Malmo and Lund Affordable Day Trip from Copenhagen

Malmo Day Trip: April 9th, 10 am

After 5 days in Copenhagen, I’m familiar with train routes and streets around the hostel and I’m ready to embark on my Malmo day trip. The nearest station to me is Norreport and a DSB train to Malmo is convenient from here rather than going two stops to Central Station.

I arrange with a friend, Camilla, to meet up in Malmo. We haven’t seen since I was last in London in 2012 and it is great to meet up again.

My stay is in Copenhagen but I’m trying to maximize my travels by squeezing in Sweden for the day just like I recommend here for those on limited vacation days.

I set out for Norreport and purchase a single ticket to Malmo for DKK89 which is the equivalent of $17 and change. Fair price for squeezing in another country, I think. The station is easy to navigate and I find my way onto the right train which is spacious and clean.

Crossing the Oresund

The train to Sweden goes onto the Oresund Bridge named after the Oresund strait and it links both Denmark and Sweden. It reminds me of the B,D,Q trains that cross the East River from Brooklyn into Manhattan, only that there is no life on the bridge the same way the East River bridge has them.

The last stop in Denmark is Kastrup Airport and the first stop in Sweden is Hyllie. Always have your passport on hand because border control comes onto the train to check.

Just to show you how convenient this commute is, Swedes arrive at Copenhagen airport and take the train home on that route. It’s cheaper and more convenient than flying into Stockholm and taking a train or driving down south.

Also, residents of both countries live in one and work in the other although more folks work in Copenhagen and live in Sweden because Sweden is cheaper than Denmark, even though they’re both crazy expensive. Think of the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) or commuter cities except these are separate countries. Amazing!

Anyhoo, I arrive Malmo Station in 40 minutes and exit the station. Camilla is arriving at noon and I have about 2 hours to kill so I set out on my adventure.

Malmo is Sweden’s third largest city and is ethnically diverse and I hope to see some of this diversity just like in Copenhagen.

I exit the station, consult a saved Pin on Malmo and try to figure out which direction to turn. Pay attention now, folks. I did the heavy work so that you don’t have to. Lol. I turn left, cross Skeppsbron with bus stops nearby and walk onto a bridge in the direction of the Savoy Hotel.

It’s a Monday morning and I expect bustling streets but no, nothing. No shoving, pushing or cussing. I’m so used to it in NYC that the absence of these attitudes leaves me befuddled. Yikes!

1. Stor Torget, or Big Square

I walk towards Savoy and down its side street till I come to a large square, Stor Torget. There are grand buildings here and me being ga-ga for architecture, I marvel at medieval skills with rudimentary tools able to construct such grand edifices.

There is a palatial edifice and my first thought is that this is City Hall…and I am right! Well, partially. It is the Radhuset, Malmo’s old town hall, constructed in 1547.

Unfortunately, it isn’t open to tour at the time but I hear that the interior resembles Versailles and other grand palaces with ornate ballrooms and spaces. Radhuset also houses Malmo’s most popular restaurant.

 

Further down, I see a row of sculptures that resemble a marching band. I ask a security guard what the backstory is and he says, “No backstory. We just make it so.” Ok then. Lol.

The guard tells me to go into the Apoteket (pharmacy) next door and look at the interior. I do so and I’m amazed! It still has gilt, ornate columns, banisters and what-not from the 1700s. Very unique.

2. Lille Torg/Gamla Staden

I ask for directions to Malmohus, or Malmo Castle, and get what sounds like a route to the Fountain of Youth. So, I return to Stor Torget and head left down a side street, hoping to discover something else…and I do. Lille Torg!

I go through Gamla Staden on my quest for Malmohus and it is Malmo’s old town still with colourful cottages and alleys present.

Later on, Cam and I return to Lille Torg and it is bustling with life. The restaurants are full and it is an unusually warm day in Malmo. We lunch at an Indian restaurant and it was alright though I’ve definitely had better. We are starving after all the walking and clear our plates.

