The complete guide to activities in Uppsala

At The Melody Club, restaurant, bar and karaoke rooms combine under one roof. You're just as welcome whether you want to eat and drink, sing, or do everything in one evening. The karaoke rooms are equipped with everything you need for a fun night, including costumes, accessories and instruments. You can also order food and drink directly to the room, so you never have to put down the mic.

At Interpool, a restaurant and sports bar coexist with fun activities under one roof. Families, friends, and colleagues come here to play shuffleboard, billiards, darts, ping pong or arcade games, while enjoying good food and drinks in a relaxed environment.

Swimming is a fun activity for the whole family. This indoor adventure pool has caves, waterfalls, waves, slides and warm jacuzzis in tropical surroundings with a constant 28 degrees water temperature and 30 degrees in the air. The swimming baths are open all year round for fun and games in the water. 

Sink into a comfortable cinema chair and get drawn into the world of movies! Filmstaden's cinema on Dragarbrunnsgatan has the premium formats Imax and Isense, comfortable chairs, and the possibility to order food and drinks to your seat. This service is available in selected auditoriums, so check when you book.

Padel is a sport that suits most people as it's fun and easy to get started. At Every Sportcenter, there are five indoor courts, one singles court, showers, changing rooms, drinks and snacks, free wifi, and also – free parking.

EttEvent offers a range of unique events with different themes. Do you prefer active adventures, or intellectual problem solving? Either way, there's an event to suit you. All events are created from scratch to ensure every experience is completely unique and tailormade to you. Ideal for conferences, teambuilding and kick-offs, as well as stag and hen dos.

Curling is a perfect sport to do in a group. An activity that's both more fun and more challenging than you might think. Book as a private individual and as a company, and if you want, you can bring your own food for a small fee.

Cube of Art is exactly what it sounds like - a cube filled with art. The cube in question has a ceiling height of 7 metres and is located in Juvelen at Uppsala central station, where you can experience digital art with a focus on interactivity and AI.

At Funplays, anything can happen - in your imagination. The floor can become a rolling sea, the walls can turn into the walls of a robber's castle, and the nets can transform into large pirate sails. Children with energy to burn can play and have fun here in a colourful environment complete with trampolines, slides, climbing frames, and cycling paths. When energy levels start to drop, pay a visit to the café, where they serve food, drinks, and snacks.

Treat yourself to a spa day on Lake Mälaren at Krusenberg Herrgård just outside Uppsala. They offer luxurious spa treatments and a wood-fired, lake-view sauna. Combine your spa day with an overnight stay in one of the romantic hotel rooms, or dinner at the award-winning restaurant.

Bowling is a fun activity that will bring out your competitive streak. Perfect for families, hen dos, corporate events and an evening out with friends. Hire a lane or book an entire room. Why not try out disco bowling? See below for Uppsala's bowling alleys.

A couple of times a month, the Ångkvarn Brewery holds beer tastings, which they refer to as their signature event. For about an hour and a half, you can take a deep dive into a specific theme and learn to look, smell, and taste for a deeper experience.

Uppsala's largest confectionery and chocolate shop in Boländerna sells over 250 different types of confectionery, chocolate and liquorice, as well as a wide range of cigars. They also host regular chocolate and coffee tastings where you can learn about everything from production, raw materials and history, to how to detect subtle differences in flavours, and how to pair chocolate with drinks. Knowledgeable and leading experts guide you through the tasting, providing you with both knowledge and flavour experiences that will challenge your taste buds.

Take a break from everyday life and strengthen and calm your body and soul. Ashtanga Yoga has Uppsala's largest range of yoga classes and you can book into any of their timetabled classes. Groups and corporate parties can book private classes - perhaps as a relaxing moment in a stag or hen do or conference?

Groups and individuals alike can book into Ulven Glassworks, beautifully situated by Ulva Mill, to discover the history of the glassworks and be inspired by the beautiful glass. You can also try your hand at blowing glass, under the guidance of experienced glassblowers. When the glass has cooled you can take it with you or have it sent home to you.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to experience Uppsala's beautiful surrounding plains from above? Perhaps in a propeller plane, or silently in a glider? Book in a flight at Sundbro airfield with one of the club's experienced pilots. Try manoeuvring the plane yourself if you dare.

Test your nerves on the thrilling tree-top adventure course in Fjällnora, explore the city's rooftops or take a guided walking tour. Follow in the footsteps of the much-loved children's book character and Uppsala native, Pelle Svanslös, a cat with no tail, on the popular Pelle Svanslös tour. GO Adventure organises a range of experiences for both private and corporate clients.

Jump through old tyres, climb ropes and run across logs. If you want to put your endurance skills to the test, try Uppsala Survival, which combines a tough obstacle course with running - a concept that started in the Netherlands. There are various different degrees of difficulty at the course, which opened in Berthåga in spring 2017. 

City Escape Games is like an escape room, but outdoors, where you solve challenges, missions and riddles on a tour through Uppsala before finally (hopefully) finding your way out through the secret doorway. The game can be played against the clock, or split into multiple sessions, and can be solved as a team or individually.

Gokartcentret offers both go-karting and pentathlons all in one place where you can challenge friends and colleagues. On the go-kart track, you can challenge each other for the fastest lap time and race, and the pentathlon includes events such as giant sumo, archery, and segway.

