Malmo / The verdict
Is the Turning Torso and West Harbour worth it?
Yes, for most visitors: the tower is a photo stop, but the free Västra Hamnen boardwalk, the sea views and the Scaniabadet swim piers around it make one of the city's best evening walks. The paid 54th-floor visit is SEK 195 and runs a limited summer-and-Saturday window.
By The Real Traveler Experiences team.
The Malmo story
Malmo is Sweden's most easygoing city: a medieval core around Lilla Torg, Calatrava's twisting Turning Torso on the redeveloped harbour, a proper city beach at Ribersborg with its 1898 cold baths, and one of the country's most international food scenes, all stitched together by bike lanes. Copenhagen sits thirty-five minutes away across the Oresund Bridge, which makes Malmo both a destination and a day-trip base.
The verdict in 30 seconds
Go
Yes, for most visitors: the tower is a photo stop, but the free Västra Hamnen boardwalk, the sea views and the Scaniabadet swim piers around it make one of the city's best evening walks. The paid 54th-floor visit is SEK 195 and runs a limited summer-and-Saturday window.
Go if
- You like modern architecture and waterfront walks
- You can go at golden hour, when the light and the sound views peak
- You want a free swim from the Scaniabadet piers in summer
Skip if
- You only want to go inside the tower; the interior opens only for limited paid visits
- You are short on time and would rather keep to the old town core, 30-plus minutes away on foot
- You dislike exposed, windy waterfronts
What it costs
- Sky High Meetings 54th-floor visit, adult: kr 195 (children up to 12 pay 100; HSB members 150 and 50; prebooked through Tickster). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Scaniabadet sea bath: kr 0 (free deep-water sea bath; lifeguards on a seasonal schedule). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 12 traveler reports (Jun 2025 to Aug 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 0 were negative.
What people like
- The free waterfront walk gives the tower's best angles plus Oresund Bridge and sunset views over the sound (4 of 12 reports).
- Calatrava's nine twisting cubes reward architecture fans even from the outside (3 of 12 reports).
- The summer 54th-floor visit gets travelers inside a building they otherwise only photograph (2 of 12 reports).
- The harbor pairs the tower with a free swim pier and a long promenade (2 of 12 reports).
What people complain about
- Casual visitors cannot go up inside: interior access is limited to occasional paid, prebooked visits (3 of 12 reports).
- The paid visit runs a narrow summer-and-Saturday window with limited seats (2 of 12 reports).
- It is a 30-plus-minute walk from the old town, so casual visitors often admire it from afar and skip the base (1 of 12 reports).
- The district can feel quiet and windswept off-season (1 of 12 reports).
How to do it right
- Walk or cycle from the old town along Sundspromenaden into Västra Hamnen.
- Circle the tower base and take in the nine twisting cubes from the boardwalk side.
- Follow the harbor promenade for Oresund Bridge and Copenhagen views.
- Swim free at the Scaniabadet sea bath piers when lifeguards are on duty in season.
- Book the 54th-floor visit ahead through Tickster if a published date matches your trip.
- Time the walk for late afternoon or sunset for the best light on the tower.
The trap to avoid
Showing up expecting to go up the tower. Turning Torso is a residential building with no public observation deck; interior visits run only on limited prebooked dates, mainly summer Thursdays to Saturdays plus Saturdays into week 44, and places sell out through Tickster.
Why this verdict
The visit is really two separate things and the free one carries it. Turning Torso itself is a residential tower: Santiago Calatrava’s nine stacked cubes twisting 90 degrees over the old Kockums shipyard, about 190 meters tall. Most visitors only ever photograph it from below, and several reports admit they admired it from a distance and never reached the base. The interior opens to the public on limited Tickster-booked dates for SEK 195, roughly an hour on the 54th floor.
What makes the trip worth it is the neighborhood wrapped around the tower. Västra Hamnen’s boardwalk runs along the sound with the bridge in view, and guides consistently point visitors there for the sunset leg of a Malmö day. Scaniabadet adds a free deep-water sea bath with piers out over the Øresund, with lifeguards on a seasonal summer schedule. One cycling report notes the district’s own design shields the streets from the sea wind.
The complaints are about access, not the place. There is no free viewing floor, the paid interior visit runs a narrow window and seats are limited, and the tower sits a 30-plus-minute walk from the old town core. If you only came for the inside, it is a skip; for the walk, the architecture and a summer dip, it earns an evening.
Timing and tickets
Sky High Meetings runs the 54th-floor visits, prebooked through Tickster, mainly Thursday to Saturday in the summer weeks with Saturdays added into week 44; the building owner announces each season’s release. Go late in the day for the best light on the west face and the sound.
Book or check times
Sky High Meetings visitor ticketsScaniabadet sea bath, City of MalmöSundspromenaden promenade, City of Malmö
Where to stay
Staying in Malmo?
Which area of Malmo to stay in, based on traveler reports. Search Malmo hotels on Expedia partner site
Questions
Can you go inside the Turning Torso?
Only on prebooked visits. The tower is a residential and office building with no public observation deck; Sky High Meetings sells 54th-floor visits through Tickster on limited dates, mainly summer Thursdays to Saturdays.
How much does the Turning Torso visit cost?
SEK 195 per adult and 100 for children up to 12; HSB members pay 150 and 50, prices including VAT. The visit lasts about an hour and places are limited.
Is the West Harbour free to visit?
Yes. The boardwalk, the Sundspromenaden approach and the Scaniabadet sea bath are all free; the bath keeps seasonal lifeguard hours in summer.
How far is the Turning Torso from central Malmö?
About 30 minutes on foot from Stortorget through Kungsparken, or a short cycle or bus ride west. Travelers report the walk is part of the appeal since the route is park and waterfront.
When is the best time to visit the West Harbour?
Late afternoon into evening, when the light hits the tower's west face and the sunset drops over the sound. Summer weekends add swimmers on the Scaniabadet piers.
Pack for it
Gear verdicts from our sister site, Real Buyer Experiences: