Hello lovelies, after our guide for 4 days in Copenhagen here is a guide for Malmö* - with children and vegan, because we spent another 4 days in Sweden‘s third largest city. We discovered the best playgrounds, ate very delicious vegan food, cycled for miles, skinny-dipped in the ocean (very legally) and of course enjoyed some Swedish Fika. (*In paid collaboration with Malmö Town, who invited us for this trip)
But let's start from the beginning ...
Getting there
We started the northward journey in Copenhagen, where we flew to. From there you can easily take the train (either from the main train station or the airport) across the Öresund bridge. It takes about 30 minutes to reach the main train station of Malmö.
Hotel
We spent 4 nights at Hotel Ohboy.
The hotel is located in the modern and urban district of Västra Hamnen and about 10 minutes walking distance from the main train station. The hotel rooms are all located at the bottom of the building and are spread over 2 floors. Upstairs there is a small kitchenette with everything you need and a dining and work area (we even had a hammock). In the lower area there are 2 beds (a large one and a small one under the staircase) and of course a bathroom. I would say it’s perfect for 2 adults and 1-2 children (presuming one of the children is still sleeping with their parents) or 1 adult and 2 children. If your kids are a little older, you can of course take 2 rooms. This is what our hotel neighbors did for example.
Each room comes with a free bicycle, parked right in front of the entrance, which was very convenient. We rented children’s bicycles for the kids for 4 days including helmets at Travel Shop near the train station (approx. CHF 120 for 2 bicycles), which was great. You can find all kinds of bicycles there, including child seats, trailers, etc.
Activities
Day 1
As described above, we explored all of Malmö by bicycle and with children this is easier than anything else. The city is so bike-friendly, there are extra streets and traffic lights and so we always felt very safe. We went straight to Gamla Väster, the old district of Malmö and to Noir Coffee culture. There you will find a delicious breakfast with bowls, avocado bread and also croissants, pastries and of course delicious coffee.
After exploring the old part of the city and its cute alleys, we decided to visit the Modern Museum Malmö. It doesn’t cost any entrance fee and you should definitely stop by. At the moment they’re having an Andy Warhol exhibition and the sculptures on the first floor are totally fascinating. With kids you probably won’t spend hours in the museum, but the visit is well worth it and it‘s free.
I can totally recommend a short stop at Mat- & Chokladstudion. Such a pretty little shop with delicious homemade ice cream and great pastries (vegan and non-vegan). The girls opted for ice cream and I tried a vegan tart with coffee mousse - a good choice!
Then we went to Folkets Park – wow, what an amazing park!! I would say it‘s actually one large playground and so wonderful for families. The big water flower at the entrance is so pretty and invites you to cool down. Then it's actually a trip from playground to playground all over the park. As you can imagine, we spent several hours there. And also parents are look after, so there are several restaurants and also a small food truck directly at the playground with bouncy cushions. You can find even more ways to cool down, as there is a large pool with water fountains (the water is only knee-deep for children).
Playing makes you hungry and so we went to JORD for a late lunch, very close to the park. A cafe just the way I like it, not only because of its nice interior. Breakfast is served all day, they have savory bowls, sandwiches, sweet pastries and homemade kombucha. I opted for a bowl of scrambled tofu, spinach and bread, the girls had a sandwich each and we all liked it very much.
We then went to St. Knuts Torg, another hotspot with several cafes/restaurants that I had on the list, including Mineral, Uggla coffee bar and Söderberg & Sara. But since we were absolutely full, we didn‘t try any of the 3, but went to the cute zero waste store GRAM for a snack. Especially Mineral must be very great, unfortunately it was closed Sun/Mon, so we had no opportunity to eat there.
On the way back to Västra Hamnen we stopped at the market hall Malmö Saluhall. We stopped there several times during the 4 days, because it‘s really great there. In addition to various restaurants, you will also find retailers such as Lanthandel, where you can shop for a picnic. We also enjoyed the atmosphere of the market hall very much.
We let the evening come to an end at our "local" beach Scaniabadet, a beautiful seafront with swimming areas around the Turning Torso, the unmissable landmark of Malmö. The skyscraper cannot be visited, because it‘s home to offices and apartments. But it‘s also very impressive from the outside and has always served us as a guide.
We liked the whole neighborhood around the torso so much, we enjoyed cycling there in the evenings and admired the exciting little houses and colorful facades. I can well imagine that it‘s great to live there, not only because of the proximity to the sea, but because the whole district is characterized mainly by its focus on sustainability.
Day 2
Our 2nd day in Malmö started with a small breakfast at the hotel and then a stop at the Malmö Saluhall to get a fika in the St. Jakobs Stenugnsbageri. We took the fika into Slottsparken, the castle garden of Malmö. A great park with a canal where you can have a nice picnic and relax. But the highlight is definitely the castle garden with the associated restaurant. The huge garden is beautifully landscaped and there are not only great flowers, but also vegetable gardens and exotic plants to admire. Oh yes, and there is also a windmill :-). The café in the greenhouse looked very nice and cozy, but we didn‘t eat there.
We continued by bike to get downtown in order to take a canal tour with the Rundan Sightseeing Boat. This 45 minute guided tour is highly recommended, as you get a great insight on the history of Malmö. The contrast between old and new looks great from the water, which is typical for the city.
