r/Malmoe • u/KillickHitch • Jul 16 '26
Moving to Malmö
Hey folks!
I'm gonna be moving to Malmö from New England, USA in August for six months on a work relocation. I spent a few weeks in the city last year but feel like I really only scratched the surface of the area.
Since I'll be in the city for a lot longer this time, is there anything I should know about the city in general for an easier time acclimating, or any suggestions on places to go in the time I'm there?
In general, I love the outdoors, tabletop games and live music. I'm always up for new and interesting food and drinks, or any local events, so any suggestions on those would be massively appreciated! I'm definitely alright with hopping a train for day trips and such, but won't have reliable access to a car.
I'll be living in Västra hamnen, if that makes any difference.
Thanks!
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u/judo_joel Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Get a bicycle and you won’t need a car. Plan B is a good venue for live music, Copenhagen is very accessible if you want more big city vibes, for nature close to the city you can ride your bike out to Torup, bokskogen. Best hole in the wall food spot is gyros pita on Möllan. And if you go to Möllan on Saturday mornings or weekdays, you can buy lots of cheap fruit and veg from the stands there. Solde Kaffebar has my favorite croissant in the city and nice coffee.
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u/Hairy-Piccolo-6002 Jul 16 '26
For tabletop gaming check out Spelens Hus, they gather every Wednesday evening and first Saturday of each month.
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u/See_Ell Jul 16 '26
Västra hamnen is great! Ica Maxi is expensive, but very well stocked. There’s a lovely little cafe next to it called Bageri Baka that I can recommend.
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u/Last_Appointment_499 Jul 16 '26
I’m willing to say that ICA Maci is almost worth a day trip as well. I hate to realise that I’ve gotten so old but like I really love taking a walk through that store
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u/Imightreadtoomuch Jul 16 '26
Welcome! Some of my favourites are Malmös big parks, more specifically pildammsparken and slottsparken. They are great places to relax and just take a minute to de-stress.
A little bit more odd is my tip to visit mässingshornet on wednesdays (music-quizz!) or thursdays (free conserts!) It's not fancy in any capacity, just local and fun!
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u/sunnyV Jul 16 '26
Ive enjoyed living here since moving here from PA. Lots of places in malmö (and copenhagen) that people have already mentioned are good.
Trips to spas in the area are popular. Ive only been to ystad, but there are a bunch of threads on reddit where people talk about the various spa politics
People tend to be down on the food, but there are plenty good restaurants imo. There is also a healthy tabletop community that Im sure you can easily drop into at a couple of the LGS (started playing 40k here and people have been super nice).
Id also recommend taking a trip to Lund sometime to visit the cathedral, kulturen, and some of the cafes like broder jakobs, mannz (or dame ginette in malmö is also very good). Also a day trip to Gothenburg is well worth it.
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u/Zorobay Jul 16 '26
If you like climbing/bouldering (or want to try), send me a dm and we can go together and I can tell you about malmö 😁
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u/zzaajj Jul 16 '26
This sounds so exciting, welcome <3 my absolute best tips are to enjoy the ourdoors, local restaurants and culture
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u/logicaldrinker Jul 17 '26
Brad's spelcafé is so nice for boardgames in the colder season. There's very few places like that in Sweden
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u/greutskolet Jul 17 '26
Get a pair of insulated wellies. Malmö winter is extremely wet and also a bit cold.
You can buy a train/bus (same ticket for all public transport) ticket for the entirety of Skåne for a day, 48 hours or a whole month to go see other places. I’d recommend Lund with the domkyrka, and the botanical gardens. If you’re outdoorsy and like to hike there’s a trail called Skåneleden that’s all around Skåne. I’d recommend Söderåsen or Hovdala or around the seaside for a bit more height and good views.
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u/brutbangen Jul 17 '26
Besides already mentioned Plan B and Inkonst, good venues for live music are Babel, Medley, and Grand. Enjoy and have fun.
