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Old Linköping - a charming open-air museum

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Gamla Linköping is a charming open-air museum that shows Linköping from the past, with city blocks, houses, shops and farms. There is a wide range of museum environments that show how people lived and worked in the old days. There are also many cosy cafés and shops.

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Old Linköping Open Air Museum

Friluftsmuseet Gamla Linköping offers fantastic charming environments, and it is nice to just stroll around and take photos or get nostalgic. When the cafés and museum environments are open, it is also a lively environment with guided tours and activities for both children and adults.

Gamla Linköping

Old Linköping is located about two kilometres west of the centre of Linköping.

Nostalgia and history

In Gamla Linköping you can experience both nostalgia and history: old urban environments as well as gadgets, signs and advertising posters from the past.

Gamla Linköping - affischer

Urban neighbourhoods

The city centre is a large area of streets and squares from the past. Here you can stroll through winding alleys and find residential buildings, farms, shops, craftsmen's buildings and other important city facilities such as schools and banks.

Normally, many of the houses in Old Linköping are open inside, to showcase the different museum environments. When we were here, all museum environments were closed due to the pandemic, but it was still cosy to walk the streets and see the environments from the outside.

Gamla Linköping - repslageri

Perhaps most fascinating is entering the town square. When you come here, it really feels like you are stepping into another time. The shops are fantastic and it's fun to look at what advertising looked like in the past.

Gamla Linköping
Gamla Linköping - butik

Museums, shops and cafés

There are many museums and museum environments in Old Linköping. Unfortunately, these were not open when we were here, but on the museum's website you can read that there is a graphic museum, painting museum, police museum, carriage museum and school museum.

Gamla Linköping - skola

There are also many shops selling things like arts and crafts, toys, gifts, soap and candy in cones in the old fashioned way. Some of the shops were open when we were here, and we checked out the Historiska Kompaniet where you can browse lots of stuff with an antique feel.

Gamla Linköping - Historiska kompaniet

Old Linköping is also home to one of Cloetta's three Swedish stores (the others are in Ljungsbro and Malmö). Take the right thing - Take Cloetta!

Gamla Linköping - Cloetta

Usually there are also plenty of cafés and other food outlets. Mostly you'll find things like pastries, ice cream and waffles, but also sandwiches and other food.

Gamla Linköping

Tidstorp and Valla farm

When you feel satisfied with urban environments, you can walk past the equestrian centre Tidstorp and towards Valla gård. Tidstorp shows what life was like for an enlisted cavalry soldier and his family in the early 19th century. These soldiers were as much farmers as they were soldiers, and a small soldier's village with associated agriculture was part of their pay.

Gamla Linköping - Tidstorp

If you continue a little further you will come to Valla Farm. Here you can see the history of the countryside, including the railway and Halleby railway station. There is also the Lill-Valla playground, mini-golf, animals and the Tekniska verken museum.

Vallaskogen nature reserve

Near Old Linköping is the Vallaskogen nature reserve, with many different trails and footpaths. The nature reserve aims to showcase how farmers in the past managed their forest, so cows are sometimes allowed to graze in the forest. The forest also contains many remains from the ancient farming community, such as prehistoric barns and old burial cairns.

Gamla Linköping naturreservat

You can also take the opportunity to learn how to recognise the leaves of the forest. We are very bad at this ... can you do this?

Gamla Linköping - lära om löv

Forest path

In Vallaskogen nature reserve there is also the experience trail Skogsstigen with "fun knowledge about animals and nature". The trail is around one kilometre long and is also adapted for people with disabilities.

Gamla Linköping - Skogsstigen

Visiting Old Linköping

We can highly recommend a visit to Old Linköping - incredibly beautiful and charming, and also educational! When we were here, a lot of things were closed and it was yet nice. How nice is it when everything is open? But yes, the advantage we got in these times was that it was a quiet and peaceful visit.

Gamla Linköping
So what is it with Peter and "posing with cows" ...?

More to do in the neighbourhood of Gamla Linköping

In Linköping, for example, you can visit the cathedral, the Linköping Garden Association and the Air Force Museum. It is also interesting to visit Ekenäs Castle, Vreta Abbey, Berg's locks and the aqueduct in Ljungsbro.

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Have you visited Gamla Linköping

Have you visited Old Linköping? Have you been here when the museums and restaurants were open? Tell us about your experience!

Facts about Old Linköping

  • Landscape: Östergötland
  • Municipality: Linköping
  • Location: 2 kilometres west of the centre of Linköping
  • Address: Tunnbindarevägen 1
  • Parts: The city centre, Valla farm and Valla forest
  • Read more: You can find more information at Open air museum website.

Tours and activities

  • Historic environments: Houses and farms, the Folkpark theatre, the Folk School, Halleby railway station, blacksmith's shop, the historic gardens of the city quarters, etc.
  • Museums: Graphic Museum, School Museum, Railway Museum, Painting Museum, Police Museum, Odalman Museum, Westman Carriage Museum, Technical Works Museum, historical exhibitions, etc.
  • Activities for children: Animals at Valla Farm, the Phenomenon Magazine (with experiments), Bryggaregården, horse and carriage, the playground, Lill-Valla playground, pony rides, the forest trail, miniature golf and more.
  • Nature: Vallas forest

Services and practical information

  • Opening hours: The museum area is always open. Opening hours in museums, shops and restaurants vary. See the museum's website for current information.
  • Parking: Available in the city centre, on Valla farm and along Gästgivaregatan.
  • Food service: Wärdshuset, Wilhelminas frestelser, Skönfärgaregården Butik & Våffelstuga, Korvboden, Gelato house, Dahlbergs café and more.
  • Shops: Cloetta's shop, Handelsboden, Historiska Kompaniet and other shops selling handicrafts, toys, gifts, soap and much more.
  • Tourist information: During the summer, the Infomagasinet visitor centre is located at Tunnbindaregatan 8. During the winter, parts of the Infomagasinet are located in Handelsboden at Kryddbodtorget 2.
  • Accommodation: Hilma Winblad's Bed & Breakfast and Valla Folkhögskola's Bed & Breakfast.
  • Parking space: At Valla Farm there are also some pitches for motorhomes. Access to a toilet, but no other services.

Accessibility

  • Parking: Parking spaces for people with disabilities are available at the Wärdshuset, in the large car park in the city quarter and at Mjellerumsgården in Valla gård.
  • Toilets: Accessible toilets are available at Fenomenmagasinet, Wärdshuset, Dahlbergs café, Curmanska magasinet, Folkparksteatern, Smådjursanläggningen, Westmanska vagnmuseet, Vallastalllet and at Kapellplanen.
  • Outdoor environments: Most cobbled streets have specially paved footpaths to help people with walking difficulties.
  • Indoor environments: Some buildings have accessible entrances and lifts. Other buildings with museums or shops have mobile ramps. You may need to contact the museum in advance or be accompanied by someone who can ask staff to bring the ramp.
  • The forest path: This trail is adapted for people with disabilities.
  • The Experience Garden: An accessible garden that can be experienced with all the senses.
  • Transport in the area: You can travel between the city centre and Valla Farm on the tuff tuff train. You can also book a tour by horse and carriage. Wheelchair accessible carriages are available.

Find your way to Old Linköping

  • Car: Take Drottninggatan/Malmslättsvägen or Y-ring and follow the signs. From the E4 motorway find signs from exit 111.
  • Bus: Several buses leave from Resecentrum in Linköping. Check bus numbers and times at Östgötatrafiken.
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