Uppsala In One Day – A Day Trip From Stockholm

Uppsala sits less than an hour north of Stockholm, and it is one of the easiest and most rewarding day trips you can make from the capital. I spent a day here during my June 2024 trip, and it turned out to be the day that made Sweden's history finally click for me.

It is also a very comfortable day out: one short train ride, one compact city, and a morning at Old Uppsala that fits neatly into a single day.

Getting To Uppsala

Regional trains leave Stockholm Central Station several times an hour and reach Uppsala in around 40 minutes, which makes the trip almost effortless. Uppsala Central Station is right in the city centre, so the cathedral and the shopping streets are a short walk away.

If you are travelling from Arlanda Airport, Uppsala is even closer — the airport sits roughly halfway between the two cities, so a day trip can be added before or after a flight without much detour.

A Morning At Gamla Uppsala

I would start with Gamla Uppsala, a few kilometres north of the city centre and reachable by bus in about 15 minutes.

Old Uppsala was one of Scandinavia's most important political and religious centres during the Late Iron Age and the Viking Age, and the landscape still shows it. The huge Royal Mounds rise straight out of the fields, and walking between them is the closest thing to entering the Viking world that I experienced anywhere in Sweden.

The Old Church And Bell Tower

Just beyond the mounds stand the Old Uppsala Church and its separate medieval bell tower. The church was built on the site of the old pagan temple, which is exactly the kind of overlap that makes Sweden's history so interesting — one belief system built directly on top of another.

The walk between the mounds, the church and the museum is short and flat, so the whole morning can be done on foot.

The Gamla Uppsala Museum

If you are interested in Viking history, the museum at Old Uppsala is the one thing I would not skip. It brings the mounds and the Norse world to life with original finds from the graves themselves, and it takes little more than an hour to see.

Get Your Tickets For The Gamla Uppsala Museum Here

Afternoon In The City Centre

Back in Uppsala, the city itself is worth a couple of hours. Uppsala Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Scandinavia and visible from almost everywhere in the centre, while the university — founded in 1477 — gives the town its young, relaxed atmosphere.

From the cathedral, the river Fyrisån runs through the middle of town with cafés along the water, and the botanical garden is an easy extra stop on a sunny afternoon.

Practical Tips

– Go to Gamla Uppsala first thing. The mounds are open and free to visit at any time, while the museum keeps conventional opening hours.

– Wear comfortable shoes. The site is a field landscape with gravel paths, not a paved museum ground.

– A single day is genuinely enough, but if you want to dig deeper into the history, I wrote a longer piece on “Stockholm's Viking And Royal History” that covers Uppsala in more detail.

– If you are building the trip around Stockholm, my “4 Days In Stockholm Itinerary” shows where I would slot Uppsala in.

Uppsala is the kind of place that rewards curiosity rather than rushing — one day, an early start and a bit of walking is all you need.