess someone has to pay for the Oresund Bridge.

  2. The views from the Turning Torso must be amazing, but I don’t think I could live in a building like that. Way too disorienting, although I suppose it might be easier to be looking out from it than looking at it.

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed them. I’ve heard the ferry was the only way to get across before and I’m sure the Oresund Bridge is well worth its toll prices.

  3. I also would have enjoyed a high school graduation celebration like that! Looks like a beautiful city. I’ve been interested in that part of Sweden it ever since I read the Henning Mankell mysteries, so it’s nice to see some photos.

    1. Thanks Margaret! I will need to look up that author now. Those high school parades were so amusing to see in person. Their sheer joy was great to witness.

    1. There were more of the that offshore windfamr lining the sea. It was pretty incredible to witness and too bad the winds weren’t strong enough to fully see its power.

  4. Debbie @ European Travelista

    I’ve been to Copenhagen but never to Malmo which seems like a great city! The church is beautiful and I love that chapel! Driving across that bridge would a great adventure too.

  5. The wind farm is amazing. Then again, so are most of the other aspects of Malmo that you’ve shown here. I believe that my mother’s family has a connection to Malmo and I would love to explore that sometime. Wonderful post and photos.

  6. I always love traveling through your pictures – Sweden looks beautiful – and you saw a lot in just one quick day.

    I love how they celebrate the high school graduations too!!

    Thanks for linking up!

  7. eileen at FamiliesGo!

    i’ve always been hesistant to travel here because it’s known to be so expensive, but the photos make it look fun, perhaps worth the cost!

    1. Definitely worth the cost, Eileen! Malmo was actually a bit cheaper than Copenhagen – shopping wise. The Scandinavia area is wonderful and really wasn’t as pricey as we expected with the exception of Iceland.

  8. What a lovely looking town. It almost looks like you had the place to yourself – apart from the last couple of photos there are no people in any of your shots.

  9. I can’t believe what you packed into a single day. Wow. And what a thorough post. It looks like Malmo has plenty to offer. Lunching your day away on a cruise looks like a fine way to spend some time. I like the fact that you provided all the info on how to get there from Copenhagen. This is one impressive post.

  10. Hey Mary! This looks spectacular. Did you travel by car? We are thinking of traveling to Europe and I’m trying to decide if we should rent a car or go by train. I love your pics and the I’m so intrigued by the little floating restaurant.

    1. Thanks Terumi! We traveled by bus to Malmo. If you’re going in many of the European cities, you won’t need a car since they have great transportation systems. We’ve only rented a car once in Europe and that was Iceland because we wanted to explore the outer areas. Loved the floating restaurant too.

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