Uppsala
Sweden'S Fourth City And Oldest University Town, With Scandinavia'S Tallest Cathedral, Linnaeus'S Gardens And The Royal Burial Mounds Of Gamla Uppsala · Uppsala, Uppsala County
Uppsala, about 70 km north of Stockholm, is Sweden's fourth-largest city and its oldest university town, the seat of the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden and, before that, the pagan and royal heart of the Svea kingdom. Uppsala University was founded in 1477, and the student life of its nations still sets the city's rhythm. The cathedral, about 119 m high and the tallest church in Scandinavia, holds the tombs of Gustav Vasa and Carl Linnaeus; around it are the Gustavianum museum with its 17th-century anatomical theatre, the Carolina Rediviva library with the Silver Bible, the pink castle on its hill, and the gardens where Linnaeus taught botany. About 5 km north, Gamla Uppsala has the great royal burial mounds of the 6th century. People come for a compact, walkable old centre along the Fyris river, for Valborg on 30 April and as an easy day trip by train. The honest caveat: much of the charm is in term-time student life, so in July the city can feel half asleep, and several sights close in winter.
Central Uppsala: the cathedral hill, the castle and the university quarter; Gamla Uppsala lies about 5 km north, Uppsala, Uppsala County, Sweden
The city itself never closes, but its sights run to their own patterns. Uppsala Cathedral is open daily and free, with shorter hours during services and ceremonies - check before you go. The Gustavianum and most museums are usually closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Sunday; the Linnaeus Garden and Linnaeus Museum are a summer-season sight, roughly May to September, and the Botanical Garden's grounds are open all year while its tropical greenhouse keeps shorter hours. Gamla Uppsala's mounds are open at all times; its museum runs daily in summer and on fewer days in winter - confirm current schedules. Getting there: SJ trains from Stockholm Central take about 40 minutes and run often; SL commuter trains also run to Uppsala, slower but on an SL ticket, and trains from Arlanda Airport take about 20 minutes. Nothing needs booking except guided tours and Valborg accommodation.