How to go on a Copenhagen to Malmö day trip (The best things to do!)

Looking to go on a Copenhagen to Malmö day trip? In this guide we’re sharing the best things to do in Malmö, plus how to get there, our top tips, plus a ready to go itinerary!

We are from one of the largest states in the US (Texas), where it can take 10 hours of driving just to leave the state. So for us, being able to visit so many countries in a short period of time is one of the (many) fun perks of exploring Europe. 

And after spending a month exploring Germany and Finland in the wintertime, we had a short two day layover in Copenhagen. We originally planned to spend two days in Copenhagen, but once we learned we could visit Malmo, Sweden super easily from Copenhagen, we couldn’t pass it up! 

Our Malmö day trip was full of beautiful architecture, a fun Swedish cultural experience, plus some delicious (and also disgusting!) food. We are so happy we made the trek across the Øresund bridge to experience a small glimpse at Sweden.

And in this guide we’re sharing everything you need to know to go on a Copenhagen to Mamlö day trip, including all of the best things to do in Malmö with just one day!

Is a Copenhagen to Malmö day trip worth it?

Before we dive into the details of taking a Copenhagen to Malmö day trip, you may be wondering “is it even worth doing?”

Copenhagen is an AMAZING city, with a much more renowned reputation than its smaller Swedish neighbor of Malmö. So deciding to lose a day in Copenhagen is a big decision, especially if you’re limited on time, like we were.

But based on our experience, we think it’s worth it to take a day trip to Malmö! What we loved about Malmö, Sweden is that it had a different vibe than Copenhagen. It is a multicultural city, with residents from over 170 countries. This mix of cultural influences, plus its different architecture and fun activities (like fika!), made the experience unique enough from Copenhagen, which was worth it alone. 

And even though Malmö is Sweden’s third largest city, it has a small town feel and you can see most of the top sights in one day. Plus, at a less than an hour train ride, you could even do a half day trip, if you don’t want to dedicate an entire day.

How to go on a Malmö day trip from Copenhagen

Train from Copenhagen to Malmö

The easiest way to get to Malmö from Copenhagen is to take the train over the Øresund Bridge, which is the longest combined road and railway bridge in Europe! 

This bridge starts out as a tunnel on the Copenhagen side, pops out of an artificial island, and then continues as a bridge to Sweden. From land, it looks pretty crazy because it’s just water, an island, and then a bridge coming out from under the island!

The train from Copenhagen to Malmö leaves every 20 minutes (you can find exact train times here) and the journey takes about 40 minutes. It is a super comfortable ride!

How to get train tickets

Because of how frequent the trains are from Copenhagen to Malmö, you do not need to buy tickets in advance. Once arriving at the Copenhagen Central Station, you will look for the red ticket machine. For your destination, pick “Malmö C.” At the time of our visit in January 2024, tickets cost 192 DKK (~$28 USD) for the both of us for one way.

You only book one way at a time, so when it’s time to come back to Copenhagen, you will buy your return ticket at Malmö’s train station. These tickets were a bit cheaper (just like everything in Malmö) and cost us around 240 SEK (~$23.50 USD).

Other ways to get from Copenhagen to Malmö

Another option is to take a bus between Copenhagen and Malmö for even cheaper than the train. We prefer trains, so we opted for that, but this is also a good option!

You also can of course drive to Malmö from Copenhagen. But be aware that the bridge toll is pretty expensive. 

If you’re going to road trip around Denmark and Sweden, we’d suggest renting a car, but you don’t need a car for either Copenhagen or Malmö. In fact, we think it would be a huge hassle with parking.

Malmö day trip at a glance 

Take the train from Copenhagen to Malmö

The first step for your Malmö day trip is to hop on the train! Like we mentioned, the train runs frequently, so you can leave whenever is best for you. But we personally would suggest being on a train by 9 AM, to ensure you have enough time to fit in all of the best things to do in Malmö.

If you need coffee or breakfast, you can get both at the Copenhagen train station. Just be warned that prices may be higher. Starbucks was insanely expensive…don’t ask us how we know. To save money, grab something quick and easy at the 7-Eleven. 

Enjoy fika

Welcome to Malmö! After arriving in the city, it’s time to kick off your time with a classic Swedish tradition: fika. Fika translates to basically a “coffee and cake break,” but it is much more than that. It’s an integral part of Swedish daily life. Swedes use it as a time to slow down, take a break, and spend quality time with friends or family. 

In fact, it’s so ingrained in Swedish culture that many companies have clauses that state employees are entitled to fika breaks. Fika can be done anytime of the day, but 10 AM and 3 PM are the most common times.

There are countless cafes in Malmö to enjoy fika, but we loved Lilla Kafferosteriet. They have delicious coffee and lots of delicious pastries and cakes to choose from. Plus it’s located in an old, historic, and charming building, with tons of rooms and seating areas to choose from. It creates the perfect ambiance to enjoy your coffee and treat!

Another good option for fika is Beans & Tales Café, which we hope to try next time.

Walk around Old Town

After your fika, go explore Old Town! You will have walked through part of Old Town to get to Lilla Kafferosteriet, but we suggest spending more time wandering around its streets.

One of the most iconic sights in the Old Town is Stortorget. This is the largest and oldest square of Malmö, dating back to 1540. The square is surrounded by old historic buildings, including the stunning Malmö Town Hall on the eastern side. 

Another great area to walk around is Lilla Torg. It is a smaller square, but even more charming with historic, wood framed buildings and cozy shops and restaurants. 

