Holiday apartment in Upplands Väsby: runes, trails and nature

Upplands Väsby combines an unusually rich cultural history with nature reserves, ancient waterways and extensive trails. Between reconstructed Viking Age settings, medieval churches, pilgrim trails and landscapes along Lake Mälaren, there are various ways to explore the area.

Culture and history

The Vikingagården Gunnes gård is located in the Smedby area. It is an open-air museum and a reconstruction of a Viking Age farm from the early 11th century. A guided visit includes a visit to one or more of the farm's buildings as well as a walk among archaeological remains; you may also encounter animals on the farm grounds. The Fornslingan begins directly outside the gate of Gunnes gård. It passes the Smedby and Vilunda farms, which date from the Late Iron Age.

The churches and remnants of pre-Christian times also provide the surrounding area with distinctive historical points of reference. Eds kyrka is a medieval church on Lake Edssjön in Upplands Väsby; its oldest parts date from the middle or latter half of the 12th century. It is normally closed to visitors, but may be opened by prior arrangement at times when staff are available. Upplands Väsby is also home to 76 runic inscriptions. Hammarby kyrka, a medieval church on the southern shore of Lake Fysingen, stands in an area with numerous burial grounds and runestones from pre-Christian times.

A detour from the Upplandsleden leads to Runsa fornborg. A stone ship setting dating from the 5th or 6th century is located at the hillfort. Thus, traces of different periods lie side by side within a compact thematic area, from the Late Iron Age through the Viking Age to the Middle Ages.

Nature

The nature reserves differ considerably in terms of landscape and location. Vallensjö naturreservat was established in 2006, covers approximately 16 hectares and consists of a natural forest dominated by coniferous trees. Sättra Gårds naturreservat covers approximately 213 hectares and preserves a cultural landscape around Sättra gård on Lake Mälaren. Norra Törnskogens naturreservat covers approximately 108 hectares and lies east of Norrviken. Eggeby fornpark combines a rich natural and cultural landscape with archaeological remains and fallow deer.

There are also clearly described facilities and routes by the water. The 80-kilometre-long Vikingaleden is a canoe route on Lake Mälaren that passes hillforts and castles along the shores of the lake. Kairobadet has an accessible jetty for wheelchair users.

Trails

Several different trails are available for walks and longer outings. The loops of Hälsans stig in Upplands Väsby are each seven kilometres long. The Upplandsleden runs through the Sättra and Kairo areas in western Upplands Väsby; Tegeludden is located along the Upplandsleden and is suitable for taking a break and having a barbecue. Sagostigen is a nature trail and is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.

Birgittavandringen is a nine-kilometre pilgrim trail in the eastern part of the municipality. Fresta kyrka is named as a suitable starting point. The trail is a hiking and pilgrim route for pilgrims, Sunday walkers and families with children. The Ingegerdsleden extends considerably farther: the 110-kilometre pilgrim trail leads from Storkyrkan in Stockholm to Uppsala domkyrka and passes several churches, historic sites and other attractions in Upplands Väsby.

Upplevelsestråket follows ancient waterways between the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren. These waterways were already used for transportation during the Viking Age. Upplevelsestråket comprises twelve stages and is slightly more than 40 kilometres long in total.

Other activities

In addition to the hiking and pilgrim trails, there are public riding trails in the area around Sättra gård and the Väsby ridklubb in western Upplands Väsby. There is a marked mountain bike trail in Apoteksskogen. Alongside historical walks and nature trails, this provides riding and cycling options with dedicated routes.

Getting there

Commuter trains from Stockholm City, Märsta and Uppsala stop at Upplands Väsby station. The commuter train journey from Stockholm to Upplands Väsby takes approximately 28 minutes.

In the destination overview, Upplands Väsby is listed as a destination. Other destinations in the same higher-level selection are Ekerö, Österåker, Södertälje, Upplands-Bro, Haninge, Järfälla and Vallentuna.

To the higher-level travel overview: Stockholm.