If you are planning a trip to Stockholm in November you should book a full day to visit Uppsala and in the afternoon walk along the 7th edition of the ‘Allt ljus på Uppsala’ Festival, which in 2018 is dedicated to one of its most famous citizens, the Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman, and illuminates the center of the city.
Everything is light in Allt Ljus på Uppsala
The theme for this edition, “Barnet Bergman” or “The boy Bergman”, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ingmar Bergman in July 1918 in Uppsala and evokes the curiosity, innovation and fantasy that the little Bergman would have had when he first discovered the art of filmmaking.
This November 10 different light works have been installed in the streets around the Uppsala Cathedral, the Great Theater and the gardens of the city. In addition, another 8 works that are permanently found in Uppsala throughout the year have been illuminated in a special way during the festival season.
Gradual Exposure by Jakob Oredsson
Photo: Kim Matthai Leland
The Allt Ljus på Uppsala Lights Festival is a collaboration between the municipality of Uppsala and Uppsala City – an organization responsible for the development of the city – and you can visit it until November 18 from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Here you can see a map to locate the different lighting installations. In Uppsala you will find physical maps that can help you plan your walk in advance. Bear in mind that if you want to visit them all you will end up walking about 3 km (1.90 mi) depending on how you design the route.
Things to Do in Uppsala
One way to make the most of the day in Uppsala is to visit its historical center and its library, the Cathedral and the Uppsala Castle, visit the Linneus Museum – dedicated to the famous Swedish naturalist – or travel 2000 years ago visiting Gamla Uppsala a place where ancient Swedish kings meet Old Norse gods and human sacrifices. And if you really are into Ingmar Bergman, do not miss all the things you can see related to him in Uppsala. On Sundays you will also find a flea market in the Vagsala torg square.
How to get to Uppsala from Stockholm
You can get to Uppsala from Stockholm in just over 50 minutes with your Stockholm public transport ticket and by adding a transport ticket valid for Uppsala County. This trip can easily be done from central Stockholm by suburban train (40X).
If you do not have a transport ticket in Stockholm you can also go to Uppsala by train with the SJ company and it will cost you between 18€ and 25€ ($20-30/£16-22) for the entire trip.
If you are planning your trip to Uppsala and want to know what else to do, do not hesitate to write me a comment below and I will try to help you with the preparations.
