Travel Copenhagen to Malmö – The Öresundbridge Experience

This beautiful landmark, connecting two Scandinavian countries, has become the easy way to travel from Copenhagen to Malmö. The Öresundbridge connects the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, with Sweden’s third-largest city Malmö. Copenhagen doesn’t need any further introduction, but Malmö might be unknown to some. This coastal city of south Sweden is a vibrant, hip, international town, with cobblestone streets and interesting buildings.

You might spend some time in Copenhagen, wanting to explore Malmö and other parts of Sweden. Or your flight might land at the Copenhagen Kastrup airport, for you to continue your journey in Sweden. Either way, the Öresund bridge is the fastest and easiest way to travel between the countries.

I remember when I was a kid, the excitement of taking the ferry between the two cities, Copenhagen and Malmö. It took about an hour I would get fika on the boat and also buy some tax-free candy. Well, those days are a thing of the past since the Öresundbridge was built.

Today, if you want the ferry experience between the two countries, you can travel between Elsingor and Helsingborg, where the ferry is still running. These two cities are located about 60 miles north of Copenhagen and Malmö. The ferry ride takes about 20 minutes, just enough time to do some shopping or enjoy a cup of coffee. They have tax-free shops and restaurants with delicious shrimp sandwiches :). I can go on about this fun ferry journey but let’s get back to the Öresundbridge experience.

 

The Öresundbridge

Copenhagen to Malmö Öresund bridge

The bridge connects the road and railway of the Scandinavian peninsula with central and western Europe. Allowing Swedes and Danes to commute, visitors to explore, and travelers to connect easier and faster. You might see two different ways of spelling, Öresund or Øresund? Well, in Swedish, we say Öresund and in Danish Øresund, so both ways are correct.

The bridge opened July 1 in 2000, between Copenhagen and Malmö. It contains one bridge part, an artificial island, and an underwater tunnel.

The bridge part from Malmö to the artificial island Peberholm is almost 5 miles (8 kilometers) long. From Peberholm island, there is an underwater tunnel, Drogden tunnel 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long, connecting the island with Denmark.

The reason for doing a tunnel instead of a bridge, closest to the Copenhagen area, was to avoid interference with air traffic from the Copenhagen airport and to provide a clear channel for ships going through.

The bridge has a total length of 25 738 feet or 7 845 meters. The height of the bridge is 669 feet (204 meters). It can get pretty windy at the top, and the bridge has been closed-down briefly during extremely bad weather.

In 2019, 7,454,231 vehicles crossed the bridge.

 

How to Cross the Bridge Copenhagen to Malmö

You can either drive, ride the bus, or take the train over the bridge. Going over by car is an exciting experience, and you have an amazing view of the two countries and the water.

By Car

To cross the bridge by car, you have to pay a fee. You can pay online, by the toll station, or set up an Öresund Bizz pass if you frequently cross the bridge. For a regular-sized car, it will cost you 49 EUR online, or 54 EUR (2020 prices) if you pay at the toll station.

When crossing the bridge, you will go from one country to another, and travel documents, like passports, might be required.

Take the Train Copenhagen to Malmö

When taking the train, you will actually be underneath the road. Yes, the two railway tracks go beneath the four road lanes. For the tunnel part, the railway and road, go side by side, in separate tunnels.

Operating the trains are the Swedish and Danish railways, Skanetrafiken, SJ, Oresundtag, and DBS.

If you travel from Denmark, you can get on the train at a few different places, with the main hub being the Copenhagen Central train station. Traveling from the Copenhagen Airport, the train station is conveniently located right beneath the airport. Just take the elevator or escalator down and catch the train.

On the Swedish side, you will have a stop at Hyllie station and Triangeln station before reaching the Malmö Central station. At times, the police will board the train in Hyllie, and ask for travel documentation, have your passport ready.

Traveling from the Copenhagen Central Station to the Malmö Central Station by train will take you about 40 minutes. Trains are frequent and depart every 20 minutes during the day. The cost for a one-way, single ticket is about $12.

An alternative is to join a guided tour, that will take you from Copenhagen to Malmo crossing the bridge. See some alternatives here.

 

What to See, Do, and Experience in Malmö Sweden

Crossing the bridge from Copenhagen to Malmö, you will see the tallest building in Scandinavia, Turning Torso. This famous, unique building is a residential skyscraper and has become a landmark in the city. It’s said to be the first twisted skyscraper in the world.

Malmö is a quaint town, easy to walk around, with historic buildings and international flare. One of my favorite areas to visit is Old town with Lillatorg, a square with restaurants, cute shops, cobblestones, and colorful houses.

Malmö Castle, built in the mid 16th century, is the oldest preserved Renaissance castle in Scandinavia, and well worth a visit. If you enjoy art, the Modern Museum, and Malmo Konsthall, is well worth a visit.

Festivals and events are a big thing in Malmö. There is always something going on, especially in the summer, when different festivals, music events, food events, and concerts are arranged. Keep a lookout for the events going on while in Malmö.

A fun way to see Malmö is to take a canal tour or a walking tour to learn more about the city and the history behind it.

After your day in Malmö, you can spend the night and continue your journey in Sweden or head back over the bridge to Copenhagen. There is so much to see. If you are heading in this direction, don’t hesitate to contact me. It would be my honor to point you in the right direction.

Have you crossed the Oresund bridge by train or car? What’s your experience? I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

 

Just want to let you know; some of my posts might contain affiliate links. If you buy something through those links, it will not cost you a penny more, but I might earn a commission. That will allow for this site to keep going. Thanks!

Written by 

Born and raised in Sweden, now living in the US, Veronica has a passion for Scandinavian travel. As a former product design specialist with a Scandinavian tour operator, she has extensive knowledge of tour planning and the Scandinavian countries.

2 thoughts on “Travel Copenhagen to Malmö – The Öresundbridge Experience

  1. I’ve never been to Malmo but it sounds like a very interesting place to visit. Would it be worth more than just a one-night stay do you think? Or would 1 night be sufficient? And I’m curious, how long does it take to make that crossing by car? I didn’t notice you mentioning that….so my apology if I missed it.

    1. Malmo is an international, fun, and interesting place to visit. If you have a couple of days, I would suggest that you take the train from Copenhagen to Malmo. If you drive, it takes about 10 minutes to cross the bridge. Explore the city, do a walking tour, and visit the castle. Spend the night in Malmo.

      On the second day, take the train from Malmo to Helsingborg. It’s located an hour north of Malmo. Helsingborg is one of my favorite places, and I lived there for a few years. Stroll by the harbor, visit Karnan a tower with a beautiful view of the water and Denmark and visit Sofiero castle.

      On the third day, take the ferry from Helsingborg to Helsingor. Visit the Hamlet castle, stroll through cobblestone streets, and enjoy the quaint little town. Oh and the ice cream here is delicious. From there, you can take the train back to Copenhagen, which is located an hour south of Helsingor.
      You can buy one ticket that includes the train/ferry journey.

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