Linköping

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Linköping [1] (pronounced "Linshooping") is Sweden's fifth biggest municipality. It is located in the northern part of the Götaland region and is the capital of Östergötland county. It has about 135,000 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).

The cathedral in wintry Linköping
The cathedral in wintry Linköping

[edit] Understand

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

In the "battle of Stångebro" in 1598, the city fought on the Catholic side and lost. A memorial of the following "bloodbath of Linköping" is found outside the city hall.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

  • Skavsta Airport [2] - Used by Ryanair. Lies 100km north-east of Linköping. A shuttle bus (90 min) overland link between central Linköping and Skavsta airport. Departs from the Resecentrum.

[edit] By train

The Linköping train station (Resecentrum) lies less than ten minutes walk from the center of the town. SJ [4] train journey's from Stockholm can take as little as 80 minutes and cost as little as 95 SEK.

[edit] By bus

[edit] By car

  • 200km south of Stockholm on the E4. Very good road (2h drive).
  • 45km south of Norrköping on the E4. Very good road (30 min drive).

[edit] Get around

[edit] 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 [7]. They also run the buses and trains in the rest of Östergötland and is the cheapest way to get around.

Buying or charging bus cards in a bus costs extra [8] - sometimes more than double the non-cash ticket price. The ticket is valid for a limited time (usually 1 hour) so you can use the same ticket for more than 1 trip.

In Linköping, Norrköping and Motala you can buy a ticket using your mobile telephone [9] which is cheaper than paying in cash.

You can also buy a bus card. It is a magnetic strip card and you can load money in it. The advantage is that each trip fare is cheaper than the normal fare. Discount ticket can be purchased onboard or at any of our sales outlets. Buying or recharging a bus card on a bus costs extra and is not possible after 14:00 each day [10], so save money and use a sales outlet [11].

[edit] 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.

[edit] Bike

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.

[edit][add listing] See

S:t Lars Kyrka
S:t Lars Kyrka
  • 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 small 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. Valla fritidsområde. Old style town.

[edit] Museums

  • Gamla Linköping [18] and Valla fritidsområde together have over 20 museums.
  • The Swedish Air Force Museum [19] in the suburb of Malmen features over a hundred aircraft from the early 20th century to the modern age.
  • 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.
  • Linköpings Slotts- & Domkyrkomuseum [21] - a museum that shows the town's history as a seat for bishops since the 12th century.

[edit][add listing] Do

  • Visit Linköping Cathedral. Don't miss the organ concertos.
  • Walk around the city.
  • Walk around Gamla Linköping.
  • Take in a hockey game, at Linköping HC's new 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!
  • Boat trip on the Kinda canal [22].
  • Visit the relaxing Linköpings Trädgårdsförening park in the central area.

[edit][add listing] Buy

  • When in Gamla Linköping, visit Kanevad [23] woodshop art and Cloettas Chokladbod [24].
  • In the city center you have a couple of malls, Filbytergallerian [25], Gyllen Gallerian and Gränden [26].
  • Tornby is a shopping center to the north of Linköping that has several big stores and a big mall IKANO-huset [27] next to IKEA [28].

[edit] Getting Online

  • 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)

[edit][add listing] Eat

  • Kniv å gaffel, Drottninggatan 26, [29]. Cosy place with tasty food from the Mediterranean region. Mains 119-219 SEK.  edit
  • Wokaway, Repslagaregatan 22, [30]. Cheap thai food for taking away or eating in. Mains 45-99 SEK.  edit
  • Wasabi Sushi Bar, Storgatan 27, [31]. Really tasty sushi. Mains 69-179 SEK.  edit
  • Riva, Ågatan 43, [32]. Italian and American food. Mains 79-255 SEK.  edit
  • BK (Bar & Kök), Ågatan 47, [33]. Mains 145-229 SEK.  edit
  • Thai Coconut, S:t Larsgatan 25A, [34]. Good spicy Thai food. Mains 95-149 SEK, Lunch 60 SEK.  edit
  • Yogi, Platensgatan 5, [35]. Mains 135-168 SEK.  edit
  • Texas Longhorn, S:t Larsgatan 25C, [36]. Texas steak house. Mains 145-570 SEK.  edit
  • Halong, S:t Larsgatan 12, [37]. Asian food close to the train station. Mains 65-115 SEK.  edit
  • Sangria, Platensgatan 1, [38]. Spanish and pourtoguies dishes. Mains 168-278 SEK.  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit] 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.

[edit] Alcohol

Linköping boasts several bars, among the most popular are The Bishops Arms [39], BK [40], Platen's Bar and Platå [41], all of them found in the central parts of the city around the cathedral. The O'Leary's [42] and The Champ [43] sports bars, as well as The Pub, are also popular choices.

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 [44]. 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 [45] in the Ryd area, Flamman [46] or Nationernas Hus [47] 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.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

  • STF Hostel Linköping [48], Klostergatan 52A, phone 013-35 90 00, is the IYHF[49] 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.

[edit] Mid-range

  • Good Evening Hotel [50], Hantverkaregatan 1, phone 013-12 90 00 Single rooms: 795 SEK Sun-Thu, 610 SEK Fri-Sat. Basic hotel at Stora Torget (Big Square).
  • Hotell Östergyllen [51], 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 [52], 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 [53], Järnvägsgatan 6, next to the railway station, phone 013-12 90 05. Single rooms from 550 SEK, double from 750 SEK.

[edit] Learn

  • Linköping University [54] 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 [55] was started by students in Linköping.

[edit] Get out

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

The nearby city Norrköping has some interesting tourist attractions but worse shopping than Linköping.

[edit] Events

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!
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