There is a lot of police presence in Lille Torg and I initially think it’s because of the Muenster attack in Germany days ago. No, ma’am. It’s because of the rambunctious Swedish football fans watching their teams play. They take over a sports bar, sing and make merry. It was interesting to watch.

3. Kungsparken

Back to my Malmo Castle search. I whip out ol’ Google and walk through Lille Torg and Gamla Staden till I get to a major road with a park opposite. I cross into the park, called Kungsparken or King’s Garden, and just stare.

It’s wide with ducks waddling about on the lake side. On a warm day like today, families and lovers lie on the grass and soak up much needed sun.

It’s freezing in Copenhagen and I dressed appropriately for Malmo…only to start sweating under my poncho, thermals and 2 pairs of socks. Lol.

Walking in Kungsparken trying to find a path to Malmohus, I remember my day trip to The Cloisters in Fort Tryon where I could see the structure from afar but there was no visible path towards it. This is exactly like it.

I consult two gardeners and get another cryptic direction: follow the cobbled path towards the water, find the bridge, cross it and when you’re on the other side, you’re there. Huh?!? Sigh. I want adventure, right? I’m sure as heck getting it. Adelante, chica!

Kungsparken reminds me of Prospect Park in Brooklyn because it’s quiet with lakes and not as crowded as Central Park. From here, you have ample views of Turning Torso and you can take pictures without having to go to there.

I get to the bridge. Finally! It’s over a small canal and leads out onto Slottstradgarden, which is an organically managed garden open all year round. Different vegetables grow on the fields but nothing is in bloom because of the season.

4. Slottsmollan

Right in front of me is a windmill! I’ve never seen one before and all my childhood fairy-tales of Heidi and what-not set in European mountains flash back.

This is a smock mill from the 1870s powered by steam and wind power, the latter up until 1945. There is wide open green around and it looks to be a great place to have a summer picnic. Alas, I can’t tour the interior as it would’ve been fascinating to see the inside of a mill house.

Apparently, summer events and concerts hold in the area and I can only imagine the experience.

5. Malmohus

I’m closer now. I can see Malmo Castle, now just to find its entrance. Ah hah! Success! I enter its large grounds and go into the building. It costs Kr40 to tour the museum but I decline and instead, tour and take photos of the main lobby and castle grounds.

I find a plaque stating that refugees were housed at Malmo Castle when survivors from the concentration camps arrived at the end of 1945. Malmo Castle, part of Malmo Museum, received them. I had no idea and I’m sure there are many such buildings all over Europe that did this.

I don’t intend to spend much money in Malmo as Scandinavia is very expensive and I don’t have Swedish Kroner on me for that reason. I’m trying to be as frugal as I can without denying myself any pleasures. Besides, Camilla is waiting by Malmo Station so off to meet up with her.

I discover a much shorter route back to the main road from whence I entered Kungsparken. Of course, that’s my life. I could’ve taken this route and saved 40 mins through the park; still it was a jolly adventure as I wouldn’t have known there was a park and Slottsmollan in the area.

6. Turning Torso

Cam and I meet up on the bridge across from the Savoy and embrace after 6 years. It’s great to see her again and have a Swede for the adventure. We both want to see Turning Torso so off we go with the aid of ol’ Google. How did we ever survive without them??

It’s past noon and Malmo streets are bare and quiet in comparison with NYC. Just like in Copenhagen, be mindful of the bikes. Not cars or buses, but bikes. Lol. Half the population bike and they are everywhere so pay attention to not get run over like I almost did.

We head onto a bridge and towards Turning Torso. The area around it is very industrial with construction happening all round. There are modern commercial buildings and not as much architectural history like Stor Torget and Lille Torg. Nevertheless, we walk on and Turning Torso looms ahead of us.

For the tallest residential building in Europe, it sure looks desolate. I don’t know if it is fully inhabited but the area is very quiet with little pedestrian traffic.

It is a mixed-use building with mostly residential apartments, commercial offices and event spaces. We enter and Camilla asks at the lobby and is told that tours will begin this summer.

