Linköping’s most popular hiking trails

There are many trails to hike in Linköping. To give you an overview of which routes visitors and Linköping residents hold dear, we have compiled some of the most requested trails in the municipality here.

Hiking on the Östgötaleden

You don’t need to be an experienced hiker to walk on the Östgötaleden. The most important things are a pair of really comfortable shoes, fluids, and a packed lunch. Several of the sections have good accessibility for people with disabilities. And it’s easy to get to the different starting and ending points by public transport – if you don’t have a car.

Within the municipality of Linköping, we find 115 km of Östgötaleden with hiking through the varied landscape consisting of, among other things, the plains, the canals, the magnificent oak landscape, the pastures, and the hilly forest areas when heading south. There is much to see and learn during the hikes – both about nature and older culture.

You can find a map and more information here.

Hiking along Göta Canal

Discovering Göta Canal can of course be done by boat – but just as well on foot. You will pass idyllic small towns and villages with varied nature and a rich cultural life along your journey. Hiking here is a year-round activity – but if you want to experience the beautiful lake life with leisure boats and cruise ships passing through locks, it is the summer season that is most suitable. There are also ready-made hiking packages to book on Göta Canal’s own website. You then combine dinner, accommodation, and hiking into one. Luxurious!

A perfect day hike in close proximity to Linköping is the Berg-Borensberg stretch of 21 km. The trail follows a car-free gravel road along Göta Canal. This is a stretch that is easy to hike. A fantastic avenue lines the road through an inviting and beautiful landscape that is rich in fine natural environments and cultural monuments. In the summer, sheep, horses, and cows graze in the pastures along the way. Do not miss the perfect stop to stock up on goodies, namely Cloetta’s chocolate shop in Ljungsbro! If you want to extend your stay and spend the night, there are hostels in both Ljungsbro and Berg.

This hike also follows the same trail as the pilgrimage route Birgittaleden.

More information and a map can be found here.

Hiking along the Kinda Canal

If you choose to hike the Kinda Canal, in addition to varied nature, you will pass several locks where you can watch the spectacle of boats passing through the locks moving up and down at different level changes. Depending on the direction you choose to travel, the Nykvarn lock is the first or last.

You will pass several places worth a stop – including the Tannefors locks. Here there are three lock basins with a height difference of 10.5 meters that are the closest lock stop to Linköping city. Take the opportunity to pause at the popular Tannefors Café where during summer you can stop and eat a seafood buffet – yummy!

If you have your own packed lunch, we warmly recommend a coffee break at the Hovetorp locks, which are nestled in the oak landscape and have the canal’s highest level difference with 15.8 meters over four basins. We mean – check out the picture taken at these locks – who wouldn’t want to hike along this mirror-like water and serene nature? Once in the area, don’t miss the chance to go on the Rängen Runt hike – the trail that is adjacent to the Kinda Canal area! In addition to the stunning nature, the trail passes gems such as Stafsäter Gårdsglass, the historic Bjärka-Säby castle (which among other things offers retreats), and the lakeside Vårdnäs Stifsgård with overnight accommodations.

Pilgrim Hiking along Birgittaleden

Birgittaleden is a pilgrimage route that connects parts of Saint Birgitta’s life, in past and present. Saint Birgitta, who was named one of Europe’s three female patron saints. The others are Edith Stein and Catherine of Siena.

You can start your hike at Linköping Cathedral or at another place you choose along the Birgittaleden. If you start at the Cathedral in Linköping, you have four days with 81 kilometers of hiking ahead of you with new experiences and impressions – but above all, the opportunity for reflection and silence. Östergötland’s open landscape offers fertile plains, lakes, Göta Canal, many monasteries, and churches. In Linköping Cathedral, you can be sent off with a pilgrim’s blessing if you attend a regular service and speak with the priest before the service. Along the Birgittaleden, there are plenty of places to stop and rest, hostels, guesthouses, hotels, and also plenty of grocery stores and restaurants.

When you reach Vadstena, you have reached the goal of the hike and you are welcomed with an arrival prayer if you notify the Pilgrimscentrum in advance of your arrival. You then also receive a pilgrim’s certificate showing that you have hiked the Birgittaleden. You can end your hike in the Monastery Church, where Birgitta’s reliquary is located, or in St. Birgitta’s Church in the Birgitta Sisters’ monastery Pax Mariae.

Along the Birgittaleden, you can also hike or cycle on easily accessible roads and take a canal boat between Vreta Kloster/Berg and Borensberg on Göta Canal. The trail is not marked in the terrain. You have to follow maps and road descriptions that are available for download. There are also meditations and tips on accommodation along the way. The trail can be reached by public transport in many places.

More information and a map can be found here.