Traveleriences
Kalmar Castle's copper-roofed towers above its moat and ramparts

Kalmar, Sweden

Ideal: 1–2 daysBest: May–SepPrice: Moderate
OverviewSeeEatHidden gemsAreasStayPracticalHistoryNearby

In 60 seconds

Kalmar in 60 seconds

Kalmar was once the key to Sweden: in 1397 its castle hosted the signing of the Kalmar Union, which joined the three Nordic crowns, and through 22 sieges it was never taken. Gustav Vasa and his sons turned the fortress into a Renaissance palace, and its moats, ramparts and painted state rooms are the finest in the country. In the 1600s the town moved to the island of Kvarnholmen, laid out on a baroque grid around Tessin's great cathedral; the old town by the castle kept its wooden houses and gardens. The county museum displays the finds from the warship Kronan, which exploded and sank off Öland in 1676. Kalmar is a good-looking, easy small city, and the bridge to Öland starts here. Give it a day, or make it your base for the island.

CastleCoastOld Town

Best for

  • History
  • Weekend

Known for

  • Kalmar Castle
  • The Kalmar Union
  • Kalmar Cathedral
  • The Kronan

Skip if

You have seen plenty of castles and want wild nature — Kalmar is a handsome small city, and Öland across the bridge has the landscapes.

Your match

Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Kalmar fits them. Choose interests

See

Must experience

The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.

Kalmar Castle

Moderate

Medieval fortress, Renaissance palace

Walk the moats and ramparts, then the state rooms Gustav Vasa's sons decorated — inlaid panelling, painted ceilings and a chapel still in use.

SlottetHistoryMust-see
Official site for Kalmar Castle (opens in a new tab)

Kalmar Cathedral

Baroque cathedral by Tessin the Elder

A cool, light baroque interior on the main square, begun in 1660 and finished in 1703.

KvarnholmenBaroqueFree

Eat

Where to eat

A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?

More places to eat

Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.

Ångkvarnen

Moderate

Museum restaurant on the top floor

Lunch at the top of the county museum, with views over the strait and the Öland Bridge.

KvarnholmenLunchView

Kullzénska Caféet

Inexpensive

Upstairs café in an 18th-century house

Creaking floors, tiled stoves and homemade pies and cakes in rooms furnished as in the 1800s.

KvarnholmenFikaHistoric

Beyond the obvious

Hidden gems

Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.

Krusenstiernska gården

Old town garden and house

A 19th-century town garden by the old town, with a summer café serving drinks from its own fruit and berries.

Gamla stanCaféGarden

Gamla stan

The old town by the castle

The town left behind when Kalmar moved to Kvarnholmen: quiet lanes of wooden houses and an old cemetery near the castle park.

Gamla stanFreeHistoric

Orientation

Neighbourhoods

How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.

Kvarnholmen

The baroque island town

The cathedral square, the shopping streets and the ramparts, on a grid laid out in the 1600s.

Stay

Where to stay

Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.

Kvarnholmen

Moderate

Hotels near the station and harbour

Walk to the castle and the restaurants, and catch the bus over the bridge to Öland.

TrainsWalkable

Practical

Know before you go

Getting in
Trains from Copenhagen, Malmö and Gothenburg run via Alvesta; Kalmar Airport has flights from Stockholm.
Getting around
Walk the old town and the castle; buses and bikes cross the six-kilometre Öland Bridge.
When to go
May to September; the castle is at its best on a summer evening, with the moat full of light.
Taste locally
Öland's kroppkakor, fish from Kalmarsund and Småland's ostkaka.
Combine with
Öland, Glasriket and Karlskrona.

Plan this trip — useful links

Destination Kalmar — official guide (opens in a new tab)

Context

History in 5 minutes

Enough to make what you are looking at legible.

  1. 1397

    The Kalmar Union is sealed at the castle, joining Denmark, Norway and Sweden under one monarch.

  2. 1540s

    Gustav Vasa and his sons begin rebuilding the fortress as a Renaissance palace.

  3. 1658

    The move of the town to the island of Kvarnholmen is largely complete.

  4. 1676

    The warship Kronan explodes and sinks in battle off Öland; her wreck is found in 1980.

Further out

Nearby escapes

Worth a day if you have one to spare.

Öland

The limestone island across the bridge

Windmills, ring forts and the UNESCO-listed Alvaret — Öland has its own guide.

15 min by car over the bridgeIslandUNESCO

Glasriket

The Kingdom of Crystal's glassworks

Glassblowing in the Småland forest — Glasriket has its own guide.

45 min by carDesignGlass