|
Is it worth visiting Malmö? Probably not if your time is short, but given the ease of travel a day trip is a remarkably hassle-free way of seeing a part of Sweden, and current exchange rates (about 14 Swedish kroner (sek) to the pound sterling) mean dining and shopping costs less in Malmö than Copenhagen. Malmö also boasts a lively cultural festival in the third week of August.
Sights
Trains glide over Øresund bridge, linking Copenhagen and Malmö in a comfortable 35-min journey. Ryanair flights connect Malmö with London and there is a ferry link from Nyhavn. The tourist office, T 341200, http://www.malmo.se, is situated in the railway station. On sale is the Malmö Card (120sek for 1 day) which gives various discounts for places of interest, bike hire and train travel (unlikely to save you money unless your day is packed with activities). Also on sale are 100sek-tickets for guided sightseeing tours in English, while outside the railway station, Rundan Canal Boats depart on 45-min guided tours on the canals. The canal pedal boats for hire on Södra Promenade from mid-Apr to Aug for 100sek an hour are good fun.
Malmö, the third largest city in Sweden, has a compact city centre and it is very easy for travellers to find their way about. The city has lovely large parks with miles of cycle tracks, and bikes can be hired. For a taste of the city, head for the main square, Stor Torget, a three-minute walk straight up from the station. Surrounding the central statue – of the king under whose rule Sweden was freed from Danish rule – are some plush hotels and the town hall, fashioned in the neoclassical style in the mid-19th century. Adjoining the main square is Lilla Torg, a charming cobbled square free of traffic and ebulliently full of café life and good restaurants . In the immediate vicinity of Lilla Torg are the more interesting designer shops and a pedestrianized shopping street that leads to Triangeln, a triangular junction with a modern shopping centre.
Malmö’s museums, daily from 1000 to 1600, are conveniently clustered in and around Malmöhus Castle, which is easily reached by bike or on foot. The castle, rebuilt by the Danish overlords in the 16th century, is now home to not-desperately- exciting exhibits of natural and cultural history, though up the road a short way the Science Museum has a more engaging collection of machines and technological wonders. Little information is provided in English but exhibits like the 1943 coastal submarine, which you can clamber aboard and poke around in, speak for themselves. Malmö Konsthall, 1100 to 1700, the city’s art gallery, is at St Johannesgatan, ashort walk from Triangeln, and well worth a visit when an exhibition is on show.
Malmö’s surprise is a sandy, one-mile-long beach, walkable from the railway station in under fifteen minutes. Safe for swimming, the highlight is the Kallbadhuset bathing house that retains its late-19th-century character and offers saunas and massages.
|