Also, be sure to check out St. Peter’s Church, which is the oldest building in Malmö, dating back to the early 14th century. To get there, make sure to walk the Lejonet Passagen!

See the Turning Torso

Besides the charming and historic buildings in the Old Town area, Malmö is also known for some of its modern architecture, especially the Turning Torso! This is a neo-futuristic skyscraper and is one of the tallest buildings in the Nordics.

While you cannot go inside, it is worth seeing from the outside. You can see the Turning Torso from many spots in town, but to get up close it will be a bit of a walk. However, if you have enough time and it’s a nice day, it would be worth checking out! Especially because it’s close to the waterfront, which has nice paths to explore.

Lunch at Malmö Saluhall

For lunch, head to the Malmö Saluhall! This modern food hall is loaded with delicious food choices from a variety of cuisines. Here you can find everything from burgers, to falafel, pizza, classic Swedish food, ramen, seafood, ice cream, and so much more! 

We ordered a Neapolitan style pizza from Noi and Swedish meatballs (Köttbullar) from Clemens Kött & Husman. Both were spectacular! We also wanted to try Ramen to Bíiru, but they were closed for renovations. Next time!

Visit Malmö Castle & Slottsträdgården 

After a hearty lunch, it’s time to see Malmö Castle. Malmö Castle is the oldest Renaissance castle in the Nordics, built in the 16th century. There are museums, but they aren’t actually about the castle. Instead they are an aquarium and a natural history museum. We didn’t go inside and just walked around the outside, which includes an actual moat! 

And while exploring the castle grounds, make sure to head to Slottsträdgården right next door. This park is a great spot to walk around to enjoy the beautiful landscaping, water features, grassy fields, and massive windmill. Plus see other vantage points of the castle! And if you’re visiting in the warmer months, pop into Slottsträdgårdens Kafé for an afternoon fika!

Check out the Malmö City Library

While you’re walking around the Slottsträdgården, check out the gorgeous Malmö City Library. The exterior is a mix of traditional and modern and inside there are giant stacked bookshelves and a massive glass wall that overlooks the park.

Be disgusted at the Disgusting Food Museum

And now it’s time to get out of your comfort zone! One of the best things to do in Malmö is the Disgusting Food Museum. Which yes, is a museum about 80 of the world’s most disgusting foods! 

In the museum you can find one, open room with long tables, which have a display for each disgusting food and some information about it. You’ll find everything from grubs, to cheeses, to even Twinkies. Yes, Twinkies! While some may find them delicious, others find them disgusting. And that is the whole point of the museum!

Disgust is one of the six universal emotions and while the emotion may be universal, the foods we find disgusting are not. Depending on culture and other factors, what is delicious to one person can be disgusting to another. The Disgusting Food Museum wants to challenge your notion of what is and isn’t edible. And it sure does that!

Not only do you get to look at some of the disgusting foods, but you can smell a handful (including some stinky cheeses). And at the end, you can do a voluntary tasting, where you can taste 25 “disgusting” foods. We were hesitant to try many of the foods, but ended up trying most of them and some actually weren’t that bad! 

If this sounds like fun to you, you can get your tickets in advance, or online ahead of time, to skip the line. The entrance fee covers the museum, the tasting area, AND you get a barf bag! There is even a counter on the wall that tells you how many days since someone last threw up. Thankfully we did not cause the 15 day streak to end!

While we left a little queasy, this was one of the highlights of our Malmö day trip and is something we will NEVER forget!

Enjoy a local dinner

Hopefully you still have an appetite after visiting the Disgusting Food Museum, because it’s time for dinner!

As we mentioned, Malmö is home to many different cultures, with one of the largest percentages being from the Middle East. And one must-try food item in Malmö is falafel, specifically a falafel roll.

We got our falafel rolls from Värnhems Falafel and it was delicious! All of the ingredients are very fresh, the bread is baked to order, and the people working there are very friendly. While we ate some delicious foods in both Germany and Finland, this was honestly one of our favorite things we ate during our month in Europe.

Want to try more traditional Swedish food instead? Check out the Spoonery or Siesta!

Take the train back to Copenhagen

After enjoying dinner, it’s time to head back to the train station to get back to Copenhagen. We found the return train to be a lot busier than our train to Malmö, so make sure to arrive a bit early to have enough time to buy tickets and get a seat on the train.

Want to stay the night in Malmö?

Things to know before your Malmö day trip

Is Malmö expensive?

Copenhagen is known for being an expensive city. So how does Malmö compare? We personally found Malmö to be a lot cheaper than Copenhagen. Our best example is with our coffee. A flat white in Malmö was about 47 SEK ($4.60 USD), while in Copenhagen it was 42 DKK ($6.20 USD). 

We would say that overall, Malmö prices were pretty on par with most of the other countries we have visited in Europe and with the US.

When is the best time to visit Malmö?

We visited Malmö in mid January and it was COLD! Plus, we had gloomy weather, shorter daylight, and the trees were mostly dead. While we had a super fun Malmö day trip, we would love to come back in the summertime, when the city really shines (literally)!

The summers in Malmö are said to be gorgeous. And with its location on the water, beaches to enjoy, and lots of parks, there would be even more things to do in Malmö then!

Tipping culture

Like much of Europe, tipping is not customary or expected at restaurants in Sweden. If you really feel like giving extra, 5% is usually good.

English is common

If you’re not brushed up on your Swedish, have no fear! English is spoken in most places. But if you want to say thank you, say “tack” (pronounced more like “Tah-k”).

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