2 Best Sights in Side Trips from Stockholm, Sweden

The 390-foot twin towers of Uppsala Cathedral—whose height equals the length of the nave—dominate the city skyline. Work on the cathedral began in the early 13th century; it was consecrated in 1435 and restored between 1885 and 1893. Still the seat of Sweden's archbishop, the cathedral is also the site of the tomb of Gustav Vasa, the king who established Sweden's independence in the 16th century. Inside is a silver casket containing the relics of St. Erik, who was assassinated in 1160, and it is also the burial place of other notable figures, including Carl von Linné.

The oldest building in Sigtuna still in use, the Church of St. Mary was originally part of a monastery founded by Dominican monks in the 1230s. The church was completed around 1255 and was the first structure in Sweden to be built using the technique of firing bricks. Its style is a mix of Romanesque with early Gothic elements, and it retains much the same appearance as it did at the end of the 13th century, when the vaulted ceilings and copper roof were added. The monastery was torn down during the Reformation, but the Church of St. Mary survived and has been used as Sigtuna’s parish church ever since. Its treasures include four 13th-century crosses, two medieval triptychs, stained-glass windows from the 16th and 17th centuries, and a carved wooden pulpit from 1647. The baptismal fonts are from around 1200 and predate the church itself.