Uppsala is the fourth largest city in Sweden. It is a historically rich city, with a large variety of education centers and relaxing green spots. See the mighty Uppsala Cathedral and discover the history behind Uppsala’s Castle and University. Explore the oldest botanical garden in the country. Shop along the pedestrian Svartbäcksgatan street and see the works of famous Swedish artist Bror Hjorth. Let’s explore the best things to do in Uppsala, Sweden with Bigguidess!
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Gamla Uppsala
Moments north of the city is the ancient seat of the semi-legendary Yngling dynasty, where the earliest human traces go back to the 3rd century AD. According to Norse tradition, this family line was started by the God Odin, which gives you a sense of the importance of the site.
What’s left today are runestones and scores of barrows, numbering more than 250, which is just a fraction of the thousands that used to litter this landscape.
The largest are the three “Royal Mounds”, which date to the 5th and 6th centuries and are bulky enough to be hills.
In the museum, you can make sense of the site and see models of how it would have looked 1,500 years ago.
You can also inspect some of the jewelry and weapons recovered from the mounds.
Museum Gustavianum
Funded by Gustavus Adolphus, the Gustavianum (c.1620), opposite the cathedral, is the former main building of Uppsala University. It contains the university’s cultural history collections; Nordic antiquities; Egyptian antiquities; and an Anatomical Theatre, built on the roof in the 1660s. Permanent exhibitions include Viking relics, such as priceless jewelry, medals, and swords; the history of Uppsala University; and Egyptian mummies. Temporary exhibitions round out the museum’s offerings. The spectacular University Art Collection in the main building is also well worth exploring.
Address: Akademigatan 3, S-75310 Uppsala
Visit Uppsala University
Established in 1477, Uppsala University is the oldest university in Scandinavia and is ranked as one of the best in Northern Europe. The University boasts an enormous library, with over 5 million volumes. The library’s main building is located in the Carolina Rediviva building. The beautiful building, dating back to the 1820s, is the oldest and also the largest university library building in Sweden. Visit the library to see important manuscripts and collections, among which is also the Silver Bible from the 6th century.
Visit Uppsala University
Established in 1477, Uppsala University is the oldest university in Scandinavia and is ranked as one of the best in Northern Europe. The University boasts an enormous library, with over 5 million volumes. The library’s main building is located in the Carolina Rediviva building. The beautiful building, dating back to the 1820s, is the oldest and also the largest university library building in Sweden. Visit the library to see important manuscripts and collections, among which is also the Silver Bible from the 6th century.
The Linnaeus Garden
The first thing to see on the Carl Linnaeus trail is Sweden’s oldest botanical garden, plotted back in 1655 by Olof Rudbeck the Elder.
In the 17th century, Sweden’s first potato was grown in this formal garden, but after falling into disuse it was reworked by Linnaeus and the architect Carl Hårleman in 1745. Linnaeus was able to source thousands of species of plants from across the globe, and under his supervision, this became one of the world’s preeminent botanical gardens.
Those plants are all still ordered and labeled according to the system he invented, as a fitting testament to his achievements.
Linnaeus’ Hammarby
Back on the Carl Linnaeus theme, you can head 15 kilometers southeast of Uppsala to the farmhouse and estate built for the botanist and his family in 1762. This was Linnaeus’ summer escape from the city and is inside a nature reserve reproducing an 18th-century agricultural landscape.
So off on the grounds, you can amble through orchards, potagers, cereal fields, paddocks for livestock, and woodland.
There’s an informative tour of the cozy house where he and his family lived, and a small cottage he turned into a small museum for his specimens.
There’s now a cafe on the site using home-grown produce.
Holy Trinity Church (Helga Trefaldighets Kyrka)
Steps away from the cathedral, Holy Trinity Church was inaugurated in 1302. Although this is a medieval place of worship, the pulpit, pews, and three stained glass windows in the chancel date from 1904 to 1905 when substantial renovations took place. Drawing visitors from across the globe are the murals, dating back to the Middle Ages, many of which are by the famous medieval painter, Albertus Pictor (Albert the Painter). Although German by birth, Pictor settled in Sweden where his work became renowned and much in demand throughout the country.
Address: Odinslund 75310, Uppsala
