Most people think that summer is the best time to visit southern Sweden, but a winter in Malmö offers no shortage of pulse-raising activities and cosy moments both indoors and outside. A sunny winter's day makes for the best time to visit one of the city's saunas and to take an icy yet rejuvenating plunge into the sea, or to try your hand at tobogganing or skiing.

If the weather turns nasty, you can warm up inside with a mug of hot chocolate or an innovative bite to eat, treat yourself to a shopping spree or explore some of the city's many cultural offerings. Or if you prefer to keep active, you'll find wellness and play all under the one roof.

  • 1

    Malmö Museum (Malmö Museer)

    History, ships and sea creatures in a Renaissance castle

    Malmö Museum (Malmö Museer)
    • Families
    • History

    Malmö Museum (Malmö Museer) is home to exciting exhibitions on natural history, technology and shipping, offering everything from stuffed animals to a real submarine from World War II. The entrance price includes access to the main collections at Malmö Castle (Malmöhus) as well as entry to the Aquarium (Akvariet), the Technology & Maritime Museum (Teknikens Och Sjöfartens Hus) and Malmö Art Museum (Malmö Konstmuseum), which is located right next door.

    Malmö Museum is located inside Malmö Castle in central Malmö. It can be reached in 15 minutes on foot from Malmö Central Station or take the bus to the Tekniska Museet stop just 500 metres away.

    Location: Malmöhusvägen 6, 211 18 Malmö, Sweden

    Open: Daily from 10 am to 5 pm

    Phone: +46 40 344400

    Map

    photo by Wassen (CC BY 3.0) modified

  • 2

    Emporia

    Enormous shopping centre full of fashion, technology, beauty and more

    Emporia
    • Shoppers

    Emporia is one of the largest shopping centres in the Nordic Region with around 200 shops and restaurants across 3 floors selling everything from fashion to technology. Pick up beauty products at health stores such as Life or luxury boutiques like Chanel, or check out nifty furnishings and home decor at Scandinavian chains such as Illums Bolighus and Cervera. You'll find both men's and women's fashion in all price brackets. Take a break and charge up your batteries in one of the restaurants which serve up all sorts of different foods from sushi to grilled Mediterranean fare.

    Emporia is located in the district of Hyllie, about 3 miles from central Malmö. The train from Malmö Central Station takes just 7 minutes and stops right next to the shopping centre. Alternatively, there are plenty of parking spaces available if you prefer to come down by car.

    Location: Hyllie Boulevard 19, 215 32 Malmö, Sweden

    Open: Daily from 10 am to 8 pm

    Phone: +46 40 363600

    Map

    photo by Jorchr (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified

  • 3

    Skate rink in People's Park (Folkets Park)

    Free ice skating rink in the heart of Malmö

    Skate rink in People's Park (Folkets Park)
    • Adventure
    • Budget
    • Families

    The skate rink in People's Park (Folkets Park) pops up every winter and offers heaps of fun for everyone young and old, whether you're a complete beginner or a total pro. Skates and helmets are available if you haven't brought your own. Be sure to also check out the rest of the lovely park. Many of the activities on offer are closed in the winter, but the skate ramps and playgrounds are open year round and there are often events and exhibitions organised in the winter.

    The ice rink is located in the southern part of the park. The nearest entrance is from Norra Parkgatan if arriving by foot. If you take the bus down then the easiest way to arrive is to hop off at the Folkets Park Stop.

    Location: Amiralsgatan 35, 214 37 Malmö, Sweden

    Map
  • 4

    Malmö Market Hall (Malmö Saluhall)

    A modern food market with international flair

    Malmö Market Hall (Malmö Saluhall)
    • Food

    Malmö Market Hall (Malmö Saluhall) is an absolute must for foodies where genuine ingredients such as locally reared pork and fish from the Baltic Sea stand shoulder to shoulder with international haute cuisine and proper farmyard fare. The market hall is a nice and age-old tradition in Sweden, but in Malmö it boasts a fresh and modern touch with elements from all 4 corners of the world. Pick up some fresh meat, fish, cheese, produce, bread, baked goods, ice cream and confections to whip up a luxurious banquet back at your accommodation or simply sit down at one of the serving areas and let someone else do the hard work.

    Malmö Market Hall is located in central Malmö, just less than 500 metres to the west of Malmö Central Station. If you're arriving by city bus simply hop off at Anna Lindhs Plats or if you decide to come down by car, you'll find parking just 50 metres away at the multi-storey car park by Malmö Live.

    Location: Gibraltargatan 6, 211 18 Malmö, Sweden

    Open: Daily 11 am to 7 pm

    Phone: +46 40 6267730

    Map

    photo by Jorchr (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified

  • 5

    Bulltofta Recreational Area

    Skiing and toboggan rides in a pleasant park environment

    Bulltofta Recreational Area
    • Adventure
    • Families

    Bulltofta Recreational Area is, in the warmer months, home to multiple exercise trails, outdoor gyms, tennis courts, basketball courts, football pitches, frisbee golf courses and a leafy botanic garden with exotic trees. In the winter, it transforms into a paradise for skiing and toboggan riding. The trails vary in length between around 1 and 3 miles, winding past ponds, meadows and trees, and there is also an awesome toboggan slope in the area.

