Yesterday, several of my flatmates and I decided to spend our Saturday in Malmö, Sweden. It’s just a 45 minute train ride away, so went to explore and get lunch. Where I’m from in Colorado it takes 45 minutes just to drive to the next county, so it was crazy how we made it into a whole different country in that amount of time! It was a super fun and easy trip, so I’m sharing some tips and highlights from our day.
Travel Tips
– we departed from Nørreport Station and purchased tickets inside the 7eleven there, which was much easier than dealing with the finicky ticket machine
-bring your passport, they check it on the train
Malmöhus Slott Museum
We started off our day at the oldest preserved Renaissance castle in Scandinavia, Malmöhus Slott. It was walking distance from the train station, and we reserved our time slot ahead of time online. Inside the castle there are exhibits on art, natural history, and the history of the castle. We got to see lots of paintings, armor and sculptures, and it was fun to wander around the castle and take pictures.
The castle itself is located in a park near canals, windmills, and bike paths. It was a beautiful day, so it was nice to walk around and enjoy some Scandinavian sunshine as well! This is definitely a cheap and fun option for students.
Check it out: https://www.guidebook-sweden.com/en/guidebook/destination/malmoehus-slott-castle-in-malmoe
Slottsträdgårdens Kafé
After our museum adventure we were all ready for some coffee, so we headed to Slottsträdgårdens Kafé, a super cute little cafe in the park right nearby the castle. It has tons of outdoor seating in a beautiful garden, including covered tables and a little greenhouse. We waited in line for a bit because it was busy on Saturday morning, but it was so worth the wait for the incredibly delicious oat milk latte I got. They also had a selection of Swedish breakfast items and pastries (including some gluten free treats!!). We sat in the garden and enjoyed our drinks and the nice weather for a little while and then went to explore the gardens, which were full of flowers, people, bees, and windmills.
Highly recommend visiting this spot for some great coffee and people watching! Try their coffee and a slice of their lavender lemon almond cake if you stop by.
Check it out: https://slottstradgardenskafe.se/
Gustav Adolf
For lunch we walked to Gustav Adolf, a restaurant on a square in Malmö’s central shopping area, to try some authentic Swedish food. The restaurant itself was beautiful, and lots of people were sitting outside sipping wine and eating all afternoon, as I’ve noticed Scandinavians somehow always have time to do. Our group tried a variety of dishes including the wienerschnitzel, steak, prawns, and the crowd favorite, their Swedish meatballs. Served with mashed potatoes and fresh lingonberry preserves, it was like a much better, more authentic trip to IKEA, without the furniture and cinnamon buns. Definitely try some meatballs for a thoroughly Swedish experience, or opt for the Rak (prawn) salad for a gluten free option, which was also delicious.
Check it out: https://gustavadolf.se/
Ahlgrens Konfektyr
For dessert we walked around the little tourist/shopping area downtown and stopped at Ahlgrens Konfektyr after marveling at their selection of beautiful little chocolates in the window with names we couldn’t pronounce. Some people filled bags with a variety of little mystery chocolates and then tried them on the train ride back, some of which ended up being salted licorice, a Scandinavian favorite that you either love or hate. I got pistachio marzipan covered in dark chocolate, which was super delicious and gone way too soon 
Check it out: https://ahlgrenskonfektyr.se/
Our little day trip to Sweden was so fun, easy and affordable. We got to go to another country for lunch, which is pretty cool, and it made all of my IKEA dreams come true 🙂 more to come!
Annie Abroad 
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