Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [85]
Library (Stadsbiblioteket; Södra Promenaden 105; 8am-8pm Mon-Thu, 8am-6pm Fri, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun) Free internet access.
Tourist office (15 50 00; www.destination.norrkoping.se; Dalsgatan 16; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat & Sun Jul–mid-Aug, shorter hours rest of year) Free internet access.
Sights & Activities
Industrilandskapet, Norrköping’s star turn, is the impeccably preserved industrial area near the river. Pedestrian walkways and bridges lead past magnificent former factory buildings and around the ingenious system of locks and canals. The most thunderous waterfall is Kungsfallet, near the islet Laxholmen.
Within the area are several interesting museums, all with free admission. The innovative Arbetets Museum (18 98 00; Laxholmen; 11am-5pm) documents working life. There’s one permanent display about Alva Carlsson, a typical worker in the former cotton mill, and temporary exhibitions focusing mainly on gender issues, human rights or multiculturalism. The seven-sided building, completed in 1917 and dubbed the ‘flatiron’, is a work of art in itself.
Holmens Museum (12 89 92; 9am-12.30pm Tue & Thu) describes the history of Louis de Geer’s paper factory, which was founded in the early 17th century.
Over the bridge, Stadsmuseum (15 26 20; Holmbrogränd; 10am-5pm Tue, Wed & Fri, to 4pm Jun-Aug, 10am-8pm Thu, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun) delves into the town’s industrial past, complete with still-functioning machinery, a great cafe and dynamic temporary exhibitions.
A modern addition to the riverside scenery is the extraordinary 1300-seat Louis de Geer Konserthus (15 50 30; www.louisdegeer.com; Dalsgatan 15), in a former paper mill. Still containing the original balconies, it’s a superb setting for orchestral, jazz and pop concerts.
Over near Vasaparken, Konstmuseum (15 26 00; Kristinaplatsen; admission free; noon-4pm Tue & Thu-Sun, noon-8pm Wed Jun-Aug, 11am-5pm Wed & Fri-Sun, 11am-8pm Tue & Thu Sep-May) is Norrköping’s impressive art museum. Its collection boasts important early-20th-century works, including modernist and cubist gems, as well as Carl Larsson’s dreamy Frukost i det gröna.
Two kilometres west of the city centre, near the river, await fine examples of Bronze Age rock carvings, with an adjacent museum, Hällristningsmuseet (16 55 45; www.ffin.se; Himmelstalund; admission free, guided tours adult/under 18yr Skr30/free; 10am-3pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-3pm Sat & Sun May-Aug). Guided tours of the carvings must be booked in advance. The site is a 30-minute walk along the river.
From July to mid-August, vintage tram 1 operates a short guided tour through central Norrköping. It leaves from Söder Tull at 6pm and 6.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Skr40).
KOLMÅRDEN
This zoo (24 90 00; www.kolmarden.com; 10am-6pm Jul–mid-Aug, 10am-5pm May, Jun & rest of Aug, Sat & Sun Sep-early Oct) is Scandinavia’s largest, with some 750 residents from all climates and continents. It’s divided into two areas: the main Djurparken (zoo; adult/3-12yr Skr245/145) with a dolphin show and Safariparken (adult/3-12yr Skr140/100), complete with a safari park bus tour (Skr30) for the carless. A combined ticket for the zoo and safari park costs Skr295/185. The cable car (Skr80/40) around the park gives a better view of the forest than of the animals.
A separate Tropicarium (39 52 50; adult/4-15yr Skr90/60; 9.30am-7pm late Jun-early Aug; 10am-6pm early–mid-Aug; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun mid-Aug–late Sep; 10am-3pm late Sep-Apr; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5.30pm Sat & Sun May & Jun) opposite the entrance titillates with its motley crew of spiders, sharks, alligators and snakes.
You’ll need a whole day to fully appreciate the zoo. Kolmården lies 35km north of Norrköping, on the north shore of Bråviken. Take regular bus 432 or 433 from Norrköping (Skr60, 40 minutes).
Sleeping
CAMPING & HOSTELS
Norrköpings Camping (17 11 90; info@norrkopingscamping.com; Campingvägen; sites Skr120, 2-/4-bed cabins Skr400/550) This little campsite sits on the south bank