Uppsala by plane · Uppsala by plane
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Uppsala by plane
Uppsala by plane
Uppsala has no airport of its own; city officials have been wrangling for years over whether to convert the old Ärna air force base just northwest of the city for civilian use. For now, thus, Uppsala is served by the same airports that serve Stockholm city.
The main international airport, through which most traffic flows, is at Arlanda (ARN), which is located 35 km south of Uppsala, about halfway to Stockholm. It's a hub for SAS and served by most main European airlines and a number of Asian and American carriers. From there trains, buses, rental cars and taxis will be waiting to whisk you away - which one to take is up to you.
- The standard option is Upptåget, operated by UL and departing every 30 minutes; the 19-minute train trip will set you back SEK 130 one-way. Trains depart Arlanda on weekdays every half hour between 5:27AM and 0:57AM (on weekends, trains run from 6:57AM). The train-station is called Arlanda Central (the airport has 3 train stations) and is located under Sky City, between terminals 4 and 5. Tickets are available from the information desks in the airport (in either the arrival area or in Sky City in front of the elevators leading to the station), or on the train itself (at a 20 SEK surcharge). In Uppsala, you may buy tickets for Upptåget either from the 'Travelcenter' within the building (Resecentrum) or on the train itself (at a 20 SEK surcharge). Do NOT buy tickets from either the blue or gray machines inside the station - while those machines do sell tickets labeled Arlanda, they are not valid on Upptåget, but only on SJ trains (read below).
- UL buses also exist, also departing every half-hour, from in front of terminals 2 and 5. They cost SEK 80 if bought in advance and SEK 100 if bought on the day, and take a bit over 40 minutes to arrive in front of the Central Station in Uppsala. Tickets can be bought at either the Information Desk in front of the exits from Terminals 2 and 5, or from the driver. They run round-the-clock and might be your only option between midnight and 5 or 6AM, even though they take far longer to arrive in Uppsala. Note that if you buy your ticket on the bus, you cannot pay by cash.
- In addition to Upptåget, there are a (small) number of long-distance and regional trains calling at both Arlanda and Uppsala. These trains are operated by SJ, the national train company. Tickets are usually more expensive than in the case of Upptåget (around 140-160 SEK one way - there is no fixed price, as SJ uses an airline-style flexible demand-based system), but can be significantly cheaper (down to ca. 75 SEK) if booked well in advance. Tickets can be bought in similar fashion as in the case of Upptåget, plus from the blue or gray machines available in Uppsala Central Station. Note however that there is a 100 SEK surcharge if you buy the ticket onboard the train.
- Taxis are available in front of both terminals 2, 4 and 5. They offer fixed prices to Uppsala (usually denoted by a large 'Fast Pris Uppsala-Arlanda/Arlanda-Uppsala' sign near the back of the car). This usually amounts to 350-500 SEK for 1-4 persons, making it a cost-effective option for 3-4 persons (especially if factoring in public transport costs within Uppsala city). You must ask for the fixed price before commencing the journey, otherwise the driver might employ the per-km charge, that usually amounts to far more.
If using Ryanair or Wizzair or other similar budget carriers, they serve Skavsta Airport (NYO), in Nyköping, about 200 km south of Uppsala. You can either make your way to Stockholm, by using the Airport Buses (Flygbussarna) and take the train from Stockholm's central station (total, 152 SEK), or, cheaper, take the city bus from Skavsta to Nyköping Central Station and take a direct regional train to Uppsala (120-140 SEK in total, sometimes as low as 69 SEK).
Ryanair also serves Stockholm Västerås airport (80 km west of Uppsala) to a handful of destinations in Britain and Spain. Getting to Uppsala was relatively easy in the past, as a direct shuttle used to exist. Right now, however, your best/cheapest/fastest bet is to use the shuttle to downtown Västerås and get on the UL regional bus (yellow) to Uppsala for 112 SEK. If you book well in advance, you might get a cheaper deal on the SJ trains from Västerås Central via Sala.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Uppsala
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Uppsala - updated May 2024
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Uppsala Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.