Linköping[1] (pronounced "Linshooping") is Sweden's fifth biggest municipality. It is in the northern part of the Götaland region and is the capital of Östergötland county. It has about 145,000 inhabitants in the municipality, 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 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 both day and night.
Skavsta Airport[2] - Used by Ryanair. Lies 100km north-east of Linköping. A shuttle bus [3] (90 min) overland link between central Linköping and Skavsta airport. Departs from the Resecentrum.
Linköping Airport[4] - Flights almost only to Amsterdam and Copenhagen. There are no shuttles between the airport and the Resecentrum and you need to take a taxi from the airport.
The Linköping main train station (Resecentrum) lies less than ten minutes walk from the center of the town. SJ [6] train journey's from Stockholm can take as little as 100 minutes and cost as little as 95 SEK.
Long-distance buses leave from Fjärrbussterminalen, which is about 400m north of of the Resecentrum, past where the local buses are departing. It's on the same side of the road as the train station.
Swebus Express, ☎ +46-771-218218, [7]. Linköping is part of the wide network of Swebus Express services, with journeys to Stockholm (2-3 hours), Gothenburg (4 hours) and Malmö (6 hours). Swebus is the most frequent, running sometimes more than 1 service per hour to Stockholm. If there's enough people it'll run express.edit
Bus4you, ☎ +46-771-444000 (info@bus4you.se), [8]. A smaller bus company running more comfortable buses (only 3 seats across) Göteborg-Borås-Jönköping-Linköping-Stockholm several times daily but less frequently than Swebus.edit
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 [9]. 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, information how to do that can be found at [10]. 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. You'll find more info about tickets and fares at [11]
Linköping was announced 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 [12] might be useful. There are also recommended routes [13] available for those who want to combine nature with tourist sights. Paper versions are available at the tourist information office and in bike shops.
Linköping Cathedral[14]. The first church was built on this site in the 12th century, and was expanded regularly over the following centuries, culminating on the 19th-century tower. Linköping is said to have had the first Christian bishop in Sweden, in a time when Lund was Danish and Uppsala was pagan.
Linköping Castle[15], from the 13th century, was the bishop's residence until the Lutheran reformation in the 16th century. Now it is the residence of the sheriff (landshövding) for Östergötland county. The castle also houses a museum.
The City Hall[16] (stadshuset) was erected as a secondary school (läroverk) in 1864. Above its entrance is the Latin phrase "Initium sapientie timor Domini" (fear of the Lord is the beginning of all learning). This power triangle is on the crest of a minor hill from which the city's main street (Storgatan) slopes down to the main square (Stortorget) and further down to the bridge (Stångebro) across river Stångån. In its extension, this street was part of the old country road to Norrköping and Stockholm.
Public Buildings. Situated around the hill crest are the public library, the administrative buildings for the diocese, the bishop's residence, and a sports house (gymnastikhuset [17]) 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).
Gamla Linköping (Old Linköping) and Valla fritidsområde. An open-air museum, west of the city centre. Beautiful buildings once situated in the centre of Linköping have been saved from demolition and moved to this area to make it's own little town. Here you can practically enjoy life of Linköping in the 19th century. The citizens of Linköping enjoy taking part of the life and you can see people actually dressed up and working as citizens of Gamla Linköping. Also remember to buy locally produced chocolate and candy to reduced prices.
Gamla Linköping (Old Linköping) [18] and Valla fritidsområde together have over 20 museums.
The Swedish Air Force Museum (Flygvapenmuseum) [19] in the suburb of Malmen features over a hundred aircraft from the early 20th century to the modern age. The Museum had its grand new reopening of the museum the 12:th of june,2010, with new features.
IT-ceum[20] is a computer and computing museum, located in Mjärdevi Science Park where you will find many of Linköping's IT companies. The museum covers both ancient Swedish computers and more current events, such as the demo scene with its realtime multimedia productions. The exhibitions describe both the technical and the social aspects of computing. The museum's signs are both in Swedish and in English. Free entry.
Linköpings Slotts- & Domkyrkomuseum (Castle and Cathedral Museum) [21] - a museum that shows the town's history as a seat for bishops since the 12th century. Situated inside the castle.
