Jonkoping Reiseführer

Top 5 things to do in Jönköping with surroundings

Jönköping offers some of the best experiences in Sweden. The fresh breezes and breathtaking view from lake Vättern create harmony in our community and inspire us to do good things - things we’d like to share! Jönköping has it all – from a bustling city centre to the peace and renewing energy of a rich rural environment. We’re proud of our community and we love to receive visitors. We hope you’ll feel welcome and discover the experiences that appeal to you most.

Jönköping is Sweden’s fourth largest city for hotels. It is also the home of one of the largest exhibition venues in the Nordic region, Elmia. The city centre of Jönköping consists in equal parts of water, streets and sandy beaches. There is always something going on, and lots of people to meet. Jönköping is a great place to relax, to shop and to eat out. And when night falls, there are plenty of places to continue the party.

For more information, please visit: http://www.destinationjonkoping.se.

Stroll Through the Heart of Jönköping City Centre

Jönköping is ideal to visit by foot. Take a walk on the pier and visit one of its many restaurants, or have a delicious ice cream to-go and continue along the lakeside all the way to the sandy dunes of Jönköping’s very own 2 kilometer long city beach Vätterstranden! This is where the local people as well as visitors hang out a hot summer’s day, enjoying a picnic or taking a swim. Here you can also find cafes and restaurants and there are places where you can play volleyball or have a barbecue.

Why not stroll around the buzzing city centre, passing the cozy street Smedjegatan with its charming wooden houses and small shops. Have a break at one of the many crowded cafes and try a typical Swedish delicious cinnamon bun and other homemade pastries! Afterwards, enjoy the sun together with other local people in front of the newly built “lake houses” situated by lake Munksjön. Here you also find a café, a trendy restaurant and stores selling Swedish designer objects, furniture and clothing.

Strolling along the lakeside of Jönköping you will find The Match Museum (Tändsticksmuseet), it’s the world’s only match museum! The important safety match was invented here and during the latter part of the 19th century Jönköping was world leading within the match industry, exporting to all over the world. The museum is located in a beautiful wooden building from 1848, the first safety match factory in the city. The area around the Match Museum with its old brick buildings is also worth visiting, as many small shops, cozy cafes and restaurants have popped up here during recent years.

Address: Tändsticksgränd 27, phone: +46 36-10 55 43

If you travel with kids or if you simply feel like spending your Sunday the way many Jönköping people do, you should head for the City Park (Stadsparken), situated on the hills above Jönköping city centre. For a 100-year-old, the City Park is exceptionally beautiful and vibrant. The views over the lake and the city are stunning all year round and there are activities for everyone. Miniature golf, bird museum, animal paddocks, outdoor museum and the municipality's largest playground are just some out of many things you can experience here.

Another typical family activity is to visit Rosenlundsbadet. This is Jönköping’s biggest indoor swimming hall, located close to Elmia Conference and Exhibition Centre. The swimming hall gives you a water adventure with both outdoor- and indoor pools. There is something for everyone: water slides, waves, a waterfall, relax area, gym, saunas with different kinds of themes and a lot more!

Address: Elmiavägen 4, phone: +4636 - 10 70 34, http://www.rosenlundsbadet.se.

Shopping

If you fancy shopping, this city has a lot to offer! Jönköping as a market place just keeps growing and new shops and stores are constantly popping up. In the city centre, you can find all kinds of shops, both the large well-known brands, as well as local designer stores. On A6, the shopping centre, you find everything you can imagine in shape of small shops and large department stores. Solåsen, just south of Jönköping's city center, is now an established commercial area with everything from furniture and clothes to hardware stores, automotive and consumer electronics. In the nearby town of Huskvarna you’ll find the mall Rosengallerian. If you are looking for art galleries and handicraft, Smedbyn a few blocks away with its old wooden houses is the home of art by craftsmen of all kinds.

For more info on the city stores, please visit: http://www.jonkopingcity.com. For more info on the A6 shopping centre: http://www.a6.se.

Gränna and Visingsö

Gränna and Visingsö are unmissable destinations offering enchanting views, manor houses, cobbled roads, bicycle rides, idyllic wooden cabins, castle ruins, paths and oak forests. Wherever you set foot, you’re in the middle of a history book.

Gränna is a charming and popular town with cobbled roads, old wooden houses and a cozy atmosphere. The town is located about 40 kilometers north of Jönköping. Here you can easily spend the day visiting the small shops, cafes and restaurants. Of course, there are also many other different activities and events you can take part in!

A visit to Gränna is a very informal affair. The town owes its existence to Earl Per Brahe the Younger. To make sure that he lived as his status required, he built three castles within view of each other. Today, the castle on the island of Visingsö is an impressive ruin, as is Brahe Hus, situated above Gränna along the E4. At the third castle, Västanå manor, you can still live and eat like an earl.

The most colourful and sweetest thing in Gränna is, without doubt, the locally made, red-and-white rock candy (polkagrisar). These world famous sweets can be found here in all shapes and with all kinds of flavors and you can even watch them being manufactured by hand, a true handcraft! Moreover, Gränna is also famous for its handmade and delicious crisp bread and biscuits.

Outside Gränna, in the middle of lake Vättern, the beautiful and quiet island of Visingsö is situated. Visingsö is the perfect daytrip destination, in combination with the ruin of Sweden´s first Royal castle. Visit Kumlaby and see the Medieval church. From the spire, you get a fantastic view of Sweden´s largest oak forest and several other marvelous local landmarks. A perfect way to spend the day on Visingsö island is by bike, or why not try the popular Remmalag (horse carriage). This traditional way of transportation on the island is slowly paced and you can enjoy the nature in a delightful way. For a visit to the water pearl Visingsö, take the ferry from the candy cane town Gränna. The tour takes about 25 minutes and the ferry runs every day throughout the year.

For more information please visit: http://www.grenna.se, http://www.visingso.net.

Eastern Vetter Cliffs Biosphere Reserve

The Eastern Vättern Cliffs were appointed as a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 2012. The reserve offers a varied range of scenery and rare species and in many places there are magnificent views over the lake Vättern just a stone's throw from a small-scale cultural district with its characteristic villages. Here, man has formed the biosphere - the living part of the earth - for millennia and still does so today through active farming. The Eastern Vätter Cliffs are situated about 40 kilometers north of Jönköping. Welcome to a unique and living landscape!

Around Jönköping there are also many other places where you can explore the stunning Swedish nature. There are waterfalls, mountains, marshlands and lookout points in all directions and several nature reserves just minutes away. Most locations are easily reached via bicycle routes, winding paths and signposted hiking trails.

Astrid Lindgren’s World

Welcome to Astrid Lindgrens Värld, a world full of fairytale characters created by author Astrid Lindgren. In this theatre- and theme park you will meet all the characters in authentic environments and the children can play along. The amusement park is located in the small city in Småland, Vimmerby, where the world famous author of children’s books Astrid Lindgren where born. In connection to the park, there are many different kinds of facilities for the visitors such as hotel, caravan camping, restaurants, cafes and places to have a picnic. Astrid Lindgren’s World is open from May to August and is situated about 1 hour and 40 minutes east of Jönköping.

http://www.alv.se

• Jönköping Airport