Jönköping is located on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Lake Vättern.

Here we have compiled information that could be useful to know when moving to Jönköping.

Air Travel

There are a number of international airports with good connections to Jönköping. Landvetter Airport (Gothenburg) and Arlanda Airport (Stockholm) in Sweden. Kastrup Airport (Copenhagen) in Denmark is also a major airport to choose. All the airports are just a few hours away from Jönköping with Flexbus External link, opens in new window..

Alcohol

In Sweden you may only buy alcohol at Systembolaget – the government owned chain of liquor shops in Sweden. In order to buy alcohol at Systembolaget, you must be 20 years old and be able to verify your age by showing a valid ID. Non-European residents should note that only a valid passport counts as proof of ID. Ask your nearest Systembolaget shop about valid IDs within Europe.

The kinds of alcoholic drinks you are able to purchase at normal shops contain very low percentages of alcohol.

Alcohol can also be purchased at restaurants and pubs. You must be at least 18 years of age in order to do this and you have to drink it at the location.

Note that there is zero tolerance towards drunk-driving in Sweden.

If you are concerned about your drinking habits, please contact the Student Health Care

Allemansrätten - "Right of Public Access"

Allemansrätten, or the right of public access, gives everybody the right to use private as well as public land and waterways for certain activities such as hiking, jogging or boating provided that no damage is caused to the land. You must also show consideration to other people and animals and respect the wishes of private landowners. This means that you cannot walk or sail too close to houses and private gardens. It is also a good idea to ask the landowner if you plan on pitching a tent for more than a short period of time.

Learn more about the Right of Public Access at visitsweden.com

Buses

Local and regional buses are run by JLT (Jönköping Länstrafik). A single trip costs approximately 40 SEK and a monthly card for students called “Period Student” costs 570 SEK. Remember to show your student discount card (smart phone app) and photo identification when purchasing the bus pass. The main bus stop in the city is Juneporten and is situated next to the railway station. When you arrive in Jönköping, you will receive information about buses to the university. You can buy a monthly bus pass at the following places:

  • Råslätt Direkten
  • Ticket booths - Juneporten, railway station/bus station
  • JLT Customer service at Juneporten
  • Pressbyrån at railway station/bus station
  • Pressbyrån at Asecs shopping centre
  • Pressbyrån Ekhagen
  • Maxi ICA Jönköping

website: https://www.jlt.se/

There are a number of coach companies which connect most parts of Sweden. Here are links to a couple of them:

CINEMAS

Jönköping has three cinemas.

Filmstaden is the biggest and it shows most of the new releases. The price for a ticket is around 120-150 SEK. Biograf Fokus and Folkets Bio have smaller screens and the price for admission is normally less than at Filmstaden. These two, however, have a narrower programme and fewer screenings. Movies are usually subtitled in Swedish.

Filmstaden, Juneporten Phone: +46 (0)8-56 26 00 00, website: https://www.filmstaden.se/biograf/NCG81357/filmstaden-jonkopingBiograf Fokus,

Jönköping City Library, Dag Hammarskjölds plats 1 Phone: +46 (0)36-10 66 94/93

Folkets Bio, Kulturhuset, close to Akademien Phone: +46 (0)36-19 05 69

CLIMATE

In winter, Sweden gets fewer hours of sunlight. During the shortest days the sun sets around 3 p.m. On the other hand, around the summer solstice the sun does not set until 10 p.m. and rises at 3 a.m. Average temperatures during the winter are -7°C to +10°C and in summer +20°C to +25°C.

CLOTHING

Weather in the South of Sweden is cold from October to April. From November to February, you will need winter clothes. During these months the temperature will often be below 0°C. Coat, gloves, waterproof boots, or shoes are sometimes necessary as well. The autumn months, September to November, may seem like winter to those students who come from warmer countries. You can, of course, purchase clothes suitable for the Swedish winter when you arrive in Sweden.

For some student events and parties, the dress code can be quite formal; suits/ties and dresses are often worn.