Skating on untouched natural ice for miles on end is a truly unique, extraordinary experience. There are several spots around Uppsala where areas of frozen lakes are specially cleared for ice skating. Check the ice reports carefully before you head out. If you don't have your own skates you can often hire them by the lake or from Aktivt Uteliv, which rents out all kinds of equipment for outdoor activities. Below you'll find some examples of ice-skating rinks and routes in Uppsala.

Fjällnora Friluftsområde, Fjällnora
Hammarskogs Friluftsområde, Hammarskog
Sunnerstaviken, Sunnersta

Minigolf, or crazy golf as it's sometimes known, is a fun, simple activity to suit most families and groups of friends and you don't need to be a pro golfer to have fun. The only question is can you all agree on the rules? Uppsala has both indoor and outdoor courses.

Uppsala Cathedral is a truly historic spot and a popular attraction for visitors from Sweden and all over the world. The Gothic cathedral, beautifully situated next to the Fyris river, is filled with fascinating treasures. Next door, the cathedral cafe serves coffee and light lunches.

This museum is more than 100 years old but still as relevant today. Displays and exhibitions with a natural history theme inspire curiosity about the flora and fauna of Sweden. The museum café and surrounding green space with playground also attract plenty of visitors.

Uppland Museum, right next to the Fyris river, is full of interesting subjects and discoveries from the region surrounding Uppsala. Archeology, restoration, photography, crafts and education are just a few. Much of the history of Uppland has been preserved here for future generations.

At Valsgärde Grave Field, approximately 7 kilometres north of Uppsala, you can see traces of around eighty chamber graves, coffin graves, cremation graves, and boat graves. Those buried at Valsgärde were members of the elite of society, and the graves date from around 400 AD to 1100 AD. During the summer, you can take a boat trip to Valsgärde.

Scientists and researchers from as far back as the 17th century have contributed to the collection of more than 500 million botanical, zoological and paleontological exhibits at this museum of natural history. Small and large dinosaur fans alike will be impressed by the largest collection of dinosaur skeletons in Scandinavia.

Uppsala City Theatre is Sweden's third largest city theatre and has a vision of creating groundbreaking stage art of the highest quality. They present a programme of performances for both large and small audiences, ranging from large stage productions and dramatic works to musical theatre, monologues, and chamber plays, along with guest performances and audience discussions. The theatre includes the Theatre Bar, which you can visit regardless of whether you're seeing a performance or not.

Over the years, Katalin in Östra railway station has become a much-loved venue for both Swedish and international artists and bands. Well established and up-and-coming artists alike perform here. There's a strong focus on jazz and every Saturday afternoon you can come and listen to jazzy tones accompanied by food and drink.

The views over Uppsala from the sixth floor of this colour-shifting architectural cube are spectacular. But the views and building itself are not the only reason to visit, Uppsala Konsert & Kongress hosts a never-ending array of dance, theatre, and comedy performances, talks and other events. 

One of Sweden's leading theatres with a carefully curated entertainment programme. Theatre, dance, stand-up comedy and poetry all take place on the large stage.

Lennakatten is a 33-kilometre long heritage railway running from Uppsala Östra to Faringe. Experience a journey just the way travellers did during the first half of the 20th century, with the scent of coal, the thud of rail joints, and lush views. A journey that all ages will enjoy. 

Not far from town, you can park your car on the edge of Vedyxa forest and walk the easy 400-metre path down to this small lake in the middle of the forest. The lake is rich in birdlife and there's always a well-stocked woodbox if you want to bring some food with you to grill. You can walk around the lake in a few minutes, but if you want to walk further there are paths leading on to Skölsta.

Whatever the time of year and whatever age you are, there's masses to do in the Fjällnöra outdoor recreational area. Swim, fish, paddle canoes and play beach volleyball during the summer months. In the winter, the frozen lake is cleared of snow and transformed into a skating rink. There are also several kilometres of cross-country skiing tracks and wooden huts (with grills) to warm yourself in. 

Botanist Carl von Linné (or Linnaeus, as he's more commonly known in the English-speaking world) had a huge influence on the world with his scientific work categorising flora. There are several places you can visit in Uppsala where Linnaeus lived and worked: the Linné museum and Botanical Gardens in the city centre, where you can have a coffee in the house Linnaeus lived as a student. You can also visit his country house, Hammarby, outside the city.

Outdoor swimming baths
If the weather's good you can easily spend a whole day next to the water. There are plenty of natural open-air swimming spots, as well as more official bathing areas with both showers and toilets. You'll find a few examples of these here:

Lyssnarängen, Sunnersta
Storvad, Gamla Uppsala
wikbadet, Lårstaviken - Wiks slott
Fjällnorabadet, Fjällnora

Playgrounds
Take along a good book to read while the kids take care of themselves for a while, or rediscover your inner child and join in the fun. Playgrounds are a perennial favourite for kids of all ages and there are lots of great ones in Uppsala, for example:

Stadsparken, City
Pelle Svanslösparken, Carolina Redeviva
High Chaparall, Vänge,
Krokodilparken, Stenhagen,
Lilla Uppsala, Gränby Köpstad

Picnics
Pack up some tasty treats, along with a blanket and a good book. There are hundreds of places where you can grab a spot and enjoy a picnic. Parks, forests, grassy areas, jetties or even a balcony. The sky's the limit.