Linköping

Linköping (pronounced "Lin-shœ-ping") is Sweden's fifth biggest municipality, and the seat of Östergötland county. It has about 167,000 inhabitants in the municipality (2023), including some countryside, and just under 100,000 in the city proper.

The city has the advantage of being a major city with all that it entails yet retaining the cozy quiet small town feel, largely due to the lack of tall buildings; a result of the military airfield just outside the city.

Linköping countryside makes up Linköping municipality outside the built-up area.



Understand
Linköping is the clerical and administrative centre in a rich farmland district, the province and county Östergötland.

The town was founded during the Middle Ages and is therefore one of the oldest cities in Sweden. The cathedral and the castle are two medieval buildings that are still standing.

At the "battle of Stångebro" in 1598, the city fought on the Catholic side and lost. A memorial of the battle is found just outside the city centre. The following "bloodbath of Linköping" in 1600 is remembered with a memorial at the main square.

Linköping has a university and the students are a central part of the city's life day and night.

By train
The (Resecentrum) lies less than ten minutes walk from the center of the town. SJ train journeys from Stockholm can take as little as 100 minutes and cost as little as 95 kr.

By bus
Long-distance buses leave from Fjärrbussterminalen, which is about 400 m north of the Resecentrum, past where the local buses are departing. It's on the same side of the road as the train station.



By car

 * 200 km south of Stockholm on the E4. Very good road (2-hr drive).
 * 45 km south of Norrköping on the E4. Very good road (30-min drive).
 * 450 km north of Malmö/Copenhagen on the E4. Very good road (5-hr drive).

By bus
All bus lines originate at Resecentrum. You'll also find a reception desk there where you can find timetables or get help. The local bus company is called Östgötatrafiken. They also run the buses and trains in the rest of Östergötland and is the cheapest way to get around.

It's not possible to pay cash for a ticket on the bus. You can get ticket in Quickomats, some stores and at the Resecentrum. It's also possible to buy an SMS-ticket. The ticket is valid for a limited time (usually 1 hour) so you can use the same ticket for more than 1 trip.

You can also buy a bus card. It is a RFID card and you can load money in it. The advantage is that each trip fare is cheaper than the normal fare. Tickets and fare information.

Taxi
Taxis are on the expensive side. The meter is used to control the cost but always make sure that this is set when commencing a journey.


 * Uber
 * Uber
 * Uber

Bike
Linköping was named the 'Swedish biking city of the year' in 2002. Most students use bikes to get around and it is recommended you get one if your stay is extended. When you have a bike, the special bike map might be useful. There are also recommended routes available for those who want to combine nature with tourist sights. Paper versions are available at the tourist information office and in bike shops.

See



 * Public buildings. Around the hill crest are the public library, the administrative buildings for the diocese, the bishop's residence, and the sports house gymnastikhuset, built in 1881. The current library was built in 1998, but the collections of the old cathedral library date back to before Gutenberg. Further north are the concert hall (Konsert & Kongress), the county museum (Östergötlands länsmuseum) next to the Raoul Wallenberg plaza, and two secondary schools (Katedralskolan, Berzeliusskolan).
 * Public buildings. Around the hill crest are the public library, the administrative buildings for the diocese, the bishop's residence, and the sports house gymnastikhuset, built in 1881. The current library was built in 1998, but the collections of the old cathedral library date back to before Gutenberg. Further north are the concert hall (Konsert & Kongress), the county museum (Östergötlands länsmuseum) next to the Raoul Wallenberg plaza, and two secondary schools (Katedralskolan, Berzeliusskolan).
 * Public buildings. Around the hill crest are the public library, the administrative buildings for the diocese, the bishop's residence, and the sports house gymnastikhuset, built in 1881. The current library was built in 1998, but the collections of the old cathedral library date back to before Gutenberg. Further north are the concert hall (Konsert & Kongress), the county museum (Östergötlands länsmuseum) next to the Raoul Wallenberg plaza, and two secondary schools (Katedralskolan, Berzeliusskolan).
 * Public buildings. Around the hill crest are the public library, the administrative buildings for the diocese, the bishop's residence, and the sports house gymnastikhuset, built in 1881. The current library was built in 1998, but the collections of the old cathedral library date back to before Gutenberg. Further north are the concert hall (Konsert & Kongress), the county museum (Östergötlands länsmuseum) next to the Raoul Wallenberg plaza, and two secondary schools (Katedralskolan, Berzeliusskolan).

