Travel Information
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Travel and Practical Information
Halmstad is strategically located in the middle of the west coast of Sweden (midway between Gothenburg and Malmö), with excellent communications by rail, car and plane. This is the densest part of Scandinavia, with the cities of Copenhagen (capital city of Denmark), Goteborg (Sweden’s second largest city) and Malmö (Sweden’s third largest city) situated at less than 200 km away. The three cities are connected with Halmstad directly by train, departing every hour, with a travel time of 2 hours or less. The E6 motorway from Copenhagen/Malmö to Göteborg/Oslo passes just outside the town. The capital city of Sweden (Stockholm) is situated at ~500 km, with travel time by train of approximately 5 h.
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| Travel information (click to go to Google maps) | Western Sweden (click to open image) |
Travelling by Plane
Flying to Copenhagen
The closest main international airport is Kastrup Airport (CPH) in Copenhagen, Denmark, which is situated at ~170 km. This is Scandinavia's main airport in terms of traffic, with direct connections to more than 140 destinations worldwide and more than 22 million passengers per year. The railway station is situated just below the Terminal 3 (arrivals terminal), with direct trains to Halmstad departing every hour (travel time to Halmstad ~2h). Please see below for additional information on how to reach Halmstad by train.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION (VISA APPLICANTS): Please take into account that Kastrup Airport is situated in the neighboring country of Denmark but the conference is in the Swedish city of Halmstad, see the Visa Information section on the menu for more information.
INFORMATION (CURRENCY EXCHANGE): Please note that the currency in Sweden is the Swedish Krona (SEK), but in Denmark the currency is the Danish Krone (DKK), so have this into account if you plan to exchange money upon your arrival to Copenhagen.
INFORMATION (CAR RENTAL): If you plan to rent a car in Copenhagen airport and drive to Halmstad, bear in mind that the toll bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden has a price of 47€ each way, so it is maybe more cost effective to cross the bridge by train to the Swedish city of Malmö (12€ each way) and rent a car there.
Flying to Gothenburg (in Swedish: Göteborg)
Gothenburg is situated at ~140 km to the north, with direct trains to Halmstad departing every hour. Göteborg Landvetter Airport (GOT) has direct flights to several European capital cities which are main hubs to other non-European destinations (Amsterdam, Geneva, London, Frankfurt, etc.). These routes are operated by major airlines such as Air France, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa or SAS, thus providing another option to travelers from outside Europe which are not able to find connections to Copenhagen. Göteborg Landvetter Airport has also connections to several European cities with low cost companies such as Ryanair, Norwegian, Germanwings or Vueling.
Göteborg Landvetter Airport is connected to Göteborg city center by bus (travel time ~20 min), with departures up to every twenty minutes. The price is 95 SEK (10€) if you buy the ticket online in advance, or 105 SEK (11.2€) at the airport. You have to travel until Nils Ericson terminal (final destination), which is adjacent to the Göteborg central train station. Please see below for additional information on how to reach Halmstad by train.
You can check bus timetables and buy tickets in advance here: http://www.flygbussarna.se/en/Landvetter
Web of Göteborg Landvetter airport here: http://www.swedavia.com/landvetter/
Flying to Malmö
Malmö is situated at ~140 km to the south, with direct trains to Halmstad departing every hour. Malmö Sturup Airport (MMX) has flights operated by SAS to Stockholm and also low cost flights to several European cities with Norwegian and Wizz Air.
Malmö Sturup Airport is connected to both Malmö and Lund train stations by bus (we recommend travelling to Lund, since it is closer to Halmstad and served by the same train line). The price of the bus to Malmö/Lund train station is the same: 105 SEK (11.2€) if you buy the ticket online in advance, or 115 SEK (12.2€) at the airport.
You can check bus timetables and buy tickets in advance here: http://www.flygbussarna.se/en/malmo
Web of Malmö airport here: https://www.swedavia.com/malmo/
Flying to Halmstad
Halmstad has a small airport (Halmstad City Airport: http://www.halmstadsflygplats.se/) situated at 2 km of the city center, with domestic flights to Stockholm/Arlanda and Stockholm/Bromma airports served by regional companies. While the frequency or schedule may not be very convenient, it is maybe worth checking.
Reaching Halmstad by Train
Halmstad train station is conveniently situated between the University and the city center, and it is within walking distance (~15 minutes) of both the University campus and the center of the town (see map here). You can also pick up a taxi at the station or order one upon your arrival by calling to +46 35 21 80 00.
For information on train timetables and prices, please see the Swedish National Railway (SJ) website. Below there is some practical information to consider depending on the city from which you will travel.
Tickets can be bought at the ticket machines (with credit card only) or at the ticket office. Tickets cannot be bought on board the train, so you must buy the ticket before boarding.
If there are two adults (or a family) travelling, it is possible to buy one "duo/family" ticket, costing 10% less of the price of two single tickets. Duo/family tickets are valid for up to five people, with a maximum of two adults (>15 years old) in the group.
From Copenhagen
Travel from Copenhagen central station/Copenhagen Kastrup Airport (CPH) lasts ~2h and costs 268 SEK (29€), with trains running each hour. The railway station at the airport is situated just below the Terminal 3 (arrivals terminal). The train type is "Öresundståg", with final destination Göteborg.
From Gothenburg/Göteborg
Travel from Göteborg lasts ~1h and costs 217 SEK (~23€), with trains running each hour. The train type is "Öresundståg".
From Malmö/Lund
Travel from Malmö/Lund lasts ~1h 45min and costs 161 SEK (~17€), with trains running each hour. The train type is "Öresundståg", with final destination Göteborg.
Practical Information
- Emergency phone number in Sweden is 112 (free of charge)
- The voltage in Sweden is 230 V. Power sockets are type F.
- The currency is the Swedish Krona (SEK). Please note that in Denmark, the currency is the Danish Krone (DKK), so have this into account if you plan to exchange money upon your arrival to Copenhagen airport.
- Credit card payment is accepted in nearly all places, even for small amounts of money (indeed it is the only way of payment on-board urban buses in Halmstad). Major credits cards are widely accepted throughout Sweden (some restriction may apply to American Express).
Please note! In order to pay or withdraw cash with your credit card it requires that you have a card with chip and PIN (Personal Identification Number). The older magnetic-stripe cards won’t work.
- Banking hours are 10.00 am to 15.00 pm, Monday to Friday only. There is a currency exchange office in Storgatan 4 (near the Scandic Hallandia hotel) which opens 10.00 am to 18.00 pm, Monday to Friday, and 10.00 am to 14.00 pm on Saturdays.
- Shopping hours are 9.30 am to 18.00 pm, Monday to Friday, and 9.30 am to 14.00/16.00 pm on Saturdays. Supermarkets are open seven days a week from 7.00/8.00 am to 21.00/23.00 pm.
- Pharmacies ("Apotek") generally open during normal shop hours. It is also possible to buy some non-prescription medicines in regular stores and supermarkets.
- Sweden is among the world's top English-speaking countries for people who speak English as a second language. Most people understand and are able to speak in English, so communication and interaction will not be a problem.
| Center for Applied Intelligent Systems Research (IS-Lab/CAISR), School of Information Technology, Halmstad University, Sweden |
