People often refer to Skåne, the southernmost part of Sweden, as the “castle province” of Sweden. Skåne has the most castle heritage in the Nordic region. There are more than 150 historic manor houses and fortifications in a small area. The castles in Skåne are not like the big granite forts in central and northern Sweden. They show that the area was a Danish territory until 1658, which was not a good time for it. Many were built to keep the Swedes from attacking, but later they were turned into homes for the Swedish nobility in the Renaissance and Baroque styles. The Scanian plains, which are known as Sweden’s “breadbasket,” were rich in agriculture and paid for these big estates. People can see everything from medieval fortresses with moats to Baroque palaces that are fully furnished.
When choosing which castles to visit in Skåne, you need to think about several things, such as their architectural importance (Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque), how easy they are to get to (public transport or car only), how family-friendly they are (playgrounds, open grounds, child-appropriate tours) and whether there are cafés or guided tours available. The following list of the top five castles in the area is based on their architectural and historical importance. Each one gives a unique look into Skåne’s complex history. This list of castles is different from many European castle lists that only include royal residences. It also includes privately owned estates, properties managed by museums and one castle that is still home to the Swedish royal family.
Top 5 Castles to Explore in Skåne, Sweden
- Malmöhus Castle (Malmö)
- Sofiero Palace (Helsingborg)
- Glimmingehus (Simrishamn)
- Helsingborg Castle (Kärnan)
- Bäckaskog Castle (Kristianstad)
A Closer Look at the Top 5 Castles to Explore in Skåne, Sweden
1. Malmöhus Castle (Malmö)
Malmöhus Castle (Malmöhus slott) occupies a strategic position on the western edge of Malmö’s old town, originally founded in 1434 by the Danish king Eric of Pomerania. King Christian III of Denmark rebuilt the castle between 1537 and 1542. He turned a medieval fortress into a Renaissance stronghold with a wide moat around it. The Danish-Swedish wars damaged or destroyed many Scanian castles, but Malmöhus stayed mostly intact. It is now the main building in Malmö’s museum complex. The castle has three museums: the City Museum, which shows the history of Malmö from the Middle Ages; the Art Museum, which has paintings from Scandinavia and Europe; and the Natural History Museum, which has taxidermy and dioramas.
Key Points
- Moat and fortifications: The original water-filled moat is still there and a modern pedestrian bridge goes over it. The castle’s thick walls (up to 2.5 meters) and corner towers were built to keep cannon fire from getting in.
- The King’s Prison: Malmöhus was a state prison from the 16th century until 1909. Visitors can see original cells, such as the “Blue Tower,” where Danish nobleman and regicide Johan Filip Fleming was kept.
- The castle’s medieval cellar, which dates back to the 15th century and still has its original vaulted stone ceiling, is now used for temporary exhibits and displays about the castle’s history.
- Children’s museum: The lower levels have a delightful area for kids where they can dress up in clothes from the past and look around a replica medieval kitchen.
Achievements
- The oldest Renaissance fortress still standing in the north.
- In 1935, it became a listed building (byggnadsminne).
- King Christian IV of Denmark married Anne Catherine of Brandenburg in 1597.
- The castle grounds are free to enter; museum entry is covered by the Malmö pass. You don’t have to pay to get into the castle grounds, but you do need a Malmö Museums pass to get into the museum.
Feedback
Families like how there is a mix of history and hands-on activities. Kids of all ages will enjoy the children’s museum and the natural history dioramas. People who love history say that English-language exhibits do a remarkable job of showing how the castle served as a prison, fortress and museum. Some people think the museum’s layout is confusing because there are several buildings connected by hallways. They say you should get a site map when you get there. There is seating outside with a view of the moat and the castle café serves light meals and fika.
