In paid collaboration with @malmotown.
Let me share all my favourite Malmö spots with you and a video from our recent staycation in Sweden’s third largest city! Since moving to the region of Skåne where Malmö is also located we’ve visited many times but never stayed over and gotten the full experience. Now that we have I’m excited to share all about it as well as a list of places I recommend in this Malmö guide.
Malmö is a diverse city with a relaxed vibe and many good vegan friendly eateries. While it’s Sweden’s third largest city many people around the world would still classify it as small in comparison with big cities in their home countries. As Sweden’s population is quite small to begin with it is natural that our big cities don’t quite compare in terms of mass and vastness. Having said that there is plenty of beautiful spots in this city on the south western coast. You have the harbour area and plenty of opportunity to swim in the (freezing cold) sea, you’ve got great (window) shopping as Swede’s definitely know how to curate a good shopping experience, lots of good food and fika with both Swedish roots and of other cultures.
Sometimes Malmö gets a bad rap because the media like to report on it as if it is dangerous to walk down the main street but I can testify that this is not true. It is true that crime rates are higher here than in the rest of Sweden but as a visitor it is very unlikely you will see none of this. Unfortunately Malmö has issues with organised crime and gangs but as we know from any big city around the world this is not unusual and doesn’t often affect the general public. These issues are of course not to be brushed under the rug and there are problems which need to be treated with care to improve the lives of many in the city but it should not scare visitors away from what I think is a pretty cool place.
With that said and the air cleared I really hope you’ll enjoy the staycation video we made and if you visit will find my Malmö guide useful!
#makeitmalmö
WHY A STAYCATION?
Since I met Rob I have had the opportunity to travel and see different parts of the world much more than previously. I am very grateful for having had this opportunity to explore different cultures, see and learn as well as simply escape the freezing cold Swedish winter. However as both Rob and I have grown more concerned with the climate crisis we are in it’s become more important to us to adapt our lifestyle accordingly.
At the end of last year I did a climate footprint calculator which based on your inputs, about various aspects of your lifestyle, counts how much CO2 you contribute to during a year. Unfortunately mine came out very high which I was quite surprised by. The biggest culprit was my travelling and since we live in the countryside we do drive a car which is difficult to change at this stage. What I knew I could change however was my air travel so I set out the goal to only do one trip by plane this year. I wish I could say none but as Rob has family around the world I knew no trips was not an option for us right now. So far I have not flown this year and have my one trip scheduled for September. I am proud of this but I also wanted to tell you this because it hasn’t meant that I haven’t been able to get around and visit new places.
In February Rob and I visited the Netherlands with his family which I wrote all about here. We traveled there by train, very soon we’ll be busing it all the way to London and we just had our staycation in Malmö. By choosing this type of travelling we’ve saved on our previously heavy footprint on this earth so when @malmotown reached out and asked if we wanted to have a staycation in Malmö and share all our favourite places with you we thought of course! Exploring close to home is so underrated in this day and age. There are so many places just around the corner from us that we know nothing about so these days I welcome any chance to learn more about my local region. Trying new things and learning more about the world can happen close to home as well as on the other side of the earth, I am learning that by doing.
AREAS OF INTEREST AND WHERE TO STAY
During our stay we spent our nigths and most of our mornings at the Ohboy bike hotel in the western harbour (västra hamnen). It’s a self-service hotel where each room comes with a foldable bike and it’s own kitchen. We loved being able to cycle around Malmö as it’s very bicycle friendlyand compact. We had never biked around the city before but now think this is definitely the best way to get around the city. It was also nice to have the close proximity to the sea and a couple of evenings we were down by the harbour which is now a pedestrian are to see the sunset and enjoy the summer atmosphere. Having a kitchen was also a plus as we could have breakfast at home and if we weren’t there to eat our way through the city I could totally see us cooking up lighter meals there as well.
Now that you know all about that I’d love to give you the low down on some areas we enjoy in the city:
Västra hamnen – the western harbour where you will find piers and a great view of the bridge that leads to Copenhagen.
Davidshall – this is a central area of the city where you’ll find some of the best shopping.
Möllevången – the melting pot of the city with a big Middle Eastern influence and a great fruit and veg market.
St Knut – more of a neighbourhood than an area but worth a mention as you’ll find some of our fave places here like Gram, Uggla and Mineral.
Slottsstaden – a little bit residential but cosy and houses the Atrium cafe and an entry to the beautiful Slottparken park.
Gamla staden – the old town which dates back to midieavel times with beautiful buildings, cobble stone, shops and eateries.
EATERIES
Coffee:
Uggla – Rob’s favourite coffee bar where they also make nice golden milks and matcha lattes.
Solde – coffee roasters coffee bar in a cute hole in the wall.
Lilla Kafferosteriet – another local roaster with good coffee and a cosy space.
Lunch and Fika:
Bageri Leve – bakery with really good vegan pastries and Swedish style donuts.
Jord – vegan breakfast all day with a mean tofu scramble, delicious fika and lovely space.
Malmö Saluhall – very well designed food hall with all the good stuff, try Pink Head Noodle Bar, Favvo Glass or Burgers and Falafel.
Atrium – very stylish cafe with a few vegan options.
Lunch and Dinner:
Far i Hatten – cheery restaurant and wood-fired pizza with gluten-free and vegan options, great atmosphere and outdoor seating.
Noi’s café och deli – classic Vietnamese dishes with vegan options.
Mineral – all vegan restaurant and wine bar with a great atmosphere, food is more fine dining.
The Raw Kitchen – raw food restaurant with awesome cultured nut cheeses.
Dubbel Dubbel – dim sum and other small dishes in a cosy setting, good selection of vegan dishes.
Scania Bar – Korean and Mexican fusion with good bibimbap, cheaper at lunch for the same food.
Other food related fun:
Gram – fantastic low impact store with a good selection of dried foods, snacks and lovely zero waste lifestyle items.
Mitt Möllan – a trendy galleria with shopping and a good food court, try ice cream at Köld and the vegan sandwich at Scandwich.
Möllevångstorget – on the square you will find vendors selling cheap fruits and vegetables and in the surrounding area you’ll find various Asian and Middle Eastern shops with the best specialty products.
Söderberg och Sara – great sourdough bakery.
S:t Jakobs stenugnsbageri – bakery with lovely bread and sometimes vegan pastry option.
THINGS TO DO
Malmö Stadsbibliotek – beautiful and bright city library with plenty of good books including a great photo book collection.
Malmöhus Slott – this old city castle now houses exhibitions touching on varying subjects including an exhibit of the castle itself of course.
Moderna Museet – modern art museum with a few exhibitions at a time.
Slottsparken och -trädgård – beautiful park and gardens in the center of Malmö.
Folkets Park – fun park for the whole family with mini golf, ping pong and other games, restaurants, bars and events.
Stapelbäddsparken – skate and bouldering park.
Västra Hamnen Beach – a bathing spot in the western harbour where youäll also find a little bar.
The Turning Torso – you will find Malmö’s tallest building in the western harbour with its peculiar twisted body.
Ribersborgs Kallbadhus – although I have never been I would love to visit this place where you can bath in the freezing cold sea and then sauna to warm up, a little warning that you visit in the nude.
Malmö Konsthall – another art exhibiton hall which I have yet to visit.
