Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [124]
Ribersborg is a fetching sandy beach backed by parkland, about 2km west of the town centre. Off the beach, at the end of a 200m-long pier, is the adorable, wooden Ribersborgs Kallbadshus (26 03 66; adult/7-17yr Skr55/30; 8.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-4pm Sat & Sun early May–Aug; noon-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat & Sun Sep–early May), an open-air naturist saltwater pool, with separate sections for men and women, and a wood-fired sauna (11am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat & Sun early May–Aug; noon-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat & Sun Sep–early May) dating from 1898.
To scoot round Malmö’s canals in a pedal boat, head to City Boats Malmö (0704-71 00 67; www.cityboats.se; Amiralsbron, Södra Promenaden; per 30/60min Skr80/130; daily May-Aug, Sat & Sun Sep), just east of Gustav Adolfs Torg.
Tours
To experience Malmö by water, visit Rundan (611 74 88; www.rundan.se; adult/5-15yr/family Skr85/50/240), opposite Centralstationen. Fifty-minute boat tours of the canals run regularly from May to September (11am to 7pm late June to late August, less frequently at other times), weather depending.
The 1½-hour sightseeing bus tours (18 83 75; adult/6-16yr Skr150/75, free with Malmökortet) are great for getting your bearings. Tours run at 10am, 11.30am and 1.30pm daily (from early June to late August), with reduced services in May and September. A 2½-hour tour (adult/6-16yr Skr220/110) also includes a boat trip along Malmö’s canals, running daily from 11.30am and 1.30pm, with weekend-only services in May and September. Pick up your ticket at the tourist office, and the staff will show you where to catch the bus on Norra Vallgatan.
Festivals & Events
Malmö’s premier annual event – with 1.5 million visitors – is the week-long Malmö Festival (www.malmofestivalen.se) in mid-August. The mostly free events include theatre, dance, live music, fireworks and sizzling food stalls.
The week-long Regnbågsfestivalen (Rainbow Festival) is Malmö’s queer celebration, held in late September and packed with exhibitions, films, parties and a pride parade. Contact RFSL-Malmö (611 99 62; malmo@rfsl.se; Monbijougatan 15), Malmö’s gay and lesbian centre, for details.
Sleeping
CAMPING, HOSTELS & PRIVATE ROOMS
Private rooms or apartments from about Skr375 per person are available through City Room (795 94; www.cityroom.se); bed sheets and towels cost an additional Skr100 per set. The agency has no office address but is staffed on weekdays from 9am to noon. Otherwise, contact the tourist office.
STF Vandrarhem Malmö (822 20; www.malmohostel.se; Backavägen 18; dm Skr150-190, s/d from Skr315/410; ) Well-equipped, if rather large and impersonal, the STF hostel sits 3.5km south of the city centre, overlooking the E6 (take bus 2 from Centralstationen).
Vandrarhemmet Villa Hilleröd (26 56 26; info@villahillerod.se; Ängdalavägen 38; dm Skr190-240; ) This newish hostel sits in a delightful little detached house in the city’s west. Little touches such as house plants keep things homely. If you need to cancel your reservation, do so before 6pm on the expected day of arrival or you’ll be charged for the night.
Malmö Camping & Feriecenter (15 51 65; malmocamping@malmo.se; Strandgatan 101; sites Skr200, 2-bed cabins Skr550) By the beach, this campsite has a great view of the Öresund bridge. It’s about 5km southwest of the centre of town: take bus 4 from Gustav Adolfs Torg (Skr16).
Bosses Gästvåningar (32 62 50; info@bosses.nu; Södra Förstadsgatan 110B; s/d/tr/q from Skr350/495/595/750; ) The quiet, clean rooms in this central SVIF hostel are like those of a budget hotel, with proper beds, TVs and shared bathrooms. Service is helpful and the hostel is close to Möllevångstorget and opposite the hospital (follow the signs for ‘Sjukhuset’ if arriving by car).
HOTELS
The tourist office has a free online hotel booking service: follow the website