What To See In Uppsala (Sweden)

After Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, Uppsala is Sweden's 4th largest city. At only a 1 hours-distance from Stockholm, it is the perfect day-trip to take if you are in the swedish capital and want to spend some time exploring another city. An even better option is to actually start by visiting Uppsala when you arrive at Arlanda: you can take a Pendeltåg (local train) that will take you from the airport to Uppsala in around 20 minutes.

If Uppsala is in your bucket list or you are open to finding out more about this beautiful city, here are some suggestions of what to see and do there.

Uppsala University

Uppsala is known to be a vibrant student city, since it is home to the Uppsala University, which was founded in the 15th Century and is the oldest University in Scandinavia. The University attracts people from all over the World to study and live there, making the city of Uppsala a truly dynamic and multicultural place.

While you are exploring the University, make sure to visit the Carolina Rediviva Library which is the largest in Sweden, containing a whopping 5 million volumes.

Apart from the beautiful Library, there is also another highlight of the University: the Museum of Evolution.

At the Palaeontology Department, visitors can see the biggest collection of dinosaur specimens in the whole Scandinavia. In fact, the Museum exhibits the only Euhelopus zdanskyi specimens existent in the whole World.

At the Zoology Department, visitors can see animals from all over the World, some of them having already become extinct.

The Mineralogy Department allows visitors to learn more about our Planet and the Solar System, through exhibitions which include interesting objects like pieces of meteorites.

If you would like to see see another one of Uppsala University's unique objects, head to Gustavianum Museum where the first thermometer ever made is on display. It was invented by Anders Celsius, a Swedish physicist and astronomer who lived in the city of Uppsala during the 18th century.

Note that the Museum is currently undergoing renovations, thus being closed to the public and reopening only during the Autumn of 2023. You can read more about the rigorous renovation works here.

Another interesting part of the city is composed by the student nations that are so characteristic of the vibrant student life felt in Uppsala. Here is a self-guided tour of all the nations, if you want to explore them in more detail.

Domkyrka - Uppsala's Cathedral

Uppsala's Domkyrka is a majestic building standing tall at the center of the city, which can never go unnoticed when visitors are going about their sightseeing. In fact, it is the tallest and biggest cathedral in Scandinavia. It is considered Uppsala's most emblematic landmark, and rightly so. At 119 meters of height and dating all the way back to the 13th Century, the Cathedral is a mandatory attraction to visit while you are in the city.

The two majestic spires of the Cathedral mark the city's skyline and make for some of the best postcard-like pictures of the city.

At the Cathedral's interior, visitors can enjoy the remarkable frescos portraying several episodes of Gustav Vasa's life, as well as the tomb where he is buried with his wife. Gustav Vasa is the famous Swedish King who is commonly known as "the founder of the Nation" as well as the founder of modern Sweden.

Another remarkable thing to experience when visiting the Cathedral's interior is the Coronation Vault, which is where the majority of Sweden's Kings and Queens got crowned between Medieval times and the 18th Century.

If you are interesting in visiting the Cathedral and would like to get a guided tour, there are free guided tours in English as you can read here.

Uppsala's Cathedral seen from the bridge at St Olofsgatan

Holy Trinity Church

This beautiful medieval Church dating back to the 13th Century is located right next to the Cathedral and it is well worth a visit as well.

Apart from admiring its beautiful arquitecture, many visitors enter the Church in order to see the murals painted by Albertus Pictor. Even though he was originally from Germany, he settled in Sweden and eventually became the most famous Swedish painter from late Medieval times.

Uppsala Castle

Uppsala Slott (Swedish for Uppsala's Castle) started being built during the 16th Century by the Swedish King Gustav Vasa and it has been the place of many important events of Sweden's History.

Examples of that are Gustav Vasa's famous tour known as Eriksgata which started from Uppsala's Castle and the remarkable "Sturemorden" which happened there, when King Erik XIV ordered the assassination of several noblemen who were accused of treason. An interesting detail is that their garments can be seen today at Uppsala's Cathedral.

During the 18th Century the Castle was severely damaged by a big fire that reduced it to ruins, but it was later reconstructed to look like it does today. Visitors can nowadays visit the two museums that the Castle houses: Vasaborgen and Uppsala Art Museum.

For those wishing to see the city from a different perspective, an interesting activity might be to go on a guided walk on the Castle's roof.

Stadsträdgården - the City Park

If you would like to take a relaxing break during your day in Uppsala, you will be pleased to know that there is a green oasis overlooking the river right at the center of the city. The City Garden is called Stadsträdgården in Swedish and it is a beautiful place where locals gather to have picnics, taking relaxing walks around the park or simply take a break from the city's movement.

Stadsträdgården seen from across the street

The park welcomes its visitors with a charming restaurant overlooking a pond with peaceful fountains adding a perfect touch to it. Walking past it and continuing their stroll alongside the water, visitors will come to a big green lawn where families and groups of friends usually gather to socialize and enjoy the (hopefully) nice weather.

Next to it there is another place of interest in the park: the so-called "Bliss Island" (Lycksalighetens ö in Swedish), which is a small island that is beautifully located in the middle of a pond.

"Bliss Island" at Uppsala's City Park

Right at the center of the park, visitors can find the so-called Gula Villan (Swedish for "Yellow House"). It is the house where the master gardener used to live, but nowadays it houses a cozy café where people can enjoy a Fika during the summer.

Café "Gula Villan" at the center of the City Park

For those interested in lively events during the summer months, head to Parksnäckan, an open-air theatre where locals often gather to watch performances.

The Linnaeus Garden

If you have gotten a taste for parks after visiting Stadsträdgården, head to the famous Linnaeus Garden - a reconstruction of what Linnaeus’ Botanical Garden would have looked like during the 18th century.

Only open to visitors during high season (from May to September), Linnaeus Garden is a unique place where people can admire more than 1000 plant species. Dating back to the year 1655, it was the first Botanical Garden in Sweden. After being destroyed by a fire that affected the whole city and seriously damaged the garden as well, it went into decline. When Carl Linnaeus was nominated Director of the garden in 1741, he turned started working to turn it around. Thanks to his contacts all over the World, he got seeds from exotic plants native of all corners of the Planet. Linnaeus' work impressively managed to turn that neglected place into one of the best gardens in the World.

The gardens that visitors can explore today are maintained according to the plans of Carl Linnaeus himself. At the garden there are only plant species that he used to cultivate himself during his lifetime and the plants are laid out according to his own criteria.

At the house where Linnaeus used to live, visitors can nowadays explore a museum where household items and pieces of furniture belonging to the scientist are exhibited. Other interesting things to see at the museum are Linnaeus herbarium and insect cabinet. Either through guided tours or by exploring the Museum freely, visitors get the opportunity to learn more about the famous scientist's private and professional life. His most famous achievement was the invention of the binomial nomenclature that we still use today in order to officially name plants and animals.

Adult tickets cost 100 SEK (around 10€) to visit the gardens and the Museum but if you are looking to keep your trip to Uppsala cheap, go after 5 pm when all the buildings are closed and you will be able to explore the gardens for free.