Just a hop and a skip from Stockholm, Sigtuna is a popular day trip and also a historic destination. I was initially drawn to its quaint look and long history, so going on a day trip there was a no brainer for me. It was a nice little trip through several eras of time.

A Brief History of Sigtuna

Sigtuna was founded during the Viking age in 980 by Erik the Victorious, Sweden’s first king, and is considered Sweden’s first town. It was a trading town and a main center of power, and held that role from the end of the Viking era and into the high middle ages. It was the site of where Sweden’s first coins were minted.

The town thrived for about 250 years, becoming quite populated for this time and area of the world, but in the 13th century the importance died out and migrated to the nearby cities of Stockholm and Uppsala. Some say Sigtuna was sacked in 1187 by the Estonians, but this wouldn’t have caused a direct destruction since the town was still strong for another 50 years or so. But it is, interestingly, still a point of contention for historians and Estonian pride that’s lasted several centuries.

What you see is quite obviously not a true Viking town. The surviving buildings along the main road date from around the 17th and 18th centuries to the modern day.

Things to See & Do in Sigtuna

Sigtuna is quite small so there’s not so much to “do.” A lot of activity circles around the main street where there are several shops and a few places to eat. The main street may look modern but the route dates back 1000 years. It takes walking in the Vikings’ footsteps to a new level. And an actual new level, too – the current street is a whopping 3 meters above where the original street was. It really puts into perspective how much the earth physically changes over time.

However, my photos are few and quite terrible because the street was under construction when I was there. A lot of it looked like this:

Photographed is Sigtuna’s town hall, which dates back to 1744 and is actually Sweden’s smallest town hall. It is quite small!

More notably for medieval history lovers, Sigtuna has the highest concentration of runestones of anywhere in the world! The Sigtuna Museum has a map here with locations and descriptions of the runestones. Something I enjoyed in Sweden was going around and seeing the different artwork on the different stones. What’s fascinating in Sigtuna specifically is there are two stones (U392 and U393) that are in their original locations, which was alongside Viking era roads. They’re a bit tucked back in a neighbourhood now, and one’s actually next to somebody’s trash bins, but it was still cool to see that they haven’t been moved.

I don’t have a post on Uppsala but if you like runestones, there are tons in Uppsala as well!

And of course there is the Sigtuna Museum which has several objects from the Viking and later medieval eras. I loved looking at all the different things with runes carved into them; I don’t think seeing medieval things in person will ever get “old” to me (har har har). Half of their museum is dedicated to more recent decades and the lives that have lived in Sigtuna. I also loved learning about this more intimate, personal type of history.

You can also see the medieval transition from Paganism to Christianity in Sigtuna today with three church ruins.

The first one is St Lars Church Ruin, which is honestly the most disappointing since it’s really just a wall that dates back to the 12th century. The runestone nearby was a lot more exciting to me.

St Peter’s Church Ruin also dates back to the 12th century and it’s a much more “complete” ruin, if you will. It has several walls and towers remaining and you can still visualise what it could have looked like at one point. It’s also a little more secluded in a wooded area and it just had a nice, old, abandoned feel to it. I really liked it.

The third ruin is St Olaf’s Church Ruin which was built in the early 12th century. (Sigtuna had a bunch of churches built for its many citizens when Christianity came to Sweden!) It’s also a more “complete” ruin with some walls, and you can see some apses and windows, and it’s a lot easier to visualise what it was like several hundred years ago.

St Olaf’s Church Ruin is actually in the graveyard adjacent to St Mary’s Church, which dates a little bit later to the 13th century but is the oldest building in continuous use in Sigtuna. St Mary’s Church was such a nice gem to see because its architecture is a bit different from other medieval churches in Sweden and reminds me more of churches and buildings that I saw in Poland.

But what I particularly loved about it was seeing the frescoes on the inside that date to the 14th and 15th centuries. Medieval frescoes are another thing I don’t think I’ll tire of. I think it’s my love of interior design and my love of medieval history combining.

You can also see a few runestones in the graveyard, but it’s a little tricky to find them since there are tons of stones sticking out of the ground.

Another historic thing to see is the Klockstapel or the church bell tower. A bell tower has been in that spot since 1608 but due to a fire, the current bell tower is actually very new and dates to 2018. What’s interesting is that there’s a medieval graveyard supposedly at this spot. You’ll see a sign there that describes what some of the stones look like. However, they are quite difficult to see and I looked for them and couldn’t see them. Maybe you can if you visit Sigtuna!

There is also a cute waterfront boardwalk where you can walk along the shores of Lake Malaren. Down there is a children’s golf course, and it looks so cute since it’s Viking and history themed, like Sigtuna in miniature.

I don’t normally recommend restaurants but Sigtuna doesn’t have much in the way of choice and I was delighted to find a restaurant called Hey Lucie! that is 100% vegan and, I believe, gluten free. So it’s a place to put on your list if you’d like a vegan place to eat!

Sigtuna was pretty cute. I do have to say that though it was at the top of my Swedish bucket list, it wasn’t as beautiful as I’d imagined. Don’t get me wrong, it was cute – but just a bit small and it looks typical of a Scandinavian town, so I’d been a few places that look like Sigtuna before. It was quite small, like just the main street and then a few streets off the side.

What I did like and didn’t expect to, however, was the gorgeous scenery of Lake Malaren and the beautiful albeit modern houses all the way from Marsta train station to the Sigtuna bus station. It was a stunning ride. I also was expecting Sigtuna to be a tourist town but it is actually quite local. There are a few souvenir shops but mainly regular stores and restaurants, and in August, only a handful of people. I was pleasantly surprised by that.

Sigtuna is such an important place in Swedish history. If you’re a history lover or just looking to escape the city life of Stockholm for a day then it’s definitely a place to keep on your bucket list.

Book an Organised Tour

Book Your Stay in Sigtuna

About the Author

Leave a Reply