Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [190]
Drinking & Entertainment
In the evenings, local students converge on the university bars on Sankt Olofsgatan (hard to get into if you’re not an Uppsala student, but worth a go). Just follow the crowds to find out which ones are currently primo.
Concert Hall (727 90 00; Vaksala Torget 1; 5-8pm Tue-Sat & during evening events) For a cool view over the city, head to the 6th-floor bar inside the huge, blocky Concert Hall.
Katalin and All That Jazz (14 06 80; Godsmagasinet, Östra Station) Katalin, in a former warehouse behind the train station, hosts regular live jazz and blues, with occasional rock and pop bands. There’s a good restaurant too, and in summer the sun-splashed back patio is jammed with great-looking people acting like they’re not checking each other out.
O’Connor’s (14 40 10; Stora Torget 1) Upstairs from Jalla is this friendly Irish pub and restaurant with live music six nights a week and a selection of over 70 beers from around the world.
Svenssons Taverna (10 09 08; Sysslomansgatan 14) This cool taverna has a winning combination of vaguely mariner-themed interior and shady outdoor seating area.
William’s (14 09 20; Övre Slottsgatan 7) In the university quarter, William’s is a cosy English-style pub that also serves cheap food, including a lunch buffet (11am to 2pm, Skr79).
Hollywood blockbusters play at the Royal Cinema (13 50 07; Dragarbrunnsgatan 44) and Filmstaden (08 56 26 00 00; www.sf.se, in Swedish; Drottninggatan 3).
Getting There & Away
The Flygbuss (bus 801) departs at least twice an hour around the clock for nearby Arlanda airport (45 minutes, adult/child Skr100/60); it leaves from outside the Uppsala train station.
Swebus Express (0200-21 82 18; www.swebusexpress.se) runs regular direct services to Stockholm (Skr54, one hour, at least hourly), Gävle (Skr82, 1½ hours, two daily), Västerås (Skr157, 3½ hours, six daily), Örebro (Skr220, 4½ hours, four to seven daily) and Falun (Skr296, 5½ hours, one daily).
There are frequent SJ trains to/from Stockholm (Skr39 to Skr69, 40 minutes one way). SJ trains to/from Gävle (Skr135, 50 minutes, at least seven daily), Östersund (Skr764, five hours, at least two daily) and Mora (Skr224 to Skr572, 3¼ hours, two daily) also stop in Uppsala.
For car hire, seek out Statoil (20 91 00; Gamla Uppsalagatan 48), next to the Scandic Uppsala Nord. There are three petrol stations with car hire, 1.5km along Vaksalagatan: OKQ8 (29 04 96; Årstagatan 5-7) often has some good deals.
Getting Around
Upplands Lokaltrafik (0771-14 14 14; www.ul.se, in Swedish) runs traffic within the city and county. City buses leave from Stora Torget and the nearby streets. Tickets for unlimited travel for 90 minutes cost from Skr20.
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NORTHERN UPPLAND
Once a centre of industry, this region is now mainly a series of picturesque relics ideal for picnicking, lazing on the grass, taking photos and generally idling about. The landscape consists of buttery green hills dotted with small red cottages and postcard villages linked by winding roads, loads of birch trees and ultra-lush vegetation. The main sights of interest are the centuries-old ironworks and mines scattered around the countryside. From vast gorges ripped into the ground to spic-and-span forge workers’ cottages, they make fascinating visual history lessons.
The word ‘bruk’, which is part of many local place names, means an industrial village that processed raw materials, such as iron ore. Most appeared in the 17th century and were owned, run and staffed by Dutch and Walloon (Belgian) immigrants. The profits were used to build fine mansions, surrounded by humble workers’ homes.
For more about the area’s industrial heritage, ask at tourist offices for the free booklet Vallonbruk in Uppland, or check out www.vallonbruken.nu.
Österbybruk
0295
You’d never guess from its placid air, but Österbybruk and its ironworks were founded solely to make munitions for Gustav Vasa’s interminable wars. Today the village is a sleepy place,