In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Uppsala is about 56 minutes from Stockholm City by SL commuter train, half-hourly, on a SEK 83 UL and SL ticket valid for 150 minutes, and it works all year. The cathedral is free, open daily 08:00 to 18:00, with no sightseeing during the Sunday high mass (about 11:00 to 12:30). Gamla Uppsala Museum and Gustavianum are SEK 150 each. A day on your own is SEK 466. A guided day trip is SEK 2,335 and up, about five times as much, and saves the planning and adds Sigtuna. Or book a tour: the Viking sites in Uppsala and Sigtuna tourad is SEK 2,335 for 9 hours, and the Viking history full-day tourad SEK 3,100 with hotel pick-up (GetYourGuide).
Getting there
SEK 83 each way · about 56 minutes · half-hourly · no tickets on board
The SL commuter train (SL-pendeln), run with UL, Uppsala’s transport authority, leaves Stockholm City, the commuter-train station at Central Station, and runs through Arlanda Central to Uppsala. Swedavia’s times are 38 minutes from Stockholm Central to Arlanda Central and 18 minutes on to Uppsala Central.
- The ticket is a combined UL and SL single, SEK 83 for an adult (SEK 56 at the discounted fare), valid 150 minutes. Buy it in the SL or UL apps, at the barriers, at ticket agents such as Pressbyrån or at a UL Center. There are no tickets on board, because there is no staff.
- If you hold an SL travelcard, add a UL ticket to it.
- The Arlanda fee of SEK 157 applies only if you get off at Arlanda Central.
- Faster trains: SJ and Mälartåg also run from Stockholm Central; their planners give the fare and time for your day.
Tours
Uppsala is easy on your own, so a tour mostly buys a guide and a combination with Sigtuna. The Viking sites in Uppsala and Sigtuna tourad is 9 hours, SEK 2,335, 4.7 stars from 235 reviews. It runs from Sigtuna’s St Olof church ruins to the burial mounds of Gamla Uppsala, with a guide in Uppsala’s cathedral. The Viking history full-day tour to Sigtuna and Uppsalaad is 8 to 9 hours, SEK 3,100, with hotel pick-up, 4.7 from 329 reviews. The fall day trip to Uppsala by trainad is a guided 4 hours at SEK 500, with no reviews yet. On your own the same Uppsala day is SEK 466, so a tour costs about five times as much.
What to see
Uppsala Cathedral
Free · daily 08:00 to 18:00 · no sightseeing during the Sunday high mass
Uppsala Cathedral (Uppsala domkyrka) is Sweden’s largest cathedral and a royal burial place. The Church of Sweden says it is open every day 08:00 to 18:00 with few exceptions, with no entrance fee. It is a working church. Access is limited during services, funerals, weddings and concerts, and there is no sightseeing during the Sunday high mass, about 11:00 to 12:30. On Walpurgis Eve (30 April) and Midsummer Eve it is open 08:00 to 12:00. The cathedral’s treasury, Skattkammaren, is separate: Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 16:00 (to 17:00 from May to September) and Sunday and holidays from 12:30 to 16:00 (to 17:00 from May to September). It is closed on Good Friday, Walpurgis Eve and Midsummer Eve.
Uppsala Cathedral seen from the Gunilla bell tower. Photo: David Castor, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Gamla Uppsala Museum
Adults SEK 150 · October to April Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 to 16:00
Old Uppsala, by the Royal Mounds, is “just outside the modern city”, so you need a short bus ride or a taxi from the centre, and the UL journey planner gives the line. Gamla Uppsala Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 to 16:00 from October to April and daily 11:00 to 17:00 from May to September, and daily in Swedish school holidays. It is closed on Walpurgis Eve, Midsummer Eve, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. Adults pay SEK 150, students and seniors SEK 120, and ages 0 to 19 go free. Public tours run on Saturdays and Sundays, at 13:00 in Swedish and 15:00 in English, included in the ticket.
The Royal Mounds at Gamla Uppsala. Photo: ArildV, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Gustavianum
Adults SEK 150 · closed Mondays from 1 September to 31 May
Gustavianum is Uppsala University’s museum, with the Anatomical Theatre. Adults pay SEK 150, seniors and students from other institutions SEK 120, and under-20s go free. From 1 September to 31 May it is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Friday 12:00 to 17:00; from 1 June to 31 August it is open daily 11:00 to 17:00. It stays open to 20:00 on the first Tuesday of each month, which is 3 November and 1 December 2026. Public tours of about 30 minutes, included in the ticket, run on Saturdays and Sundays at 13:00 in English and 15:00 in Swedish from 1 September to 31 May.
Gustavianum, with its domed Anatomical Theatre on the roof. Photo: Jarvis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
What a day costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| UL and SL train, both ways | SEK 166 |
| Uppsala Cathedral | Free |
| Gamla Uppsala Museum | SEK 150 |
| Gustavianum | SEK 150 |
| Total on your own | SEK 466, plus a bus fare for Gamla Uppsala |
The Gamla Uppsala Museum price is the operator’s SEK 150. Some travel sites print SEK 80 or “free” for it.
Which to take
- A day on your own: the commuter train, the cathedral first, then Gamla Uppsala, then Gustavianum, on a Wednesday to Friday between October and April, when all three are open.
- A guided day with Sigtuna: the Uppsala and Sigtuna Viking sites tour, SEK 2,335.
- A short guided visit: the 4-hour fall day trip by train, SEK 500.
- Sunday: the cathedral is closed to sightseeing during the morning high mass, and the Gamla Uppsala and Gustavianum tours run.
- A half day instead: Sigtuna, Sweden’s oldest town, on the same commuter line.
Day trips from Stockholm compares every trip, and Stockholm public transport has the SL tickets and Central Station. The commuter train also serves Arlanda, so Arlanda to the city covers the station fee. What to book before you go to Stockholm lists the closed days in the capital.
Common questions
How do you get from Stockholm to Uppsala?
By SL commuter train from Stockholm City, half-hourly, through Arlanda Central to Uppsala. Swedavia's times add up to about 56 minutes. A combined UL and SL single ticket is SEK 83 for an adult, valid 150 minutes, bought in the SL or UL apps, at the barriers or at Pressbyrån. There are no tickets on board.
How much does an Uppsala day trip cost?
On your own, SEK 466: the train both ways SEK 166, Gamla Uppsala Museum SEK 150 and Gustavianum SEK 150, with the cathedral free. Add a bus fare for Gamla Uppsala. Guided day trips from Stockholm cost SEK 2,335 and up.
Is Uppsala Cathedral free?
Yes. It is open daily 08:00 to 18:00 with few exceptions and charges no entrance fee. It is a working church, so there is no sightseeing during the Sunday high mass, about 11:00 to 12:30, and access is limited during services, funerals, weddings and concerts.
Is Gamla Uppsala open in winter?
The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 to 16:00 from October to April, and daily from May to September. It is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. Adults pay SEK 150.
Do I pay the Arlanda fee on the train to Uppsala?
Only if you get off at Arlanda Central. The SEK 157 station fee applies to passing between the airport and the trains, and you do not pay it on a through journey to Uppsala.
Can Uppsala and Sigtuna be combined?
Yes. The guided Viking tours visit both, and on your own Sigtuna is about 50 minutes from Uppsala by commuter train and bus, or by bus all the way.
