Sigtuna is a municipality in Stockholm County, north of Stockholm's northern suburbs, south of Knivsta in Uppsala County.

The city of Sigtuna itself used to be Sweden's capital from the 10th to the 13th centuries. Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, the largest in Sweden, can be found nearby, as well as palaces, runestones, and an inviting landscape.

Stora gatan in Sigtuna

Understand

S:t Olof church ruin

The area prospered during the Viking Age, leaving a heritage of runestones, graves and monuments, while Lake Mälaren was part of the Baltic Sea. Sigtuna was founded just before AD 1000, as Christianity arrived, and Sweden was united as a single kingdom. With a royal mint and a bishop, Sigtuna was effectively the capital of Sweden until power shifted towards Stockholm and Uppsala in the 13th century. After three fires in the 17th century, Sigtuna's population was down at the hundreds for 250 years, until the city was revived in the 1910s as a nationalist project.

The Arlanda airport opened in 1960, and has expanded step by step into an international hub. Märsta, at the railroad between Stockholm and Uppsala, grew side by side with the airport.

Get in

• 1 Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN ^IATA) is by far Sweden's busiest airport, and a hub for Scandinavian Airlines. The terminals are numbered 2, 3, 4 and 5. The airport is clean, safe and well-functioning. Seating is scarce. Shopping and dining are concentrated to the outside-transit mall Sky City (see below).
  • There are several means of transport between Arlanda and Stockholm: airport coach, express train, commuter train and regional train. See Stockholm#By plane for details.

• Sigtuna is part of Stockholm's public transport network, see Stockholm#Public transport. [1] The Stockholm commuter train has one line calling at Rosersberg and Märsta, and another one calling at Arlanda (with a surcharge).

• Strömma has a tourist ferry-line between Stockholm and Sigtuna, with a stopover at Skokloster Palace in Håbo. [2]

Get around

• If you touch down at Arlanda, and you want a chronological approach to Sweden, you could rent a car at the airport, or take a local bus, and start exploring Sigtuna, going on to Uppsala or Stockholm. Avis, Europcar and Hertz have car rentals at Arlanda, as well as local companies Budget and Sixt. For more information on car rental, visit the website of Arlanda airport

See

• Runestones and other artifacts from the Viking Age in Sigtuna

• 1 Sigtuna Town Center (Sigtuna Centrum). A quaint town center, with many shops beyond the usual. While most mid-sized Swedish town centers were torn down during the 1960s, replaced by shopping complexes, evertything has remained here. 

• 2 S:t Olof's Church Ruin. 

• 3 Sigtuna Museum. 

• 4 Sigtuna waterfront (Sigtuna strand). A scenic trail along the shore of lake Mälaren. 

• 5 Scandinavian Airlines Collection, Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, Hangar 4 airside. Tuesdays, 10AM-2PM. Aircraft, uniforms and furnishing from early Scandinavian aviation. 

• 6 Konsthall Märsta (Märsta Art Hall), Nymärsta Kulle 1. A local art hall. Free. 

• 7 Rosersberg Palace. A 17th century Baroque palace built at the height of the Swedish Empire, used as the summer residence of Charles XIV John (named Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, serving as Napoleon's general, before his coronation) during the early 19th century. The palace museum offers guided tours during summer. Textile furnishings are original; this is very unusual, as textiles are normally replaced as they wear out through the years. The palace contains an early replica of the United States Declaration of Independence, gifted from the USA in 1801, as well as other interesting artifacts. 
• 8 Skånelaholm Palace. A 17th century country castle, open for visitors during summer. 

Do

• Several beaches for open-water swimming. Hiking, cycling, fishing and bathing during summer. Ice-skating and cross-country skiing during winter.

• 1 Fysingen. A scenic lake, known for its many bird species. 

Buy

• 1 Steninge Palace (Steninge Slott). While the palace itself is closed down for renovation (as of 2014), a masonry barn offers shopping and entertainment. 

• 2 Sky City Arlanda. The airport's main shopping mall is outside the transit area, open to the public. 

• 3 Märsta Centrum, Stationsgatan. Some 30 stores; supermarket, pharmacy, Systembolaget liquor store, library, cafés, etc. 

Eat

Cafés

• 1 Tant Bruns kaffestuga, Laurentii gränd 3. An old-school café in a 17th century town farm. 

Drink

As most residents venture to central Stockholm for nightlife, Sigtuna municipality mostly contains local hangouts and hotel bars.

• 1 Harrys, Stationsgatan 4. Until 03:00 on Friday and Saturday nights. Local representative of the nation-wide Harrys restaurant and bar chain, with the Sliver nightclub. (updated Feb 2015)

Sleep

Mid-range

• 1 Hotell Kristina, Rektor Cullbergs väg 1. A hotel. 

Splurge

• 2 Sigtuna Stadshotell. Branded as Sweden's smallest 5-star hotel. 

Rosersberg Palace.

• 3 Rosersberg Palace. The annex of the 17th century Baroque palace mentioned above has a conference hotel. 

• 4 Venngarn Palace (Wenngarns slott). A 17th century palace, though there are historical records since the 12th century. Among most Swedish people, the palace is known as a rehabilitation home for alcoholics during the early 20th century. Today, it is used as a conference hotel. 

Arlanda Airport

• 5 Jumbostay. Jumbovägen 4 near Arlanda Airport, is a bit of a novelty and conveniently located near the airport. A decommissioned Boeing 747 Jumbo jet converted into a backpackers' hostel. Everything inside is new and clean, and linen comes included on made beds. Flat screen TV's in each room are a luxury for hostels, and if you really want to splash out, there is the cockpit suite. On the downside, not much of an atmosphere once you get over the novelty of staying in a jet. 

• 6 Ibis Hotel, Lindskrog väg 273. A comparably cheap hotel. 

• 7 Radisson Blu. The only hotel within the airport terminal. 

• 8 Clarion Arlanda. An up-market hotel opened in 2012. 

• 9 Rest and Fly. A low-cost hotel. 

Stay safe

Beware of pickpocketing at Arlanda Airport, and aircraft noise in the surrounding area.

Go next

• Stockholm is where most visitors go, after touching down at Arlanda. See Stockholm#By plane for transit to the capital.
• Uppsala is a millennial city, famous for its Viking Age heritage, and the oldest university in the Nordic countries.
• Knivsta is a suburb of Uppsala, with several historical artifacts.
• Norrtälje contains the northern edge of the Stockholm archipelago.