Moving to a new city is a time of many changes and new beginnings. Why not use your move to Sweden to get active and try out what Linköping has to offer in terms of sports? In this post I want to give you an overview about what is possible in the city and what I’ve enjoyed so far.

Cycling

In Linköping the number one way to get around for students is by bike. The numerous bike paths all around the city make it really easy to get everywhere you need in a fast and safe way. I recommend you to make us of that even further and explore the area by bike! 

There are so many beautiful spots around Linköping that are easily reachable by biking. My favourites include cycling to Berg (there is a bike path the whole way!) where you can swim in the lake Roxen and continue cycling along the gorgeous Göta kanal. Closer to Linköping is the Tinnerö Naturreservat (Tinnerö nature reserve) where you can find endless roads and gravel paths with basically no car traffic and unspoilt nature and lakes. It is incredible to me that such beautiful nature is only a 15 minute bike ride away from the university!

So grab your bike, some friends and head out there!

Hiking

Another great way to experience the swedish outdoors is hiking.

There are so many interesting nature reserves all around Linköping. You can do everything from a quick afternoon on the trail to trekking for a (long) weekend. As Östergötland is pretty flat, the hiking is not as challenging as in more mountainous areas. It’s also the perfect way to see some of the local wildlife (maybe even some moose?).

Areas I can recommend for hiking are Tinnerö (again) and Omberg, which is on the shores of Swedens second biggest lake, Vättern. There you can try the Omberg Runt which is a circular hike, best done over 2 days. Omberg is also easily reachable by public transport if you don’t have a car! There are many other interesting places and I hope you get out there and explore them!

Squash

When the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting worse, it might be necessary to do some exercise indoors. For this I can recommend Squash and more specifically the Squash Association at Liu. They host a student squash event every friday evening, which is very fun and also a great way to get to know some locals and swedish students! You can also play squash at the Linköping Squashcenter at other times. They have all the necessary equipment available for rent.

If you don’t know Squash, it is a racket sport where two players compete in a four-walled court. It is also described as one of the most exhausting sports out there, so it really is great exercise!

Climbing

Another great sport that you can do indoors and outdoors is climbing. In Linköping there is a climbing gym which is situated in Ryd, close to the university and the area where most students live. The gym has a bouldering area and also a big area for rope climbing. As I’m a beginner in climbing I tried the easier bouldering challenges, which was very fun, but there is also a lot on offer for more experienced climbers!

Winter Sports

One thing I’m really excited about is trying out the different winter sports that are possible in and around Linköping. Once it gets cold enough there are several ice skating rinks all over the city and sometimes it’s also possible to skate on the lakes when they freeze over. When there is enough snow on the ground, many running and hiking trails in the forests around Linköping turn into cross country skiing trails and it is also possible to rent the skis in town. If you are more into alpine skiing there is a hill with a lift close to Norrköping, but for a real taste of skiing in the mountains you have to travel further, for example to Åre or join the skiing student association for one of their organised trips.

These were my favourites to get active in Linköping! If you need some recommendations or further information, don’t hesitate to contact me!

Until next time! 

Niko

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