IQ Tourism

For Curious Minds Only.

Forget checklists. In Uppsala, the journey begins elsewhere – in what you didn’t plan to discover. Here, it has always been about following your curiosity through the city: from history and research to flavours, details, and stories that reveal themselves when you take a closer look.

It’s not about what you see. It’s about how you experience it. This is curiosity-driven travel. This is what we call IQ Tourism.

Follow your curiosity through Uppsala

Here, we’ve gathered experiences that surprise, challenge, and stay with you – from historical mysteries and scientific breakthroughs to flavours, places, and stories you won’t find anywhere else. There’s more here than you might expect. The only question is where to begin.

Geniuses, mysteries & curious discoveries

At Gustavianum, that’s exactly what awaits: geniuses, mysteries, and more than a few unexpected finds. The 17th-century anatomical theatre still stands – the very room where dissections once drew full audiences. In the display cases, you’ll also find Anders Celsius’ thermometer, with a scale that was anything but intuitive: 0° for boiling water and 100° for freezing point.

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Art, code & mind-bending cubes

Step into an escape room where modern art meets retro games and film. You and your group enter a 60-square-metre cube with a 7-metre ceiling, equipped with projectors and cutting-edge laser and lidar technology. You can fully interact with both walls and floor.

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Vendel, Vikings & traces across the world

The Vendel Era takes its name from discoveries just outside Uppsala: swords, shields, horse gear, gaming pieces, and richly furnished graves. Wealth was being built here long before the Vikings became a global phenomenon.

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Flying bags and a hole – what could go wrong?

It sounds simple. And it is. But there’s something about flying fabric bags, a wooden board, and a single hole that makes it surprisingly hard to stop. Cornhole is the game you’ve (probably) never heard of – but one that anyone can pick up right away. And before you know it, it’s more competitive than you expected.

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A gin & tonic that’s entirely yours

Here, your perfect gin and tonic is crafted to match your personality.

Sweden’s most local craft beer?

Catch your reflection in the brewery’s copper tanks and taste it right at the source.

A hidden garden restaurant

Did you know there’s a hidden garden restaurant in the heart of Uppsala?

Let the drink decide the dish

Here, the drink sets the direction for what ends up on your plate.

An iconic pastry for over 40 years

A pastry that could only have been created in Uppsala.

Always something going on

Did you know Uppsala hosts Sweden’s oldest and largest cultural night? That every November, the light returns during a city-wide light festival? Or that the city hosts one of Europe’s most renowned short film festivals? And that’s without even mentioning the concerts in the botanical garden, archery by the Viking burial mounds, or the many food festivals throughout the year.

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Follow the guide for the curious

If you’re curious, you’ll soon start to notice the IQ symbol around the city. It appears at selected places and experiences that hold clever stories, layers of history, and unexpected facts. Wherever the symbol appears, there is always something more to discover – a detail to notice, a story to follow, or an experience that is unique to the moment.