Traveleriences
Uppsala Cathedral's twin spires above the River Fyris on a summer day

Uppsala, Sweden

Ideal: 1–2 daysBest: Apr–SepPrice: Moderate
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In 60 seconds

Uppsala in 60 seconds

Uppsala is where Sweden began and where it learned to think. Three great burial mounds at Gamla Uppsala mark the seat of pagan kings; in the town below rises the tallest church in Scandinavia, where Gustav Vasa and Carl Linnaeus lie buried. The university, founded in 1477, is the oldest in the Nordic countries — climb into the steep wooden anatomical theatre at the Gustavianum, see the 6th-century Silver Bible at the Carolina Rediviva library, and walk Linnaeus's own garden, replanted to his plan. The River Fyris runs through the middle, lined with cafés; on 30 April, Valborg, the whole student city takes to its banks. It is 18 minutes from Stockholm Arlanda by train, so make it your first or last day in Sweden, or stay two.

UniversityVikings

Best for

  • History
  • Museums
  • Weekend

Known for

  • Uppsala Cathedral
  • Gamla Uppsala
  • Linnaeus
  • Valborg

Skip if

You have only a few days in Sweden and no interest in history or science — Stockholm's museums cover much of the same story.

Your match

Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Uppsala fits them. Choose interests

See

Must experience

The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.

Gamla Uppsala

Inexpensive

Royal burial mounds and museum

Three huge 6th-century mounds, a medieval church on the site of the old temple and a museum that tells the story; walk or cycle out along the river.

Gamla UppsalaArchaeologyVikings
Official site for Gamla Uppsala (opens in a new tab)

Gustavianum

Moderate

University museum with a 1660s anatomical theatre

Olof Rudbeck's dome-topped theatre for dissections, the gilded Augsburg Art Cabinet and Viking-age boat-grave finds, all in one building.

DomkyrkoområdetScienceVikings
Official site for Gustavianum (opens in a new tab)

Carolina Rediviva

University library · The Silver Bible

The Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century Gothic gospel in silver and gold ink on purple parchment, displayed in the exhibition hall.

CentrumFreeManuscripts

Eat

Where to eat

A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?

Local

Where to eat the food this city is actually known for.

Domtrappkällaren

Expensive

Swedish classics in a medieval cellar

Vaulted rooms at the foot of the cathedral steps; game, fish and Swedish classics done properly.

DomkyrkoområdetHistoricSwedish

Coffee & fika

Mornings, and the slow hour between things.

More places to eat

Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.

Beyond the obvious

Hidden gems

Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.

Uppsala Castle hill

Sunset over the city from Gustav Vasa's castle

Climb to the pink 16th-century castle and the Gunilla bell for the best view of the cathedral, then drop down into the Botanical Garden behind it.

SlottsbackenFreeView

Linnaeus's Hammarby

Inexpensive

Linnaeus's country house

The farmhouse and gardens where Linnaeus spent his summers, his study walls papered with botanical plates. Open in summer.

Danmark parishGardenSummer

After dark

Bars & nightlife

Bryggeriet Ångkvarn

Moderate

Brewpub in an old steam mill

IPA and lager brewed on the premises and rustic plates to go with them.

CentrumCraft beerFood

Solaris Wine Bar

Expensive

Swedish wines by the glass

A rare chance to taste Sweden's own artisanal wines, with food from local producers.

CentrumLocalWine

Miss Voon Skybar

Expensive

Rooftop bar

Cocktails on top of a hotel with the cathedral spires across the rooftops.

CentrumCocktailsView

Orientation

Neighbourhoods

How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.

Fjärdingen

Cathedral, university and student nations

The hill west of the river: the cathedral, the Gustavianum, the library and the grand houses of the student nations.

The River Fyris

Café terraces along the water

The river splits the town in two; walk its banks from the cathedral to the old mill and the Upplandsmuseet.

Stay

Where to stay

Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.

Around the station

Moderate

Hotels a short walk from everything

Trains to Arlanda and Stockholm leave every few minutes, and the cathedral is ten minutes away on foot.

TrainsWalkable

Practical

Know before you go

Getting in
Trains from Stockholm Arlanda take about 18 minutes and from Stockholm Central about 40.
Getting around
Walk or cycle — Uppsala is flat and full of bikes. Gamla Uppsala is a 40-minute riverside walk or a short bus ride.
Valborg
On 30 April students race home-made rafts down the Fyris and the town celebrates until late; book beds well ahead.
When to go
April to September; the Linnaeus gardens and Hammarby are at their best in June.
Taste locally
Upplandskubb, the steamed rye loaf of the province, mead at Gamla Uppsala, and the city's old konditorier.
Combine with
Stockholm, Sigtuna, and the ironworks villages of northern Uppland.

Plan this trip — useful links

Destination Uppsala — official guide (opens in a new tab)

Context

History in 5 minutes

Enough to make what you are looking at legible.

  1. 500s

    Kings of the Svear are buried under the great mounds at Gamla Uppsala, then the centre of pagan Sweden.

  2. 1164

    Uppsala becomes the seat of Sweden's archbishop.

  3. 1435

    The new cathedral in the town is consecrated.

  4. 1477

    Uppsala University is founded, the first in the Nordic countries.

  5. 1741

    Carl Linnaeus returns to teach at the university, and his students go out to name the world's plants.

Further out

Nearby escapes

Worth a day if you have one to spare.

Lövstabruk

18th-century ironworks village

A complete Walloon iron-making estate — manor, workers' houses, church and gardens — in the forests of northern Uppland.

1 hr 15 min by carHistoryManor

Sigtuna

Sweden's first town, on Lake Mälaren

Church ruins, runestones and a wooden main street; Sigtuna has its own guide.

40 min by bus or carLakeMedieval