One Day in Malmo and Lund, Sweden

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Located in the south of Sweden, Malmo and Lund can be combined into one day trip or visited independently, from Copenhagen. In fact, it is one of the most popular day trips from the capital of Denmark. This post covers how to visit Malmo and Lund in one day.

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Notes on One Day in Malmo and Lund

• As I mentioned, you can visit Malmo and Lund from Copenhagen or visit these cities if you find yourself in southern Sweden.
• Malmo and Lund are only 14 minutes apart by train.
• You can easily visit both cities in one day or you can visit each city on separate days. You can naturally take more time and see more things if you are visiting on two days instead of one but visiting Malmo and Lund in one day is very easy to do.
• If you are visiting Malmo and Lund in one day and coming from Copenhagen, then take an early train so that you have a full day
• Carry your passport with you if you are crossing over as there maybe a passport check on the train.

Malmo

Malmo is the 3rd largest city in Sweden and is just across the Öresund Bridge from Copenhagen, Denmark. The charm of Malmo is actually in its historic city and this is where this day trip will focus on.

How to Get to Malmo

(Assuming you are traveling from Copenhagen)

By Car: The car ride takes about 42 km and 45 minutes.

By Bus: There is a bus that runs from Copenhagen Central station but this takes 1 hour 15 minutes to even longer. This is a cheaper option that the train.

By Train: The ride takes only 41 minutes from Copenhagen Central Station or even less from the Airport station. Trains go very frequently.

What to Do in Malmo

Things to Do on a Half Day

Start off in Stortorget, the main square in Old Town which was constructed in the 1500s. In this square is the Malmo Rådhus or Town Hall building and a famous passageway called Lejonet Passagen. In front of this passageway is a whimsical figurines playing musical instruments.

Next check out St. Peter’s church. Built in the 14th century, this is Malmo s oldest church. Peter’s Church contains late medieval murals and an altarpiece, made in 1611. This altarpiece is is one of the largest in the Nordic countries. 

Next check out Lilla Torg which translates to Little Square. This is another famous square in Malmo. This square is surrounded by restaurants and outdoor spaces and is a great place to take a fika break. Fika is the art of taking a coffee and pastry break. Then walk towards the colorful street of Gamla Väster.

After this, take a quick stroll on Sodergatan, which is the main shopping street in the Old Town.

Malmo castle and Slottsträdgården (castle gardens) is up next. Malmo castle was built in the 1500s and is the oldest preserved Renaissance castle in the Nordic region. Today, it is a museum that tells the history of the castle. It also houses an art museum. You should aim to go to Lund around 2 PM if you are planning on combining the day. If you are running out of time, then I think the castle is skippable.

After visiting the castle, have some lunch in Malmo. I cannot recommend the Spoonery. Especially if you are looking for Swedish meatballs! They were absolutely delicious!

If you are hoping to go to Lund, make your way to the train station after lunch.

One of the most recognizable structures in Malmo is a building called Turning Torso. If you are doing a combined trip with Lund, you may not have enough time to visit this building as it’s not in Old Town. However, you can see it from the bridge just before the castle.

Things to Do on a Full Day

If you do have a full day just in Malmo, then you can go visit this architectural wonder after lunch. Also check out Sundspromenaden in that part of town. Sundspromenaden is the waterfront promenade. If you have a full day, you can also check out Kungsparken (King’s park).

Another amazing this to do if you have a full day in Malmo is to do a canal tour that takes you through the waterways of Malmo. Check it out below!

Lund

The Swedish town of Lund is such a charming city! I really enjoyed my time in Lund and highly recommend visiting. Lund has been around since the tenth century and its cathedral dates back to 1090–1145. Lund also has a university dating back to the 1600s. This city is very compact and easily walkable. My favorite part was walking through all the colorful streets and cute houses.

How to Get to Lund

From Copenhagen

By Car: Lund is located 60 km from Copenhagen and takes just under an hour.

By Train: Hop on a trail from Copenhagen Central Station and get to Lund in a little over 52 minutes.

From Malmo

By Car: The distance is 20 km and takes about 20 minutes

By Train: It’s just a 14 minute rain ride from Malmo

What to Do in Lund

Things to Do in a Half Day

Start at the little square of Bantorget. From there go up the bust street of Lilla Fiskaregatan. This street is full of cute shops. You will come to a square that is knows as Stortorget. Here you will see the Lund City Hall and a sign with the name of the city.

After this, walk towards the Lund cathedral. It’s a imposing structure for a small town like Lund and as mentioned prior has been standing here for a long time. Inside the cathedral is an astronomical clock that has a special display weekdays at noon and at 3 pm, Sundays at 1 pm and at 3 pm.

Opposite the cathedral (at the back) is Kungshuset. Translating to “King’s House”, this castle looking building was built by the Danish king Frederick II between 1578 and 1584 and originally intended as the residence for the bishop of Lund but was instead donated to the University of Lund as its main building and Library. Kingshuset is located in Lundagård. This park holds several buildings connected to the University. Walk around and enjoy the surroundings, buildings and fountains!

From this area head over to the street called Hospitalsgatan. Here you will find colorful houses with hollyhocks growing several feet high. You will love this area if you love colorful streets! Saluhallen is a short distance from here. This food hall was very busy even on a weekday afternoon and is a perfect place to take a fika break or grab a drink.

You can explore more colorful streets like Hjortgatan, Adelgatan before checking out the stunning Lund University Library.

As you walk around Lund, you may find a lot more cute places and streets!

Things to Do on a Full Day

You can do the things listed below, if you are in Lund for half a day and have covered everything above and have more time OR you have a a full day in Lund.

Kulturen

Kulturen is an open-air museum depicting cultural history in Lund. It is Sweden’s and the world’s second oldest open-air museum after Skansen in Stockholm. It has an extensive collection of historic buildings and gardens that takes you through former times dating back to the Middle Ages until the 1930s. You can book a guided tour in English HERE.

Botanical Garden

You can spend some strolling through the botanical gardens if you have time to spare in Lund.

Can’t be bothered doing this on your own? Check out these highly rated tours from Copenhagen below!

See HERE for more day trip from Copenhagen

Heading to Stockholm? Check out my detailed post HERE!

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