Sigtuna on Lake Mälaren: History, Culture and Nature

Sigtuna is situated on Lake Mälaren and combines a historic townscape with church ruins, museum history and nature-based experiences. Those seeking culturally rich surroundings with trails, water and seasonal traditions for their trip will find a variety of highlights in one place.

Historic Town Centre and Early Sacred Buildings

The historic town centre features a well-preserved collection of wooden houses dating from the late 18th and 19th centuries. One of the landmark buildings is Mariakyrkan. It is the oldest building still in use in Sigtuna, was originally the church of the Dominican monastery and is regarded as the earliest monumental building in Sweden constructed of brick. The church is open daily year-round for visits and personal prayer. At the same time, it is a place where pilgrims can seek quiet and peace.

Several church ruins complete this historic picture. The ruin of S:t Olof preserves the remains of an early Romanesque church from the late 11th century. The ruin of S:t Per dates back to a church built in the 12th century that was intended to serve as a cathedral. At S:t Lars, the remains of the tower of a church built of fieldstone in the early 12th century have been preserved.

Museum and Preserved Houses

The Sigtuna Museum explores life from the Stone Age to the present day through the exhibition Sigtunahistorier. Its collections are based on archaeological finds dating from the 9th century onwards. This permanent exhibition continues in one of the rooms at Drakegården. Drakegården itself is a 300-year-old house associated with people who lived and worked in Sigtuna; its garden is open to all visitors year-round.

Borgmästargården also offers a tangible insight into the town's more recent history: The interior has been preserved as it was when the last owner, Mayor Gustaf Dahl, died in 1992. Sigtuna Town Hall dates from the 18th century and is considered Sweden's smallest town hall.

Nature, Trails and Activities on the Water

The Munkholmen nature reserve is located directly beside Sigtuna. For a stay with children, Munkholmsbadet is a child-friendly bathing spot with a wooden jetty, benches, ladders and a large grassy area. Those who want to explore Sigtuna on foot can use the rune stone trail, which leads to 10 rune stones. Askarestigen is a 2.5-kilometre trail through pastureland.

The 11-mile-long, easy-to-walk Ingegerdsleden runs from Storkyrkan in Stockholm via Mariakyrkan in Sigtuna to the cathedral in Uppsala. For activities on the water, kayaks and SUP boards can be rented from an unmanned Kayakomat in Sigtuna; the equipment can be unlocked at any time, around the clock.

Seasonal Traditions

At the S:t Lars church ruin, the project Ruinen blommar includes an annual event featuring a spring festival. In addition, meadows with a specially composed seed mix of locally occurring species have been created beside the ruin. Sigtuna's traditional Christmas market takes place on the four Sundays before Christmas and includes market stalls and traditional food. The historic market day also has a long local history: Its roots lie in an agricultural gathering held in 1912, and it has been a local tradition for more than 50 years.

The tourist information office is located in the Sigtuna Museum. There, you can obtain up-to-date tourist information and tips on sights and activities; there is also a souvenir shop and toilets. For regional orientation, you can also find information about Arlanda and Märsta.

For the higher-level travel overview: Sigtuna.