A long weekend in Stockholm sounded like fun. And off I went last October with a college friend, John. While Stockholm was the focus, I have always wanted to see something of ‘rural’ Sweden: lakes, charming homes, and lots of green. At least, that is how I envisioned it. So, once in Sweden, I was eager to get on the road at least for a day of driving around, a day trip from Stockholm.
As I looked at the map, Uppsala caught my eye: I knew it was a university town AND it was approximately 1.5 hrs away from Stockholm. It sounded like a great day trip from Stockholm.
Starting the day trip from Stockholm
The day trip we concocted was not just focused on Uppsala. After all, when you only have a long weekend to explore, you gotta maximize the exploring, no? We headed west from Stockholm in the morning on the E-20 highway that runs south of Lake Mälaren. Our plan was then to round the western end of the lake and then take E-18 highway east. At some point later, we would leave the E-18 and hook left and north to reach Uppsala on a smaller road.
Arriving in Uppsala after a long day
With such a long day, it was close to getting dark when we arrived in this charming Swedish town. Still, we arrived early enough to walk around the pedestrian-friendly town center and have some daylight. In that walking circuit we made up, we visited the university’s grounds, the Cathedral of Saint Erik, and the shopping district.
Being there in autumn made the streets by the main cathedral and university a lot more charming with the fallen leaves everywhere. That scene and the beautiful colors of the buildings around made spending time in the town worthwhile.
Uppsala’s Cathedral
Erik the Holy -or Saint Erik-, patron saint of Sweden, is buried at the cathedral in Uppsala that bears his name. This was the site where he was killed a long time ago (12th century if you want to know). The cathedral itself was finished in the 15th century. It claims to be the largest church building in the Nordic countries but I am not sure if there is some qualifier that I am missing.
Drink, please! Oh, and food too
We were a tad surprised that a university town did not have an obvious or easy-to-find ‘bar scene.’ We looked around thinking that would be a neat way to feel the vibe of the town. Perhaps tainted by the U.S. college town experience?
Probably. So there is a different ethos there. Were students -gasp- studying? Or, it was a holiday week? Or, something. Still, we were wondering where to go hang out and grab a bite to eat. Mind you, a place with some personality. So, we turned to our smartphones, of course.
Churchill Arms to the rescue
An online app suggested what turned out to be the perfect spot: the Churchill Arms gastropub. We sat at the small bar where I ended up teaching the young bartender (from the U.S.) how to make a Manhattan. Good grief…
After a short while, the loungey chairs (just two of them) by the bar freed up. We decided to grab them instead of going to one of the regular tables in one of the wood-paneled eating rooms. Too formal and we just wanted to chill. Plus, from that vantage point, we could see everyone coming in and out. Always cool to sit back and watch locals in a country other than one’s.
Food at the gastropub in Uppsala
For dinner, I enjoyed some mussels (moules marinieres) in a white wine sauce – delicious. And the mandatory companions to mussels: French fries and bread to dip in the sauce!
After dinner, we headed out back to Stockholm to wrap up a day of semi-aimless driving around and seeing what we came upon. We had our outbound flight back to the States early the next morning (via Paris) so it was not to be a late night out and about. Bummer, huh?
Off-the-beaten-path travel scores again
Once again, going off the beaten path proved rewarding. If you ever visit Sweden (or next time you do), hop over to quiet and charming Uppsala, an easy day trip from Stockholm. It was beautiful in the fall, I can only imagine how it would be in the summer and spring. I sure would like to return!
Check out another off-the-beaten-path town we discovered earlier that day southwest of Lake Malaren: Eskilstuna.
Pin this image to your board, the question is which one?? Sweden? Travel? Day trip from Stockholm? Autumn colors?
