Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [88]
KINDA CANAL
While upstaged by the Göta Canal, Linköping boasts its own canal system, the 90km Kinda Canal. Opened in 1871, it has 15 locks, including Sweden’s deepest. Cruises include evening sailings, musical outings and wine-tasting trips. For a simple day excursion, from late June to early August the M/S Kind (0141-23 33 70; adult/6-15yr Skr370/110) leaves Tullbron dock at 10am on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and travels to Rimforsa (return by bus or train included).
OTHER SIGHTS
Made from blocks of handcarved limestone, the enormous Domkyrka (9am-6pm) was the country’s largest and most expensive church in the Middle Ages. Its foundations were laid around 1250 and its 107m spire and vast interior still impress. Inside sits a vivid 16th-century triptych by Dutchman Marten van Heemskerck.
The struggle between church and state is explored in the nearby castle’s Slotts- & Domkyrkomuseum (12 23 80; adult/under 7yr Skr40/free; 11am-4pm Tue-Fri, noon-4pm Sat & Sun Apr-Sep, noon-4pm Tue-Sun Oct-Mar), where the bolshy King Gustav Vasa and the last Catholic bishop, Hans Brask, made friends, ate, drank and fell out again. Archaeological finds include two mummified black rats from the bishop’s privy.
Just north of the cathedral, Östergötlands Länsmuseum (23 03 00; Vasavägen; adult/child Skr20/10; 10am-4pm Tue-Sun, til 8pm Tue & Thu Sep-mid Dec & mid-Jan–May) has a decent European art collection (Cranach’s painting of Eden, Original Sin, is wonderful, with a smiling Eve twiddling her toes), and Swedish art dating from the Middle Ages.
The concrete floor of Sankt Lars Kyrka (Storgatan; 11am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-1pm Sat, 3-8pm Sun) was built in 1802 above the previous medieval church crypt. Ask the rector to lead you downstairs, where fascinating finds include 11th-century gravestones, a teen skeleton (complete with fatal blow to the skull) and fragments of the medieval church’s painted roof tiles.
Approximately 7km west of the centre is Flygvapenmuseum (28 35 67; Carl Cederströms gatan; adult/under 18yr Skr40/free; 10am-5pm Jun-Aug, noon-4pm Tue-Sun Sep-May), with exhibits on air-force history and 60 aircraft fit for a Top Gun remake. To get there, take bus 213.
Ekenäs Slott (771 46; tours adult/10-15yr Skr60/25; guided tours on the hour 1-3pm Tue-Sun Jul; Sat & Sun Jun & Aug), built between 1630 and 1644, is one of the best-preserved Renaissance castles in Sweden. Features include three spectacular towers, a moat, and furnishings from the 17th to 19th centuries. Located 20km east of Linköping, you’ll need your own transport to get there.
Sleeping
Glyttinge Camping (17 49 28; glyttinge@nordiccamping.se; Berggårdsvägen 6; sites from Skr165; year-round) This huge campsite, with minigolf and cycle hire, lies 4km west of the city centre.
Linköping STF Vandrarhem & Hotell (35 90 00; www.lvh.se; Klostergatan 52A; dm from Skr210, hotel s/d Skr765/840, weekends Skr496/596; ) This swish central hostel has hotel-style accommodation too, mostly with kitchenettes. All rooms have private bathrooms and TVs. Book ahead.
Hotell Östergyllen (10 20 75; www.hotellostergyllen.se; Hamngatan 2B; s/d from Skr425/620) Despite the forlorn ambience (think lino floors and anonymous corridors), this budget hotel offers cheap, comfy-enough rooms not far from the train station. You can pay up to Skr200 extra for a private bathroom.
Hotell du Nord (12 98 95; www.hotelldunord.se; Repslagaregatan 5; s/d from Skr720/900, discounted to Skr530/690; ) Plonked in parkland, with its main 19th-century building looking like a doll’s house, Hotell du Nord boasts friendly staff, light and pleasant rooms (those in the aesthetically challenged rear building are freshly renovated and larger), as well as a patio for outdoor summer breakfasts.
Park Hotel (12 90 05; www.fawltytowers.se; Järnvägsgatan 6; s/d Skr890/1090, discounted to Skr650/850; ) Disturbingly billed as Sweden’s ‘Fawlty Towers’, this hotel resembles