Sigtuna

Sigtuna was laid out around 980 on the shore of Malaren and is generally taken as the oldest town still standing in Sweden, with a street plan - Stora gatan running parallel to the water - that has not moved since. Three stone church ruins from the eleventh and twelfth centuries stand in the town: Saint Per, Saint Olof and Saint Lars, roofless, with the towers largely intact. Runestones are set along the streets and in gardens, the largest concentration in any Swedish town. The town hall of 1744 is the smallest in the country. Most of the buildings are eighteenth and nineteenth-century wood, and the lane is now shops, cafes and a good deal of summer traffic.

What you'll find

• A street plan from about 980 - Stora gatan along the water.
• Three roofless stone churches - Saint Per, Saint Olof, Saint Lars.
• Runestones through the streets - the densest set in a Swedish town.
• A tiny town hall of 1744 - the smallest in the country.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

What to expect

Summer weekends are very busy for a small place. The church ruins are fragmentary. Much of the main street is gift shops. Aircraft from Arlanda pass overhead.

Nearby

Skokloster is west across the lake; Uppsala is north.

Key facts