Turning Torso Tours and Activities

Dominating the city’s skyline, Malmö’s 623-foot (190-meter) Turning Torso is the tallest building in Scandinavia. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the structure comprises nine 5-story pentagons, and features a top segment that twists 90 degrees from the building’s base.

The Basics
Turning Torso is almost entirely residential; the 147 apartments inside the building are spread out across 54 floors, each with a one-of-a-kind layout. Unfortunately, there is no observation deck and only the top two floors are only open to visitors for three weeks of summer. While sightseeing tours of Malmö do not take visitors inside the building, they do take you to some of the best viewpoints from which to see it.

Things to Know Before You Go

• Turning Torso is a must-see for those with an interest in contemporary architecture.
• The building is located in the Western Harbour, which is home to many other interesting examples of contemporary architecture.
• To visit during summertime opening days, you’ll need to book well in advance.

How to Get There
Turning Torso stands in Malmö’s West Harbour neighborhood; about a 25-minute walk from Malmö Central Station or a 10-minute bus ride (line number 2). You can see the tower from almost everywhere but one of the best viewspoints is the open-air bathhouse and sauna on Ribersborg Beach.

When to Get There
If you want to go inside the building, you’ll need to visit during the summertime opening window. Otherwise, you can admire from a distance at any time. It looks particularly attractive during Sweden’s long summer evenings, when dusk lasts for hours.

Twisting Towers
Calatrava’s Turning Torso is the earliest example of a skyscraper style that’s come to be known as ‘twisting towers.” Others include the futuristic Shanghai Tower; the United Tower in Bahrain; and the F&F Tower in Panama. One of the reasons for this trend is sustainability: a twisting design can save on materials and energy consumption.