Östergötland

Östergötland is a province in eastern Götaland. While the middle of the province is a flat plain with cities Linköping and Norrköping, the north and south are more hilly and forested, with borders to Södermanland and Småland respectively. The province largely coincides with Östergötland County, Östergötlands län.

The province contains much of Sweden's industrial heritage, with the eastern part of Göta Canal, and the SAAB airplane industry in Linköping.

Municipalities and regions

Östgöta Plains

• 1 Linköping: the seat of Östergötland county, home to a university, Swedish aircraft industry, and a cathedral
• 2 Linköping countryside : Ekenäs Palace and lake Roxen
• 3 Mjölby
• 4 Motala: home to Motala Verkstad, and Sweden's first broadcast station
• 5 Finspång
• 6 Norrköping: the second city, home to SMHI; the Swedish weather institute, and Kolmården Zoo.
• 7 Söderköping
• 8 Vadstena and Ödeshög: home of Saint Bridget of Sweden, and the world's largest runestone

Holaveden

Holaveden is the southern part of Östergötland, forested and scarcely populated, consisting of the Boxholm, Kinda, Valdemarsvik, Ydre and Åtvidaberg municipalities.

Other destinations

• Borensberg
• Rök Runestone near Ödeshög

Understand

During the Middle Ages, Östergötland was, besides Uppland and Västergötland, one of the few Swedish centres of population, with the 12th century Linköping Cathedral as Sweden's oldest Gothic building.

The province has a strong tradition of industrial engineering. The construction of Göta Kanal was a significant feat during the 19th century, with rise of mechanical industry in Motala. Norrköping is a diverse industrial city, and Linköping has a renowned tech university, and is the birthplace of Swedish aviation.

Get in

By plane

• Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Sweden's largest airport, 230 km away. Train connection. Prefer SJ trains over the expensive airport express.
• Skavsta Airport in Nyköping - Used by Ryanair. 100 km north-east of Linköping. A shuttle bus overland link between the airport and central Norrköping and Linköping and Skavsta airport. Or local bus to Nyköping plus SJ train.
• Linköping Airport - Flights mainly to Stockholm, Amsterdam, Riga and Copenhagen. There are no shuttles between the airport and the city centre and you need to take a taxi from the airport.
• Norrköping Airport - Flights mainly to Helsinki, Visby, Munich and Copenhagen. Östgötatrafiken has a bus connection from the airport.

By train

• SJ fast trains from Stockholm or Malmö.
• Tåg i Bergslagen from Borlänge and Örebro.
• Kustpilen from Kalmar.

By bus

• Swebus Express, ☏ +46-771-218218. Östergötland is part of the wide network of Swebus Express services, with journeys to Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. Swebus is the most frequent, running sometimes more than 1 service per hour to Stockholm. If there are enough people it'll run express. 
• Bus4you, ☏ +46-771-444000, info@bus4you.se. 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. 

By car

• E4 between Stockholm and Malmö/Copenhagen. Very good road.

Get around

By bus

The local bus company is called Östgötatrafiken . They also run commuter trains in 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 . 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 magnetic strip 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

Göta Kanal

Göta Kanal is a semi-artificial waterway passing through Östergötland, offering a great experience for the entire family. Rent a boat, canoe or bike or book a cruise on the canal. Regardless of mode of transport, a trip along the beautiful Göta Canal is a memory for life.

