Valsgärde Archaeological Site

Valsgärde is an archaeological burial site in Uppland, Sweden, noted for a series of boat burials and graves dating from the Migration, Vendel and Viking periods. It is one of the key cemetery complexes for understanding northern Swedish elite burial practices.

The landscape contains burial mounds and the locations of boat graves that were excavated by archaeologists in the 20th century; finds from the site include weapons, harness fittings and rich grave assemblages indicative of high-status interments. Interpretive material and displays of the finds are typically available through regional museums rather than extensive on-site facilities.

The cemetery was used intermittently over several centuries from the early medieval period, with burial practices including ship interments that place it among prominent Scandinavian elite burial traditions. Archaeological excavations in the 20th century documented the burials and recovered significant artefacts for study and display.

Valsgärde lies in Uppsala County north of the city of Uppsala and close to the historic area of Gamla Uppsala. The site sits beside riverine and agricultural land characteristic of the Uppsala plain.

• Period of use: The site preserves a sequence of ship burials and grave assemblages used from roughly the 6th to the 11th centuries, linking it to Vendel and Viking period elite practices.

What to See#

• Boat-burial cemetery: A riverside cemetery area containing multiple boat burials and burial mounds spanning the Migration, Vendel and Viking periods; the graves are the primary archaeological features on site.
• Excavated grave groups: Individual grave groups where high-status grave goods and remains were recovered during early 20th-century archaeological excavations and later research.

Valsgärde sits about 8 km northwest of central Uppsala. From Uppsala railway station, take bus 803 toward Lövsta and alight near Valsgärde (check SL local timetables), or drive west on road 55 and follow signs towards Gamla Uppsala; the site is a short walk from the Fyrisån riverbank at the edge of the village.

• Visit in late afternoon for softer light on the riverbank graves-photography rules at the site are strict, so check with the local museum before using tripods.
• Pair a visit with Gamla Uppsala (about 8 km east); together they make sense as a funerary landscape.
• Wear waterproof shoes in spring and autumn-paths can be muddy and uneven.