Malmö and Lund

Malmö is the third largest city in Sweden and is located in Escânia, Skåne em sueco, the southernmost province of the country, facing Copenhague. The two cities have been connected since 2000 by the Øresund bridge, 8 km long, which continues in a tunnel to the Danish coast; the train crosses it in about 35 minutes. Until 1658 Escânia was Danish, and much of the old architecture dates from that period.

Malmö’s centre has two neighbouring squares: Stortorget, the large one, from the 16th century, with the town hall and the statue of King Carlos X Gustavo, and Lilla torg, the small one, surrounded by half-timbered houses that became restaurants and bars. To the west, the castle Malmöhus, a Renaissance brick fortress with a moat, houses the city’s museums. Further on, the old shipyard became Västra Hamnen, a new waterside neighbourhood, marked by the Turning Torso, a 190-metre tower that twists on itself, designed by Santiago Calatrava. On Ribersborg beach, the 1898 bathhouse, on stilts in the sea, has saunas with views of the bridge. Malmö is also a city of many origins, which shows in the food and the markets.

Lund is 20 km away, a 10-minute train ride. It is one of Sweden’s oldest cities, founded around 990, and the seat of the Universidade de Lund, from 1666. The Romanesque cathedral, consecrated in 1145, has a 15th‑century astronomical clock that rings at set times and a crypt with stone columns. Around it are the park Lundagård, the university buildings, the open‑air museum Kulturen and cobbled streets with low, colourful houses.

It’s easy to combine the trip with Denmark. Escânia has yellow fields of colza in late spring, castles and its own cuisine, with eel, goose and the fried egg with potato and bacon.

This destination brings together 2 cities: Malmö, Lund.