Turning Torso is designed by the Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, who designed the Oculus in downtown NYC. Google the Oculus if you haven’t been there. Impressive!

It looks like the area is being built up to accommodate businesses that luxury tenants will require because the only business I see is a plastic surgery across the entrance to the building and a few restaurants near a park by the Torso.

There are condo buildings that look empty and we think they might be summer homes for folks who live in Stockholm or abroad. They have a pied-a-terre feel to them.

7. Waterfront

We walk further away from Turning Torso till we get to a boardwalk which reminds me of the South Street Seaport in NYC minus the comfy deck chairs, cruises and food spots. Still, on a warm day, it has folks sitting, eating and conversing. I can imagine how busy it’ll be in summer with more activities.

It’s a very serene area with great ambience for collecting your thoughts like an introvert-cum-ambivert like me needs to do occasionally. Camilla and I chill here for a while and catch up on stuff before heading back to Lille Torg for a late lunch.

Bonus: Popping into Lund

We amble a bit more in city centre, take in the sights and catch a train to Lund for cheap and the ride takes fifteen minutes. Camilla did college at Lund University and I want to see the famous Lund Cathedral and its Astronomical Clock.

The Cathedral closes at 6 pm and we rush to catch the 5.23 train to get us to Lund by 5.35 ish. It’s the next town after Malmo and is small so we are at the Cathedral by 5.45.

Whenever I’m in a new city, I love visiting its cathedrals and historic buildings because you can tell the culture and heritage of a city through its architecture. I’m fascinated by religious imagery, art and cathedrals if it isn’t obvious by now.

The Cathedral is Lutheran in denomination and Romanesque in architecture. It resembles the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal and from the front, it doesn’t look large but go round the back and see how it extends down its lot.

Its interior is simple yet stately and once again, I’m reminded of the chapels and cathedral arches and columns present at The Cloisters museum in NYC.

The Astronomical Clock is at the back and it plays Mon-Sat at noon and 3pm and Sundays at 1pm and 3pm.

It dates back to the 1420s and shows zodiac signs, moon phases, cherubs, the Virgin and baby Jesus. It’s truly amazing that it still chimes centuries later.

There is the oldest part of the Cathedral, the crypt from 1123, with influences from Normandy and South England. The Normandy part explains the French influence I unconsciously noticed without knowing zilch about historic architecture.

Legend has it that a giant is frozen to a stone pillar because he was angry at not being paid for building the Cathedral and wanted to destroy it. I don’t know much about Nordic legends and will do the Googles on this.

I wish we have time to visit the crypt but I am happy that we are able to view the Cathedral for the last 12 minutes.

We amble onto the grounds of Lund University campus and flowers are blooming everywhere. Spring seems to have heard our cry!

It is more vibrant than Malmo because it is a student town and it reminds me of A-levels in Cambridge where the population of the town ebbs and flows with the academic season.

We take a train back to Malmo to buy an ice-cream waffle we saw earlier in Lille Torg, alas, they are shut. It’s just after 7 pm and shops are shut! We go into city centre on an ice-cream hunt but we find none.

Instead, we saunter into a cafe open for 15 more minutes and settle in for a smoothie and Rooibos mango tea and to rest our weary feet.

The cafe has beautiful chairs and rugs in what I think is ikat (or similar) fabric that catch our eye immediately.

Camilla heads back to Kristianstad and I wait for my train back to Copenhagen, direction Osterport. Oddly enough, there is no border control at Copenhagen airport as I expect. I wonder…

I alight at Norreport Station, buy some chicken sticks and drinks at 7-11 and walk to the hostel thoroughly exhausted but happy.

My flight back home is tomorrow and I begin packing because check-out time is 10 am.

All in all, this is an exciting day trip and recommend it if you visit Copenhagen. If you prefer a more vibrant town, this might not be up your alley.

Its proximity to Copenhagen is convenient and affordable if you cannot spare the extra days and money to visit Stockholm.

Hope you walked vicariously through my day trip. Better rest them weary legs if you did 🙂

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