We had wanted to visit a Scandinavian country for a long time, so we decided to travel to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. While we were there, some friends suggested taking a day trip to Malmö.
At first, the idea seemed strange. Another fairly large city, in another country, and just for one day? It sounded like quite a trip. But in reality, it turned out to be very simple. The train from Copenhagen to Malmö takes about 30 minutes, with no major obstacles along the way.
And just like that, we visited two Scandinavian countries in a single trip. Of course, spending one day in Malmö can hardly be called a proper visit to Sweden. But still, we were there!
City Hall Square
Malmö City Hall is an old, beautiful, and impressive building. On its own, it might feel a little overwhelming, but the large, bright square in front of it balances that impression. Plenty of open space and fresh air. Plenty of people and light.
Not far from City Hall stands Malmö’s main historic church, St. Peter’s Church. Despite its importance, it is not a cathedral. And unlike the square, there is very little open space around the church. Even our photo looks as if it was taken from below, simply because there was nowhere to step back. The church itself is beautiful, of course, and surprisingly cozy inside despite its size. But there really isn’t much room around it.
We reached the central square and the church almost immediately after leaving the train station. We crossed a canal and found ourselves right next to these landmarks. After exploring them, we continued our walk.
The streets were not exactly quiet. At one point, we came across a noisy demonstration, but since we were tourists, we didn’t try to find out what it was about. Despite the noise and the demonstration, Malmö’s streets still seemed beautiful and welcoming to us. There are many interesting architectural details and historic buildings to discover.
A Park That Wasn’t Quite a Park
Then something funny happened.
We entered a park. It was a beautiful, peaceful place, with gravel paths and benches along them. Quite a few people were sitting there. But something seemed a little strange. There were small monuments among the trees and greenery, and we couldn’t quite understand what they were.
As it turned out, they were gravestones. This wasn’t a park at all. It was a cemetery. Although, judging by the number of people, it had long been used as a place for walks as well.
It made us think that perhaps people here have a very different attitude toward death. They seem perfectly comfortable spending time in an old cemetery as if it were a park. It’s hard to imagine something like that back home.
Malmöhus Castle
Continuing our walk at a relaxed pace, we eventually reached Malmöhus Castle. It is located not far from the city center, surrounded by a beautiful park and a water-filled moat that looks more decorative than defensive today. A family of swans was swimming in the clear water. And swans are always beautiful.
The castle is definitely worth visiting. Besides being a beautiful historic building, it now houses a museum with exhibitions about the history of the region. There are also art exhibitions, including works by well-known artists.
But the castle itself is just as interesting as the museum. Although most of the rooms contain exhibitions, we somehow managed to wander into a few spaces where nothing seemed to be on display. We simply explored the old walls, looked through the narrow openings and enjoyed views of the modern city. It was fascinating.
After a pleasant but physically tiring walk, we discovered a lovely little café on the ground floor of the castle. We ordered something to eat and sat down for a while. It’s especially nice to relax and enjoy a snack in a place like this.
Our Impressions of Malmö
Just like the park that turned out to be a cemetery, this quiet and beautiful city wasn’t quite what it seemed at first. Later, we read that Malmö has long struggled with organized crime and has a reputation as one of Sweden’s cities with the highest crime levels. That really surprised us. Even after seeing the demonstration, we never felt that we were walking around an unsafe city.
Still, if you are already visiting Copenhagen, Malmö is definitely worth a day trip. We would recommend going during the day and planning your route in advance. There is plenty to discover here, even in just one day.