Uppsala

Uppsala is one of those cities that feels like it has been quietly doing important things for a very long time. Sitting just north of Stockholm, it has been a centre of learning, science, and power in Sweden for centuries. The skyline is dominated by a soaring cathedral and a dramatic red castle perched on a hill, and everywhere you look there is a sense that big ideas and big history happened right here.

The city has a lively, curious energy, shaped by the thousands of students who fill its streets and cycle past its grand old buildings. It was here that one of the greatest scientific minds ever to live did his most important work. Carl Linnaeus spent years in Uppsala studying plants and creatures, developing a naming system that scientists across the entire world still rely on today.

Uppsala rewards curious visitors at every turn, from ancient Viking burial mounds on its outskirts to beautiful botanical gardens designed by Linnaeus himself. It is a city that takes ideas seriously and always has.

Quick fact

Uppsala is home to Uppsala University, founded in 1477, which is the oldest university in the Nordic countries and still teaches thousands of students today.

Fun fact

The famous botanist Carl Linnaeus, who invented the system scientists still use today to name all living things, lived and worked in Uppsala and his house is now a museum!

Landmarks

Uppsala Cathedral

Uppsala Cathedral is the tallest church in Scandinavia, reaching 119 metres high, and inside it you can find the resting place of famous Swedish kings and the scientist Carl Linnaeus.

Uppsala University Main Building

This grand red building is the heart of one of the world's great old universities, where students have been learning and discovering new ideas since the 15th century.

Uppsala Castle

Sitting on a hill above the city, Uppsala Castle is a dramatic red royal castle from the 1500s that has witnessed coronations, wars, and very important moments in Swedish history.

Linnaeus Garden (Linnéträdgården)

This beautiful botanical garden was designed by Carl Linnaeus himself in the 1700s and is lovingly maintained to look just as it did when he used it for his plant experiments.

Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala)

Just outside the city are the mysterious ancient burial mounds of Gamla Uppsala, where mighty Viking kings were buried over 1,500 years ago.

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