    The park is located in the Bulltofta neighbourhood in the Greater Malmö Area and offers multiple tracks which can be accessed from various different places. If you want to hire skis, poles and boots you can do so from the Bulltofta Leisure Centre (Bulltofta Motionscenter). From central Malmö, take the bus to Ulricedal and then walk the final stretch of around 400 metres. Parking is also available next to the leisure centre.

    Map
  • 6

    Malmö Art Museum (Malmö Konstmuseum)

    Inspiring art by well-known artists from throughout the ages

    Malmö Art Museum (Malmö Konstmuseum)
    • History

    Malmö Art Museum (Malmö Konstmuseum) is home to one of Sweden's largest collections of art and handicrafts. The collections include works from the 16th century to the present day by Scandinavian artists such as Anders Zorn, Marie-Louise Ekman, Carl Larsson, Edvard Munch and Barbara Kruger. You'll also find beautiful objects whose history stretches back to the 14th century, including medieval glass artefacts and baroque silver.

    Malmö Art Museum is located inside the Renaissance Malmö Castle (Malmöhus) in central Malmö. It can be reached by foot in just 15 minutes from Malmö Central Station. Alternatively, take the bus to the Tekniska Museet Stop, which is about 500 metres from the museum.

    Location: Malmöhusvägen 6, 211 18 Malmö, Sweden

    Open: Daily from 10 am to 5 pm

    Phone: +46 40 344400

    Map

    photo by Sinikka Halme (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified

  • 7

    Ribersborg Open-Air Bath House

    Go from the warmth of the sauna to the ice-cold water outside

    Ribersborg Open-Air Bath House
    • Adventure

    Ribersborg Open-Air Bath House is a beautiful and historic bath house in central Malmö, and a great place to get those endorphins pumping and blast away the cobwebs. The bath house boasts 2 spacious sea pools, wood-fired and dry saunas divided by gender as well as a mixed steam room. Besides a classic winter swim, more adventurous wellness-seekers may be interested in checking out some of the sauna and winter swimming events that take place.

    Ribersborg Open-Air Bath House enjoys a central location in Malmö just a mile away from Malmö Central Station. If arriving by car, you'll find parking just 2 jetties away or if you come down by bus you can get off right by the beach.

    Location: Limhamnsvägen, Brygga 1, 217 59 Malmö, Sweden

    Open: Summer: Monday–Friday 9 am to 9 pm, Saturday–Sunday 9 am to 6 pm Winter: Monday–Tuesday 10 am to 7 pm, Wednesday 10 am to 8 pm, Thursday–Friday 10 am to 7 pm, Saturday–Sunday 9 am to 6 pm

    Phone: +46 40 260366

    Map

    photo by Susanne Nilsson (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified

  • 8

    Disgusting Food Museum

    An experience centre for some of the world's most disgusting foods

    Disgusting Food Museum
    • Families
    • Food
    • Unusual

    The Disgusting Food Museum poses a challenge to even the most adventurous of eaters, as you can experience the tastes and smells of the world's most unusual dishes. The museum, which is actually more of an experience centre, houses a permanent exhibition of 80 dishes including fermented shark and Thailand's most rancid fruit.

    The Disgusting Food Museum is located in the Caroli Shopping Centre in central Malmö. It is just a few minutes away from Malmö Central Station by foot and local buses stop just outside.

    Location: Kvarteret Caroli, Östergatan 12, 211 25 Malmö, Sweden

    Open: Saturday–Sunday noon to 4 pm

    Phone: +46 40 101771

    Map
  • 9

    Malmö Art Hall (Malmö Konsthall)

    New, challenging perspectives through modern art

    Malmö Art Hall (Malmö Konsthall)
    • History

    Malmö Art Hall (Malmö Konsthall) is a place to discover challenging and exciting new perspectives in one of Sweden's largest exhibition spaces for contemporary art. The exhibitions vary, but have previously featured the modern reconstructions of historic objects destroyed by ISIS by American-Iraqi artist Michael Rakowitz, abstract sculptures by the Norwegian artist Siri Aurdal and impressive film projections by the German-Italian filmmaker Rosa Barbara.

    Malmö Art Hall is centrally located in one of the city's most popular shopping districts. The Triangeln Train Station is less than 100 metres away and there is also a multi-storey car park if you take the car.

    Location: S:t Johannesgatan 7, 205 80 Malmö, Sweden

    Phone: +46 40 341286

    Map

    photo by JohanahoJ (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified

  • 10

    Kockum Leisure (Kockum Fritid)

    Wellness or just a spin on the ice whatever the weather

    Kockum Leisure (Kockum Fritid)
    • Adventure
    • Families

    Kockum Leisure (Kockum Fritid) offers a wide range of leisure and wellness activities right in the heart of Malmö, from yoga for beginners through to swim training – but in the winter it's the centre's ice rink which steals the limelight. Strap on your skates and cut loose on the ice. Kockum Leisure provides skates and helmets and they can even sharpen your own skates. If you're visiting Malmö with the whole gang in tow, you can book a hockey match with equipment and even a referee and goalies provided by the centre.

    Kockum Leisure is located in the neighbourhood of Västra Hamnen in central Malmö. Local buses stop right outside the office and there is also parking available right beside the building.

    Location: Västra Varvsgatan 8, 211 11 Malmö, Sweden

    Open: Monday–Thursday 6 am to 10 pm, Friday 6 am to 9 pm, Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 9 am to 7 pm

    Phone: +46 40 304080

    Map

    photo by Jorchr (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified