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.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
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.
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.
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.
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. Football: Kalmar FF were promoted in 2025 and now play soccer in Allsvenskan the top tier. Kalmar Arena (aka Guldfågeln Arena, capacity 12,000) is 5 km north of town on E22. The playing season is March-Nov.
1 Kalmar Kött & Bar, Larmtorget 2, ☏ +46 480-288 30. 2 Kama Sushi, Västra Sjögatan 13, ☏ +46 480-548 78. 3 Restaurang Larmgatan 10, Larmgatan 10, ☏ +46 480-865 25. Combination of Asian and European cuisine. 4 Thai Silk Palace, Fiskaregatan 8, ☏ +46 480-281 26. 5 Thai Taste, Esplanaden 6, ☏ +46 480-42 19 40. Thai food take away.
1 Krusentiernska gården, Stora Dammgatan 9, ☏ +46 480-41 15 52. A wonderful coffeeshop in a beautiful garden setting. 2 Kullzénska caféet, Kaggensgatan 26, ☏ +46 480-288 82. Wonderful small coffeeshop in an old building in the centre.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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