Uppsala is a university city you can see in a day from Stockholm or Arlanda. Most of what you’ll want is a short walk apart. This page gets you oriented, flags which sights are closed or seasonal right now, and points you to the in-depth guides.
When you need this
You are planning a day trip from Stockholm, or a stop on the way in from Arlanda. You want to know which sights are open in the month you’re traveling, whether you can still see the Silver Bible, and which ticket covers the train, the bus and Gamla Uppsala. Or you are coming for 30 April, the city’s biggest student day.
The city at a glance
Uppsala kommun had 248,673 residents on 31 July 2026, 1,053 fewer than at the turn of the year, so the end-2025 figure was 249,726. The number rises mostly in autumn, when university terms begin. A first visit centers on a handful of sights within walking distance of each other:
| Sight | What it is | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Uppsala domkyrka | The cathedral, which calls itself the largest in the Nordic countries | Free |
| Gustavianum | The university museum, in its oldest preserved building | Paid; free under 19 |
| Carolina Rediviva | The university library and its exhibition hall | Free |
| Uppsala slott | The castle: municipal art museum and castle history museum | Free main exhibitions |
| Linnaeus Garden and Museum | Linnaeus’s garden and home, summer only | Paid; free under 18 |
| Gamla Uppsala | Royal mounds from the 500s, a bus ride north | Grave field free; museum paid |
Getting there
From Stockholm: Region Uppsala gives the train trip as about 35–40 minutes. Mälartåg and SJ run regional trains, and SL’s commuter line 40 runs Stockholm City–Arlanda–Uppsala. The tickets differ by train. Mälartåg sells its own single ticket, SL tickets cover only the Stockholm County part, and UL tickets are not valid on SJ. You cannot buy a ticket on board Mälartåg or the commuter train, so buy before you board. Our guide to train travel in Sweden explains the operators.
From Arlanda: Uppsala is north of the airport, 18 minutes by commuter train from Arlanda C, against 38 minutes to central Stockholm. A UL ticket is valid on the SL commuter train between Arlanda C and Uppsala, and on Mälartåg to Arlanda C. Arlanda C charges a station fee that your ticket may or may not include; the Arlanda to Stockholm guide explains it, and the Arlanda Airport guide covers the terminals.
Coming back late: since August 2026, SL’s commuter trains between Uppsala, Arlanda and Stockholm run later on weekend nights.
Getting around
Uppsala’s buses are run by UL, the county’s public transport, and it works differently from Stockholm and Gothenburg:
- It is cash-free on buses and trains.
- There is no general tap-to-pay on the reader. Buy in the UL app with a card or Swish, at a ticket machine, or with a Visa or Mastercard at the card terminal on board the bus.
- SL tickets are valid in Stockholm County (plus Bålsta and Gnesta), not in Uppsala. You need a UL supplement or a UL/SL ticket, and an SL ticket or card cannot be tapped on UL’s readers.
The Stockholm public transport guide covers the SL side of a combined trip.
The cathedral
Uppsala domkyrka has no entry fee and is open every day 08:00–18:00, closing at noon on 30 April and Midsummer Eve. It holds St Erik’s reliquary, brought from the old cathedral at Gamla Uppsala in 1273. Four house rules matter:
- No self-guided walking around during Sunday high mass, 11:00 to about 12:30.
- No photographing or filming during services and concerts, and no photographing individual people. Private photos of the building are fine.
- No food, drink, dogs or pets inside.
- The cathedral is accessible by wheelchair and rollator, but its treasury museum (skattkammare) is not, and it admits 30 visitors at a time.
The treasury opens May–September on weekdays 10:00–17:00 and Sundays 12:30–17:00, and closes at 16:00 from October to April. English tours of the cathedral run daily in summer and once a month the rest of the year.
University museums and the Silver Bible
Gustavianum is Uppsala University’s museum, in its oldest preserved building. Its anatomical theatre was built in the 1660s for public dissections. The museum also shows the Augsburg Art Cabinet, given to King Gustav II Adolf in 1632, and Viking-age helmets, weapons and bridles from the Valsgärde graves. From September to May it is closed on Mondays, open Tuesday–Friday 12:00–17:00 and weekends 11:00–17:00; in June–August it opens daily 11:00–17:00. It stays open until 20:00 on the first Tuesday of the month (6 October, 3 November and 1 December 2026). The roughly 30-minute public tours are included in admission. The entrance facing the University Park has a ramp, and the lift reaches every floor except the anatomical theatre’s upper level.
