Linkoping and Norrkoping

Östergötland’s two cities make an easy pair: a medieval cathedral and a free open-air museum in Linköping, a textile-mill river landscape and a 1904 tram system in Norrköping, and one ticket system across both. This page covers paying, getting around and what is free.

When you need this

You are planning a day or a weekend in Linköping, Norrköping or both, often as a stop between Stockholm and southern Sweden. You want to know whether your card works on the bus, which museums are free, and how to reach Kolmården zoo or the Berg locks without a car. Or you are coming in late autumn and want to know what is open.

The two cities at a glance

At the end of 2025 Linköping kommun had 168,714 residents and Norrköping kommun 144,904, according to SCB, Statistics Sweden. (Norrköping’s own statistics page gives 144,902 for the same date.) Together they hold well over half of Östergötland’s 472,529 people.

Getting there and between the cities

By train. Linköping Central is on the Southern Main Line, served by SJ long-distance and regional trains, Mälartåg, Östgötatrafiken and Krösatåg. Three regional services matter to a visitor:

• Östgötapendeln, the county’s own regional train, runs Norrköping–Linköping and on to Motala or Tranås.
• Mälartåg runs Linköping–Norrköping and Norrköping–Kolmården, and continues from Norrköping via Nyköping and Södertälje to Stockholm. VR takes over running Mälartåg from Transdev with the new timetable on 13 December 2026. Tickets are still bought the same way.
• Krösatågen run from Linköping to Kalmar and to Västervik.

Plan door to door in Resrobot, the national journey planner. Our guide to train travel in Sweden explains the operators and long-distance tickets.

A new line is coming, but not soon. Ostlänken is about 150 km of new double-track railway between Järna and Linköping, with stations planned at Vagnhärad, Nyköping, Skavsta, Norrköping and Linköping. Trafikverket is building it in stages from the north and says the first trains can run in 2035. Until then, everything uses the existing line.

Paying for buses, trams and trains

Buses, Norrköping’s trams and Östgötapendeln are run by Östgötatrafiken, the county’s public transport authority. The single most useful fact: there is no cash on board.

• One tap, one person. A tap gives a 60-minute ticket in city traffic and a 120-minute ticket on regional services, at the full fare.
• Mälartåg is the trap. You can ride it on your Östgötatrafiken ticket, but you cannot tap on the train. Activate the ticket at a station machine or on the web before you board.
• Bikes ride free on Östgötapendeln and rural buses when there is room. During track work replacement buses may take none, as in one week of June 2026. See bikes on trains.

Linköping

Linköping Cathedral (Linköpings domkyrka), on Ågatan, has dominated the city for more than 800 years. The parish calls it one of northern Europe’s best-preserved Gothic churches and Sweden’s second-largest church building. It is open every day from 09:00 to 18:00, and often longer, and it is a working parish church, open all year.

Gamla Linköping is the city’s open-air museum, run by the municipality. When central Linköping was torn down and rebuilt from the 1940s, many old houses were moved here. Today there are about 125–130 buildings, from ones that survived the great fire of 1700 to some from the 1940s, and around 25 small museums and exhibits. Next to it are the rural Valla farm and the Valla woods nature reserve. The museum says it draws about 420,000 visitors a year.

• The museum area is free and always open. Almost all activities are free; carriage rides and the children’s road train cost extra.
• Shops and cafés keep their own hours: daily in summer, Tuesday to Sunday the rest of the year, closed on some major holidays.
• Take the bus: local buses 3, 6, 12, 14 and 18 run from Linköping’s travel center (resecentrum) to a stop just outside the old town quarter.

Flygvapenmuseum, the Swedish Air Force Museum, is one of Sweden’s state museums. It stands at Malmslätt, about 7 km west of the center. Bus 6 towards Malmslätt takes about 20 minutes to the stop Flygvapenmuseum; by car, leave the E4 at exit 111, and parking is free. Hours change week by week in the museum’s online calendar, with late opening on Thursdays. You can drop in without booking. The museum takes no cash. It is threshold-free with a lift between floors, and two wheelchairs and a walker can be borrowed, though not booked. Dogs are not allowed except guide and assistance dogs.

Norrköping

Norrköping grew on water power. Its industrial landscape (Industrilandskapet) follows Motala ström from the Drag and Gryt mills down to the old Tuppen site. Most of the factories were built between 1850 and 1920, but the rapids have driven mills since the Middle Ages. The city museum calls the landscape unique in Europe. Two free museums stand in it:

At Arbetets museum a lift from street level reaches every floor, and all rooms except one stairwell exhibition are wheelchair accessible. Only guide and service dogs are allowed.

Norrköping’s trams have run since 10 March 1904. Lines 2 and 3 operate today. The municipality owns the trams and track, Östgötatrafiken runs the service, and eight restored vintage trams from 1966–67 are part of the fleet. You pay as on the buses: tap a card or use the app.