After the boat tour we enjoyed an extensive brunch at Cafe Trubbel. On Sundays they have an exclusive vegan brunch, which was delicious. However, they focus on savory food, I would have been happy about a larger variety of sweet food. But the lovely owners, their dogs and the cozy courtyard compensated us in every way and we would definitely visit the cafe again.
Just like on the first day, we made a detour to the Scaniabadet at the Turning Torso. The children then discovered the playground of their dreams right around the corner of the hotel and spent a good 2 hours there before returning to the beach for the sunset. I have to admit, I have rarely experienced such great playgrounds in one city, all equipped with restrooms, super clean and lovingly designed. The playgrounds in Malmö are designed according to themes. The one by the Turning Torso is the sun-themed one “Sollekplatsen” – and was our favorite.
Day 3
We reserved the best and warmest day of our trip for the beach. But first we went for a second breakfast (we always had the first one in the hotel, which was very convenient), this time to the Atrium in Slottsstaden, a great cafe with another beautiful interior design. I have to admit, I'm easy to influence when it comes to interior design! Bright, friendly, a bit green and Scandinavian minimalism and I'm all in for it! We only tried cakes, the banana bread was a bit dry, but the children's chocolate cake was delicious. There is also a nice outdoor area and of course a large breakfast selection (vegan and non-vegan options). Across the street you will find another branch of St. Jakob Stenugnsbageri, which I can recommend.
We were very impressed by a trip to Malmö city library, not only by the architecture and the structure of the building, but also by the great offer for children. There are 2 large areas for children, they can of course read, there are many cozy corners and even an area with clothes to dress and play. Really great and you can spend hours there, great as a bad weather program.
For lunch, we chose AVOKADO restaurant with its healthy range of bowls and of course avocado breads and were not disappointed. The restaurant is nicely decorated and the bowls were delicious (almost too much avocado for my taste) and it was so much that we even took something to go.
And then off to Ribersborg Beach, that we liked very much. A long section with several small snack bars, restrooms and bars for bathing and a great view of the Öresund Bridge. We didn‘t spend time at the beach but in the great Ribersborg Kallbadhus. The bathhouse is over 100 years old and is undoubtedly one of the city's landmarks. It contains an open-air bath with sauna and direct access to the sea. The bathing areas are separated by men and women and are non-textile. The girls thought it was a bit strange at first, but usually they have no inhibitions anyway and then found it pretty cool. We did several sauna sessions, cooled down in the sea and rested in the sun.
Do not miss the bathhouse when you're there, we found it really great, nostalgic and authentic. There is also a restaurant, we only tried the French fries (typical after bath snack) which were delicious and the other food looked good.
In the evening we were all tired from the fresh sea air and simply cooked pasta with tomato sauce in our hotel room. Being able to cook dinner and having a small breakfast there was really convenient at the Ohboy Hotel.
Day 4
Our last day in Malmö and we were just as sad about it as the weather, which just decided to heavily rain. We had great weather the first 3 days, even though it was sometimes a bit cloudy. We always had our rain jackets at hand, but mostly we were allowed to enjoy the sun.
Completely drenched, we arrived at the Bageri Leve. But we didn’t mind so much as it was our plan to spend all morning there anyway to taste what they have to offer. It's a vegan bakery and I can tell you it was amazing!! So delicious, from croissants to filled donuts (with elderflower cream!!), of course cardamom pastries to classic breads and bread rolls, making a choice was very difficult. You would never guess that everything is vegan and the staff are incredibly friendly. You should definitely go there and taste their delicacies!
During a short rain break we then went to the Malmö Museum, which is located at Malmö Castle. The museum offers a great aquarium, other exhibitions of domestic and exotic animals (stuffed), dinosaurs and also an art museum in the upper area. All in all, the kids liked the live animals section the most, but I think it's a good mix and it has something for everyone.
Our great time in Malmö came to an end and it was time to say goodbye. We went back to the airport in Copenhagen by train (the journey takes 20 minutes). We liked Malmö very much, such a child-friendly place, nice people, an exciting mix of old and new and great beaches. Malmö offers a great quality of life, especially for families, and we can very well imagine going on holiday there again. I was also so pleasantly surprised at the amount of vegan food and the awareness of sustainability. Every smaller cafe offered oat milk - such little things make me really happy.
We definitely recommend Malmö to you and I hope by reading this blogpost a guide for Malmö – with children and vegan you feel inspired to take a trip there too!
And here are our highlights again:
Activities:
Västra Hamnen
Gamla Väster
Modern Museum Malmö
Folkets Park
Malmö city library
Scaniabadet
Playground “Solleplatsen”
Ribersborg Kallbadhus
Malmö Museum
Rundan Sightseeing Boat
Food:
Noir Kaffeekultur
Mat- & Chokladstudion
JORD
St. Jakobs Stenugnsbageri
AVOKADO
Bageri Leve
Atrium
On the list but we didn’t visit:
Mineral
Uggla Kaffeebar
Söderberg & Sara
Malmö Saluhall
Love, Verena
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*This blogpost was created in cooperation with Malmö Town – all opinions are my own.
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