Five perfect cafés for studying or working in Lund
Lund in southern Sweden is home to the country's second-oldest university after Uppsala. If you're new to the town and to Sweden, find out where to study for your exams over a coffee and cinnamon roll.
Café Ariman
Nestled on a small street between the Stortorget square and Lund's grand cathedral, Ariman has been a student haunt since 1983. If you don't mind the eclectic furniture and the sometimes loud music, it is a great and friendly place for students on a tight budget: their policy is to let you sit there as long as you want, even if it is just on a cup of strong Swedish coffee and one of their famous vegan Snickers bars. If you get hungry, try their strange brie and banana baguette (you either love it or you don't). At the end of the day it turns into a nightclub – take that as your cue to tuck away your books and have fun.
Address: Kungsgatan 2
Café Athen
Athen is on the ground floor of the student's union, AF-borgen. It is a big room that does not make enough use of available space (you could fit more tables in there), but on the other hand that means you are never so close to the other table that their chatter about the gossip from their nation will distract you from your thesis. The noise level is usually fairly low, but not so low that you feel self-conscious every time you turn a page. It does not necessarily fit the description of "cosy", but is ideal for group work and the wi-fi is reliable.
Address: AF-borgen, Sandgatan 2
Stadsbiblioteket
Martas café is located in a separate part of the public library in Lund. It is another good place for those who want to have a small cup of coffee and then quietly hide in a corner without anyone telling them to leave, although it does also serve food and cinnamon rolls – nothing extravagant, but a decent spread of various things. The library's entire collection of daily newspapers can be accessed at Martas café, both Swedish and international. The Instagram picture below shows the library section of the building.
Address: St Petri Kyrkogata 6
Ebbas Skafferi
Ask anyone in Lund where to find a cosy café ("ett mysigt café") and they will point you in the direction of Ebbas, housed in one of Lund's historically important buildings. It is more for the student who wants a short break or meet-up with a study partner over a coffee and a great selection of pastries, than for the one who wants to spend hours cramming away. It gets rather hectic at times, so we recommend you spend most of your study time at the nearby Juridicum building, and then go to Ebbas in the afternoon to restore your sugar and coffee levels.
Address: Bytaregatan 5
Café UB
Not everyone knows that the university library (colloquially known as 'UB' – pronounced ooh-beh) also houses a café in the basement, selling coffee, pastries and lunch at very reasonable prices. You are of course not allowed to bring all of this upstairs, so use the café when you want a quick break from your books, then head back upstairs and continue reading in one of the many study rooms (there are more than 300 seats available in the huge, stately building). We highly recommend Tegnérsalen on the ground floor, which is still decorated in its original 1907 design (turn your phone off though, because you can hear a pin drop).
Address: Helgonabacken 1
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Café Ariman
Nestled on a small street between the Stortorget square and Lund's grand cathedral, Ariman has been a student haunt since 1983. If you don't mind the eclectic furniture and the sometimes loud music, it is a great and friendly place for students on a tight budget: their policy is to let you sit there as long as you want, even if it is just on a cup of strong Swedish coffee and one of their famous vegan Snickers bars. If you get hungry, try their strange brie and banana baguette (you either love it or you don't). At the end of the day it turns into a nightclub – take that as your cue to tuck away your books and have fun.
Address: Kungsgatan 2
Café Athen
Athen is on the ground floor of the student's union, AF-borgen. It is a big room that does not make enough use of available space (you could fit more tables in there), but on the other hand that means you are never so close to the other table that their chatter about the gossip from their nation will distract you from your thesis. The noise level is usually fairly low, but not so low that you feel self-conscious every time you turn a page. It does not necessarily fit the description of "cosy", but is ideal for group work and the wi-fi is reliable.
Address: AF-borgen, Sandgatan 2
Stadsbiblioteket
Martas café is located in a separate part of the public library in Lund. It is another good place for those who want to have a small cup of coffee and then quietly hide in a corner without anyone telling them to leave, although it does also serve food and cinnamon rolls – nothing extravagant, but a decent spread of various things. The library's entire collection of daily newspapers can be accessed at Martas café, both Swedish and international. The Instagram picture below shows the library section of the building.
Address: St Petri Kyrkogata 6
Ebbas Skafferi
Ask anyone in Lund where to find a cosy café ("ett mysigt café") and they will point you in the direction of Ebbas, housed in one of Lund's historically important buildings. It is more for the student who wants a short break or meet-up with a study partner over a coffee and a great selection of pastries, than for the one who wants to spend hours cramming away. It gets rather hectic at times, so we recommend you spend most of your study time at the nearby Juridicum building, and then go to Ebbas in the afternoon to restore your sugar and coffee levels.
Address: Bytaregatan 5
Café UB
Not everyone knows that the university library (colloquially known as 'UB' – pronounced ooh-beh) also houses a café in the basement, selling coffee, pastries and lunch at very reasonable prices. You are of course not allowed to bring all of this upstairs, so use the café when you want a quick break from your books, then head back upstairs and continue reading in one of the many study rooms (there are more than 300 seats available in the huge, stately building). We highly recommend Tegnérsalen on the ground floor, which is still decorated in its original 1907 design (turn your phone off though, because you can hear a pin drop).
Address: Helgonabacken 1
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