A weekend getaway – don’t we all love to take that chance for some leisure, relax and exploring a new place?
One perfect weekend getaway from Stockholm is a trip to the south. In one weekend you can combine the third city of Sweden, Malmö, and the Danish capital, Copenhagen. The train ride down to Skåne takes approximately 4,5 hours, the plane is even quicker. It’s up to you if you want to get off in Malmö or continue all the way to Copenhagen. Bring a pair of comfy shoes, a jolly good mood and a lot of space for delicious food. And off we go!
The idea to visit Malmö and Skåne for a short getaway was born when a friend visited us here in Stockholm. She lives down there where the winter is short and the people speak funny. (In all honesty, the dialect spoken in Skåne is actually very cool, just slightly incomprehensible at times). As we had a place to stay, we only needed to book the train tickets. For anyone planning a trip down to Malmö and/or Copenhagen, it’s a really good idea to compare the prices for trains and flights – it’s not unheard of that the plane is cheaper.
Day 1 of Our Weekend Getaway: Copenhagen
We arrived in Malmö at 10 p.m. and were welcomed by our friend. After a nice evening and a good night’s sleep, we walked to the Malmö central station, where we bought the train tickets to Copenhagen. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes and costs 220 SEK/person for a return ticket. So, thirty minutes after boarding the train we stepped off at the central station in Copenhagen and started walking. We walked a total of 19 kilometers during the first day of our weekend getaway and we think that we got most of central Copenhagen covered. The pedestrian shopping street Strøget (one of the longest ones in Europe) was surprisingly calm on this Saturday morning. The Round Tower offered us an excellent view of the old city, despite the heavy clouds. Our walk continued through the Rosenborg Castle Garden where we stopped for a moment to admire the castle. Our next stop was the statue of the Little Mermaid. We decided not to follow the advice given to us by an elegant Swedish lady with colorful lipstick and made a detour to see one of the best-preserved star fortresses in Europe, Kastellet. We thanked our lucky star for the fact that there was a kiosk selling hot dogs near the mermaid. At this point, we were starving!
Once we were done with our hotdogs and toasts, we noticed that the sun was peeking from behind the clouds. The Little Mermaid was by no means the only statue in the area, but for some reason, she was the one surrounded by tourists and their cameras. Of course, we had to take a photo too! After a quick visit to the fortress, we decided to get some fresh air and walk by the canals. During our walk back, we made quick stops at Amalienborg, Nyhavn, and Slotsholmen. Somewhere along the way, we found a cozy restaurant for a typically Danish lunch – smørrebrød. And of course, we had to visit Freetown Christiania. Unfortunately, our inner hippies had decided to stay in Stockholm for the weekend, so we just had a look at the entrance before deciding to admire the streets of Christianshavn instead. Who was Christian, you might ask at this point. Well, he was the kind of Denmark-Norway from 1588 to 1648, thus being the longest-serving monarch in Scandinavia.
Copenhagen is, in our opinion, a very cozy town. It feels smaller than Stockholm, and a lot more relaxed. I personally loved the colorful architecture and the proximity to water. In order to appreciate the city more fully, we should probably have been there for a while longer.
Day 2 of Our Weekend Getaway: Malmö
Malmö is the third-largest city in Sweden and the sixth in the Nordic countries. It is also the economic and cultural center of southern Sweden and an important part of the Øresund Region. Being the third-largest city in Sweden means that it is actually quite small. We spent the second day of our weekend getaway there and it felt like enough. It was a very cold and grey Sunday, so after seeing the old parts of the city and the castle, we actually just felt like spending the rest of the day in a coffee shop. All those lovely squares are more appealing in the summer, it would seem. Fortunately, another friend saved the day and showed us some other parts of the city as well, including the square Möllevångstorget and its surrounding area. Whereas old Malmö was very calm and seemed to be waiting for summer, this area was definitely more bustling with all its restaurants and people. It was here that we noticed what a multicultural city Malmö actually is. We also took a walk around Folkets park and paid a quick visit to Malmö Live.
Top tip for travelers: try the Sunday brunches. This doesn’t seem to be as big a deal in Stockholm as it is in Malmö, Copenhagen, and Helsinki. We had a Lebanese brunch and it was fantastic!
All in all, we were very pleased with this specific weekend getaway. It was easy to plan and both cities are great for walking. We managed to squeeze in new cities, old friends, tasty food and even Melodifestivalen.
Do you want to know more?
- For tickets, check SJ for train tickets; Norwegian and SAS both fly to Malmö as well as Copenhagen.
- For things to do in Copenhagen, this site has it all covered >>
- Planning a trip to Malmö? Click here for tips >>
- Check out our post: Malmö, Skåne – Exploring Sweden for further information.
So happy to hear you enjoyed Copenhagen! And even more, that you got to taste Smørrebrød! Do you have the hotdog stands in Stockholm as well? (I’ve never really seen the setup anywhere else).
Yes, there are some hotdog stands here as well. It seems quite Scandinavian 🙂
This makes me miss our quick trip to Copenhagen over Christmas last year. I’d love to return and go to Malmo and Stockholm!