This is a short travel tip for the Uppsala-Stockholm area. Yesterday, I used the UL train to get to the Furuvik zoo/amusement park close to Gävle. Compared to the visit we did last year using a car, taking the train was generally a superior experience. And cheap. For 200 SEK, you get two adults + three children, with all rides included. Much cheaper than going there by car and then buying the rides. Not having to spend an hour driving with children is also a clear advantage in my mind, rather you can relax on the train and have fun with the kids. Being tired at the end of the day, I was very happy not to have to drive home.
The only caveat is that the train time are not particularly well synchronized with the park hours: taking the 08.19 train from Uppsala puts you outside the gates of a closed park at 09.22. It opens at 10.00. So bring some picnic coffee for the wait (but it was a sunny and nice day, so no need to complain about that pause). The next train is at 10.19, which gets you there a rather late 11.22. That is something they should consider for next year’s iteration of this offer. Getting home, the 17.40 train is perfect. And so does everyone else think, so it was pretty completely full from Furuvik until Tierp, after which it started to clear up as passengers got off at the stations going south.