Focus Malmö: Transport

The 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö will be one of the best connected in recent times, with multiple options for a) getting to the city and b) getting around the city and surrounding areas. The public transport offerings in this part of Sweden are incredibly good and widespread, meaning that if you are planning on visiting Malmö in May next year, you will have no problems getting around!

Getting to Malmö

Let's take a look at some of the options with regards to getting to Malmö.

Copenhagen Kastrup Airport

Copenhagen Airport is by far the biggest air transport hub in the Nordic region, with plenty of direct flights to and from all over Europe and the World and a major hub for Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and Norwegian Air Shuttle amongst others. We envisage that the majority of visitors to Malmö next year will arrive into Copenhagen, due to its size and the fact that it is by far the closest airport to the Malmö Arena, which is located just a 15 minute train journey from the airport over the Öresund Bridge. As well as trains, there are busses connecting the airport with Malmö and other cities in Southern Sweden and outside the airport terminal there is a dedicated taxi rank for Swedish taxis, for those who prefer a more hassle-free journey to their hotels.

Malmö Sturup Airport

Located a 40 minute drive from the centre of Malmö is Sturup Airport, offering a wide range of domestic and international flights. The airport is a popular destination for Eastern European carriers such as Wizz Air. SAS, Norwegian and Malmö Aviation all operate domestic flights within Sweden, with a major link to Stockholm Bromma and Arlanda airports. Although located further away from the Arena and city than Copenhagen Airport, Malmö airport offers and option for people with a more limited budget and has a regular and inexpensive bus link to the city centre. The airport has also recently undergone some renovation works to create a better experience for passengers.

Trains

Another option for travel getting to Malmö is by train. As mentioned above, there is a regular and fast train service between Copenhagen, Copenhagen Airport and Malmö operated by Øresundståg, transversing the bridge between the Danish capital and Malmö. A city centre to city centre travel time of 25 should be expected whilst it takes just 15 minutes from Copenhagen Airport to Hyllie Station, which is where the Malmö Arena is located.

Sweden also has a very well developed domestic train network operated by SJ, who operate long distance high-speed trains from Malmö to both Stockholm and Gothenburg as well as night train services and local services in the Skåne region of Sweden, operated by Skånetrafiken.

Night trains are also available from Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany into Copenhagen where regular connections depart to Malmö as mentioned above. In addition there are semi-regular trains operating between Hamburg, Berlin and Copenhagen operated by DSB and DB, providing an alternative route for those living in northern Germany.

Buses

If you have time and/or are on a limited budget, then why not take the bus to Malmö. A number of companies offer long distance services to the city from locations both inside Sweden and out. An example is Eurolines who operate three times a week from Oslo, via Gothenburg to Malmö and Copenhagen as well as from Stockholm.

Car

If you prefer to travel by car to Malmö, there are plenty of opportunities to park in the city, with many hotels offering on site parking to their guests. Malmö is an important interchange for motorways in southern Scandinavia with fast and smooth roads connecting the city with amongst others Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Trelleborg, where ferries go to Poland and Germany. In addition the well developed motorway network in Denmark will take you to Germany relatively fast.

Boat

As mentioned above there are a number of ferry options for those wishing a very leisurely journey to Malmö. Finnlines has a ferry route from Travemünde directly to Malmö that runs three times a day. From nearby Trelleborg, TT-Line ferries travel to Germany and Poland and from Copenhagen there is a daily DFDS ferry service to Oslo. In addition regular Scandlines ferries between Helsingør in Denmark and Helsingborg in Sweden provide an alternative to the Öresund Bridge.

It is also possible to travel relatively easy between the United Kingdom and Malmö using a mixture of ferry and car with a ferry service connecting the town of Harwich with Esbjerg in western Denmark. From there the E20 motorway will take you all the way to Malmö, over the Öresund Bridge with a total journey time of about 24 hours.

Getting Around Malmö

Getting around Malmö and the surrounding area could not be easier. During the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest Malmö wants to market itself as "Europe's Green Room", referring to its environmentally friendly policies. For example, Malmö has a huge network of cycle lanes and operates a large number of green busses, powered by low carbon fuels.

Let's take a look at the options:

Cycling

Just like its neighbouring city, Copenhagen, Malmö has a very well developed cycle network and is very flat making it a comfortable way to travel (depending on the weather!). It is possible to hire bikes around the city and could be a fun and calorie burning alternative to the below options.

Local Trains

Known as Pågåtågen, and painted in a distinct purple colour, a frequent commuter train service is operated from both Malmö Central Station and Hyllie Station connecting local stops within the City as well as travelling beyond to towns and cities in northern and southern Skåne. A journey from Hyllie to Malmö Central typically takes between 7 and 9 minutes.

Öresund Trains

Officially known as Øresundstågen (combining the Danish name "Øresund" with the Swedish word "Tåg"), these trains operate between Southern Sweden and Sjælland in Denmark using the Öresund Bridge. A regular service operates between Malmö and Copenhagen (every 10 minutes during the day from Malmö Central and every 20 minutes from Hyllie) with some services travelling beyond to Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Växjö, and Helsingør as examples. As mentioned above all trains stop at Copenhagen Airport providing a connection from here to Hyllie station in less than 15 minutes.

Buses

Malmö has a very well developed bus network, utilising very environmentally friendly buses and connecting every corner of the city with the centre and beyond. Local transport is operated by Skånetrafiken who are also reponsible for local trains.

City busses 5, 6 and 33 all stop at Hyllie Station, where the Malmö Arena is located and regional busses 346, 300 and 170 from Trelleborg, Falsterbro and Lund respectively also stop here.

Car

There are good parking opportunities in and around Malmö although this comes at a price and near the arena parking appears to be good. However, at this stage it is unknown how parking around the Malmö Arena will be affected leading up to and during the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.