Copenhagen to Malmö Day Trip: A Local’s Itinerary

I’ve been traveling around the Nordics for a decade now, and I have also lived in Denmark and Sweden for well over five years combined—along with visiting the latter of those countries well over 20 times. Even after seeing and doing so much, taking a day trip from Copenhagen to Malmö is still one of my favorite activities. 

Before moving to the Danish capital in 2020, I visited seven times over the course of just four years. More often than not, I would combine those weekend trips with a day trip across the Øresund Bridge. Since relocating to the Danish capital, I have continued doing that. Most of these trips have been for my own personal enjoyment, but over time, I’ve learned a lot about visiting Malmö and found plenty of great ways to spend my time there. 

In total, I have been to Sweden’s third-biggest city on more than 10 occasions. So, if you’re planning a day trip there, you could certainly do a lot worse than listening to me 🙂. In this guide, I’ll use all of my experiences in Malmö to help you spend an enjoyable day trip here. You can follow this itinerary throughout the year. 

How Much of Malmö Can You Realistically See in a Day?

Quite a lot, as it goes. Malmö is a very compact city, and most of the main attractions are within walking distance of each other. You’ll find a good chunk of the city’s cafés and restaurants within the center of town, too. 

Your best option for getting around is to explore Malmö on foot. However, you can also rent a bike; if you want to visit Västra Hamnen, Ribersborg Strand, and the Turning Torso, this is a good idea to save some time. 

Otherwise, Malmö has a good network of buses. So, if you don’t want to rent a bike to visit the above-mentioned places—and you’re not interested in walking there—you can use that 24-hour Skånetrafiken ticket I spoke about earlier. 

You won’t get around to every restaurant in Malmö in a day. You can, however, certainly see all the main sights and at least try some of its many places to eat. It’s one of the best places to visit in Sweden if you want a short trip.

My Full Itinerary for a Copenhagen – Malmö Day Trip

Now that I’ve given you the basics of taking a day trip between these two cities, let’s get into the actual itinerary. 

Morning: Taking the Train From Copenhagen to Malmö

You can choose any train you want going from Copenhagen to Malmö, and they’re relatively frequent—even on weekends. I’d recommend taking a train that departs Copenhagen at 09:00 at the latest, especially if you’re here in the winter when daylight hours are limited. The journey to Malmö normally takes between 45 and 60 minutes. 

As I mentioned earlier, bring your passport just in case there are border checks. You can sit anywhere on the train if the seat isn’t reserved. The train will usually be quite busy until Copenhagen Airport, but it empties significantly after that. 

Oh, and by the way… you’ll notice at Copenhagen Central Station that there aren’t any ticket barriers. This doesn’t mean your trip is free. On most day trips when I go to Malmö, an inspector will come around and check that you have a valid ticket. The fines are not cheap if you get caught without one, so… buy a ticket. 

When going to Malmö, I suggest trying to get a window seat on the left-hand side. That way, you can—if the weather is clear—see the city’s skyline as you cross the bridge. 

Once You Arrive in Malmö…

You’ll likely start your day trip to Malmö at Stortorget, which is a short walk from the station. I really like the architecture here, and it’s a gentle introduction to Sweden’s third-biggest city. From this square, you can easily walk to Lilla Torget. 

Most of the streets close to these squares are shopping streets, which is handy if you want to look for things to buy or simply have a look around. Many shops open at around 10:00, so if you get here early, it’s also nice to stroll around without so many crowds.

When you delve away from Lilla Torget, the side streets are also particularly pretty. For what it’s worth, I also think that Gamla Väster is the nicest district in the city. 

Since it’ll be close to lunchtime around this point, I suggest going to Badrans Super Falafel. It’s not too far from Gamla Väster, and very close to the canal running through Malmö. The food here is very affordable, and the falafels are really good, too. You can sit either by the canal or at the benches close to the food stand, but you’ll probably be accompanied by a few birds if you do.

Afternoon: More of Malmö, Featuring the Best Pizza in Town

Once you’ve refueled for lunch, I recommend going to Davidshall next. This is another lovely neighborhood, and it’s also one of the liveliest in Malmö. Here, you’ll find a number of interesting shops—including second-hand shops and various places to see Swedish fashion and design. Davidshallstorg is also the nicest square in Malmö, in my opinion. 

You can spend an hour or two having a walk around the different shops here, and if you’re feeling hungry (or peckish), Leve has some excellent cinnamon buns. You are in Sweden, after all, so I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to leave without trying one. 🙂

For the rest of your afternoon, you can explore some of the city’s many parks. Slottsparken is worth seeing, and you’ll find a nice café here called Slottsträdgårdens Café. The castle is also small but pleasant. Kungsparken is also close by. 

I recommend also making a quick stop to see Banérskajen, which is a nice small street with some wooden houses and stands that sell seafood. Depending on how much time you have, you could walk to Västra Hamnen from here. The Turning Torso is cool to see from the outside, though you can’t go in as it’s a residential building. Ribersborg Strand is also very nice, and you can even spot wild rabbits here. 

If You Have Some Extra Time, Consider Staying for the Evening

Depending on whether you need to be back in Copenhagen, you can walk, cycle, or take the bus from Västra Hamnen to Malmö Central Station. However, I’d recommend sticking around for longer and having some dinner while you’re in town. If you do, 400Grader is my favorite pizza place in the city; you’ll need to make a reservation if you plan to eat here, as it gets busy. You can find details for that on the website (in Swedish). 

Otherwise, El Sótano is another nice pizza restaurant. It’s more centrally located, and you can also book a table online. Like 400Grader, the site is in Swedish—but if you click “Boka Bord”, you can do the rest from there. 

Before heading back to Copenhagen, you can also stop for drinks at Clarion Malmö Live’s rooftop bar. This is best done outside of the winter, when it’s still light, and you can see the city. The hotel is right next to Malmö Central Station, and it’s therefore easy to get back to Denmark from here.

Your Complete Guide to Taking a Day Trip From Copenhagen to Malmö

One of the main reasons I regularly take day trips to Malmö is because it’s super easy to reach from Copenhagen. The city has plenty of things to keep you entertained for a day, and you could honestly spend all of your time hopping in and out of the various restaurants, bars, and bakeries here. 

While you won’t experience everything in just one day, you can see a good amount of the city. I’d recommend staying overnight if you have some more time, but considering that there’s a lot more to do in Copenhagen, it’s also okay if you quickly pop over to Malmö and then head back to Denmark. 

Having read this guide, you should have a better idea of how to structure your day trip. If you have further questions, feel free to leave a commen,t and I’ll do my best to help. Otherwise, you can read my guides on the best things to do in Copenhagen and Malmö for more ideas and inspiration.