Växjö is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of Kronoberg County and the episcopal see of the Diocese of Växjö. The town is home to Linnaeus University.
Housing
Linnaeus University has campuses in both Växjö and Kalmar. Where you live often depends on what city your programme/course is offered in.
In Växjö, Linnaeus University has agreements with Hemsö and M2-gruppen covering a few student accommodations. The accommodations offered are dorm rooms with access to your own bathroom. The prices range between 3,500 – 6,500 SEK per month, depending on the type of housing. If you are offered to house by M2-Gruppen or Hemsö, you will either pay your rent monthly or monthly in advance with a deposition.
You are not allowed to share these rooms with anyone else. If you plan to live with your spouse or children you must find accommodation on your own.
Please note that there is no guarantee that you will be provided with accommodation so you should not count on the university’s housing assistance. Therefore, you should sign up on different housing companies’ websites as soon as possible to start collecting queue points. Students who will be provided with accommodation through the university may only stay in housing for the first semester of their studies at Linnaeus University. After that, you must find housing on your own.
The Linnaeus Union website tells you how to search for housing on your own. You can find it here.
As a new student, you can apply for housing if you fulfil the following criteria:
- You are admitted to on-campus studies
- You have paid your tuition fees in time
- You have not previously lived in housing provided by the university
Linnaeus University is unable to offer accommodation for Erasmus and Nordlys students. If you belong to this student category, you need to search for housing on your own.
The Linnaeus Union has a guide for finding accommodation in Växjö on their website, you can find it here. Please read it carefully and follow their recommendations.
Transportation
Public transport in Växjö is a bus. Most buses depart from or pass, the travel centre (“resecentrum”). There is also a customer centre connected to the travel centre. For a number of years, city buses will not pass or stay at the travel centre due to the rebuilding and development of the area. City buses will instead depart from Kronobergsgatan in Växjö.
You can buy a ticket in the following ways:
– On the bus (by credit or cash. If paying by cash, an additional fee will be charged).
– Mobile ticket through the app “Länstrafiken Kronoberg”. Available in App Store and Google Play.
– Travel cards (available as discount cards and periodic cards). You can buy the travel card onboard the bus, at Länstrafikens customer centre or at other sales outlets.
There is also a visitor ticket that suits you as a tourist or temporary visitor, who wants to do several bus or train journeys during your stay. The visitor ticket is valid in Växjö city traffic and for the whole county for 24 or 72 hours. Visitor tickets for Växjö city traffic are available onboard the bus, at the customer centre located in Växjö travel centre and at other sales outlets. You can buy a visitor ticket for the whole county at the ticket machines at the train stations.
If there is space, you can bring a regular two-wheeled bike by train and in the regional traffic. The bike is not allowed on the city buses. You can bring a stroller without charge if there is space on the bus. The driver decides if there is room. You are not allowed to drink alcohol on buses, trains, in waiting rooms or in weather shelters.
Shopping
In Växjö you will find different sorts of shopping experiences.
Grand Samarkand – about 70 shops, cafes and restaurants are welcoming you at the shopping mall Grand Samarkand. Classic fashion brands, both Swedish and international, are mixed with new and exciting concepts. Grand Samarkand is open seven days a week. It has been named the Best Shopping Centre in the Nordic Countries.
Flea markets are very popular in Växjö and are arranged in and around the whole town. Växjö also offers a wide range of stores that sells vintage, antiques and second hand.
Life in Växjö
In Växjö, most students live on campus. Here you can stay in a dorm, shared accommodation, or a student apartment. Everything on campus is within five minutes of walking distance – classrooms, the library, restaurants and pubs, student accommodation, lakes and leisure facilities. Växjö campus is full of life and energy and a natural meeting place for all students and interests.
The name Växjö means the city of lakes, which does not go unnoticed as one of the many lakes is found right next to campus. Combined with the surrounding woods, it is the perfect place for walking and jogging.
You may check some places to visit in Växjö here.
It is easy to discover Växjö. You can reach everything within 15 minutes. You are close to everything, for example, the Linneaus garden, Sweden’s Glass Museum, the Swedish Emigrant Institution, and you can easily walk between the city’s different sights. On your walk, you will almost certainly do some shopping and rest your feet at one of Växjö’s many cafés and restaurants. Or just take a pause on one of the benches beside Lake Växjö.
