Oresund Bridge Copenhagen

The Oresund Bridge: Copenhagen to Malmo in 35 Minutes

The Oresund Bridge connects Copenhagen and Malmo across 16km of sea and opened in 2000. The train is the better way across: cheaper than driving (SEK 125 one-way from Malmo to Copenhagen Central, or DKK 110 in the other direction as of 2024), faster, and you see the water. The bridge’s cable-stayed section rises 57 metres above the strait, and then the track dips underground at the Danish end through the Drogden Tunnel before surfacing at Copenhagen Airport. The whole crossing takes about 35 minutes.

Driving costs around SEK 560-625 each way for a car. The bridge is used by around 20,000 vehicles daily; at peak commute hours the queues at the toll plaza add time.

Copenhagen: what actually matters

Copenhagen is expensive. Budget DKK 100 per beer, DKK 150-200 for a modest lunch, DKK 600-1,000 for dinner at a place worth writing home about. Noma closed to the public in late 2023, but the roster of serious Danish restaurants continues with places like Geranium (three Michelin stars, SEK 2,800 for the tasting menu), 108, and Kadeau. For something more normal, Torvehallerne market at Norreport has excellent stalls for lunch - the smoked salmon at Hall 2 is one of the better quick meals in the city, around DKK 120.

Nyhavn is correctly identified as photogenic and is filled with tourists in summer. Spend 20 minutes there taking the photograph, then move on to Frederiksberg or Norrebro where the actual city operates. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is 35km north of the centre along the coast and is one of the finest modern art museums in northern Europe - the Giacometti hall alone justifies the detour.

Malmo: what Copenhagen visitors miss

Malmo gets treated as a day-trip appendage to Copenhagen, which undersells it. The Moderna Museet branch opened in 2009 and has a strong permanent collection, free admission, and consistently good temporary shows. The old town (Gamla Malmo) around Stortorget has several decent restaurants; Bastard on Mäster Johansgatan is the most talked-about (Scandinavian small plates, mains around SEK 150-200).

The Turning Torso residential tower is the obvious architectural landmark - 54 floors, twisted nine degrees from bottom to top. It is not accessible to visitors but looks spectacular from the waterfront path south of the bridge. That waterfront walk, the Strandpromenaden, is excellent for a morning run or cycle.

Staying in one city, using the other

If you base yourself in Copenhagen, staying two nights and doing a day trip to Malmo is the standard approach. Malmo hotels are substantially cheaper: a mid-range room at the Clarion Hotel Malmo runs around SEK 1,200-1,500 per night versus DKK 1,800-2,200 for equivalent Copenhagen options. For longer stays, it is entirely possible to stay in Malmo and commute to Copenhagen by train.

Practical note

Crossing between Denmark and Sweden means crossing an EU internal border; EU citizens need ID, non-EU citizens need their passport. Border checks were reintroduced in both directions in 2024 due to migration policy changes - build in extra time at the Danish/Swedish frontier if you are travelling by car.