The modern student city of Borås

Borås is a perfect mix of a big city and a small one. With short distances to everything as well as close proximity to beautiful scenic surroundings, it’s easy to have a rich study experience and enjoyable free time.

In the pleasant city centre, you will find both large and small shops as well as museums and exhibitions, theatres, concert spaces, and sports arenas. With several large parks and outdoor areas, you can exercise, swim, or have a relaxing day enjoying nature. A unique and exciting aspect to the city is the outdoor exhibition No Limit Street Art, in which street art artists from all over the world have decorated Borås in murals, sculptures, and installations!

In Borås, there is always something going on! Check out the calendar on the City of Borås's website (external link) or read about activities and offers on Borås TME, a special website for students (external link).

Some fun things you can do in Borås are to go-karting at Regementet, visit the zoo, grill by Lake Almenäs or Lake Kypesjön, or play the popular racquet sport padel.

--Paolo, student in Industrial Engineering and Management

Experience Borås

Parks and outdoor recreation areas

Borås has many parks and green spaces. In central Borås alone there are many parks. To name just a few, we can recommend Stadsparken, Annelundsparken, and Ramnaparken, where you can find long walking paths, disc golf, and a boules court.

If you like outdoor recreation, you have definitely come to the right place! Borås has many such areas, e.g. Kypegården, Kransmossen, Rya Åsar and Ymer. There are many swimming and grilling facilities, jogging, skiing, and hiking trails, as well as outdoor gyms. In several of these areas, you can also fish, picnic, and play disc golf, boules, and beach volleyball. Storsjön and Kransmossen are wheelchair accessible.

Night life

Bars & Clubs

The university campus is located right in the city centre, which means that you are always close to fun nights out! Many nightspots have student discounts, including the club X&Y, which organises "Klubb Pank" on Thursdays with reduced prices until midnight. At the Student Union's pub The Kårner, you can go to meals, themed parties, and After School. At IVY Nightclub, members of the Student Union have free admission until 11 PM.

Summer Thursdays

The City of Borås has city parties on eight Thursdays each summer. Stortorget (the main square) is the setting of a free outdoor concert with famous Swedish artists such as Sabina Ddumba, Daniel Adams-Ray, Hoffmaestro, Loreen, and others.

Restaurants & cafés

The campus is right in the city centre, so there are many shops, restaurants, and cafés – and many offer a student discount. This applies, for example, to the Indian restaurant InSpice, the pizzeria Funky Town, the café Tant Grön, and the restaurant Bara that offers brunch and evening specials, and where members of the Student Union receive discounts.

Training & Exercise

Several of the major gym chains in Borås offer student discounts. For those who want to visit sports facilities, there is Stadsparksbadet, which has a water park and lap pools, Borås Simarena (another pool facility), Borås Skatehall (ice-skating rink), Borås Klätterklubb (climbing facility), Parasportcenter (accessible sports facility), and Ryahallen Friidrottsanläggning (track and field facility), among others.

If you are interested in ball sports and other sports clubs, you can check out Borås Bandy and Borås IBF (floorball), Borås GIF (skiing, football, orienteering, etc.), Borås Bågskyttesällskap (archery), and many others.

Sports & Games

Borås Arena is the home stadium of the Elfsborg football team. The Student Union distributes tickets to members. For those who want to watch basketball or ice hockey, check out Borås Basket and Borås HC. Both offer student discounts.

When it comes to games and such, Katrinedals Bowling, with both bowling and shuffleboard courts, is one of many options. Borås also has Pinballseye, Sweden's largest arcade.

Culture

Röda kvarn

Röda kvarn (Red Mill Cinema) is an art house cinema showing international and Swedish films of high quality.

Theatre

Sagateatern (Saga Theatre) hosts theatrical performances, concerts, stand-up etc. Stadsteatern (Borås City Theatre) puts on several major productions every year.

Music

At Pumphuset, you can go to the live music clubs Klubb Undergrunden and Jazz & Bluesklubben Cookin'. There is a stage for concerts and touring shows at Sagateatern and the event venue Åhaga. At Åhaga, you can also see the Borås Symfoniorkester (Borås Symphony Orchestra) which gives three or four classical concerts per season.

Museums

Textilmuseet

On the ground floor of the Swedish School of Textiles, you can find one of the leading textile museums in the Nordic countries, Textilmuseet (Textile Museum). See exhibitions, go to workshops, try on clothes, or even create some yourself in a creative environment surrounded by thousands of fabrics, clothes, and textile products. Free admission for students.

Abecita Konstmuseum

Abecita Popkonst & Foto (Abecita Poparts & Photo) has photography, graphic art, and a textile museum with works from both international and Nordic photographers and artists. With about 400 works with a focus on the breakthrough of pop art to date, the exhibition is unique in Europe. The museum also organises lectures with working photographers. Student discount.

Borås Museum

The open-air Borås Museum (Museum of History of Borås) is located in beautiful Ramnaparken; you can enjoy picnics, Christmas markets, Midsummer celebrations etc. Learn more about Borås’s cultural heritage or enjoy something from the café.

Excursions

Hofsnäs herrgård/Torpa stenhus

Hofsnäs herrgård (Hofsnäs Manor) is a 16th-century manor house with a restaurant and café as well as cycling, hiking, boat rentals, swimming, and fishing. Nearby is Torpa stenhus (Torpa Castle), a former defence castle that is one of Sweden's best-preserved medieval structures.

Borås Zoo

This is one of Sweden's largest zoos. Borås Zoo was one of the first in Sweden to create natural environments for its animals where they can go free in large enclosures instead of in cages.

Vänga Kvarncafé & Bageri

Vänga Kvarncafé & Bageri (Vänga Mill Café and Bakery) is a museum, café, and bakery that is located in lovely scenic surroundings.

Mölarps kvarn

Mölarps kvarn (Mölarp’s Mill) is a well-preserved mill from the 19th century in surroundings rich with ancient ruins, burial grounds, and a cist.

Ramnakyrkan

Ramnakyrkan is a wooden church from the 17th century that today is part of Borås Museum.