The Ikea Museum in Älmhult is around two hours from Copenhagen by train or car. The Ikea Hotel is a great place to stay too.
The Ikea Museum is in the original Ikea furniture store in Älmhult in Southern Sweden. Älmhult may be reached on direct trains from København or Copenhagen Airport in around two hours or slightly longer when driving. Seeing the Ikea Museum en route to Stockholm or other destinations in Sweden is a good option, as is staying overnight in the relatively cheap Ikea Hotell at the museum – no Copenhagen hotel could compete on price. Lund and Malmö could be seen en route, as the Ikea Museum alone is hardly worth the day trip from Copenhagen.
Visit the Ikea Museum in Sweden
The Ikea Museum is located in the original Ikea furniture store that opened in 1958 in the small rural town Almhült in Southern Sweden. The museum tells the story of Ingvar Kamprad who started trading matches as a boy, founded IKEA when he was 17 and expanded the company to the largest furniture retailer in the world.
The museum recreated several rooms from older Ikea catalogues and display some of the iconic furniture and explains the innovations Ikea introduced to the furniture industry.
The Ikea Museum, Ikeagatan 5, 343 36 Älmhult, is open daily from 10:00 to 19:00. The Ikea Museum is open on Sunday and most public holidays.
See Visit the Ikea Museum in Älmhult for more details.
Stay in the Ikea Hotell in Älmhult
The Ikea Hotell, Ikeagatan 1, 343 36 Älmhult, is directly across the parking lot from the Ikea Museum. This modern hotel is a pleasant and relatively cheap option to stay in for a weekend away from Copenhagen or a stopover hotel when traveling longer distances in Sweden.
The Ikea Hotel is modernly furnished with Ikea furniture. Room options include standard doubles but also family-friendly rooms that can sleep four. Cheap cabins that sleep one with shared bathrooms is a good bargain choice.
The Ikea Hotel is popular with travelers of all ages. All rates include the famous Ikea breakfast buffet (but no meatballs in the morning!) Golfers may enjoy discounts on local green fees.
See Stay in the Ikea Hotel in Älmhult, Sweden for more details.
Shop at the Ikea Fynd Outlet in Älmhult
The original Ikea furniture store only turned into a museum in 2016 after a brand new Ikea outlet had opened on the eastern edges of Älmhult right next to the route 23 main road. Next to the normal furniture store with restaurant is a fairly large Ikea Fynd factory outlet store. Here, everything is for sale but the wares on offer very much depends on the (previous) season and whatever is available as overstock.
In the same center are a few further outlet stores including an official Iitala factory outlet store.
Drivers from Copenhagen could also stop en route at the large Ikea stores in Malmö (very close to the Øresund Bridge) and Helsingborg. Ikea, as most other things, is cheaper in Sweden than in Denmark.
See also Save at the Ikea Fynd Factory Outlet Store for more details.
Transportation to Älmhult from Copenhagen
Älmhult in Sweden is easily reached by train or car from Copenhagen and Copenhagen Airport. Traveling time is around two hours with the train usually slightly faster than driving.
Älmhult is in the county Kronoberg in the province Småland – just around 3 km from the border with Skåne.
The Ikea Museum and Ikea Hotell are directly next to Älmhult train station while the Ikea outlet is on the eastern edge of the town next to the main road 23.
By Train from Copenhagen to the Ikea Museum
The Øresundtåg trains usually connect Copenhagen with Älmhult hourly in around two hours. All trains stop en route at amongst others at Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup), Malmö and Lund with most continuing to Växjö and/or Kalmar.
The journey takes around two hours from Copenhagen, 90 minutes from Malmö (Malmø) and an hour from Lund. Passport checks are sometimes made on the train going to Sweden but not on the train going towards Denmark, which explains why the journey back is around 20 minutes faster. Also note that some trains stop for 15 minutes in Malmö and change the train number – changing trains are rarely required.
Tickets are around SEK250 /€50 one-way. Avoid connections that require train transfers – these may be more expensive and not worth the hassle. Tickets may be bought from the usual outlets, ticket vending machines, Øresundtag, Swedish Railways but not on the trains. No discounts are given for advance purchase or return journeys. Discounts are given for travelers under 20 with largest savings for those younger than 16.
Trains from Älmhult to Stockholm are available mostly hourly with the direct trains taking 3h30 and transfer trains requiring 4 hours or more. Fares depend on the specific trains taken with advance purchases giving huge discounts.
Driving to the Ikea Museum from Copenhagen
Driving from Copenhagen Airport takes around 2 hours for the 180 km journey. Cross the Øresund toll bridge and follow the E6 highway around Malmö and then the E22 past Lund. After Lund continue on the 23 – a well-built country road through a forested landscape. This route is more pleasant than using the E6 and E4 highways. If driving from the north of Copenhagen, the ferry crossing from Helsingør to Helsingborg is often the better option.
The Ikea Museum certainly is worth seeing but it is not worth a day-trip on its own from Copenhagen. Fortunately, places such as Lund and Malmö could also be seen en route and a visit to Älmhult also work great as a weekend trip or a stopover en route to other destinations in Sweden such as Stockholm, Växjö and Kalmar.