Things to do in Malmö & Skåne

In Malmö, one ticket to Malmö Museer covers Malmöhus Castle, its museum exhibitions, the aquarium and Malmö Konstmuseum, Moderna Museet Malmö shows modern and contemporary art about ten minutes' walk from Central Station, Malmö Saluhall gathers small producers and chefs selling bread, chocolate, fish, cheese, ice cream, coffee and ready-to-eat dishes under one roof, and Folkets Park, Sweden's oldest people's park, has free entry and several playgrounds, including a large one with new climbing equipment and accessible play areas. In Lund, the cathedral's medieval astronomical clock sets its figures parading while a small organ plays In dulci jubilo, and next to the cathedral Kulturen gathers historic houses moved into a city-centre block, with indoor exhibitions and a café. Helsingborg has Sofiero, a former royal summer residence built in 1865 whose park and castle look out over the Öresund strait, and Kärnan, a roughly 700-year-old tower in Slottshagen park above the Terrace Stairs, while just east of Ystad fifty-nine large boulders of Ale's Stones form a 67-metre ship outline on a hilltop above Kåseberga, with wide views over the Baltic Sea. Further northeast, Kalmar Castle's permanent exhibitions tell the story of the Kalmar Union, the Kalmar War and the Vasa kings, the Kalmar County Museum shows finds from the royal warship Kronan, which sank off Öland in the 17th century, alongside the family-friendly Superkronan, and the 17th-century baroque Kalmar Cathedral was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder; on the island of Öland you can wander the vast stone shell of Borgholm Castle. On Gotland, Visby's UNESCO-listed old town is ringed by its medieval wall, with church ruins, over 200 houses with medieval masonry and 18th-century wooden homes along hilly cobbled lanes, and Gotland Museum's Fornsalen shows the island's carved picture stones and Viking-age silver treasures. Before Christmas, Sofiero's park also hosts a calm lantern- and fire-lit winter event.

Good to knowMalmö Museer is free for ages 0–19 and closed on Mondays except during Malmö school holidays, Moderna Museet Malmö is free for visitors 25 and under, closed on Mondays and open until 19:00 on Thursdays, and Kulturen in Lund is free for 18 and under and open until 8 pm on Thursdays. Lund Cathedral's clock plays at 12:00 and 15:00 Monday to Saturday and at 13:00 and 15:00 on Sundays, with a short guided talk in front of it at 11:45 Monday to Saturday. Sofiero's main season runs from spring to autumn and its parking is paid by SMS or app, not cash, and Kärnan opens from spring to autumn (weekends only late in the season), with free entry for visitors 18 and under with an adult and audio guides in English, Swedish and German. Kalmar Castle opens only on selected days in the colder months, so check its calendar, Borgholm Castle is closed in winter and takes cards only, Kalmar Cathedral holds a noon organ matinée on Saturdays, and Kalmar County Museum is open daily with late opening on Wednesdays. In Visby, park outside the wall, as the old town is closed to motor traffic in summer; Gotland Museum is free for under-19s and makes a good rainy-day stop, as do Malmö Museer, Malmö Saluhall and the Kalmar County Museum. Visitors aged 0–17 enter Sofiero's winter event free but must book.