Contact
Website: https://malmo.se/malmohus
2. Sofiero Palace (Helsingborg)
Sofiero Palace (Sofiero slott) is one of the most popular places for tourists to visit in Skåne. However, it is not a medieval fortress; it is a palace. Helsingborg is about 5 kilometers south of Sofiero. Crown Prince Oscar (later King Oscar II) and his wife Sofia built it as a summer home between 1864 and 1865. Queen Sofia gave the palace its name. People say that Sofiero’s gardens are some of the most beautiful in Europe. This kind of castle is not the same as a defensive castle. The palace is a simple two-story building in the Dutch Renaissance style. But the terraced gardens, rhododendron valleys and rose gardens that surround it draw in more than 400,000 people every year.
Key Points
- Rhododendron Valley (Rhododendrondalen) is the most famous part of the palace. It has over 10,000 rhododendron bushes, which are made up of about 300 different species and cultivars. The best time to see the flowers in full bloom is between late May and mid-June. They are pink, purple, red and white and they look stunning.
- The Palace Restaurant: A lovely place to eat lunch and fika in the old palace orangery with views of the gardens. It’s best to book ahead of time during the busy season.
- The Hofshop is a gift shop that sells gardening books, crafts from the Scanian area and things with the Sofiero brand.
- The Playground: A big area for kids to play that goes with the garden style. There are wooden climbing structures, slides and a sandpit.
Achievements
- Awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s “Garden of the Year” for European gardens (2022).
- One of the most visited tourist attractions in Skåne, with over 400,000 annual visitors.
- The rhododendron collection is one of the largest in northern Europe.
- The palace grounds are wheelchair and stroller accessible with paved pathways.
Feedback
People who love gardens say that Sofiero is a must-see, especially in late spring when the rhododendrons are in bloom. Families say that the open lawns and playground are wonderful places for kids to play while adults look around the palace and gardens. Some people say the palace is small inside compared to the large grounds. They say the best way to see Sofiero is to go to the garden and learn about the palace’s history, not the other way around. People say the on-site café is always good but pricey and some parts of the lawn are open for picnics.
Contact
Website: https://www.sofiero.se
3. Glimmingehus (Simrishamn)
Glimmingehus is the best-preserved castle from the Middle Ages in all of Scandinavia. It’s in the countryside close to Simrishamn in eastern Skåne. Between 1499 and 1506, the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand built Glimmingehus. It was built to protect people, not to be a nice place to live. The castle’s design is a sign of how paranoid people were in the late Middle Ages, when Danish nobles were scared of both Swedish invasions and peasant uprisings. There is only one big tower at Glimmingehus (40 meters high) and it is surrounded by a moat and many layers of defenses, like murder holes, arrow slits and a drawbridge that could be raised from inside the tower. Nobles left Glimmingehus empty as a home in the 17th century, so it still looks like it did in the Middle Ages. This palace is not like bigger palaces that have been updated over the years.
Key Points
- Defensive architecture: The castle’s unique features include a false door in the great hall (leading to a 10-metre drop), a “murder passage” where defenders could fire at intruders from hidden openings and a parapet walk accessible only from the fourth floor.
- The toilet tower: One of the castle’s corner towers contains a medieval latrine that discharged directly into the moat—a rare surviving example of medieval sanitation engineering.
- The magnificent hall has been restored to look like it did in the Middle Ages, with a long table, an open hearth and period furniture that makes visitors feel like they are in the 16th century.
- Guided tours are necessary to get to the upper floors. Tours run every 30 to 60 minutes during open hours and English tours are available upon request, depending on staffing.
Achievements
- The best-preserved medieval castle in Scandinavia, with its original medieval architectural features still in place.
- The Swedish National Heritage Board has put it on the list of Historic Monuments of National Interest.
- Things that are in the Swedish Register of Ancient Monuments (Fornsök).
- Won the Europa Nostra award for preserving cultural heritage in 1999.
Feedback
People who love history and reenacting life in the Middle Ages say that Glimmingehus is the most real castle experience in Sweden. There are no Victorian furniture or Baroque makeovers, just medieval stone and smart ways to protect it. Families with kids 8 years old and older like the guided tour and are interested in the murder holes. The dark, narrow stairs and the word “murder” in the historical interpretation might scare younger kids. The castle is hard to get to because there are narrow spiral staircases and no elevator. The lack of accessibility makes it a bad place for people with limited mobility to visit. The nearby farmstead has sheep and old buildings and it gives kids a free, open space to run around.
