Luleå is a city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå is Sweden’s 25th largest city and Norrbotten County’s largest city. Luleå has the seventh biggest harbour in Sweden for shipping goods. It has a large steel industry and is a centre for extensive research. The Luleå University of Technology is one of Sweden’s three technology universities (the other two are KTH and Chalmers) and the northernmost university in Sweden. The university has approximately 15,000 students.
Housing
For students coming to Luleå there are three main options for housing: Student housing on Campus, subleasing and Nordkalotten Student Hotel.
Housing on Campus
There are two housing agencies for student accommodations on Lulebo AB and Lindbäcks Fastigheter AB. You can register before you are accepted to the university.
It is recommended for you sign up and apply as early as possible. To receive a student accommodation you need to be accepted as a student at the university but you can register and put yourself in line years in advance. Once you have been accepted you can start applying for accommodation actively.
Lulebo offers dorm rooms where you are only allowed to stay one person and unfurnished apartments of different sizes. A selection of the apartments around campus is only for students. Lulebo also has apartments all over Luleå.
Lindbäcks have furnished single bed student apartments in varying sizes up to 37,5 m² In the largest ones 28 m² and 37,5 m² it is possible to put in an extra bed at your own expense, it will be very tight but maybe okay for a limited time. Lindbäcks also have larger unfurnished student apartments. See their website for more details: Studentbostadsservice.se.
Lulebo sometimes releases apartments for “direct reservation” which means a shorter window of opportunity and that the number of people that can show interest is limited. With Lulebo you can have an email sent to you when there are available apartments that match your expression of interest.
Subleasing
It is also possible to sublease an apartment. You can find such offerings at Blocket.se and Mystudentstore.se.
Direct link to search query for subleases at blocket.se: Bostäder att hyra i Sverige – Blocket Bostad.
There is also a Facebook group where students put up rooms and apartments for subleasing: Ge tak åt en student @ LTU.
Student Hotel
Nordkalotten Student Hotel Students that do not have accommodation when they start at the university can stay at The Nordkalotten Student Hotel. They offer shared rooms at a reduced price (currently 3600 SEK per month).
For more information and to make a reservation:
+46 920 20 00 00
It is recommended for everyone to make a reservation for temporary accommodation.
Another recommendation is Fastigheter Lina, a landlord that specializes in furnished apartments for short term stays. Many of their offerings can be a bit expensive but they have some “lower” priced ones. If you are early you can get a good deal.
Their apartments are in the city centre with good communication by bus to the university. There are buses every 10-20 minutes and it takes 10 minutes one way. See their website for more details: Lägenhetshotell – Fastigheter Lina.
Transportation
Communications in the Norrbotten county are well-developed, a necessity in a region where there is mile after mile of deep forests, rushing rivers and wilderness separating towns and villages from each other.
Luleå Lokaltrafik, LLT, is the local bus company that runs every day in the city centre and to the outpost of Luleå.
Länstrafiken i Norrbotten AB is the principal provider of all public bus transport in Norrbotten and its routes run between the villages.
It is also possible to take the train to Boden and onward to, for example, Kiruna. The railway runs through the county’s forests and pristine mountain scenery all the way to Narvik in Norway.
Luleå Airport (Kallax) is situated about 15 minutes from the centre. Airport buses are available for most departures/arrivals from/to Luleå. A 3-day Tourist bus ticket can be bought at the airport or at Luleå Touristcenter for 120 SEK.
A shared airport taxi can be arranged in the arrivals hall. Ordinary taxis are to be found at the taxi rank outside the arrivals hall, approx. 250 SEK.
Student unions
There are two student unions at the Luleå University of Technology: the Student Association of Engineering and the Luleå Student Union. They work to ensure that students at the Luleå University of Technology have the best education, lead rich social lives and are well prepared for the labour market.
The student union is the students’ voice. They are committed to making students’ interests visible both at the university but also in the municipality, regardless of whether you study in Luleå, Skellefteå, Piteå or Kiruna. They arrange labour market contacts, social events and give our members much-welcomed discounts.
Luleå Student Union is for those who study economics, social science, behavioural and systems science, health sciences, educational science and the media, music or drama programmes on the university’s campus in Luleå and Piteå.
The Student Association of Engineering is for students who are reading for a Master’s and Bachelor’s programme in engineering, other technical programmes or single courses in technology on campus in Luleå, Skellefteå and Kiruna.
Shopping
Follow the pedestrian street Storgatan – the main shopping street – and you will understand that the town is small but has a lot to offer. The three large shopping malls, Strand, Shopping and Smedjan all lie along Storgatan together with lots of smaller shops close by. In the city centre, you´ll find a wide range of fashion, beauty, interior design, toys and electronics, not to mention a variety of restaurants and cafés.
The shopping malls also offer a wide range of services such as free WiFi, restrooms, nursing rooms and playrooms for kids.
Further down the pedestrian street is one of the country’s best open-air shops, Hägglunds
Adventure Shop, with a wide range for those who want to take a trip for an adventure trip or want to test a new activity.
For genuine souvenirs and locally produced products, Lapland Heartwork is recommended at Smedjegatan, Biergo opposite Luleå Cathedral and Shop In Lapland in Gammelstads Kyrkstad.
For more information about shopping in Luleå, you may visit this website.
Life in Luleå
On-Campus Luleå, you find STUK, the students’ own restaurant and bar. You’ll find STUK in the refurbished atrium in building C. You’ll also find a certain campus atmosphere built on the fact the place is run by voluntary students. Most students have a connection to STUK, whether it’s from dancing the night away on the dance floor, relaxing in the pub with a guitar-strumming musician, being part of the audience on a large gig, being a regular at the à la carte restaurant or diner, or through studying together over cups of coffee in the café.
Visit 360 Trampoline Center at Luleås mall centre, Storheden, where our park is located right in the middle of the shopping district. It has 2200 sq. meters and the major part is packed with activities. We offer the best and most exciting activities a trampoline park can deliver. Besides its attractions, it also offers party rooms and business events as well as a larger section for snacks, lighter meals and coffee in a welcoming atmosphere.
F21 Aviation museum – the airport museum F 21 is located just outside the guard to Norrbotten’s aeroplane fleet, F 21. The air museum museums describe the air defence of Upper Norrland from the early 1940s with the extremely extreme climate of the region.
For more information about Do & See in Luleå, you may visit this website.
