Sweden · Skåne County · Malmö
Gamla Staden, Malmö — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Gamla Staden is the old core of Malmö, the historic central island of the city in Malmö kommun, south-western Sweden.
Hotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Where to stay in Gamla Staden
Where the beds are, and what that means for the visit.
Gamla Staden puts the medieval squares and Sankt Petri kyrka on the doorstep, so basing here leaves most of central Malmö within an easy walk.
Find hotels in Gamla Staden
Direct booking search for this neighbourhood.
Hotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Malmö
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
4- Malmö Konsthall Swedish exhibition hall for contemporary art
- Malmö museum heritage institution and museum
- Moderna Museet Malmö art gallery and museum
- Ebba's House working life museum
Churches & Religious Sites
4- Sankt Petri kyrka Heritage
- Saint John's Church Heritage Church of Sweden church building
- Caroli Church Heritage
- Helgeandskyrkan Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
1- Malmö Castle Heritage
Stadiums & Sports
2- Simhallsbadet, Malmö swimming complex
- Mariedals idrottsplats
worth knowingacross 4 categories in and around Malmö
About Gamla Staden
What are the main landmarks in Gamla Staden?
Towers and galleries crowd the old core. Sankt Petri kyrka lifts its spire over the medieval squares, while Malmö konstmuseum and Moderna Museet Malmö draw art crowds and Malmö Konsthall holds its open hall a short way on. Caroli kyrka and the maritime Koggmuseet add further stops, with Sankt Pauli kyrka toward Rörsjöstaden.
The reach runs wide, for a visitor: from the castle of Malmöhus past the galleries to the theatre rooms of the Palladium.
What is the history of Gamla Staden?
Gamla Staden carries the founding ground of Malmö within its canal ring. The fortress of Malmöhus rose to guard the harbour, and around the medieval squares the city raised Sankt Petri kyrka in brick Gothic, leaving Ebbas hus and the Franciskanerklostret i Malmö as marks of those early centuries. Commerce built this old quarter of Malmö.
The old town stayed the working centre as Malmö grew outward, and kept its church towers and merchant lanes while later districts filled the plain.
Where is Gamla Staden?
This is the heart of Malmö. Gamla Staden is a neighbourhood of the Centrum city district, with the castle of Malmöhus a short way west. The whole district sits inside Malmö kommun, in south-western Sweden.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Gamla Staden?
Gamla Staden old island: Visitors wanting beds among the medieval squares and church towers on the old canal island of Malmö.
Good for
More areas in Malmö
Updated October 2026