Discover Uppsala: Culture, History and Nature

Uppsala can be explored through a wide range of themes: university and scientific history, archaeological sites, regional collections and landscapes. If you’re looking for a hotel in Uppsala, your travel interests can help guide your choice. The city offers plenty to discover, from historic buildings and museums to walking trails and a heritage railway.

History in buildings and archaeological sites

Linnéträdgården is Sweden’s first botanical garden. The garden is home to the Linnémuseet, located in the former professor’s residence where Carl von Linné and his family lived in the second half of the 18th century. Together, the garden and house link the history of a botanical garden with a glimpse into Linné’s family life. For your visit, they offer two distinct ways to explore the same historic site: the garden’s development and the building’s former use.

Gustavianum also brings together architectural history and science. It is the oldest surviving building of Uppsala University. Inside is an anatomical theatre, built in the 1660s for public dissections. Uppsala Castle offers another historic setting and houses three museums. The city therefore brings together different types of buildings and themes, without focusing on just one period.

At Gamla Uppsala, the museum and archaeological site complement each other: Gamla Uppsala Museum displays finds, models, visual presentations and audio stories about the Iron Age; there is also a play area for children. Walking trails in the archaeological area run around a large burial ground with monumental burial mounds. The open-air museum Disagården offers another historical portrayal, showing what a farming village in Uppland looked like in the 19th century. The Bronze Age megalithic tomb Hågahögen is around 3,000 years old, about 50 metres in diameter and seven metres high.

Regional history and nature in the museums

Upplandsmuseet is housed in an old mill dating from the 1760s on Kvarnholmen, beside the Fyrisån River in central Uppsala. Its permanent exhibition covers 5,000 years of Uppland’s history, from the Stone Age to the present day. The main exhibition includes more than 1,000 objects. The building, riverside location and collection each offer a different point of interest: the historic setting, the regional connection and the exhibition’s timespan.

Biotopia focuses on the natural world of Uppland. This interactive museum in Vasaparken features dioramas of several hundred Swedish animals in lifelike landscapes. At Tropiska växthuset, you’ll find Uppsala’s only rainforest, as well as orchids, banana and coffee plants, and plants from deserts and other dry regions. These attractions have different focuses: Biotopia depicts animals and landscapes, while the greenhouse brings together different groups of plants and habitats.

Trails, directions and a train ride

For outdoor walks, Stabby backe and Stabbyskogen are about three kilometres west of central Uppsala. Another option is the Upplandsleden section at Flottsund: it runs west along the shore of Ekoln, heads north from Skarholmen parallel to Gula Stigen, and continues to Studenternas IP near the hospital and city garden.

Directions to Uppsala Cathedral are also clearly described: a walk of about one kilometre from Uppsala Central Station takes around 15 minutes. Uppsala Cathedral is accessible for wheelchairs and walking frames. If you’re interested in a ride on Lennakatten, note that it departs from a different location: the historic heritage railway runs on a narrow-gauge line dating from the late 19th century, from Uppsala Östra to Faringe. Uppsala Östra station is at the rear of Uppsala Resecentrum on Stationsgatan. Operating times and timetables may vary; check the timetable before your trip.

When planning your trip, you can choose from a range of interests: historic buildings and collections, archaeological sites, nature exhibits or outdoor trails. Which ones you prioritise can also help you plan your stay in Uppsala.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Almunge, Järlåsa, Björklinge, Storvreta.

Back to the main travel overview: Uppsala.