Must-do and see things in Malmö

Hej! Are you in the mood for a dose of Scandinavian inspiration?

On Sunday I returned from the very inspiring press tour in the swedish third largest city – Malmö, where together with a group of international bloggers, we had a chance to tour charming streets and visit must-see places around the town. As you know I am deeply, madly in love with the Scandi style so it was a perfect getaway weekend for me and of course a chance to meet my favourite people.

Let me introduce our team:

Niki (My Scandinavian Home) and Stefan (Trend Stefan) were our great, local guides showing us historical old town and the design spots. They also shared with us the history of Scandinavian Design and many interesting facts about living in Sweden. Elisabetta (Italian Bark) architect and dog-lover from Italy, Mette (Monstercircus) the most creative and beautiful soul from Denmark, Igor (Happy Interior Blog) the urban jungle king living in Germany and me. WELCOME to Malmö!

Malmö is just 30 mins by train from the Copenhagen airport, across the famous, long, sea bridge Øresund so you can have a quick stop in the Danish capital (like I did) then move to Malmö for a weekend. The great thing about Malmö is that you don’t really have to worry about public transport, most of the sights and all of the places I will talk about in this post are within walking distance. Just make sure to pack comfortable shoes! I am still positively overwhelmed with all the concepts I’ve seen, I hope my guide to the city will reflect friendly, laid-back yet very stylish atmosphere we experienced. Let’s get right into it!

WHERE TO STAY?

Hotel Duxiana is a boutique hotel located in the downtown, just 5 minutes walk from the central train station and it’s a perfect place to enjoy the true Scandinavian interior design. Rooms are bright and simply gorgeous, featuring iconic designs in muted shades. Hotel DUXIANA is an extension from renowned family business DUX, who makes the most comfortable beds on the market so the sleeping experience is one of the kind – dreamy, soft, just perfect.

Scandinavian design represents functionality, simplicity, and clean lines. It’s about living in harmony with your environment, surrounding yourself with things that are made to last rather than be replaced. Visitng Malmö made me realize that this design philosophy it’s a part of history and culture, an authentic way of living which is very much to be admired.

WHAT TO DO?

Old town
We started our Malmö tour by simply enjoying the old town, strolling through the streets with post-card perfect tiny colorful houses in the Jöns Filsgatan street and preserved old buildings, some of which featuring original, painted adverts from 1900s. We visited few concept stores and enjoyed traditional fika (coffee break) cafes, all of them located in between green parks and canals of Malmö. It’s always such a pleasure to get together with like-minded people, who share the same interests and have a chance to explore together. I wish we could do it more often!

Bookaboat

You can explore Malmö either by walking, cycling or renting a private, electric boat. I would definitaly reccomend the boat ride experience – it’s a great way to do something different in Malmö, the boats are easy to operate and fun! A map is included aboard every boat and there are few pit stops along the canal so you can hop on and off if you need. You can bring a picnic and a bottle of wine too for a unique lunch experience. Unforgetable.

DESIGN CONCEPT STORES & GALLERIES

1/ Form Design centre and shop – Form/Design Center is a place and a hub for knowledge and inspiration for everyone who enjoys design. On the second floor you will find the very interesting, curated collection of design accessories by Swedish (and Malmö-based!) designers – many of the objects are truly unique and different from the typical clean Scandi style, I would say more experimental, bold, intriguing!

2/ Olsson Gerthel – a shop offering a wide selection of iconic Scandinavian designs – from furniture to small accessories, beautifuly styled and simply inspiring.

3/ AB Småland – the most interesting concept store we visited during our stay, combining shopping experience with a gallery, a cafe and possibility to take part in creative workshops. A building where space and ideas are shared, where customer and designers shop and work in the same rooms, where you can spend hours enjoying the authentic, relaxed atmosphere. The owner who kindly showed us around is passionate about vintage furniture, collecting unique pieces made of natural materials which you can find in the shop. One of those places you never forget!

4/ Grandpa – Lively design store focusing on the importance of environmental responsibility offers carefully curated and always updated collection of Scandinavian design.

5/ Konsthall Malmo – what a beautiful, light filled space! The architecture is an art itself but also there are many interesting exhibitions happening inside so check out the program and make sure to stop by. WOW effect guaranteed.

THE WORKSHOP

If you are looking to spend creative afternoon in Malmö, I highly recommend the flower workshop at Florista. A small, grogeous floral corner with beautiful interiors stole my heart. The lovely owner showed us how to make wreaths using dried flowers, then we had a chance to make one each. It seemed like we were all very pleased with the final result, even though the beginnings were hard! For workshop info contact FLORISTA.

FIKA – THE COFFEE BREAKS

Fika in swedish means a coffee + something sweet in the afternoon, it’s a tradition to gather, slow down and enjoy the moment with friends. As you can imagine there are many cute little cafes around Malmö. Here are the ones we visted:

Noir Kaffekultur
Located in the old town with a big outdoor area to enjoy a coffee makes it a great spot for a quick fika break while shopping in the nearby design stores.

Konditori Katarina
A cafe where we tried the typical, Swedish cinnamon roll and it was amazing!

We also enjoyed a yummy (chocolate-carmel-nuts and whipped cream!) cake and a coffee in the AB Småland which I mentioned before. Omnomnomnom all the way!

LUNCHES AND DINNERS

Bastard (dinner) – Very popular, Michelin guide restaurant with an edgy, urban vibe. Style-wise: vintage wood furniture, tiled walls, moody lighting and an open kitchen. Menu offers nose-to-tail food with bold, earthy flavour. We had our first dinner there.

Raw Food House (lunch) – Cozy, little place and top quality raw food – very fresh and beautifully served.

Mineral (dinner) – Seems like this is the favourite restaurant of many local people and it turned out to be my personal favourite too! Loved the atmosphere and delicious food, definitaly a must-visit place. I enjoyed it so much that I forgot to take photos (oops!)

Smak (lunch) – Food was amazing, waiters were really kind and there was a great atmosphere. Right next to the Konsthall, it’s a nice place for lunch.

From the left – Mette, Elisabetta, Igor, Stefan, me and Niki.

Malmö Saluhall – Indoor food market. I’ve always been a huge fan of indoor foodmarkets and always get inspired by differently styled corners and variety of amazing food. Saluhall which used to be an old train station is no different, great place for a food lovers, looking for a tasty meal in a relaxed, buzzing vibe.

WHERE TO GO FOR A ‘SKÅL’

SKÅL means ‘cheers’ ‘cin’cin’, ‘na zdrowie’ in Swedish and it’s a cultural thing to have a drink or two with friends. The best place to go out in the evening is the super lively and charming square – Lilla Torg where thanks to the outdoor heating lights you can enjoy your evening even in the late Autumn season.

So this was our fantastic weekend (a fun 48 hours in Malmö town) and I can’t recommend you the city enough. Just perfect to relax and enjoy the hygge weekend in the best of Scandinavian style.

Have you ever been to Malmö?

Are you planning to go?

If you have any questions, let me know!

This post has been written in collaboration with MalmoTown Tourism who invited us to explore the city and sponsored our trip.