Contact
Website: https://www.glimmingehus.se
4. Helsingborg Castle (Kärnan)
Helsingborg Castle is best thought of as the ruins of a medieval fortress with only one tower still standing, Kärnan (The Core). It stands out on Helsingborg’s skyline because it is on top of a hill that is 65 meters high. The Danes built the first castle in the 14th century to protect one of the narrowest parts of the Øresund, which is only 4 kilometers from the Danish coast. After the wars between Denmark and Sweden and the Treaty of Roskilde (1658), workers slowly took the castle apart. The Kärnan tower, which was 35 meters high, was the only thing left. Today, Kärnan is the most well-known landmark in Helsingborg. From the top, you can see the whole city, the strait and the Danish coast on clear days.
Key Points
- To see everything around you from the top of the medieval tower, you have to climb 189 steps (35 meters). The stairs are steep and narrow and you need to be in decent shape to use them. You can see the platform outside.
- The Castle Grounds: Slottshagen, which is on a hill, has the original castle walls’ foundations and a small museum at the base of the tower that displays medieval artifacts found at the site.
- The Bunker (Kärnan’s Role in WWII): During World War II, the tower was used as a lookout point for Sweden’s coastal defense. Visitors can look at the military’s new living quarters.
- The Statue of Magnus Stenbock: A famous statue of a horseman on the castle grounds that honors the Swedish general who fought off the Danes’ attempt to take Helsingborg back in 1710.
Achievements
- Kärnan is the last part of one of Denmark’s most important castles from the Middle Ages.
- The tower is on Helsingborg’s city coat of arms.
- You can enter the castle grounds for free, but climbing the tower costs money. The tower fee includes access to the museum.
- The tower is open from April to October, but the hours change. Check the website before you go.
Feedback
People who have been to Kärnan’s top agree that the views are the best in Helsingborg. On clear days, you can see the Øresund Bridge. Most adults and older kids can do the climb, but kids under 7 might have trouble. Some people who have been to the “castle” say that the tower is the only thing worth seeing. There are mostly ruins and a park on the site. Families enjoy the nearby playground and the open lawns where they can have picnics. The tower’s inside is bare compared to furnished castles; the experience is more about architecture and views than living in a home.
Contact
Website: https://karnan.helsingborg.se
5. Bäckaskog Castle (Kristianstad)
Bäckaskog Castle is different from other Scanian castles because it was built on an island in Lake Ivö (across from Ivö Island) and is connected to the mainland by a stone causeway. The site has been around for a long time. It was a Cistercian monastery built in the 1300s, but after the Reformation, it became a castle with walls. Since 1963, Bäckaskog has been a hotel and conference center. Visitors can tour the castle, stay overnight, eat in the restaurant, or drink coffee on the terrace by the lake. This kind of building is not the same as a royal palace or a military fortress. Because it is on a lake that laps against its foundations, the castle is one of the most photogenic in Skåne.
Key Points
- Monastic origins: The monastery’s original cellars are still there and now house the castle’s bar and wine cellar. Visitors can see stone arches from the Middle Ages and brickwork that has been there since the beginning.
- There are about 30 rooms for guests at the Castle Hotel, ranging from small singles to a honeymoon suite. The rooms are new, but the furniture is old-fashioned.
- The main restaurant at the castle, Restaurant Bäckaskog, serves lunch and dinner. It uses Scanian ingredients like lamb from the area, fish from Lake Ivö and mushrooms that have been foraged. Making a reservation is the best thing to do.
- Bäckaskog is a popular place for weddings and conferences. Before you go, check if the castle is open on your desired dates, as it may be closed for private events.
Achievements
- The best-preserved fortified monastery conversion in Scandinavia.
- Listed as a Historic Building (byggnadsminne) by the Swedish National Heritage Board.
- Served as the hunting lodge for King Charles XV of Sweden in the 1860s.