 

DRIVING IN SWEDEN

If you are over 18 and have a driving licence from your home country, you may use it in Sweden for a maximum period of one year. Note that EU and EEA driving licenses are valid in Sweden and you do not need to trade them for a Swedish license.

Switzerland and Japan are special cases as licenses from these countries can be exchanged for a Swedish one without taking a driving test. For more information on the procedures and requirements, please visit the website of Transportstyrelsen (Swedish Transport Agency).

Sweden drives on the right side of the road, and all passengers in a vehicle must wear seat belts at all times. You must also use dipped headlights or special daylight driving lights at all times during daytime.

Sweden’s drinking laws are strict. The police can at any time stop a vehicle and perform a breath test on the driver. Drinking and driving in Sweden is not tolerated. When driving in wooded areas, please look out for wildlife, such as reindeer and elk. From 1 December to 31 March it is a legal requirement to fit all vehicles with snow tires when the driving conditions call for it.

DATES

Dates are often written in the following order: year, month, day, e.g. 12 October 2022 is written 2022-10-12 (or just 221012); or day, month, year 12/10/2022. Dates are never written in the order of month, day, year. The date structure of year, month, day is the basis of the Swedish personal identity number.

DRUGS

The Swedish police take the consumption and/or possession of illegal drugs in Sweden very seriously. The use and/or possession of narcotic drugs is regarded as a criminal offence according to Swedish law and is punishable by fine or imprisonment. Swedish culture does not tolerate the use of drugs, including marijuana, cannabis, and stronger drugs such as cocaine. The use of drugs is not tolerated in the Swedish society and this includes student life.

ELECTRICITY

Sweden uses 220 volts and 50 cycles (Hz), which is the European standard. You may need a transformer and/or an adapter for your electrical appliances, since Swedish outlets differ from, for example, both American and British ones.

EMERGENCY

In Sweden the emergency phone number is 112 (no area code needed) for ambulance, police, fire department etc. If you use a telephone booth your call is free of charge when you press the emergency button and then dial 112.

JÖNKÖPING

Jönköping is the tenth largest city in Sweden with some 146,000 inhabitants. The city is in a region characterized by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. Jönköping is easily accessible by train, plane, bus or car. There are excellent links between Jönköping and the other major cities in Sweden as well as with the continent. For more information, please visit jonkoping.se.

LAUNDRY

There are very few launderettes in Sweden as most private households and blocks of flats will have laundry facilities in the building. Check in your building where they are located and ask the landlord to help you if you do not understand how they work. Dry cleaning is rather expensive in Sweden, so always check the prices first!

LIBRARY

Jönköping University has its own library facility where you can find all the help you need such as course literature, foreign newspapers, computer databases etc. (Länk till Student Services)

There are also several city libraries, “bibliotek”, where you can borrow books free of charge. To borrow books, you will need a library card. The library staff will help you acquire one if you bring your passport with you the first time you borrow books.

The main library is at Dag Hammarskjölds plats 1.

MUSEUMS

There are many museums in Jönköping which you should try to visit. For more information contact visit https://jkpg.com/en/culture-history/

NEWSPAPERS

Jönköpings-Posten is the local newspaper and it is published six days a week (Monday-Saturday). National morning newspapers are Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet and evening papers are Aftonbladet and Expressen.

For international newspapers, visit the University Library or one of the city libraries. Pressbyrån, at the railway station, also sells some international newspapers and magazines.

Swedish news in English can be found on: www.thelocal.se

PHARMACY

At the pharmacies (apotek) you can buy prescription and non-prescription drugs as well as health-care products. The staff can also give you general medical advice regarding symptoms of colds, allergies, or small injuries. Some non-prescription drugs can also be bought at the supermarkets.

There are pharmacies at many health care centres, in the city centre, and at Asecs Shopping Centre. They are usually open on weekdays 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

The pharmacy at ICA Maxi is open from 7:00 am -10:00 pm every day.

