The guide to Jönköping: What not to miss in the City of Matches

Vox may have a slightly anonymous location, but don't let that stop you. Everything is within easy reach of here, including shopping streets, culture, and the central station. Vox offers a range of different types of rooms, from windowless boxes to luxurious suites with fireplaces. Several of the rooms boast expansive views over Lake Vättern, and if you choose to forgo the view, you can still enjoy it from the gym. When hunger strikes, it's good to know that the food is made from local Småland ingredients, from breakfast to dinner.

At Hotel Victoria, modernity and history go hand in hand. So much so that the building's initiator in 1882, Ebba Ramsay, is still said to appear in the long corridors at night... But this is easily forgotten when breakfast, snacks, or evening meals are included in the room price and a total of 38 brand new rooms have been built since the renovation began in 2017. However, you don't need to fear that the hotel has been renovated to soullessness, as carefully preserved details flirt with the city's past as a matchstick town.

This hotel is not just a hotel – standing at 60 metres with 17 floors, it's a new landmark in the city, boasting 229 hotel rooms, 10 conference rooms, a relaxation area, and an outdoor hot tub. The hotel opened its doors in September 2022, inviting guests to stay with unbeatable views over Lake Vättern and close proximity to Brasserie NÒR, where classic Nordic dishes are served with a European twist.

For those looking for personalised accommodation, the John Bauer Hotel is an option. This boutique hotel is beautifully situated by Lake Munksjön and has 106 rooms with views of the water. The rooms are furnished with specially designed furniture in accordance with each room's theme, such as Japan Deluxe, which is decorated with bamboo and textiles in colours that reflect the theme. Directly adjacent to the hotel is the restaurant Ester Kitchen & Bar, which focuses on locally sourced and organic ingredients, often from local producers.

Nikki has embraced an open-minded philosophy, offering dishes based on both classic and original recipes. Modern and traditional cooking techniques combine to bring out the best flavours from the ingredients selected for the day. These are then served on a menu where you can choose between smaller and larger dishes in both savoury and sweet forms, happily complemented with a good glass of wine.

As you might imagine, fish and seafood take centre stage at family-run restaurant Pescadores. Fishing has been in the family for generations so a restaurant was a natural next step. With dedication, a passion for quality ingredients, and a warm atmosphere, they serve well-prepared fish and seafood dishes for both lunch and dinner.

The team behind Sjön want dining at their restaurant to be enjoyable. Inspiration for the food they serve comes from all sorts of places. It could be a visit to a restaurant, a walk in the woods, a picture, or a documentary, leading to a bistro menu with an international twist. In the summer, numerous hungry and thirsty guests gather on the large terrace overlooking the water.

If you're craving substantial grilled dishes and cuts of meat, Grill is the place to go. The menu features elements from America, but the ingredients are Swedish. Check the board for today's cuts of meat such as tomahawk steak, t-bone steak, or the one-kilo monster ribeye; there are also options like burgers and fish on the menu. 

At the charming AnnaGretas, the concept is simple: order a selection of tapas dishes to share around the table, sit back and enjoy - the atmosphere, each other, and the food. The venue may be on the smaller side, but that just allows the staff to take extra special care of you.

Cosy restaurant Hemma is housed in a yellow wooden house on Smedjegatan in central Jönköping, Anything stiff and formal has been discarded in favour of a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The menu is bistro-style, featuring Swedish as well as French and other Southern European influences. When the weather permits, you can also sit down for a drink or a bite to eat in the courtyard.

Gastropub Duderino has been named Sweden's best spirits bar multiple times over the years by the Swedish Spirits Academy. A different team runs the pub these days, which, as well as cocktails, also offers Vietnamese food and Czech beer, but expect the same high quality.

Inside Vox Hotel is No 19, the cocktail bar that part of the team who previously ran El Duderino (now Duderino) has started. Cellar master Stefan Skotte and his staff want to inspire, surprise, and show that when it comes to creating of cocktails, the only limit is your imagination. Various events focused on food and drink are often organised here as well.

At Twin City, you can enjoy a great bar experience and nightclub all in one. There are three bars here: two indoors and one outdoors, the city's largest outdoor seating area. Every Friday and Saturday, they go all out with two DJs, one on the regular dance floor and one controlling the disco dance floor.

Billiard and sports bar Shooters is also home to Hörnan ("The Corner"), a music-themed side bar where karaoke, troubadours, and quizzes are on the schedule. Together with cocktails, shots, and snacks, the atmosphere is often lively and festive on weekends.

