Stockholm: Viking Runestones, Sigtuna & Uppsala 9h Tour

Nine Hours Tracing Real Viking Sites Beyond Stockholm's City Center

You travel through Swedish countryside for nine hours visiting Viking runestones, a reconstructed causeway bridge, the Arkils Tingstad assembly site, and Old Uppsala's massive burial mounds with a specialist guide. The tour includes hotel or cruise port pickup, lunch in Sigtuna, and stops at Uppsala Cathedral and Castle. You get entry to all sites and transport in an air-conditioned vehicle, which means you're not navigating between these places on your own or figuring out what to read on each runestone.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Uppsala Cathedral30m
2. Uppsala Castle10m

Explore Viking sites and historic towns

• See Viking runestones and learn history
• Walk on reconstructed Viking causeway bridge
• Visit Viking assembly site Arkils Tingstad
• Explore church ruins linked to King Olof
• Walking tour and lunch in Sigtuna town
• Visit Old Uppsala burial mounds
• Tour Uppsala historic district and cathedral
• View Uppsala Castle courtyard and history

The experience

You wonder sometimes if a day trip can actually stick with you, or if it just becomes another checkbox. This one does something different. Instead of museum glass and plaques, you're standing in front of runestones that someone carved a thousand years ago, and your guide is telling you about Estrid. A Viking woman whose name is still there, still readable, because her family wanted her remembered. The tour runs nine hours out of Stockholm, moving through the Swedish countryside to places most visitors never see: graveyards where Vikings were buried, a reconstructed causeway bridge a Viking lord built to show off his power, and Arkils Tingstad, one of the best-preserved Viking assembly sites in the world.

The day moves in a rhythm that makes sense. You start with the runestones and burial customs, then walk across that Viking bridge, which is stranger than you'd expect, because you're literally standing on something that old, and it changes how you think about the people who built it. After that comes Arkils Tingstad, where the guide walks you through what a Viking parliament actually looked like, what the social structure meant, and then down to the lakeside to talk about Viking ships and how far they traveled. By the time you reach Sigtuna, Sweden's oldest town, you've already learned enough to understand why the place matters. The town itself is small and wooden and quiet (the kind of place Swedes go on vacation), and lunch happens here. Then it's on to Old Uppsala, where the burial mounds are ten meters high and more than fifty meters across. These aren't small hills. They're landscape-scale monuments to people who mattered, and the guide explains what made this place the early royal center before Sweden itself existed.

The final stops are in Uppsala city itself: a walk through the historic district with the cathedral and castle, both of which have their own complicated histories. The cathedral dates back to 1477 when the university was founded. The castle sits at the highest point and gives you photographs of the city from above. An expert Viking guide leads the whole thing, and the tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off from anywhere within three kilometers of Stockholm Central Station, plus air-conditioned transport the whole way. If you're arriving by cruise, pickup and drop-off also work at Frihamnen, Värtahamnen, or Stadsgården. Comfortable walking shoes matter (you're on your feet for parts of it), and the minimum group size is three people, though cancellations can happen if bookings don't reach that threshold.

What’s included

• Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off from Stockholm hotels within 3km of Central Station (or cruise port pickup at Frihamnen, Värtahamnen, or Stadsgården), professional local Viking expert guide, entry to all sites, air-conditioned vehicle transport, and a lunch stop in Sigtuna.
• Traditional Swedish fika is available as an add-on.
• Specialized infant seats are available if needed.

Options for this experience

2 options

Public 9-hour Viking tourGuide in English · 09:00Public shared small group tour with a maximum of 18 participants. Runs on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and on all days in summer. Duration: 9 hours. Pickup is included.

Private 9-hour Viking tourGuide in English · 09:00Private tour with a private guide and transportation, offering a more luxurious experience with just you and your guide. Booking requires a minimum of 2 people. Duration: 8 hours. Fika is included at the fika stop on this private tour; for the public tour, it is available as an add-on. Pickup is included.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (under 13)

GroupUp to 19

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats available

Operated by Sweden History Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to understand Viking history through actual sites and artifacts rather than museum displays, and you'd rather not arrange transport between these scattered locations yourself. The guide handles the route and timing, which keeps the day moving and lets you focus on what you're seeing.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (under 13).

How long is the tour and what time does it start?

The tour runs nine hours total, including transfers. Your pickup time is confirmed 1–2 days before the tour date.

What's included in the price?

Hotel or cruise port pickup and drop-off, professional Viking guide, entry to all sites, air-conditioned transport, and a lunch stop in Sigtuna. Traditional Swedish fika is available as an add-on.

Is this suitable for people who aren't very fit?

The tour is suitable for all fitness levels, though comfortable walking shoes are recommended because you walk through several sites.

Can I book for just one or two people?

The minimum group size is three people. If bookings don't reach that number, the tour may be cancelled and you'll be offered an alternative or a full refund.

Where does the cruise port pickup happen?

Pickup is at Frihamnen, Värtahamnen, or Stadsgården, not Nynäshamn harbour.

What are the runestones and why do they matter?

They're carved stones left by Vikings over 1000 years ago, often marking burial sites or family memorials. The guide teaches you how to read the inscriptions and what they tell us about Viking life and beliefs.

Do I need to be interested in history to enjoy this?

The tour is designed for history enthusiasts and people interested in Viking culture, but the guide makes it accessible and the sites themselves (the mounds, the bridge, the old towns) are visually interesting even if you're not a history expert.

What's the difference between Sigtuna and Old Uppsala?

Sigtuna is Sweden's oldest town, a cozy wooden settlement where you have lunch and time to walk around. Old Uppsala is an archaeological site with massive Viking burial mounds and was an early royal center before the Swedish kingdom formed.