Planning your travel to LiU

Students on international programmes at Linköping University (LiU) are located at one of our three campuses in the cities of Linköping and Norrköping, in Östergötland. Here are some travel options to help you start planning the journey here.

Travelling to Sweden via plane

Arlanda Airport (ARN), Stockholm is the major airport in Sweden. The easiest way to travel from Arlanda to Linköping or Norrköping is by train or coach. It takes about two to three hours by train and there are several direct trains every day. You can also take the Arlanda Express to Stockholm Central Station and get a train or coach from there (perhaps arriving early and visiting the capital of Sweden on your way to LiU).

Linköping City Airport (LPI) is a small airport located close to the city centre (only five minutes away by taxi). LPI offers daily connections to Schiphol Amsterdam. There are usually taxis waiting outside the terminal building to take you either to the Central Station (Resecentrum) where you can catch a local bus or all the way to your destination. There are no bus stops close to the airport so we recommend you to take a taxi.

Skavsta Airport (NYO), is located in Nyköping, a town between Stockholm and Norrköping. If you fly to Skavsta you can catch an airport bus (Flygbuss) that will take you to Norrköping or Linköping in about 60-90 minutes. You can buy your ticket at the airport or online in advance.

Think outside the box!

Copenhagen Kastrup Airport (CPH), Denmark. Yes, Denmark! As the largest airport in Scandinavia, there are often good deals on flights to CPH. If you arrive at CPH, you can take a direct train to Linköping or Norrköping on Sweden's national train carrier SJ. It is also possible to take the frequent commuter train to Malmö train station and catch a train or coach from there. The train ride from CPH takes about 3-4 hours to Linköping and 4-4,5 hours to Norrköping.

Border crossings from Europe

Students moving from within Europe, or those who have utilised the European summer to travel before their studies start may be interested in driving, taking the a train, coach or ferry to Sweden. If you are driving, the easiest route is via Öresund Bridge from Copenhagen to Malmö, or by ferry from Denmark or Germany. Linköping and Norrköping are located adjacent to the E4 Highway. Coaches, trains and ferries are available from Denmark, Germany, Finland and the Baltic states, for example.

Travelling to Linköping and Norrköping within Sweden

Our two campus cities are sister cities and are situated southwest of Stockholm; Norrköping is about one hour and Linköping two hours from Stockholm by train. The distance from Arlanda or Nyköping to the local airports in Linköping and Norrköping is too short to be viable for air travel.

Train and bus.

Trains

Sweden has an extensive railway network and travelling by train can often be the fastest option, depending on your destination. We recommend that you buy your ticket online in advance, as you will get the lowest price and not have to worry about the train being fully booked. You can have your ticket delivered by email or SMS or print it at vending machines at train stations in Sweden using your booking reference. You can also ask a local convenience store (e.g. Pressbyrån, 7-eleven) to print your ticket in exchange for a small fee.

If you want to buy your train ticket when you have arrived in Sweden, there are vending machines at all train stations where you can buy and print your ticket. Major train stations may also have service centres with employees to help you with your purchase, however, the ticket price may be higher than online. Note that you cannot buy tickets on board the train.

If you are under the age of 26, you are eligible for a youth discount on SJ trains. You can check timetables and other travel information on SJ’s website.

Coaches

If you arrive by plane, a coach is a cheap option to travel to LiU. Coaches from Stockholm are available to both Linköping and Norrköping with a few departures daily, the journey takes 2,5 hours to Norrköping and up to 3,5 hours to Linköping. Timetables and tickets are available on the coach companies’ websites (find the largest ones among the useful links below)

Travel tips: It can save a lot of stress to book re-bookable tickets in case you are not covered for delays or miss a connecting leg on your travel plan. Keep your valuable items with you at all times (like your passport or your diploma).

Travel resources

Arlanda Express - fast trains between Arlanda and Stockholm Central Station

Flygbussarna - Airport buses (flygbuss) from Arlanda, Skavsta and Bromma Airports

SJ - Sweden's national train carrier

FlixBus - Express buses

NettBus - Express buses

ÖstgötaTrafiken - Local public transport in East Sweden

Getting to campus

Public transport

Local public transport in Linköping and Norrköping is run by ÖstgötaTrafiken. On their website, you can find detailed information about tickets and timetables (the website is in Swedish, with the option to use Google Translate for information in other languages).

ÖstgötaTrafiken

Local buses and trains are cash-free, which means you cannot pay in cash on buses and trains. You can however use your credit card. Other alternatives is to purchase a single ticket, or invest in a travel card or use ÖstgötaTrafiken's new app before going on a bus or train. We have a short film to help you navigate the system but not the new app was released after the film.

Bus stops

ÖstgötaTrafiken runs the bus services to all campuses. The names of the bus stops are in Swedish, but there are often screens on the bus showing the upcoming stop and on some buses there is a voice-over announcing the next bus stop.

Bus stops at Campus Valla
From Linköping Central Station (Resecentrum), bus 4, 12 and 20 will take you to Campus Valla. This campus is very large, so it is good to check which part of campus you are going to and what bus stop is close to that part of campus. If you are going to Studenthuset to visit the International Office you should get off at bus stop Mäster Mattias Väg (bus 12 and 20) or Nobeltorget (bus 4). It's the same walking distance, about 5 minutes, from the bus stops to Studenthuset. Click on the links below to get directions to Studenthuset from these bus stops.
Mäster Mattias Väg
Nobeltorget
Bus stops at University Hospital Campus
From Linköping Central Station (Resecentrum), buses 2, 4 and 17 will take you to the University Hospital Campus. These stops service our campus: US Södra entrén and US Norra entrén.
Swedish language tip: The University Hospital Campus is called Campus US in Swedish and most students will only ever refer to it as Campus US.
Bus stops at Campus Norrköping
From Norrköping Central Station (Resecentrum), bus 113 will take you to Skvallertorget, which is right next to our campus. Bus and tram-stops you can exit at include: Väster Tull, Söder Tull, and Skvallertorget.

Tip: At the bottom of every page of liu.se there are Google map directions to each campus. Select your campus to get directions on your device. Great for finding transport options, walking and biking in the beginning of your time at LiU.

The Campus bus

Students with a valid LiU-card can travel for free between the campuses with our Campus bus. Once you have obtained your LiU-card, you can use it as a ticket on the bus. The bus usually runs hourly on weekdays and makes it easy for you to visit friends and take part in student activities on our three campuses in East Sweden.

You can find the timetable in the LiU-app.

Cycling & Walking

Campus Norrköping is located about one kilometre from the Central Station, an approximate 15-minute walk through the city.

Walking to the University Hospital Campus is also possible in approximately 20 minutes from central Linköping.

Campus Valla is 3 kilometres outside central Linköping which is approximately 45 mins walking distance from the Central Station.

Most students purchase a used bicycle once they have settled, as both Linköping and Norrköping are great cities for getting around by bike.

Free campus bus

As a student of LiU, you can travel between our Linköping and Norrköping campuses for free! The campus bus provides smooth transfers between our campuses.

Campus cities and our region

Linköping University's three main campuses are located in the cities of Linköping and Norrköping which are both located in the region of Östergötland. Find out what our campus cities and the region have to offer.

Student Accommodation

It is important to start looking for accommodation as soon as you intend to study at LiU. Learn how to find housing in Sweden. Join the queues today to increase your options for future studies.

Visit Linköping University

Maps, information for visitors and information about the four campuses: Campus Valla and the University Hospital Campus (both in Linköping), Campus Norrköping (in Norrköping) and Campus Lidingö (in Stockholm).