We decided to take a day trip during our four-night stay in Stockholm and settled on a visit to Sigtuna — the oldest town in Sweden — followed by Uppsala, known for Scandinavia’s largest cathedral and its university. Some people take a day for each, but we had plenty of time to check out both in a one-day excursion — and if you want a taste of Sweden outside of its trendy capital I would highly recommend the trip. The tree-studded landscape was especially beautiful during our autumn visit, making me a bit nostalgic for our annual drive to Shenandoah National Park while we lived in DC to see the changing leaves.

Gui and I left our hotel in Stockholm mid-morning and headed to the train station, where we caught a quick ride to the station near Sigtuna and then took a bus to the old town itself. After wandering the historic main strip of shops, we moseyed down to the lake at the base of the town and then over to the ruins of the oldest church in Sweden, soaking in the gorgeous autumn foliage along the way. Once we had our fill, we hopped back on the bus to the train station and after a decent wait for the train — we had just missed one — set off to Uppsala.

Poor Gui had to withstand an hour-long shopping stop in downtown Uppsala where I was continuously amazed by how many Swedes speak perfect English before crossing the canal to the giant cathedral. Afterward, we explored the picturesque university campus and climbed up to the castle where lots of gown- and tux-clad Scandinavians were gathering for some sort of fancy event. It was a very laid-back day filled with some fantastic autumn colors, which I hope you get a taste of in the photos. Enjoy!