Day trips: Kolmården and the Göta Canal

Kolmården zoo is about 30 minutes north of Norrköping. Bus 420 runs from Norrköping’s resecentrum via Kolmården station in Krokek, about 10 km from the park. Some departures, mostly on weekdays, end at Sandviken in Krokek and never reach the zoo, so check the destination. Tickets are sold online only. The park is shut for long stretches outside summer: in autumn 2026 it opens only on selected Halloween days from 3 October to 8 November. Our Kolmården guide has the full calendar, and theme parks in Sweden compares it with the others.

The Berg locks on the Göta Canal are just outside Linköping. There are eleven locks, including the seven-chamber Carl Johan flight, the longest on the canal, which climbs 18.8 m from Lake Roxen. Regional buses run Linköping–Ljungsbro, and buses from Norrköping reach Söderköping on the canal’s eastern stretch. Seasons, boats and cycling are in our Göta Canal guide.

When to go

Mistakes to avoid

• Paying cash on a bus or tram. Carry a bank card or phone wallet, or buy in the app.
• Tapping for a discount. Tapping always gives the full fare; buy youth, student and senior tickets in advance.
• Boarding Mälartåg without an activated ticket. There is no reader on board.
• Taking the first bus 420. Check it runs through to Kolmårdens Djurpark.
• Visiting Kolmården on an autumn weekday. Check the park’s calendar first.
• Going to the city museum on a Monday. It is closed; Arbetets museum is not.

Practical information

FAQ

Can I pay cash on buses and trams in Linköping and Norrköping?

No. On Östgötatrafiken’s city buses, Norrköping’s trams, Östgötapendeln and regional buses you buy on board by tapping a bank card or phone wallet, which gives a full-price ticket for one person. Discount tickets must be bought in the app, online, from a retailer or at a machine. Cash is taken by the driver only on the pre-booked local service called närtrafik.

How do I travel between Linköping and Norrköping?

By regional train. Östgötapendeln runs Norrköping–Linköping and on to Motala or Tranås, and you can tap a bank card on board. Mälartåg also runs Linköping–Norrköping and accepts Östgötatrafiken tickets, except the Kulturbiljetten, but it has no reader on board, so activate your ticket before boarding. Plan the trip in Resrobot or Östgötatrafiken’s app.

Is Gamla Linköping free?

Yes. The open-air museum’s area has free entry and is always open, and almost all activities are free; only a few, such as horse-and-carriage rides and the children’s road train, cost money. The shops and cafés in the old town quarter keep their own hours: daily in summer, Tuesday to Sunday the rest of the year. Local buses 3, 6, 12, 14 and 18 stop outside.

How do I get to the Swedish Air Force Museum?

Flygvapenmuseum is at Malmslätt, about 7 km west of central Linköping. Take bus 6 towards Malmslätt from Linköping’s travel center to the stop Flygvapenmuseum, about 20 minutes, and pay by tapping a card. By car, leave the E4 at exit 111; parking is free. Adults pay 120 kronor outside summer, under-18s enter free, and the museum takes no cash.

How do I get to Kolmården zoo from Norrköping?

Take bus 420 from Norrköping’s travel center to the stop Kolmårdens Djurpark; the zoo is about 30 minutes north of the city. Some departures, mostly on weekdays, end at Sandviken in Krokek and do not reach the park, so check the destination. Tickets are sold online only, and in autumn 2026 the park opens only on selected Halloween days from 3 October to 8 November.

When will Ostlänken open?

Not for years. Trafikverket says the first trains on Ostlänken, about 150 km of new double-track railway between Järna and Linköping, can run in 2035. It is building the line in stages from the north, with planned stations at Vagnhärad, Nyköping, Skavsta, Norrköping and Linköping. Until then, trains use the existing Southern Main Line through both cities.

What is free to see in Norrköping?

Arbetets museum, the Museum of Work, is free and open 10:00 to 17:00 every day except a few holidays, in a former textile factory on Laxholmen. Norrköpings stadsmuseum, the city museum, is free and open Tuesday to Sunday, until 20:00 on Thursdays. Both stand in the industrial landscape along Motala ström, where most factories date from 1850 to 1920.

Related guides

• Göta Canal: the Berg locks, the boats and the towpath by bike.
• Kolmården: the zoo’s calendar, tickets and bus 420 in depth.
• Train travel in Sweden: SJ, Mälartåg and regional tickets explained.
• Cash in Sweden: why a card matters on the bus.
• Örebro, Jönköping and Lake Vättern and Kalmar: other Swedish city hubs.

Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: SCB, Norrköpings kommun, Svenska kyrkan, Gamla Linköping, Flygvapenmuseum, Arbetets museum, Norrköpings stadsmuseum, Östgötatrafiken, Mälardalstrafik, Trafikverket, AB Göta kanalbolag and Kolmården — full register in this topic’s source file. Opening hours and prices are 2026 figures. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.