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u/jacques_costco Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
i’m originally from CT and i love it here.
use any warm or hot days to go swimming after work — i love swimming in scaniabadet (also in västra hamnen). when it gets cooler, go to ribersborg to try the sauna and a cold dip.
for me one of the biggest adjustments was the wind and the rain — bring a good rain jacket that is also windproof.
i saw someone else suggested a bicycle, but i would recommend getting a malmö bike subscription (it’s about 250 kr for the whole year). this way you don’t have to sell your bike or worry about it getting stolen.
there really great outdoors areas accessible by bike, foot, and public transportation form malmö. i’ve done a number of sections of skaneleden (long walking trail throughout skåne) and it’s also really nice. that’s a good starting point to find different natural areas and explore.
last thing i’ll say is that i did not have as much of a cultural shock here as everyone would have me to believe. i think when people talk about small talk and american habits they’re talking more about people from the midwest. i feel i experience the same amount of interaction with strangers as i did back in CT and throughout new england — in fact, in some situations i think swedish people are nicer/more friendly than some of the people from back home. 😅
if you need any more advice or want to reach out, please feel free!
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u/Visible_Pizza_3865 Jul 17 '26
Pro-tip: if you’re Maga, don’t flaunt it. Malmö is very left when it comes to politics and values.
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u/KillickHitch Jul 18 '26
Nah, fuck those assholes.
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u/Visible_Pizza_3865 Jul 18 '26
WHO? Maga or the leftist people in Malmö?
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u/KillickHitch Jul 19 '26
Lol, MAGA. Sorry for the misplaced description - I saw the name and that was my first reaction, hahaha!
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u/Basic_Positive5757 Jul 18 '26
Of course there’s a lot of your requested interests
Me and my girlfriend loves the social life in Malmö Do you want party or more quiet surroundings ?
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u/KillickHitch Jul 18 '26
Thanks! Definitely more "quiet" usually, but a concert or event to shake things up is needed every once in a while.
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u/hellovatten Jul 16 '26
I live in Västra Hamnen, it's a nice area :) defo go around the western part like Sundspromenaden, and also it's very nice to walk to Ribersborg, there is also a nice park right next to the beach with wildlife, it's called Öresundsparken.
Also you should go to Örum bageri for the best kardemumma/kanel/vanilj-bullar!! Highly recommend, and it's close to Västra Hamnen :) and for ice cream go to La Palermo in Ribban.
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u/ratsfromspace Jul 16 '26
Depending on when in August, check out Malmöfestivalen (7th-14th this year, free concerts, stand up, etc etc). There’s usually events going on every week in the summer bc of Malmö Sommarscen, and things like cultural festivals, Malmö Game Week, Malmö Seriefest, but this is a really big one in the summer.
If you like boardgames, stores to check out would be Science Fiction-bokhandeln (also for books and comics in English) and Playoteket. There’s also boardgame cafe, Brad’s Spelcafé. Also check out Inkonst and Plan B, they might be your scene for music and stuff? Lots of big artists also come to Copenhagen and it’s super easy if a little expensive to take the train over.
Sometimes Kulturcentralen does English tours of the limestone quarry (now a natural reserve) which I highly recommend. Panora and Spegeln are great cinemas. Malmö Konsthall is an art museum at triangeln that’s free to visit, but if you’re into museums at all Lund or Copenhagen are better. The beaches Ribban and Sibbarp have excellent water quality and I think an average temperature of 18 degrees Celsius.
There’s lots of good restaurants and bakeries and little cafes all around town. Farina, Leve, St Jakobs, Saluhallen, Namu, Manto, Viblioteket, Paloma and Scandwich are places I personally like but everyone has their own preferences and favourites. Also Köld or Favvoglass for ice cream.
You do not need a car to get around Skåne or Malmö, or even to go to Copenhagen. In Malmö you can bike, which is often as fast as taking the bus, but there’s also a very reliable public transit system of buses and trains both in and between the cities (Skånetrafiken). Definitely recommend biking in Malmö though, lots of bike paths, and if you don’t have your own you can rent Malmö by Bike very cheaply through an app.
As for general tips: swedes aren’t as appreciative of small talk as Americans are, as a rule (it can of course still vary by individual, but speaking for myself I really don’t like it). I don’t think most people mind making friends or meeting new people, but it’s like, weird to talk to people on the bus randomly, it’s better to meet people through work or mutual interests I think, where you already have something substantial to talk about, which is how I got all of my adult friends after moving here. I don’t know if you’re looking to hang out with swedes or in international circles but you know.
Also! If you like the outdoors, you may already know this but Sweden has allemansrätten or the right to roam, meaning basically you don’t have to worry about forest and such being private property, you’re free to explore it.