See

• Rejmyre Glassworks is Sweden's second oldest glassworks which is still in operation. Here, you can see, learn and experience how hand-blown glass is made. A factory shop and handicraft village lies nearby.
• Östergötland's museums:
  • Motala Motor Museum,
  • Norrköping's Museum of Art,
  • Arbetetsmuseum (Museum of Work),
  • Östergötland's County Museum,
  • the Emigrant Museum in Kisa,
  • Linköping’s Castle and Cathedral museum,
  • the Åssa Museum in Åtvidaberg,
  • the Andrew Peterson Museum in Ydre,
  • the broadcasting museum in Motala, and
  • BP Nostalgia Station.
• Kolmårdens Djurpark in Norrköping is one of Scandinavia's largest zoo and safari parks; here the whole family can enjoy wild animals from all over the world. Kolmården's animal park was awarded Stora Turistpriset (the tourism prize) in 2008.
• The Toy Museum in Vadstena offers nostalgia for everyone who is still a child a heart. There are rows upon rows of toys dating back to the beginning of the 1900s until today.
• The Open Air Museum in Old Linköping. Take a trip back in time and experience Swedish small-town life from a century ago.
• At Trollegater, put on your helmet and robust clothes, bring your torch and climb down into Trollegater, one of Sweden's largest primary rock caves.
• In the medieval towns of Vadstena, Skänninge or Söderköping, you can follow the footsteps of Birger Jarl and Saint Birgitta.
• The Vadstena Abbey Museum is in an old palace of a king from the 13th century and is Sweden's only abbey museum.
• Häfla Hammarsmedja is an industrial monument to Swedish iron processing from the 1600s until the 1900s; it is a unique tourist attraction in a beautiful, natural setting.
• The industrial landscape right in the middle of central Norrköping is one Europe's most interesting industrial landscapes. The buildings remind us of a time when nearly all woolen material was manufactured in Norrköping. Also take the opportunity to visit two interesting museums Arbetetsmuseum (Museum of Work) and the City Museum of Norrköping which are both located within the industrial landscape.
• Löfstad and Ekenäs Castles were built during the 1600s and are now open to the public. Wander around the beautiful castle grounds and take a guided tour through centuries of furnishings, art and furniture.
• Vadstena Castle is one of many historical monuments in Vadstena. With its renaissance castle once inhabited by Gustav Wasa, among others, Vadstena is, together with its abbey area, alleys and shops, an exception tourist attraction well worth seeing.
• Linköping's Cathedral is Sweden's best preserved medieval cathedral. The city castle dating from the same era lies just next door and houses the city's castle and cathedral museum which is filled with unique medieval objects.
• Kisa to Boxholm following the Malexandermorden trail by car - if you wish to learn more of the killing of two policemen in Malexander in 1999.

Do

• The Omberg Ecopark on the shores of Vättern is Sweden's first ecopark (nature reserve) with orchids, giant oak trees, caves and dramatically steep mountain slopes. Omberg proudly shows off its varied nature, unusually numerous threatened species and its forest countryside which is one of the richest in species in Sweden. A good starting point to explore this area is the main car park at Stocklycke. Leave the E4 at the Ödeshög exit and follow the road towards Vadstena. After some 7 km (4.3 mi) follow the minor road towards the Alvastra ruins. Here signage for Omberg and Stocklycke appears and after 4 km (2.5 mi) you reach the car park. There is an information board with folders in a box which show a map of the hiking trails.
• In Östergötland there are at least 21 golf courses within a radius of 100 km, of which 14 are 18-hole courses. Challenge your fellow travellers and plan your own golf tour through the county.
• Medley can offer you four water parks, one in Finspång with a fully modern swimming, sports and health care facility where you can find everything you would wish for.
• At Busfabriken (the fun factory) in Norrköping and Linköping, there is an indoor jungle-environment play park with lots of activities offering stimulation and movement. Free entrance for adults!
• The Varamo beach, just outside of Motala, with its kilometer stretch of beaches attracts swimmers to cooling swims and lots of fun in the clean waters of Vättern.
• Kinda Canal is a 90-km waterway with 15 sluices joining a string of lakes. Thickly wooded shores, beautiful meadows, churches, ancient castles and country estates welcome those travelling along the canal.
• With the boat lines of the archipelago, you can easily make your way out to the most beautiful places in Östgöta's archipelago. Pack your lunch for a delightful day tour or the big knapsack for a few days of exciting island hopping among islets and cliff rocks.
• Some of the country's best canoeing waters can be found in the area around Finspång where more than a 100 lakes are joined together by rivers and streams. There are tours for everyone - from calm waters for the beginner to demanding rapids for the more advanced.
• Visit the event calendar at www.pagang.info (only in Swedish).

Buy

• Take a shopping spree in Linköping's and Norrköping's shopping centres or visit one of the many handicraft artists throughout the county.
• Björke Vävstuga (weaving mill) is a different kind of visitor's attraction. Woven linen of the best quality at good prices.
• Boxholm's cheese is a winner of many cheese awards and has a genuine history reaching as far back as the beginning of the 1890s.

Eat

• A favourite spot in Söderköping is Sweden's largest ice-cream restaurant with ice-cream creations you wouldn't believe existed! Relax in the café and choose among 60 fantastic ice-cream creations.