How to plan a design-focused cycling tour of Malmö, Sweden’s third-largest city

Travel

With sinuous canals, half-timbered houses and well-connected cycleways, this bastion of Swedish design is best explored by bicycle.

BySarah Gillespie

Published November 24, 2023

• 5 min read

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK)

Ringed by the waters of the Baltic, the Kattegat and the Øresund, Malmö is Sweden’s third-largest city. Originally part of Denmark, it became Swedish in 1658. Today, you get the sense that the southern port city is thumbing its nose at both Copenhagen and Stockholm by remaining far cheaper to live in than either capital — and in doing so, it’s attracted a crowd of dedicated creatives unafraid of experimentation.

Great design is the lifeblood of Malmö — right down to the layout of its bike paths, earning it a reputation as one of Europe’s most bicycle-friendly cities. While you’ll find many of Malmö’s treasures around the walkable Gamla Staden (‘Old Town’), renting a bike will allow you to capture the full sweep of the city. Pedalling from bohemian Möllevången to ultramodern Västra Hamnen, you’ll witness the complete evolution of southern Swedish design — from its origins in the courts of kings right up to the present day.

1. Mitt Möllan

Pick up a bike at one of Donkey Republic’s many rental stations and head to Mitt Möllan, a collection of independent design boutiques in multicultural Möllevangen. Browse handmade North African ceramics at La Kasbah and rune-stamped rings at Pill & Punch before stopping for a bite in the food court, where you’ll find couples sharing bao buns and bento boxes beneath paper mobiles crafted by Swedish designer Egil Jansson.

2. Artibus Malmö 

This artist cooperative provides studio space for 30 of Malmö’s ceramicists. Members range from hobbyists to seasoned professionals, with many selling  their reactive-glaze vases and hand-thrown tableware in the shop. The space is usually only open on the first weekend of every month and on weekends throughout December, though it can sometimes be visited outside of these times if you enquire in advance.

3. Moderna Musset

Cross into the Gamla Staden (Old Town) for Malmö’s main contemporary art museum. Housed in a former electricity plant that opened in 1901, it was given a modern makeover in 2008 by Swedish architect firm Tham & Videgård, who replaced its industrial brickwork with a striking electric orange facade. The upstairs galleries stage rotating exhibitions, while the boutique sells minimalist mobiles and other art-themed homeware. 

4. Form/Design Centre

Don’t leave the Old Town without paying a visit to Malmö’s unofficial design headquarters. A workshop and gallery space dedicated to all things craft, it hosts regular exhibitions on thought-provoking topics such as sustainability and semantics. The shop is packed with independent Swedish design, with globular glass sculptures by lighting brand Swedish Ninja sitting alongside traditional throws by Klippan Yllefabrik.

5.  Malmöhus Castle

A museum of two halves, this vast and varied labyrinth displays everything from stuffed leopards to leopard-skin coats. The upper level holds a plethora of highly functional household furnishings and decorations from the 1950s’  ‘golden age’ of Scandinavian design. You’ll also find a recreation of an interior from the Gustavian Era (1772-1809), a period many historians claim laid the foundations for 20th-century Swedish design. 

6. Aster

End with dinner at Aster, a design-focused grill restaurant where the dishes are as aesthetically pleasing as the berrylike lighting fixtures. Expect artfully charred skewers garlanded with herbs and vegetables from the owners’ garden. It’s located in the Västra Hamnen (Western Harbour) and presided over by the Turning Torso, a 623ft-high, twisting skyscraper by Spanish sculptor and architect Santiago Calatrava. 

This story was created with the support of Visit Sweden and the Form/Design Center.

Published in the December 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).

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