A woman flew to Sweden for just 12 hours to try Swedish meatballs – for just £44. Adelina Popa, 28, is a self-proclaimed “extreme day-tripper” and often visits European cities in just one day.
Her most recent trip saw her visit the city of Malmö, in the south of Sweden, on September 23, 2024. Adelina flew from Bristol Airport to Copenhagen on a £44 return flight at 8:40am.
She then got a 25 minute train across the border to Malmö – costing £20 for a return. Adelina spent her 12 hours in the city indulging in Swedish delicacies, visiting the castle gardens and local parks before spending a couple of hours on a beach.
She arrived back in the UK at 11pm – in time for work the next day. Adelina, a customer service rep, from Bristol, said: “I think Malmö was my favourite city so far. Someone on the extreme day trips Facebook group recommended another city in Sweden so that might be my next one.
“I love that they are spontaneous and hassle free. No plan, no accommodation. You can just do it for the day and you don’t have to take much time off.”
In summer 2023, Adelina started going on solo day trips all over Europe – visiting Copenhagen, Malaga, Monaco, Dublin and Edinburgh for less than £100.
“I got into extreme day trips just when they were becoming really popular,” she said. “If I’m in a situation where I can take time off work, it’s a good thing to do to break the routine.
“And if you’re not sure you’re going to like a country – you can get a feel for it. It’s just such a good alternative, financially. It’s much cheaper to go to the beach for a day in Spain than to catch a train to London.”
After bagging her £44 return flight, Adelina boarded the 8:40am flight to Copenhagen on September, 23, 2024. After landing in the Danish capital, she then boarded a train to Malmö.
She said: “I landed in Copenhagen around 11:40am and from there you can take the train straight to Malmö for 25 mins. The train was £20 for a return ticket.”
Upon arrival in Malmö, Adelina racked up 23,700 steps – touring the local parks and squares. She also visited a food market and spent time on the beach before tucking in to some famous Swedish meatballs.
Adelina said: “I went to visit the castle but it was closed so I visited the gardens there instead. Then I went to the food market which has such a large variety of cuisines. They had some sort of bruschetta with a fish paste and ham on top which I had for lunch with some pastries.
“I then went to a few squares, the city library and checked out some parks. On the map I realised they have a beach so I went and spent an hour on the beach – I was lucky that it was 21 degrees. After I visited everything I wanted to see, I stopped for some meatballs at Spoonery – they were really good – before getting on the train back to the airport.”
After arriving back at Copenhagen Airport at 7:30pm, Adelina then boarded her 9:50pm flight back to Bristol, landing at 11pm.
Full breakdown of Adelina’s timings and costs:
Flights: £44 (Outbound 8:40am/Return 9:50pm)
Food: £16 for lunch, dinner and pastries
Train from Copenhagen to Malmö: £20 return (Outbound 12pm/Return 7:00pm)
Total: £80