The pharmacy at Ryhov County Hospital is open weekdays 08:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

POLICE

In case of emergency, call 112.

If you want to report something stolen or found, or have any questions about passports, etc., you can visit the local police station on Vallgatan 3–5 or phone: +46 (0)36-114 14.

Visit the Police website from more information, polisen.se

POST OFFICE

Sweden’s Postal Service, called PostNord, has outsourced their offices to shops and petrol stations. To locate one, look for a blue sign “Postnord” or consult the PostNord website.

SHOPPING

Shops in the city centre are normally open weekdays 10 a.m.–6 p.m./7 p.m., on Saturdays: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and some shops on Sundays 12 noon–4 p.m.

Asecs Shopping Centre is open weekdays 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m.–5 p.m. See their website asecs.se/english/

SMOKING

Smoking is not allowed inside any public places such as restaurants, pubs, schools, and even your accommodation. It is also not allowed to smoke closer than 20 metres outside restaurants, bars, cafés, or bus/train stops.

TAXI

A taxi ride is quite expensive in Sweden; a ride from Jönköping airport to Jönköping city centre costs 250–350 SEK and takes approximately 10 minutes.

TELEPHONES

Most international students in Sweden choose to use apps for international voice and video calls. Mobile telephones with pay-as-you-go SIM cards from Swedish companies can be topped up online or at a newsagent. If you don’t want to buy a mobile phone in Sweden, it is often possible to use your existing phone from your home country with a Swedish SIM card. Make sure that the phone is not locked to your previous operator.

For international students who do not have a Swedish personal identity number or a coordination number, it is possible to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card at Pressbyrån (newsagent) from the phone company Comviq by identifying themselves through a valid passport and have an address in Sweden.

The telephone operator Telenor has a shop at the Asecs shopping centre where it is also posible to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card by providing a valid passport for identification and an address in Sweden.

If you want to call Sweden from abroad, the country code is +46. The area code to Jönköping is 036. If you dial from abroad, you exclude the zero, and just dial 36.

If you want to call abroad from Sweden, the code is 00 followed by the country code.

TELEVISION

TV programmes in foreign languages are not dubbed but have Swedish subtitles. The most popular Swedish TV-channels are SVT1, SVT2 and TV4. Most apartment areas have several TV-channels.

THEATRE

Spira is Jönköping’s cultural arena, built in 2011. The venue offers music, theater, performing arts and good food. A restaurant, café and bar can also be found in Spira. For more information visit kulturhusetspira.se.

TIME ZONE

Sweden has Central European Time (CET), GMT +1. Daylight saving time (GMT +2) applies from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October. Times are written according to the European system, e.g. 1 p.m. is written 13.00.

TIPPING

Tipping is not considered mandatory in Sweden. However, if you have really good service from a restaurant or taxi, it is considered standard practice to tip around 10% of the bill.

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE

The digital visitor’s guide can be found at https://www.jkpg.com/en/

There are a few so called “InfoPoints” in Jönköping with are manned tourist service place.

Kommunreception (Jönköping Contact Center), Juneporten (City bus station)

Tändsticksmuseet (Match museum), Tändsticksgränd 27 (next to Quality Hotel Match by the bus station)

Elite Stora Hotellet, Hotellplan 3 (across the canal from Hamnparken (Harbour park)), and more

The region is home to much more when it comes to culture and history. Check out visitsmaland.se/en for good tips.

Explore Jönköping through tips at jkpgcity.se

TRAINS

The railway station is located in the middle of Jönköping city centre. The train company SJ runs most of the long-distance railway lines in Sweden. Visit sj.se.

There are also local train companies, but often it is possible to book a complete trip through sj.se. This service is called ResPlus and is a collaboration between SJ, smaller train companies, and bus companies to take you from start to finish.

Tickets can also be bought at distributors such as Pressbyrån (convenience shop).

WATER

Tap water in Sweden is of very good quality, tastes good and is safe to drink.