Advent Lights Along the Fyris
It's the second Sunday of Advent, and Uppsala has gone dark early. The Fyris river runs black between its banks, but the bridges are strung with lights and the shop windows along the pedestrian streets glow warm against the frost. Somewhere ahead of you, a brass quartet is playing something that sounds like it belongs in a cathedral, and the air smells of roasted almonds and mulled wine. This is the day the city slows down and gathers — and you're in the middle of it.
Where the Advent Celebrations Happen
Uppsala's Advent season builds through the four Sundays before Christmas, and the second Sunday is the one locals treat as the heart of it. Expect the city centre to be busy with people moving between markets, concerts and church services, and expect the cold to be real — this is December in central Sweden.
- Salsta Castle Christmas market and Advent concert — the standout event of the second Sunday, held in the castle grounds outside Uppsala. The market runs in Nya stallet from 10:00 to 15:00, with local crafts, homemade treats, seasonal decorations, delicacies and gift ideas. The castle itself is open from 11:00 to 17:00, and the traditional craft spaces and grounds are open to visitors throughout.
- The talk on Sweden's first Christmas trees at 13:00 — a short, specific piece of Swedish Christmas history delivered on site at Salsta, and worth timing your market visit around.
- The Advent concert at 15:00 in the castle — the day's centrepiece, and the reason many visitors make the trip out here rather than staying in town.
What to Eat and Drink While You're Out in the Cold
Swedish Advent eating is built for standing outdoors with your hands full. At the Salsta market you'll find homemade treats and delicacies among the craft stalls — this is the place to buy something to eat on the spot and something to take home. Elsewhere in Uppsala, the season means glögg (mulled wine), roasted almonds and pepparkakor, and the market stalls and cafés around the centre will be serving them through December. Plan to eat at the market rather than waiting for a restaurant; the stalls are the point.
Getting There and Pacing Your Day
Salsta Castle sits outside Uppsala, so treat this as a half-day trip rather than a quick stop. The market opens at 10:00 and the concert finishes in the late afternoon — a natural rhythm is to arrive for the market, catch the 13:00 talk on Sweden's first Christmas trees, stay for the 15:00 concert, and use the castle's 11:00–17:00 opening to look around between the two. Dress for standing around in the cold, and bring cash or card for the stalls.
If You're Staying in the City
Uppsala's Advent Sundays aren't confined to one venue. The city centre — the pedestrian streets and the river bridges — is where the lights, the crowds and the seasonal atmosphere concentrate, and the second Sunday of Advent is one of the busiest days of the winter calendar there. Build your day around the city's markets and church concerts if you're not heading out to Salsta, and expect the centre to be lively into the evening.
Dates for the second Sunday of Advent shift each year, so once you've settled on 2026, check Destination Uppsala's listings for the confirmed Salsta Castle programme and the city's Advent events before you book travel. The market, the talk and the concert are the fixed points — everything else in Uppsala arranges itself around them.