How to check in JSTL whether object is String or Collection?

You could look at the class name. For example:

<c:if test="${item.class.simpleName == 'String'}">
   <!-- it's a String! -->
</c:if>

item.class lead to errors when using with tomcat 7. For me this works (although it's dirtier):

${item.link.getClass().simpleName == 'String'}