Discover Uppsala
Accommodation in Uppsala
Uppsala can be explored through a range of themes: historic buildings and collections, archaeological sites, and nature experiences. When planning a stay, it helps to decide first whether you want to focus on the history of Uppland, particular buildings, or trails and landscapes. The sights offer a variety of perspectives, from finds dating back thousands of years to botanical and natural history exhibitions.
Historic buildings and collections
Linnéträdgården is Sweden’s first botanical garden. The garden is also home to the Linnémuseet, housed in the former professor’s residence where Carl von Linné and his family lived in the second half of the 18th century. The garden and residence thus connect the history of botany with a specific place in Linné’s life.
Gustavianum also brings different aspects of university history to life. It is the oldest surviving building of Uppsala University. Inside is an anatomical theatre, built in the 1660s for public dissections. Uppsala Castle houses three museums. Including several of these places in your travel plans lets you tailor your visit to architectural history, the history of science, or museums.
Upplandsmuseet is located in an old mill dating from the 1760s on Kvarnholmen, by the Fyrisån in central Uppsala. Its permanent exhibition covers 5,000 years of Uppland’s history, from the Stone Age to the present day, and includes more than 1,000 objects. This offers a broad historical perspective; the exhibition at Gustavianum, by contrast, focuses on a specific historic building and its anatomical theatre.
Archaeology and earlier ways of life
Gamla Uppsala Museum is devoted to the Iron Age. Its displays include finds, models, visual presentations, and audio stories; there is also a play area for children. In the archaeological area of Gamla Uppsala, walking trails circle a large burial ground with monumental burial mounds. The museum’s exhibits therefore offer a different experience from exploring the trails and burial ground outdoors.
Hågahögen is a large Bronze Age burial mound dating back around 3,000 years, considered to be the grave of an important person. It is approximately 50 metres in diameter and 7 metres high. The open-air museum Disagården has a different focus: it shows what a farm village in Uppland looked like in the 19th century.
Nature in exhibitions and outdoors
Plant enthusiasts will find Uppsala’s only rainforest at Tropiska växthuset, along with orchids, banana plants, and coffee plants. The greenhouse also displays plants from deserts and other dry regions.
Biotopia is an interactive museum in Vasaparken that introduces visitors to the nature of Uppland. Dioramas show several hundred Swedish animals in lifelike landscapes. Outside the exhibitions, Stabby backe and Stabbyskogen are located about three kilometres west of central Uppsala. Visitors can choose between different ways of experiencing nature: exhibition spaces with dioramas or a visit to the natural areas mentioned above.
One section of the Upplandsleden near Flottsund runs west along the shore of Ekoln. From Skarholmen, it heads north parallel to Gula Stigen and reaches Studenternas IP, near the hospital and the City Garden. This route links the shoreline with named points in the city. It offers a separate option for travellers who want to include walking trails in their day plans.
Planning your trip
The places mentioned also differ in what they offer visitors: museums focus on history, architecture, archaeology, or nature, while the Upplandsleden and the trails in the archaeological area involve spending time outdoors. When looking for a hotel in Uppsala, your planned focus can therefore be a useful starting point.
Practical information is also available for visiting Uppsala domkyrka: the cathedral is accessible to wheelchairs and walkers. It is about a 15-minute walk, roughly one kilometre, from Uppsala Central Station. Uppsala simarena is located in the Gränby district, near Gränbystaden. These are different points of reference; the approximate distance and walking time refer to the route from the central station to the cathedral.
Lennakatten is a historic museum railway. It runs on a narrow-gauge railway dating from the late 19th century, from Uppsala Ă–stra to Faringe. Uppsala Ă–stra station is behind Uppsala Resecentrum on Stationsgatan. Since operating days and timetables may vary, it is advisable to check them before planning your trip. This lets you include the train ride as a separate activity without relying on fixed departure times.
When looking for accommodation, travellers can first consider which of these themes they want to shape their stay: collections and historic buildings, archaeological sites, nature exhibitions, or trails outdoors. The places described offer a range of options in Uppsala. Discover more destinations: Storvreta, Järlåsa, Almunge, Björklinge.
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