Written by Dena
09 Feb 2016
Living and studying in Lund is quaint and easy, but life can get a little dull because Lund is a small town largely adjusted to student life. You have everything you need to get by on a student schedule, it’s easy to cycle everywhere and everything is well-connected by public transport.
But more often than not, the rut you will get stuck into will fade off and leave a bitter feeling of emptiness and boredom. Fear not, my friends, there is a solution.
Like I said, everything is well-connected by public transport. So, the options for you to go out and explore the south of Sweden are big. The closest bigger city, if you live in Lund, would be Malmö.
Malmö is the third largest city in Sweden and it managed to get itself on the list of the world’s happiest places, so what better place to go to after a long study day, right?
Clocking in weekly visits to Malmö, I feel like I know just enough to give you a brief, however, touristy guide to the city, or at least share some of my favourite places. Don’t forget to follow our Instagram account for frequent posts from Malmö and Lund! 🙂
THE ARCHITECTURE
Malmö is an interesting city counting around 320,000 inhabitants. Its population is very diverse and the city’s appearance follows suit. There is an abundance of different styles, ranging from cozy, colourful and embellished old buildings and houses to sharp edges and tall structures of the modern age. This mix somehow works in a very cohesive way despite sometimes all-too sharp contrasts. Always be on the lookout for interesting buildings in Malmö.
The photo above and the one below are taken from approximately the same spot, just in different directions, for example.
Make sure to go to Västra Hamnen to see the Turning Torso and a skating place called Stapelbäddsparken which is one of the largest skating parks in Europe.
THE FOOD
There are plenty of options for everyone’s taste. There is a large concentration of restaurants at Malmö’s historical Lilla Torg, right next to Stortorget, downton Malmö. It’s always crowded on weekends and a nice place to grab dinner with friends. There are also many places in the vicinity of Lilla Torg, like Bastard, Surf Shack and others.
The second area I’d suggest for grabbing a bite or a drink is Möllan (Möllevångstorget) – a hipstery area with a bunch of cute restaurants with good food to offer, like Tempo, Belle Epoque and others. Möllan has a very diverse food scene so it’s always interesting to go there.
There are also always interesting festivals and events going on in Malmö, like the whiskey and beer festival, or organic food markets and all sorts of interesting events.
THE PARTY
Close to Möllan is Malmö’s Folkets Park where you have a variety of night clubs like Moriska Paviljonen where it’s quite popular to go out for a fun night out.
Besides that, Lilla torg and its vicinity are quite popular for partying. Many restaurants there “convert” into clubbing venues, or just have parties and live music in general.
THE ART
If you like modern art, you will like the Museum of Modern Art in Malmö (Moderna Museet). Good news: as of 19 January 2016, admission is FREE! Can you hear your student budget rejoice?
Besides that, you can go visit the Möllevångstorget area for some small, cute galleries, or the Malmöhus slott for some history.
THE SHOPPING
Malmö offers a lot more opportunities for shopping, compared to Lund. Right in downtown Malmö, in the area of Stortorget there is a pedestrian street that goes on until Gustav Adolfs Torg. Further on, you can just basically continue forward through Södertull until Triangeln (a shopping mall). From there, you can board on a train or bus and go to Hyllie where you have a large shopping mall called Emporia. Emporia is one of the largest shopping malls in the Nordics so you’ll probably find what you’re looking for. 🙂
Emporia is interesting not only because of its size but also because if you climb to the top floor, you will see that the roof of the mall was made into a park. It’s rather windy, but it gives you a nice opportunity to see Malmö and the Öresund Bridge (on a good day – see photo below).
THE VIEW
To say that I like rooftops/skybars/viewing decks is a gross understatement, so I am always on the lookout for places with good views of the city I’m in.
That said, one of my favourite places in Malmö is the Malmö Live Skybar. It features breathtaking views of Malmö with its iconic Turning Torso, the Öresund Bridge (on a good day) and the sea. The bar itself is located on the 25th floor and the space is split into two sections: bar and restaurant. The bar is not very large, so it provides for a more intimate, cozy atmosphere.
Featured photo: Justin Brown/imagebank.sweden.se
