Kalmar, Sweden: travel guide
Kalmar is a compact Baltic port city whose beautifully restored Renaissance castle — Kalmar Slott — guards the strait that separates the Swedish mainland from the island of Öland, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of windmills and limestone alvar meadows. The city played a pivotal role in Nordic history as the seat of the Kalmar Union, the fourteenth-century pact that united Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under a single crown, and its old town retains an elegant Baroque street plan laid out after a fire in 1647. Kvarnholmen island forms the historic core, enclosed by a canal and linked to the castle by a short causeway walk past harborside restaurants serving fresh Baltic pike-perch. Öland's long bridge — the longest in Sweden at 6 kilometres — makes day trips easy, with royal hunting grounds, Bronze Age burial cairns, and cycling routes through blossoming wildflower plains awaiting across the water. The Kalmarsund strait is one of Sweden's most productive waters for sea kayaking, and guided tours depart from the castle quay throughout the summer season.
- Country
- Sweden
- Currency
- SEK
- Time zone
- Europe/Stockholm
- Nearest airport
- KLR
Top places to visit in Kalmar
Kalmar Castle (Kalmar Slott)
Fort · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h · entry SEK 190
Kalmar Castle is one of the best-preserved Renaissance castles in Scandinavia, originally built in the 12th century as a defensive tower and rebuilt in its current majestic form by the Vasa kings in the 16th century. It is where the Kalmar…
Solliden Palace Gardens
Cultural · 4.6 rating · about 1.5 h · entry SEK 130
Solliden Palace on Öland is the Swedish Royal Family's summer residence, built in 1905 for Queen Victoria. The gardens are opened to the public in summer and are among the most beautifully maintained in Sweden, featuring Italianate…
Öland Bridge Viewpoint
Viewpoint · 4.5 rating · about 0.5 h
The Öland Bridge connecting Kalmar to the island of Öland is the longest bridge in Scandinavia at 6,072 metres, completed in 1972. The Kalmar approach offers an impressive view of the bridge stretching to the horizon across the Kalmar…
Kalmar Cathedral (Domkyrkan)
Church · 4.6 rating · about 0.8 h
Kalmar Cathedral is a 17th-century Baroque masterpiece and one of Sweden's most important ecclesiastical buildings. Designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and completed in 1703, its elegant exterior of grey stone and twin copper-roofed…
Kalmar County Museum
Museum · 4.5 rating · about 1.5 h · entry SEK 100
Kalmar County Museum is one of Sweden's most acclaimed regional museums, best known for its extensive exhibition on the warship Kronan, which sank in 1676 and was excavated in the 1980s–2000s. Artefacts from the ship include bronze…
Kvarnholmen Old Town
Heritage · 4.5 rating · about 1.5 h
Kvarnholmen is the historic island peninsula that forms the heart of old Kalmar, enclosed by the 17th-century town grid laid out when the entire city was relocated from its medieval position to its current baroque plan. The planned streets…
Öland Day Trip Kalmar
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 8 h
A day trip from Kalmar to Öland — Sweden's second-largest island via the 6km Öland Bridge, with windmills, the royal Solliden Palace, and the Stora Alvaret limestone heath.
Borgholm Castle Ruins
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 2 h
Borgholm Castle — the spectacular 12th-century castle ruins on Öland, called "Sweden's finest castle ruin", with the royal Solliden Palace nearby.
Kalmar Harbour Walk
Heritage · 4.5 rating · about 1 h
Kalmar Harbour walking promenade — passing the Maritime Museum, the historic warehouses, fishing boats, and the views toward Öland Bridge.
Eketorp Iron Age Fort
Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 2 h
Eketorp Ringfort — reconstructed Iron Age and medieval ringed fort on Öland, with costumed reenactors, ancient breeds of livestock, and immersive prehistory.
Kalmar Maritime History
Museum · 4.5 rating · about 2 h
Kalmar Maritime Museum — covering the city's Baltic naval heritage, including artifacts from the warship Kronan that sank in 1676.
Stadsparken Park
Nature · 4.5 rating · about 1 h
Stadsparken — Kalmar's English-style city park (1880) with mature trees, ponds, the historic Byttan restaurant, and views of Kalmar Castle.
Things to do
- Kalmar Castle Guided History Tour Cultural · 1.5 h · from SEK 130 per person
- Oland Island Day Tour Sightseeing · 7 h · from SEK 630 per person
- Glasriket Glass Factory Tour Cultural · 4 h · from SEK 300 per person
- Kalmar Old Town Walking Tour Cultural · 1.5 h · from SEK 100 per person
- Kayaking in Kalmar Sound Water · 3 h · from SEK 550 per person
Day trips and tours
- Öland Island Windmills & Royal Garden Tour 8 h · from SEK 760
Where to stay in Kalmar
- Kvarnholmen (Old Town) about SEK 1,300 per night
Kalmar's 17th-century old town on Kvarnholmen island — a tidy grid of cobbled streets around Stortorget square and the baroque cathedral, with the moated Kalmar Castle a short stroll away and the Öland bridge close by…
Hotels
- Slottshotellet Kalmar 4-star · SEK 1,400 to SEK 3,500 per night
- Clarion Collection Hotel Packhuset 4-star · SEK 1,200 to SEK 3,200 per night
- Kalmar Lägenhetshotell 3-star · SEK 900 to SEK 2,200 per night
Where to eat
- Roos Konditori Swedish, Bakery, Café · about SEK 95 per person
- Lilla Krogen Swedish, Traditional · about SEK 250 per person
- Byttan Seafood, Swedish, Nordic · about SEK 450 per person
- Källaren Kronan Swedish, Traditional, Nordic · about SEK 420 per person
- Husmanskost Hemma Swedish, Traditional · about SEK 210 per person
- Øresund Kitchen Nordic, Danish, Seafood · about SEK 380 per person
Getting around
- Car Rental Self main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.