- It was featured in the Swedish film “Jägarna” (1996) for its atmospheric lakeside setting.
Feedback
People who stay at Bäckaskog say it’s a unique experience to wake up with water all around them and see swans from the breakfast room. People who come during the day say that the cafe and terrace are wonderful places to have fika with a view, but the inside of the castle (other than the restaurant and event rooms) is small. People are sad to learn that the castle is closed for weddings and business events. The walk around the lake is a wonderful idea; it’s three kilometers long and goes around the castle island. People who aren’t staying at the hotel can’t get to the upper floors, where the rooms are. The ground floor is easy to get to.
Contact
Website: https://www.backaskogslott.se
FAQ
Which castle in Skåne is best for a day trip from Copenhagen or Malmö?
The easiest way to get to Malmöhus Castle is from Copenhagen (25 minutes by train over the Øresund Bridge to Malmö Central Station, then a 10-minute walk) or from Malmö itself (it’s in the middle of the city). You can also take a train from Malmö to Helsingborg Castle (Kärnan) in 35 minutes and then walk up the hill for 10 minutes. Both let you in completely without a car.
Are these castles accessible by public transport without a car?
Yes, but it depends. For example, Malmöhus Castle and Helsingborg Castle are both close to big train stations. You can get to Sofiero Palace by taking a bus from Helsingborg Central Station. It takes about 15 minutes. Getting to Glimmingehus is the hardest. Tomelilla is the closest train station and it takes 20 minutes to get there from Ystad. Then you can take a taxi or a bus that runs only during certain times of the year. You can get to Bäckaskog Castle by taking a train to Kristianstad and then a taxi or bus for 20 minutes.
Which castle is most suitable for visitors with mobility restrictions or strollers?
Sofiero Palace is the easiest to get to because the gardens have paved paths, the ground floor is wheelchair accessible (the upper floors are harder to get to) and the ground is simple to push a stroller on. Most of Malmöhus Castle has ramps and elevators that let you reach it, but some of the medieval cellars have floors that aren’t level. Glimmingehus and Kärnan aren’t good for people with mobility issues because their narrow spiral staircases have steep steps and no elevators.
Can I stay overnight in any of these castles?
Bäckaskog Castle is an open hotel all year round and offers overnight stays. There are no rooms at Sofiero Palace. You can’t stay overnight at Malmöhus Castle. Kärnan is a monument that doesn’t have any rooms. You can’t stay overnight at Glimmingehus.
Which castle is best for children (younger than 10 years)?
There is a children’s museum at Malmöhus Castle that has costumes, a replica medieval kitchen and natural history dioramas that kids will love. There are big lawns and a playground at Sofiero Palace. Kids 8 and up who can understand how the defenses work will enjoy Glimmingehus, but younger kids may be scared by the narrow stairs and dark rooms.
What is the best season to visit Skåne’s castles?
Sofiero’s rhododendron blooms in late spring (May–June) and the weather is nice for exploring outside. The longest hours are in the summer (July–August), when all the facilities are open and guided tours are available in English. During the fall (September to October), Bäckaskog has fall colors and Glimmingehus has fewer people. During the winter months (November to March), Sofiero’s gardens are closed, Kärnan may be closed and Bäckaskog has fewer services.
Do these castles offer guided tours in English?
There are panels with information in English at Malmöhus Castle and you can take a self-guided tour. You can also take guided tours in English if you plan ahead. Glimmingehus will give you a guided tour in English if you ask, but only if they have enough staff. There is a free English audio guide app for Sofiero Palace. Kärnan has panels with information in English. Bäckaskog only has limited English interpretation, but you can set up guided tours in English ahead of time.
Which castle is the most historically authentic and least commercialized?
The answer is clearly Glimmingehus. There hasn’t been much work done to the castle since it was built in the Middle Ages. Bäckaskog is a hotel and event space, while Sofiero is mostly a garden. Glimmingehus, on the other hand, is all about understanding history from the late Middle Ages. Glimmingehus is the best place in Skåne for people who want to feel like they are in the Middle Ages.
