Uppsala University campus tour: the Nordic region's oldest university

Founded in 1477, Uppsala University is the oldest university in the Nordic countries, and Uppsala is a true university town: a small, walkable city where the cathedral spires, the library on the hill and the student clubs along the river all belong to the same story. This guide follows a route through the historic core, then out to the gardens and the science campus, and explains the traditions that shape student life here.

How the city is laid out

The Fyris River runs through the middle of Uppsala. On the east bank are the railway station and the shopping streets. On the west bank, around the cathedral, is the old academic quarter, with the university's ceremonial buildings, museums and most of the student nations within a few minutes' walk of one another. Humanities, law and the social sciences are taught in and around this quarter. The newer science buildings lie to the south, a short bus or bike ride away.

The University Main Building

The University Main Building stands in a small park a few steps from the cathedral. It was designed by the architect Herman Teodor Holmgren and inaugurated in 1887. Inside are a domed entrance hall and the Grand Auditorium, used for lectures, concerts and the conferment ceremonies at which new doctors receive their laurel wreaths or hats. Above the auditorium doors is a line by the poet Thomas Thorild, usually translated as "To think freely is great, but to think rightly is greater."

The Gustavianum and the cathedral

Facing the cathedral, the Gustavianum was the university's main building in the 1600s and is named after King Gustavus Adolphus, who paid for it. The curious cupola on its roof holds an anatomical theatre built in the 1660s by Olof Rudbeck, a professor of medicine, where students stood in steep tiers to watch dissections. The building is now the university museum.

Uppsala Cathedral, next door, is the largest church in the Nordic countries. Among those buried here are King Gustav Vasa and Carl Linnaeus.

Carolina Rediviva

A short climb up the hill brings you to Carolina Rediviva, the main building of the university library, which opened in the 1840s. Its best-known treasure is the Silver Bible, or Codex Argenteus, a sixth-century Gospel book in the Gothic language written in silver and gold ink on purple parchment. The library has long kept it on public display in its exhibition room; check the current arrangements on the library's own pages.

The slope in front of the library, Carolinabacken, is also the stage for the biggest student celebration of the year (see below).

Linnaeus, the gardens and the castle

Carl Linnaeus, who devised the system of scientific names still used for plants and animals, was a professor at Uppsala in the 18th century, and the university keeps two gardens connected with him.

The Botanical Garden lies just below Uppsala Castle, with a formal baroque garden, an orangery building called the Linneanum and a tropical greenhouse.
The Linnaeus Garden, across the river, is the university's original botanical garden, restored to Linnaeus's own plan, next to the house where he lived.

Uppsala Castle, a 16th-century royal castle painted a soft pink, looks down on the Botanical Garden from its ridge and gives a wide view over the town.

Science at the Ångström Laboratory

Many science and engineering students spend their days at the Ångström Laboratory, a large modern complex south of the centre named after the Uppsala physicist Anders Ångström. The Biomedical Centre is in the same part of town. Uppsala's scientific roll call also includes Anders Celsius, who was a professor of astronomy here.

Bachelor's programmes are mostly taught in Swedish, and many master's programmes are taught in English.

The nations: how student life works

What makes Uppsala unusual is its thirteen student nations. They began in the 1600s as associations for students from the same Swedish province, and they still carry regional names, such as Norrlands, Stockholms or Västgöta. Today any student can generally join any nation.

Each nation has its own house in the old quarter, typically with a pub, a lunch restaurant, a library and a ballroom. Students run them, and they organise formal dinners called gasques, club nights, choirs, orchestras, theatre and sports. Several nations also own student housing. Many other students live in corridor rooms in residential areas such as Flogsta, west of the centre.

Valborg, the last day of April

Uppsala's great tradition is Valborg, Walpurgis Eve, on 30 April. In the morning, students in homemade rafts ride the small rapids of the Fyris River through the centre of town while crowds line the banks. In the afternoon, thousands gather on the slope below Carolina Rediviva for the donning of the caps, when the white student caps go on at a signal from the library balcony. The town is extremely busy that day, and beds are scarce.

Visiting the university

Swedish universities do not generally run the kind of admissions tours found at North American campuses. What Uppsala offers visitors is mostly its public places: the university museum in the Gustavianum, the gardens, the library's exhibition and the cathedral. Guided tours of some buildings have been offered at times. For prospective students, the university's own web pages are the reliable source for visitor information and events, so check them before you travel.

Getting there and around

From Stockholm: frequent trains from Stockholm Central take around 40 minutes.
From Arlanda Airport: the airport lies between Stockholm and Uppsala, and direct trains reach Uppsala in roughly 20 minutes.
In town: the historic quarter is about ten minutes on foot from the station. Bikes are the students' transport, and city buses run to the science campus and the residential areas.

Where families usually stay

Central Uppsala, near the station and the river: the simplest choice, with everything in walking distance.
Stockholm: workable as a day trip if you would rather keep one base.

Practical tips

Allow a full day: the old quarter in the morning, the gardens and the castle in the afternoon.
Visit in term time if you can. The town is noticeably quieter in the summer break.
Comparing Nordic universities? See our Lund University, University of Helsinki and University of Copenhagen campus tours.

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Cover photo: Alexander Engström, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons