Vårdsätra promenade

Do you belong to the crowd who think that streams have a calming effect? When hiking along the Vårdsätra promenade, you walk hand in hand with the Ekoln bay the entire distance. Vårdsätra promenade is one of Uppsala Municipality’s most ambitious hiking trails.

The promenade, which stretches from Vårdsätraviken and further along Hågaån to Lurbo, is bound together by gravel paths and generous wooden piers with several resting places along the way. 3 km of quality walking tour that is built with accessibility in mind, so driving a wheelchair or stroller is excellent.

Hungry after all that effort? Out on Skarholmen’s point, you will find the beautifully situated Italian restaurant, Palazzo Skarholmen.

Within the category of “light hikes” there is also the Yellow Trail, which is also part of Upplandsleden. A 10 km long hiking trail that cuts from Studenternas IP in the north to Skarholmen in the south. The Yellow Path dates back to the 1930s and was named after its recurring yellow markings. Despite its proximity to the city, the trail offers varied greenery; marvel at the 300-year-old pine trees in Kronparken Nature Reserve, experience unique the Natura 2000 areas at Bäcklös and Ultuna pastures, and finally make your way to the beaches of Mälaren.

Old Uppsala and its King’s Mounds from the early Iron Age is one of Uppsala’s top attractions. The culturally dense Eriksleden lets you hike all the way from the city centre to Old Uppsala. The first stretch between the Cathedral and Tunaberg Church runs through urban environments and follows the Fyris River in a northern direction. During the final stretch from Domarringen and over Röbo-Tunåsen, the splendour of the Uppland landscape is on full display.

Want to impress your hiking companion with some historical curiosities? Then tell them that Eriksleden got its name because it is the trail on which Eric IX of Sweden’s relics were once carried in procession. Once you have arrived at one of Sweden’s most important cultural environments, you should take the opportunity to improve your knowledge of this mythical place at Gamla Uppsala Museum. In the restaurant and café Odinsborg, housed in an eye-catching Old Norse-style wooden building, you then enjoy meatballs with lingonberry jam, shrimp sandwiches, salads, or delicious waffles with homemade jam and cream.

Follow in the footsteps of a legend of natural science. Carl von Linné researched, taught, and walked all over the Uppsala area as part of his incredible life’s work. These eight hiking trails, called herbations, now make up the Linnaeus Trails. The points along the trails show where Linnaeus taught his students in the flora and fauna of the area during the summer months.

Does your hike in Uppsala start from the city centre? Then we recommend the Denmark hike (Danmarksvandingen) that starts at Fyris River harbour. The distance is a total of 16 km and initially passes Kungsängen, where the Fritillary’s are in full bloom during the month of May. The hike then continues along Sävjaån towards Linnés Sävja and then continues towards the picturesque Linnés Hammarby. Once in Linnés Hammarby, you can have a well-deserved coffee break at the café, check out the shop, explore the museum area, and botanise in the vast cultivation landscape. Please note that the Linnés Hammarby museum and café is only open in the summer, between May and September.

For those of you who want to take on the Vaksala hike, 9 km, there is a large, dedicated parking space in at the Eastern Trail in Nyby where the trail begins.

All Linnaeus Trails:

• The Gottsunda Trail
• The Ultuna Trail
• The Håga Trail
• The Denmark Trail
• The Old Uppsala Trail
• The Vaksala Trail
• The Husby Trail
• The Jumkils Trail
• hiking in uppsala

Where is Uppsala’s best picnic spot within reasonable hiking distance? King Björn’s mound in the nature reserve Hågadalen-Nåsten on the city’s western outskirts is certainly a strong candidate. The mound, which is surrounded by beautiful plains and pastures, is named after Uppland’s King Björn, who according to legend had a farm in Håga in the 9th century. But in fact, the mound is a burial mound for a great man who lived during the Bronze Age.

King Björn’s mound is just one of the highlights along the Hågadalen-Reachen hiking trails. The butterfly enthusiast should try walking the 3.5 km long butterfly trail. Here, along one of Sweden’s most species-rich stretches, you can glimpse 58 different butterflies and burnet moths. Two of the aforementioned Linnaeus trails also go through the nature reserve, the Gottsunda Trail, and the Håga Trail.

Sunnerstagropen, which is part of Sunnerstaåsen’s open-air recreation area, is not only the site of Uppsala’s only slalom slope. Here, the rental store Aktivt Uteliv ensures that Uppsala’s sports & open-air recreation centre is alive year-round, including the area’s many trails and trails for hiking. Select one of the following:

• 4 km long illuminated running track
• 3 km long nature and cultural trail where you can learn about how the landscape has changed since the Ice Age along the way. Did you know that up on the ridge, there are remains of an ancient castle from about 400 A.D.?
• 9 kilometres long walking and cycling path that follows the Fyris River all the way to the City Garden (Stadsträdgården) in central Uppsala.
• 25 kilometres long stretch of Upplandsleden that starts in Sunnersta and goes east through the nature reserve Norra Lunsen up to Fjällnora open-air recreation area.

If you want something to eat, you can consume your packed lunch at one of the area’s fire pits or visit Sunnerstastugan’s own café.