Carolina Rediviva, the university library, has a free exhibition hall, but the Codex Argenteus is not on display. The library is building a new exhibition for the Silver Bible that opens in summer 2027, and the hall will close on and off during the spring term of 2027. Many guides still promise the Bible; check the library’s page before planning around it.
The castle
Uppsala slott holds two municipal museums, both closed on Mondays:
| Museum | What it shows | Hours | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uppsala konstmuseum | Art, on five floors with a lift | Tue–Sun 11–17, Thu to 21 | Free; special exhibitions extra over 26, free Thu 17–20 |
| Uppsala slottshistoriska | The castle from the 1500s to today; opened 17 May 2025 | Tue–Sun 12–17, Thu to 20 | Slottsliv free; cashless |
Slottshistoriska is on the ground floor, a few steps up with a ramp from the courtyard. It runs free weekend tours in Swedish at 12:30 (family) and 13:30.
The Linnaeus Garden
The Linnaeus Garden and the Linnaeus Museum, in the house Carl Linnaeus moved into in 1743, open only in summer. In 2026 the public season ran from 14 May to 13 September: Thursday–Sunday at either end, Tuesday–Sunday from June to August, 11:00–16:00, closed on Midsummer Eve. Outside it, only pre-booked groups visit. The 2027 dates are not yet published.
Student nations and 30 April
Uppsala University has 13 student nations, founded from the 17th century. Each has its own building with a library, choirs, pubs, clubs and student housing, run by students for students, and joining one requires being an Uppsala University student. This page names none of them.
The students’ big day is 30 April, sista april (“the last of April”). The state folklore institute names Uppsala and Lund as the cities where Valborg is celebrated most intensively. In 2026 the rector waved the student cap from Carolina Rediviva’s balcony at 15:00 while the choir Orphei Drängar sang from the steps. Our Valborg guide covers the day and the bonfires.
Gamla Uppsala
Take UL bus 2 from the center to its end stop, Kungshögarna, about 100 meters from the museum; buses 110 and 115 stop at Regins väg. The royal mounds were raised in the 500s, before the Viking Age, and are fenced; visitors go up only with a guide. The grave field around them is open-air and free. The museum opens daily 11:00–17:00 from May to September and Wednesday–Sunday 12:00–16:00 from October to April, with English tours at 15:00 on weekends. The surrounding province, Uppland, has more than 1,300 runestones, the most in Sweden. See Viking sites in Sweden for the full picture.
When to go
| Season | What’s open |
|---|---|
| Summer (June–August) | Everything: Gustavianum daily, Linnaeus Garden Tue–Sun, Gamla Uppsala museum daily, daily English cathedral tours |
| 30 April | Student Valborg; cathedral closes at noon |
| Autumn to spring | Gustavianum closed Mondays; Gamla Uppsala museum Wed–Sun; Linnaeus Garden closed |
| Spring 2027 | Carolina Rediviva’s hall closes on and off |
| Summer 2027 | The new Silver Bible exhibition opens |
Mistakes to avoid
- Counting on the Silver Bible before summer 2027.
- Using an SL ticket on a UL bus to Gamla Uppsala.
- Trying to pay cash on a UL bus, or buying a ticket on the Mälartåg train.
- Visiting the castle museums on a Monday, or Gustavianum on a Monday from September to May.
- Arriving at the Linnaeus Garden outside its summer season.
- Calling Gamla Uppsala’s mounds Viking; they date from the 500s.