Östergötlands länsmuseum (Östergötland County Museum) [22] - a museum showing the history of the province. It also houses a large art collection with both old and contemporary art.
Visit Linköping Cathedral. Don't miss the organ concertos.
Walk around the city.
Gamla Linköping, Vallaskogen (Kryddbodtorget 1) (About 2km west of Linköping central. North of Vallaskogen), [23]. Walk around and explore the old houses once situated in Linköpingedit
Take in a hockey game, at Linköping HC's arena - Cloetta Center, just 5 minutes walk from the city centre.
During the semester, talk to the students at the university. Many of them will be glad to show you a good time!
Most restaurants in the city offer a restricted choice Saturday Shopping Lunch between 1200-1500 for around 80SEK which can be a good way to try out new restaurants. Lunch from Monday-Friday is often cheaper.
Kniv å gaffel, Drottninggatan 26, [33]. Cozy place with tasty food from the Mediterranean region.Mains 119-219 SEK. edit
Wokaway, Repslagaregatan 22, [34]. Cheap thai food for taking away or eating in.Mains 45-99 SEK. edit
Kikkobar, Ågatan 39, [44]. Sushi, Japanese, Asian style. Lunch and Dinner.140-280SEK. edit
The Bishops Arms, Ågatan 27, ☎ 013 10 09 93, [45]. English pub style food, e.g. Fish & Chips.Mains 124-256 SEK. edit
De Klomp, St Larsgatan 13 (opposite hotel Skandic Frimurare), ☎ 013-4655563, [46]. Dutch Bruin Cafe style cooking and beer on tap.Mains 105-235. edit
Stångebro Gatukök, Tanneforsvägen 92 (opposite Scandic Linköping City, at the roundabout near Norrköpingsvägen), ☎ 013 13 47 04, [47]. 11:30AM-10PM. Great burger place.80 SEK (burger with the lot, with pommes and a drink). edit
Bosses Glassbar, Platensgatan 3, is a unique hole-in-the-wall style ice cream shop selling fresh ice cream. Long lines form outside on hot summer days. Closed during the winter.
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.
The The Champ [57] sports bar, as well as The Pub, are also popular choices. A branch of the sports bar chain Pitcher's [58] opens on April 30, 2009.
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 [59]. 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 [60] in the Ryd area, Flamman [61] or Nationernas Hus [62] 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 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% alocohol which you can find in supermarkets.
STF Hostel Linköping[66], Klostergatan 52A, phone 013-35 90 00, is the IYHF[67] hostel in town. Dorm bed 205 SEK, singles from 390 SEK, doubles from 410 SEK. Add 45 SEK to the price if you're not a member of the IYHF.
Good Evening Hotel[68], Hantverkaregatan 1, phone 013-12 90 00 Single rooms: 795 SEK Sun-Thu, 610 SEK Fri-Sat. Basic hotel at Stora Torget (Big Square). Re-opened as Best Western Hotel in 2009.
Hotell Östergyllen[69], Hamngatan 2. Good, cheap, and close to the railway station. Single rooms from 425 SEK, double rooms from 620 SEK. Not all rooms have bathrooms in the room.
Stångå Hotell[70], Tullgränd 4. phone 0046 (0)13-31 12 75. A family owned hotel with good service and prices that suites everyone, close to the railway station. Single rooms from 845 SEK, double rooms from 995 SEK (weekdays). Single rooms from 645 SEK, double rooms from 795 SEK (weekends).
Park Hotel[71], Järnvägsgatan 6, next to the railway station, phone 013-12 90 05. Single rooms from 550 SEK, double from 750 SEK.
Linköping University[72] was founded in 1969 and has its main "Campus Valla" west of the city. It is also home to Sweden's National Supercomputing Centre (NSC) and is well connected to the Internet. In 1993 Sweden's first website [73] was started by students in Linköping.
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 kilometers 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 itself 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 5km to the south-east, an easy bike ride from the city centre. In Vidingsjö there are marked running tracks (2.5km, 5km and 10km) through the forest, some outdoor exercise equipment, a pizza shop and two other restaurants.
This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!
