The life-friendly city

A rewarding career or a wonderful life with lots of time for family and friends? In Linköping, there’s no need for you to choose – because you can have it all. The reason, one of them at least, is the short distances – between work, leisure activities and …well, everything else – ultimately giving you more time for all the good things in life. Feel the pulse of the city or experience the calm of nature, it’s all just as close. And that’s how you’ll finally be able to find that elusive balance, that we all seem to be searching for, because it’s right here – in Linköping.

World-class education and research

Looking to study? Then you’ve come to the right place, because Linköping University is not only one of Sweden’s best universities – it also ranks highly internationally. In fact, according to several studies, the students here are among the most sought-after on the labour market.
Characterized by its high quality and many interdisciplinary programs, LiU’s innovative education perfectly matches the high demands for competence in this new era. In addition, the cutting-edge research conducted here also contributes to the strong development of our business world – including a thriving startup scene.
As the only Swedish city, Linköping has been awarded as “Student City of the Year” not just once – but twice – based on criteria such as student influence, business collaboration, pedagogical development and, of course, its homely atmosphere.
A life-friendly city, indeed.

Live the way you want

Linköping is evolving all the time – with new people, new businesses, and new, bustling neighbourhoods. And our public sector can only be described as excellent, with a broad and varied offer of schools, healthcare, and social provision.
In the city centre, there are lots of beautiful little squares and parks, in addition to popular oases like the river Stångån and the Kinda canal. You’ll also find a plethora of cafes, restaurants, shops, and retail stores here – in fact, Linköping is Sweden’s eighth-largest commercial centre.

In other words, Linköping is the perfect city for anyone who appreciates having lots of possibilities close by. Cultural life, city buzz, nature, meet-ups – they’re all nearby. And we’ve got a promise for you; compared to Sweden’s largest cities, you’ll most certainly be able to live better here, as well.
In fact, in Linköping, you can live just the way you want. There’s a wide variety of housing to choose from – from detached homes for sale, to co-operatively owned homes or condos, and rental apartments. As you can tell, there’s something for everyone here – so we really do think you’ll be able to find your dream home.

And if you’re in the market to buy, then we’ve got good news: the prices here are generally lower than in Sweden’s largest cities – even more so if you choose one of the many smaller residential areas around the city. Still, you’re just minutes from the cinemas, restaurants, and concerts in the city centre. And if it takes just 15 minutes to get from work, deliver the kids to their after-school activity, or to get out in the forest for a trail run – well, that’s a bonus, right? More time for the good stuff. That’s quality of life if you ask us. And we think you’ll agree.

Things to do in Linköping

We could talk for hours about all that our city has to offer – let’s just say that in Linköping, you’ll find all the possibilities that you’ve come to expect from a modern city. Or how about a rich and varied cultural life? Family activities? The great outdoors? It’s all here. Still, that’s just for starters. If you want to dance the night away or shop till you drop for the latest in fashion, you’ll be right at home here, too. And let’s not forget that lazy Sunday brunch with your friends at the local coffee shop – because in Linköping we’re all about living in the now.

Looking for more unique experiences that you won’t find elsewhere? Then you’re in the right place, because Linköping has got many. One of them is NärCon, the Nordic region’s largest cosplay festival, hosted by Linköping twice a year since 2002. It’s an amazing, inclusive social event that attracts more than 10,000 participants every time – just imagine the city filling up with all your favourite fantasy characters from comics, cinema, and TV. Surely, it’s a happening not to be missed.

In Sweden’s most inclusive sporting region, you’d probably expect to find men’s and women’s football played at elite level – and you’d be right. This is of course no coincidence. Rather, it’s the result of the long collaboration between Linköping municipality and our local sports clubs.

What’s more, in Linköping we have Sweden’s most modern riding school and what is probably the country’s most developed network of bridleways. And of course, we have to mention our successful women’s football club, Linköping Football Club (LFC), Linköping Hockey Club (LHC) and LASS, our swimming club that was founded in 1824.

If you’re looking to be active and outdoorsy, we’ve got everything from high rope courses to golf courses, mountain biking, and skate parks – in addition, of course, to the big arena events; from athletics to swimming. All in all, it’s safe to say you’ll discover a varied and multifaceted culture and leisure life here in Linköping. Oh, and one more thing: we’ve got a cricket field. But wait, who even plays cricket nowadays? Well, we do – and now you can, too!

Music and culture

In Linköping, we collaborate across borders to enable world-class events and creative meeting places for everyone. As a result, you can expect to see some of the biggest names in music and sports here. In addition to our major arenas – Saab Arena and Linköping Arena – there are also several smaller stages bringing a different kind of vibe. For instance, Östgötateatern (The Östgöta Theatre) and Linköping Konsert & Kongress regularly feature concerts, plays, musicals, and other cultural events of the highest quality.

A creative melting pot, Linköping has not only spawned beloved artists such as Lars Winnerbäck and Louise Hoffsten. Ghost, the world-famous, Polar Prize-winning rock band and its lead singer Tobias Forge, also come from here.
Oh, and did you know that there is a little bit of Linköping in Beyoncé’s voice, as well? That’s right, the Linköping-based tech company Softube – perhaps better-known in London and Los Angeles – did in fact create some of the vocal effects used by the star. It’s another perfect example of the collaboration between Linköping University and our start-up community achieving international recognition.

So, that’s our version of a life-friendly city – one where your free time can truly come to life. Check out Visit Linköping’s website and you’ll find much more. See you out there!

A sustainable city

The City of Linköping strives to be a leader in climate change solutions. Thanks to our high ambitions, we have reduced our net CO2 emissions by 35 percent per resident between 2009-2020. During the same period, the total population increased by approximately 20,000 people, while we also increased our production of renewable, resource-efficient electricity.

Having started pursuing environmental issues very early on, we were actually the first Swedish city with the lofty goal of becoming carbon neutral as early as 2025 – a decision that was made already in 2011. We will not quite reach this ambitious goal, but since we set such a high bar from an early stage, we have made tremendous progress and are better positioned to continue our climate work. Now we're shifting gears with the long-term goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, which includes all greenhouse gasses.

Since 2021, the City of Linköping has been part of the national initiative Climate Neutral Cities 2030 – Viable Cities. By participating, Linköping is teaming up with 22 other cities in Sweden to create the climate-neutral cities of the future with a good quality of life for all, while respecting the planet’s limits.

We are certified as a Fairtrade city, and it may come as no surprise that we also stand behind Agenda 2030 and the UN’s global goals. At present we are focusing on, among other things, non-toxic environments, climate adaptation, and waste management. Another typical goal for Linköping is constantly improving the conditions for cycling, walking and public transport – something that always has a high priority in our urban planning.

Home to groundbreaking innovations

Linköping, if we may say so ourselves, boasts a thriving business community displaying excellence in a wide variety of fields. One of the main reasons is our strong innovation culture – which is a culture based on collaboration. In addition, Linköping is home to one of the world’s leading universities, collaborating closely with trade and industry, and this, altogether, is why so many groundbreaking innovations are born right here in Linköping – a city where the future is ever-present.

The perfect location

Anyone who’s ever travelled from Linköping would surely agree: Linköping, together with neighbouring city Norrköping, has a perfect location – making it very easy to get out into the world from here. In fact, the entire region Östergötland boasts a geographic and logistic dream location, right in the middle of Sweden and between two of the nation’s largest cities. Half of Sweden’s population, and a quarter of the country’s industrial production, can be found within a 150-mile radius.