Practical information
| Item | Detail | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Uppsala domkyrka | Free; daily 08:00–18:00 | 2026-09-25 |
| Carolina Rediviva exhibition hall | Free; Silver Bible back summer 2027 | 2026-09-25 |
| Uppsala konstmuseum | Free; special exhibitions extra over 26, free Thu 17–20 | 2026-09-25 |
| Uppsala slottshistoriska, Slottsliv | Free | 2026-09-25 |
| Gustavianum | 150 kr adult; 120 kr seniors and students; under 19 free | 2026-09-25 |
| Linnaeus Garden and Museum (2026 season) | 120 kr adult; 100 kr seniors and students; 0–17 free | 2026-09-25 |
| Gamla Uppsala museum | 150 kr adult; 120 kr student/pensioner; 0–19 free | 2026-09-25 |
| Gamla Uppsala grave field | Open-air, no ticket | 2026-09-25 |
| UL fares | In the UL app; not republished here | 2026-09-25 |
FAQ
How do I get from Stockholm to Uppsala?
By train. Region Uppsala gives the trip as about 35–40 minutes. Mälartåg and SJ run regional trains, and SL’s commuter line 40 runs Stockholm City–Arlanda–Uppsala. Tickets differ by train: Mälartåg sells its own single, SL tickets cover only Stockholm County, and UL tickets are not valid on SJ. Buy before boarding, since Mälartåg and the commuter train sell nothing on board.
How far is Uppsala from Arlanda Airport?
Eighteen minutes by commuter train from Arlanda C, the station under SkyCity, which is closer than central Stockholm at 38 minutes. A UL ticket is valid on the SL commuter train between Arlanda C and Uppsala, and on Mälartåg to Arlanda C. Arlanda C charges a station fee that your ticket may or may not include; our Arlanda guides explain it.
Can I pay for UL buses with a contactless card?
Not by simply tapping as in Stockholm. UL’s buses and trains are cash-free: buy in the UL app with a card or Swish, at a ticket machine, or with a Visa or Mastercard at the card terminal on board the bus. SL tickets cannot be tapped on UL readers, so Stockholm visitors need a UL ticket or supplement.
Is Uppsala Cathedral free to visit?
Yes. Uppsala domkyrka has no entry fee and is open daily 08:00–18:00, closing at noon on 30 April and Midsummer Eve. Self-guided visits pause during Sunday high mass, from 11:00 to about 12:30. The treasury museum keeps its own, shorter hours and is not accessible by wheelchair or stroller, while the cathedral itself is.
Can I see the Silver Bible in Uppsala?
Not until summer 2027. Uppsala University Library is building a new exhibition for the Codex Argenteus, the Gothic-language Silver Bible, at Carolina Rediviva, and says it opens in summer 2027. The free exhibition hall stays open with other collections, but will close on and off during the spring term of 2027, so check the library’s page first.
When is the Linnaeus Garden open?
Only in its summer season. In 2026 the garden and the Linnaeus Museum opened to the public from 14 May to 13 September: Thursday–Sunday at the season’s edges and Tuesday–Sunday from June to August, 11:00–16:00. Outside those dates only pre-booked groups visit. Adults paid 120 kronor, and under-18s entered free. The 2027 season is not yet published.
What are Uppsala’s student nations?
They are the university’s 13 student societies, founded from the 17th century and still the core of student life: each has its own building with a library, choirs, pubs, clubs and student housing. They are run by students for students, and joining one requires being an Uppsala University student. The Kuratorskonventet is their joint body.
How do I get to Gamla Uppsala?
Take UL bus 2 from central Uppsala to its end stop, Kungshögarna, about 100 meters from the museum; buses 110 and 115 also stop nearby at Regins väg. The grave field is open-air and free. The museum is open daily from May to September and Wednesday to Sunday from October to April, and English tours run on weekends at 15:00.
Related guides
- Viking sites in Sweden — Gamla Uppsala, Sigtuna and Uppland’s runestones in depth.
- Valborg — what happens on 30 April in Uppsala and at the bonfires.
- Arlanda to Stockholm — trains, the station fee and the Uppsala option.
- How many days in Stockholm — fitting Uppsala in as a day trip.
- Malmö and Kiruna — Sweden’s other city hubs, south and far north.
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Uppsala kommun (SCB data), Region Uppsala, UL, Mälardalstrafik, SL, Swedavia, Svenska kyrkan (Uppsala domkyrka), Uppsala universitet (Gustavianum, University Library, Linnaeus Garden), Destination Uppsala, Upplandsmuseet, Isof and Riksantikvarieämbetet — full register in this topic’s source file. Opening hours and prices are 2026 figures. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.