Sliver is Småland's largest nightclub and attracts a lot of party-hungry clubbers on weekends. Some of the country's best DJs play here adding that extra touch to the sound and lighting.

Food, drink and parties are the name of the game at Joy. In the evenings, the atmosphere is lively here, with a dance floor where you can dance as if there's no tomorrow. The club promises an intense, fun, and crazy night with new and old friends, especially if you dare to let loose and dance.

At Stuk, taste, aroma, music, and feeling are all equally important and they aim to create an experience where you can feel all three. They achieve this, among other ways, by choosing ingredients that are good for both body and planet. Coffee comes from Koppi in Helsingborg, wines are natural wines, and flour comes from Limabacka mill just outside Gothenburg.  It's run by Johan Salestam and Andreas Hedh Roman, who both hail from Jönköping and have a background in fine dining. Johan, together with Tommy Myllymäki, won silver in the Bocuse d'Or, and Andreas has worked at several well-known restaurants.

At Bryggan, you can enjoy local delicacies with a beautiful view over Lake Munksjön. All the baked goods, such as buns, cakes, chocolates and the stone oven-baked sourdough bread, come from a family bakery a couple of kilometres away. They also serve lunch here and on certain afternoons there's happy hour with wine, beer and cocktails.

Make sure you pop into Fiket in Gränna while you stock up on the town's famous polkagrisar peppermint sticks. An authentic 1950s vibe has been perfectly preserved here, offering guests a healthy dose of nostalgia with Danish pastries, radio cake, and dammsugare marsipan logs surrounded by chequered flooring and vinyl records on the walls.

Winter and summer, you'll find this cosy café in a red cottage next to Lake Vättern in Huskvarna. They serve prawn sandwiches, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as freshly baked bread, coffee and homemade gelato. In 2019, they were named one of Sweden's best cafés in the White Guide.

Rudenstams Bär & Frukt primarily grows apples, but also currants, pears, cherries, and much more. On the farm, they have a popular farm café where you can savour delicacies in the form of cakes, salads, hot meals, and sandwiches. And naturally, apple juice and apple pies.

Sharpen your wits and step into an escape room. While you search for clues, crack codes, and use the items in the room to make your way to freedom against the clock, mysterious messages and objects will appear to guide you.

A visit to one of Gränna's famous polkagris candy cane factories is a must when visiting Jönköping - where the polkagris originated in Amalia Eriksson's kitchen in the 19th century. At that time, the red-and-white original was the only variant, but nowadays the displays are laden with various flavour combinations and colours, each more unexpected than the last.

Combine food and drinks with sports and games in a lively setting. You can play simulator games, shuffleboard, darts, basketball or challenge each other to the boxing machines. The simulators offer challenges in everything from ice hockey and football penalties to hunting and shooting, and the menu features classic American-style pub dishes.

Take a day trip and catch the ferry to Visingsö, the largest island in Lake Vättern. Legend has it that the island was formed when the giant Vist threw a clump of grass into the lake so his wife would have something to step on, and even today the grass clump teems with life. Enjoy a walk in beautiful surroundings, visit lovely gardens, see historical remnants, cycle around the island or take a swim when the weather allows. If you don't have enough time for all that, you can also stay overnight on the island.

Upptech is the place for all curious children and young people. Go wild in the experimentation hall and travel among stars and galaxies. Experiment with electrical connections, marble runs, water mechanics and much more, and don't forget to say hello to the talking bat Frans who lives in the mine. In the planetarium, you can join a guided tour of the celestial dome.

Did you know that Jönköping is known as the matchstick city? This is thanks to its long-standing history of match production. At its peak, the factory employed 2000 people – which at the time was a third of Jönköping's population. At the Matchstick Museum, you can meet some of the people who played a central role in the production, many of whom were children.

When in Jönköping… learn more about Jönköping! At the Jönköping County Museum, you can discover the history of the region, as well as events and people from it. Both young and old will find something of interest among the collections, which include Stone Age artefacts and works of art.

There's a vibrant array of cultural and performance experiences in Jönköping. The three main venues that are worth keeping an eye on are the Concert Hall, the Spira Cultural Centre, and the Jönköping Theatre. You can enjoy plays, concerts, stand-up comedy, operettas, farces, magic shows, and much more that can be performed on stage.

At Österängen Art Hall, you can explore Swedish and international contemporary art. But not only that – they've created a meeting place characterised by openness, collaboration, and diversity, highlighting young and urban art and culture. Keep an eye on the website to see what's happening at the art hall right now.