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city in Kalmar Municipality, Sweden
Europe > Nordic countries > Sweden > Götaland > Småland > Kalmar

Kalmar is a city in the Småland province in southeastern Sweden, on the coast of the Baltic sea. Kalmar is one of the oldest Swedish cities, and traces of settlements from the Iron Age have been found. Its castle is one of the best-preserved Renaissance castles in Northern Europe.

Understand

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The city had 42,000 inhabitants in 2020. It is the seat of the municipality, Kalmar kommun, which has 72,000 residents, and the county Kalmar län with some 246,000 inhabitants (2023).

Recorded history goes back to the year 1027, and the foundation of the Kalmar Union, which ruled all the Nordic Countries during the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1397, Queen Margaret of Denmark called an assembly there between the councils of state of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and on 13 July 1397, the Kalmar Union treaty was signed, creating a union which would last until 1523.

The port of Kalmar, was important for the country's and the region's trade. The major exports via this trade was iron, tar, and wood.

The Kalmar Union unravelled in the late 16th century but the city was still important to Sweden. After the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, the strategic importance of Kalmar gradually diminished as the borders of Sweden were redrawn further south causing Kalmar to lose its status as one of Sweden's main military outposts. Kalmar Castle then fell into disuse. Serious renovation efforts on the castle began before World War II, but was put on pause during it. Renovations resumed later in the 20th century, and has restored the castle to its current state.

In Kalmar, the Öland Bridge connects Öland to mainland Sweden.

Tourist office

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  • 1 Kalmar Turism, Ölandskajen 9, ☏ +46 480-41 77 00, . Oct–Apr M–F 10:00–17:00; May & Sep M–F 09:00–17:00, Sa 10:00–15:00; Jun–Aug M–F 09:00–20:00, Sa & Su 10:00–16:00. (updated Sep 2017)

Get in

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By train

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There are direct trains from Copenhagen, via Copenhagen Airport and Malmö as well as trains from Gothenburg. From Stockholm, a change of trains in Alvesta or Linköping is required. 1 Kalmar centralstation is just a few blocks from the central square.

By bus

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By plane

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Flying to Stockholm (Skavsta) is another option, and driving down the E22. 2 Kalmar airport have connections from Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

By ship

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Kalmar has a beautiful harbour with good facilities for the visitor. Occasionally cruise ships call at Kalmar.

Get around

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You can walk to all interesting locations. The city centre is relatively small, with two main squares. On one you find the cathedral (Domkyrkan) and the other is called Larmtorget. From the second one, you can walk to the Baronen shopping centre. You can also rent canoes at the low cost hotel Svanen, and you can paddle your way around the centre, which is an island.

Driving in the city centre is a challenge as there are many one way streets, and the street signs have many caveats which are written out in Swedish only. Free parking is virtually non-existent, and paid parking requires an app to be installed on your phone in many cases. Some paid parking lots may have an automated machine where you can pay for parking, but getting US credit cards accepted is a matter of luck. If you are travelling into Kalmar from another city, take the train!

By taxi

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Kalmar Castle
  • 1 Kalmar Art Museum (Kalmar konstmuseum), Stadsparken, ☏ +46 480-42 62 82. Opened 2008 in a new, very controversial building. (updated Oct 2023)
  • 2 Kalmar Castle (Kalmar Slott), Kungsgatan 1, ☏ +46 10 357 05 30. Daily 10:00-18:00. It is right in the centre of town. It is one of the best-preserved Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. Seeing just the castle can easily take an hour. They offer a special activity for children during the summer called "The Children's Castle". Young visitors can take on the role of a princess or a prince and have to solve various puzzles in the castle. Guided tours in English are not available in the tourist off-season. Kalmar Castle (Q648226) on Wikidata Kalmar Castle on Wikipedia (updated Oct 2023)
  • 3 Kalmar Cathedral (Kalmar domkyrka), Stortorget, ☏ +46 480-123 00. Dating back to 1660. 
  • 4 Kalmar County Museum (Kalmar läns museum), Skeppsbrogatan 51, ☏ +46 480-45 13 00. 

Kalmar is an interesting town in many ways. The town was established in 12th century and the old city wall is still well preserved. The Kalmar Castle dates back to 1160 AD and the tower of the castle was continuously expanded in the 13th century. Beside the castle, there is a very peaceful city park.

This town is connected to the island of Öland by a bridge, which used to be Europe's longest (6 km). Kalmar is about 45 minutes away (by car) from the Glass Kingdom (Glasriket) where the famous works of Orrefors, Kosta Boda, Nybro, Pukeberg, Målerås are located.

Kalmar has a football team, Kalmar FF, that won the Swedish cup in 2007. They play in the highest division, the Allsvenskan. You can watch them play at Kalmar Arena.

Learn

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  • 2 Linnéuniversitetet (Högskolan i Kalmar), Nygatan 18B, ☏ +46 77-228 80 00. Kalmar one of the two main campuses of Linnéuniversitetet, the other one being located in Växjö. The Kalmar campus is known for its courses in seafaring, teaching and economics (Baltic School of Economics). 

The past couple of years many shopping malls and establishments have opened in Kalmar. The main shopping areas are

  • 1 Baronen, Skeppsbrogatan 12 (Close to the harbour), ☏ +46 70-297 92 93. Many smaller shops and a movie theatre 
  • 2 Hansa City (By the E22). IKEA, CityGross and other large stores. 
  • 3 Giraffen. ICA Maxi, Onoff, CoopForum and many other stores. 
  • The city centre has many small shops

In the museum Länsmuséet you can buy many Christmas articles, some made after designs by Jenny Nyström, a famous Swedish artist born in Kalmar.

Drink

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Coffeeshops

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Sleep

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Hotell Kalmar[dead link] has info on all hotels in Kalmar.

Connect

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  • Turistbyrån has Internet for 20 kr for a total of 24 hours usage to be used within 3 months and is wireless, so you need your own phone/laptop or iPad. Very cheap and fast, though only useful if you are visiting the wharf as it does not reach much more than within a 1 km radius.

Go next

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Kalmar is a good starting point to experience the Swedish east coast. Swebusexpress runs between Kalmar and Karlskrona regularly and the cost of this bus trip is low. It is also possible to travel to another elegant and relaxing summer resort in the east cost, Västervik. The local bus goes to Borgholm in Öland island and it takes approximately one hour.

If you want to experience the inland of Småland nearby cities include Vimmerby, the home town of Astrid Lindgren and the epicentre of Astrid Lindgren tourism, and Eksjö, a well preserved historical wooden town.

Routes through Kalmar
Växjö ← Nybro ←  W  E  → Kalmar


This city travel guide to Kalmar is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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