Copenhagen diaries: day 3

Our third day in Copenhagen wasn't really a day in Copenhagen at all - we took a day trip across the bridge to Malmö in Sweden! I will start off by saying I had heard that it wasn't worth the trip, but in a bid to visit as many countries as possible before I turn 30 I wanted to check it out for myself.

Copenhagen to Malmö: getting there

There is really only one way to travel within Europe for me, and that is via Flixbus. I am absolutely obsessed with them as a company and really do think they should consider making me an ambassador. If you can't get there by Flixbus it probably isn't worth going! I booked our tickets in advance, paying around £32 return for the both of us. You can also get a train which is faster but more expensive.

The night before, we made sure to navigate from our hotel to the coach departure area which is 'the station' but isn't really the station at all - it's over the road to the side of the station, which is kind of up a ramp. I was glad we'd checked it out in advance so when it came to the morning of our trip, we got up & ready and headed straight there after a filling hotel breakfast.

The journey takes just over an hour, and you go over Øresund Bridge, right across the North Atlantic. The views were amazing and I thought this was a really cool experience, as someone who is quite interested in transport and travel. It's the longest bridge in Europe to combine both road AND rail, and it has a tunnel and an artificial island too. Whew! Our coach actually got pulled over at the border (just a random check) and they had us all get off and line up, show our passports and answer a few questions about why we were travelling etc. So be sure to pack your passport, because I got stopped at the German border without mine once and it was terrifying...

Arriving in Malmö

We arrived in Malmö just after midday, and we didn't really have anything planned so we started off by walking into the central area of the city. This took us to a lovely square with some beautiful architecture as well as a fountain and statue; we saw signposts to St Peter's Church, the oldest in the city, so decided to head there first and foremost.

The church is stunning inside and out, and we decided to sit at a café opposite called Kava. This has such stunning contemporary decor, very much my style, and it also wasn't too expensive for a coffee and a fizzy drink. We took a table outside and it was so peaceful just watching people go by in the shadow of the church.

From here we walked through little streets to reach Kungsparken, the city's oldest park with walking paths, sculptures, a lake and more. We wandered through here, taking it all in, although honestly it was fairly underwhelming.

Where we ate in Malmö

I had booked for us to have lunch at Bullen which, according to Google, is where to get the best Swedish meatballs in Malmö. Of course, that was a must. We walked from the park to here, and arrived slightly early - luckily our table was ready, so we settled in and ordered. There was other stuff on the menu but we were set on having meatballs and they didn't disappoint! It was 239 Swedish Krona (around £17.50) for a portion of veal meatballs with mashed potatoes, whisky cream sauce, lingonberries and pickled cucumber. Think IKEA but 10x better. The meal was absolutely delicious, and the setting was really cute too. This is one thing I would definitely recommend in Malmö!

The rest of the day

After lunch we'd decided to go to the castle which, unbeknownst to us, is actually connected to Kungpsarken. So it was back the way we came, through the park, and round to the castle itself. We paid for entry, and went in to explore. The castle is now mostly a gallery, and we saw some really interesting classic and modern art as well as where the King lived and his old furniture. We also went into another part of Kungsparken where there's a pretty windmill, then it was time to head back to the train station to grab our Flixbus home - with some souvenir shopping on the way...

The castle was fairly interesting and the meatballs were delicious but I think I agree with most of the naysayers who told me that Malmö just isn't worth the trip from bustling Copenhagen. I'm glad we did it, because it was a country I had wanted to visit and it was quite a peaceful day, plus the bridge was excellent, but if you're only spending a few days in CPH I wouldn't bother making the trip!