Travel Guide to Malmo, Sweden

Sweden often gets confused with Switzerland for some reason. Switzerland is the land of excellent clocks and secret bank accounts; Sweden is the country in Scandinavia bordered by Denmark and Norway on the left, and by Finland on the east. It is just above Germany across the Baltic Sea. It is known for excellent coffee, meatballs, hockey, and IKEA. Now that we have that straight, the name of the country is actually Sverige... but we'll stick with Sweden, since that is the name you are used to.

Most folks who know the difference between Sweden and Switzerland still think that there is snow here year round; the people all have blonde hair and blue eyes; and everyone is seven feet tall. Not true, any of it. The people are the same as the US in body type, with a slightly higher preponderance of blue eyes and blonde hair. The body types are the same, also. There may be a few more taller folks in Sweden, but not to such a degree that you would really notice. Lastly, Sweden is not always buried in snow. In fact, this winter it did not snow until the middle of January, and then melted within days and did not return again until the end of February. So much for stereotypes.

When planning a visit to Sweden, the first city that usually springs to mind is Stockholm. There is a ton to do there, no doubt, but set your plans for Malmo instead. Malmo is the third largest city in Sweden, and the seat of the area called Skane, which is the southern tip of Sweden.

Accommodations run the gamut from rich and luxurious hotels set inside of castles to extremely cheap Youth Hostels. If you are indeed looking for a castle, there are over 100 within a 50-kilometer radius of Malmo. This is why the region is often referred to as Castle Country.