Buy

 * When in Gamla Linköping, visit Kanevad wood art shop and Cloettas Chokladbod (Cloetta chocolate shop).
 * In the city center you have a couple of malls, Filbytergallerian, Gyllengallerian and Leo.
 * Tornby is a shopping center to the north of Linköping that has several big stores and a big mall; IKANO-huset next to IKEA.

Eat
Most restaurants in the city offer a restricted choice Saturday Shopping Lunch between 12:00-15:00 for around 80 kr which can be a good way to try out new restaurants. Lunch from Monday-Friday is often cheaper.



Coffee
There are many nice coffee houses and cafes by the main square and in the central parts of the city. They serve a wide variety of coffee. Sweden and the Swedes are the second highest consumers of coffee per person worldwide. In the past ten years traditional Swedish coffee tradition has been diversified and enriched by Italian and continental European coffee, the result being the caffè latte (the Italian word for Swedish coffee with milk) and a gazillion other forms of coffee.



Alcohol
Linköping boasts several bars. Most of them are found in the central parts of the city around the cathedral. Among the most popular are: To get informed about any entertainment or cultural events in town, such as the occasional live band, you pick up the free Nolltretton and Corren Fredag magazines (only available in Swedish) or check www.lkpg.nu. You can also check the billboard on Lilla Torget where the arrangers post their flyers.

The students have their own places to go to, for instance Herrgår'n in the Ryd area, Flamman or Nationernas Hus next door to the Cathedral in central Linköping. You have to be a university student (including foreign universities) or the guest of a student at Linköping University, to get in.

Systembolaget
Systembolaget is the state-owned monopoly liquor store. This is where you go if you want to buy a bottle of wine or spirits or beer stronger than approx. 3% alcohol which you can find in supermarkets.



Connect

 * SITE Cybercafé, Sturegatan 3. 15 SEK per hour.
 * Sidewalk Express, Railway station. 19 SEK per hour.
 * Public Library, price: free, but time is limited. (to what extent, unknown for the moment)

Go next
The River Stångån ends in Lake Roxen a few kilometers north of the city. The river is also part of Kinda canal with a system of 19th century locks that allow scenic boat trips through other lakes further south. Lake Roxen is also part of Göta canal, dug in the 1810s to connect the Baltic Sea with the Atlantic at Gothenburg. A remarkable sight is Bergs slussar (the locks at Berg), a sequence of six locks on Roxen's western shore, about 10 km north of Linköping.

Ekenäs Castle at Ringstorp, east of Linköping, is a 17th-century Renaissance castle, situated on a cliff by lake Teden. Its three towers rises high above the lake. Guided tours during the summer months and in the autumn ghost walks are offered both day and night.

The Cloetta chocolate factory in Ljungsbro, North of Linköping. You can visit the shop and a small museum, but the factory is closed for visitors.

In the nearby city Norrköping you find several museums and shopping facilities.

Nearby historic towns are Vadstena (to the West) and Söderköping (to the East).

For those who like running and exercising take a trip down south to Vidingsjö. It's about 5 km to the south-east, an easy bike ride from the city centre. In Vidingsjö there are marked running tracks (2.5 km, 5 km and 10 km) through the forest, some outdoor exercise equipment, a pizza shop and two other restaurants.


 * Kisa to Boxholm following the Malexandermorden trail by car. - A scenic route in the Östergötland landscape, renowned for a 1999 bank robbery, car chase and fatal shoot-out.