Uppsala

Uppsala is 50 mi/80 km northwest of Stockholm, home to 500-year-old Uppsala University. Also visit the cathedral, one of the oldest and largest in Scandinavia. In Uppsala the celebration of Walpurgis Eve on 30 April, thousands of students and visitors gather at the university to celebrate the beginning of spring. The university president yells, "Students, three cheers for spring," the bells of Uppsala Cathedral ring and at the same time students in white capes dash down the hill through town and the festivities begin. Bonfires, parties, torch-lit parades, singing and excitement are the order of the day and night.