Should you visit Uppsala and Sigtuna during your stay in Sweden? We recommend that you take a day during your stay in Stockholm to visit the 2 typical Swedish towns located 30 km apart to the northwest of Stockholm. This tour also takes in the beautiful Swedish countryside.
Below, we give you all the information you need to visit both cities in the same day, what to see and do in each city, where to eat …
Where are Uppsala and Sigtuna located (map)?
Sigtuna is located 50km north of Stockholm on the E4 freeway and 16km by car from Arlanda airport. Upssala is located 30 km north of Sigtuna, and the main road linking the two towns is a pleasant one.
How long will it take to visit Uppsala and Sigtuna?
If you’d like to visit the area around Stockholm, we recommend devoting 1 day to visiting the 2 cities. We stayed 2 hours in Sigtuna and 3 hours in Uppsala, including a dinner break.
We recommend that you sleep in Uppsala, which offers a greater variety of accommodation.
What to see and do in Sigtuna
Sigtuna is one of Sweden’s oldest towns, founded in 980 A.D. and destroyed by fire several times. Remains of ancient churches can be seen throughout the town.
Most parking lots are free but limited to a few hours (remember to take a disc), so we stayed for 2 hours and had plenty of time to wander around.
The walk was quick, but still very pleasant. Here are the places not to be missed:
- Stora Gatan is the main street with its adorable little colorful wooden stores.
- At Mariakyrkan Church, we were even treated to a little organ concert, and there’s a little drawing table for children at the entrance!
- The ruins of the churches of Sant Per, Sankt Lars and Sankt Olof, set in a lush green environment planted with fruit trees, apple, pear and cherry trees… We love Sweden, because nature is always very much present, even in the city.
- Stroll along Lake Malaren with its beautiful wooden pontoons – you’ll never get tired of them – and of course the great playground that goes with it. We ate a sandwich on the benches facing the lake, followed by a delicious cinnamon roll from Kristers Hantverksbageri bakery.
- This is the Swedish town with the most rune stones, and if you’re interested, you can pick up a map at the tourist office. These stones are engraved with inscriptions, often in memory of a deceased person.
What to see and do in central Uppsala?
Uppsala is Sweden’s 4th largest city and one of the country’s largest student cities. As always in Swedish cities, it’s a great place to live, full of trees and so quiet. We feel right at home here, and would have loved to have been an Erasmus student (what, we’re already too old?).
Here’s the itinerary we followed on our walk around Uppsala (approx. 2 kilometers round trip). We parked in one of the university parking lots. (approx. €1 / hour)
- Climb up to the castle overlooking the town, where you can admire its pretty pink color up close and get a bird’s eye view of the town from the cannons.
- Join the botanical garden (another free visit, thanks to Sweden) and stroll around, observing the many plant species, and don’t miss the orangery.
- Head downhill towards the cathedral, the largest in Scandinavia, which is indeed impressive with its 119-meter-high towers.
- Then finish your visit by following the sound of the water towards the town center with its small waterfall, canals and restaurants/bar terraces. It’s easy to imagine the atmosphere here during the school year. We recommend the Asian restaurant Khao Soi, although not a local cuisine, our two Pad Thai were really well seasoned, a good address without breaking the bank!
Gamla Uppsala
Gamla Uppsala, Old Uppsala, is located 6km north of Uppsala, with free parking at the entrance. During the Viking period, Uppsala was one of the region’s most important religious centers.
You won’t want to miss the hills that emerge from the “flat” Swedish countryside. These tumuli are the tombs of Viking clan chiefs. A pleasant stroll allows you to observe them up close. A Viking museum completes the site.
How to get to Sigtuna and Uppsala?
- Public transport: you can come by train or bus from Stockholm.
To reach Uppsala, you can take a train from Stockholm Centralstation to Uppsala Centralstation. Then a bus from Uppsala to Sigtuna.
- Car: you can rent a car on arrival at the airport to explore the Swedish countryside.
- Excursion: you can also book a tour from Stockholm to Uppsala and Sigtuna with transport and guide.
We wish you an excellent trip! Don’t hesitate to leave us a note or 5 stars below, to let us know if you’re planning this trip, to ask any questions you may have, here or on Instagram, we’ll get back to you with great pleasure.
