Is Uppsala Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Solo travel

I was in Uppsala for a course trip from my university, i was there two days with the university and expenses mostly paid for and then two days on my own in a hostel. The prices are all very reasonable and just how you would expect them to be in a bigger city. The city has many nice buildings and places to visit and some second hand shops and museums. I personally felt very safe in the city and did not once have to worry about anything. I had a mixed dormitory in the hostel and only was a bit weary of one older guy who had a weird sleeping habit and just generally was inside the hostel room all the time which seemed kind of weird. The city was also very clean and I have talked to several locals I randomly met, everyone was very nice and helpful if I was lost.

I live in Uppsala and from my and my friends experience I would say it’s really safe for us women. I have walked alone in the middle of the night with no issues. But you need to be careful in general so yes.

A lot of news outlets lately has described Sweden as very dangerous, which I think is very misleading. True, we’ve seen gang violence rise these latest years, but generally those gangs are fighting things out amongst each other (hopefully the police manages that) and you as an uninvolved citizen or tourist will notice nothing of it. In Uppsala, there are some disturbances in the outskirts, like in Knivsta or Gränby and in the outskirts of Stockholm, but generally, this beautiful city is safe and mostly home to students (both international exchange students and Swedish students) and a highly academic environment with lots of interesting people to meet and events to participate in.