Do your old prejudices tell you that Uppsala metamorphoses into a sleepy old town once its students go back home for the summer? Think again! In actual fact, Uppsala is a real summer city with countless things to do and experience. Here are some tips for an active summer in Uppsala and its surrounding areas.

Take a refreshing dip in Uppsala’s bathing areas

Summer isn’t summer without sunny days on the beach. In Uppsala there is no lack of bathing areas where you can work on your suntan and take a refreshing dip in the heat. Most are located within cycling distance or just a few minutes away by bus. A few favourites to bear in mind are Fjällnora, Vårdsätrabadet, Lyssnaängens bathing area, and Storvads bathing area. Families with children with a passion for pools might also want to make a dive for the Fyrishov, which has an outside pool and an adventure pool with a water slide, fountains and bubble pools. To the north of Uppsala you can also find the Bälingebadet, which has 3 outdoor pools.

Leave the car – Go on a cycling tour in Uppsala!

Welcome to Sweden’s cycle capital. The cityscape here is dominated by our two-wheeled friends – a factor that contributed to Uppsala being voted the world’s best climate city in 2018. There are numerous cycle routes, the distances are short, and the terrain is easy-going for cycling. Bikes can be hired in the city from the shops Ski Total and Aktivt Uteliv.

Be enchanted by beautiful parks and gardens

Few other Swedish cities have so many large green areas so close to the city centre as Uppsala. These are much-needed oases, where the locals, students and tourists can take a short break from the busy city life.

For most of these, we can, of course, thank the legendary botanist, doctor, geologist and zoologist Carl von Linné, who designed a large number of parks and gardens during the 50 or so years of his career in Uppsala. If you walk along the Årummet to the north, the green riverside area that follows the Fyrisån, you will come across one of his life’s works, the Linnaeus Garden. Let yourself be enchanted by Linnaeus’s tremendous work, with more than a thousand different species in full bloom. Then continue your Linnaeus tour in another direction, towards his summer paradise. After a pleasant bike ride of approximately 40 minutes, you come to Linnaeus Hammarby, an odd, well-preserved eighteenth-century farmhouse, which is now a cultural reserve, museum and botanical garden. A unique insight into the life of a hugely talented scientist.

You are also witnessing Linné’s achievements when you visit the Botanical Garden, the magnificent Baroque-style garden located at the foot of Uppsala Castle. There is nothing more relaxing than sipping a cup of coffee under a canopy of trees at Café Victoria. Are you looking for a good picnic site? We recommend one of the lawns in the City Garden.

Discover a wealth outdoor recreation

If you prefer to leave the urban environment behind during the summer, then you have come to the right place. Summer in Uppsala and its surrounding areas means flowering meadows, beautiful woodland, dense forests and babbling brooks. On foot, by bike or in a canoe/kayak – it’s entirely up to you. Some nature sites and recreational areas that are bursting with options for activities during the summer are Hammarskog, Fjällnora, Sunnersta and Fullerö backar. Jogging tracks, hiking trails, bathing areas, fishing, bird watching, adventure courses, wall climbing – there’s everything the active traveller may wish for here.

Get a sense of history in Old Uppsala

Now that we’ve convinced you that cycling is the easiest way of getting around Uppsala, we’ll give you a tip for an ideal biking trip with a historical focus. Just outside the city is the predecessor of what we now call Uppsala, namely Old Uppsala. In the distance, you will soon catch sight of the three majestic and mythical mounds, the Kungshögarna (Barrow Cemetery) from the 500s, which today form one of the Nordic region’s most prominent areas of ancient monuments.

Lennakatten – rail travel the old-fashioned way

The Lennakatten’s steam locomotive chugging out of the Östra station is a sight to be beheld by any railway enthusiast. A ride on the 33 kilometre heritage railway, which dates back to the 1870s, is undoubtedly the most interesting thing you can do in Uppsala in the summer. Along the way are the Jernvägscaféet (Railway Café) in Marielund, numerous bathing areas, Instagram-friendly scenic areas, and other delightful stops.

Golf in all its forms

Fancy a game of golf? Uppsala is the perfect base for exploring Uppland’s rich assortment of golf courses during the summer. Courses range from simple Pay-and-Play courses to the finest top-class sites. Are you only content with perfectly cut fairways? A mere 5 minutes’ drive from the city will bring you to Uppland’s oldest and one of Sweden’s 30 best golf sites – Upsala GK. More enjoyable rounds are promised by Almunge Golfklubb, Burviks Golf & Resort, Edenhof Golfklubb, Grönlund Golfklubb, Söderby Golf and Wattholma Golfklubb.

In fact, golf comes in various shapes and forms these days. At Uppsala fotbollsgolf you let your feet to the talking instead of the 9-iron, on Uppsala’s disc golf courses it is replaced with frisbees, and at Uppsala Bangolfklubb you play traditional golf in miniature.