Things to do in Norrland
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Samegården
Samegården has displays about Sami culture and a handicrafts shop attached to a hotel-restaurant.
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Gammelstad
If you just can’t get enough of those little red Swedish cottages with the white trim and lace curtains, head for the mother lode: the Unesco World Heritage–listed Gammelstad. This little settlement – row after zigzaggy row of cute little red-and-white cottages – was the medieval centre of northern Sweden. The stone church (from 1492), 424 wooden houses (where the pioneers stayed overnight on their weekend pilgrimages) and six church stables remain. Many of the buildings are still in use, but some are open to the public and the site is lovely to walk around. Guided tours (Skr30) leave from the Gammelstad tourist office every hour on the hour between 10am and 4pm from mid-…
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Alnö Gamla Kyrka
The large island just east of Sundsvall, Alnö, has the magnificent Alnö Gamla Kyrka, 2km north of the bridge (at Vi). The old church, below the road, is a mixture of 12th- and 15th-century styles. Whitewashing damaged the lower parts of the wall paintings in the 18th century, but the upper wall and ceiling paintings are nearly perfect. The painting was probably done by one of Albertus Pictor’s pupils. Even better is the late 11th-century carved wooden font in the new church across the road; the upper part combines Christian and Viking symbolism, while the lower part shows beasts that embody evil. Catch bus 1 to Vi (two or three hourly), then take a Plus bus to the chu…
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Jamtli
Don’t miss Jamtli, 1km north of the town centre. It combines an open-air museum park (à la Skansen in Stockholm) with a first-rate regional culture museum. In the outdoor section, guides wearing period costumes explain the traditions of the area. A perpetual stroller convention goes on at Hackåsgården, the large section of the park set aside for the tiniest tots. Indoors, the regional museum exhibits the Överhogdal Tapestry, a Christian Viking relic from around 1100 that features animals, people, ships and buildings (including churches). It’s one of the oldest of its kind in Europe and may even predate the famous Bayeux tapestry.
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Liden
Liden, by the ribbon lake on Indalsälven, is about 46km northwest of Sundsvall on road No 86. Liden Gamla Kyrka, completed in 1510, has a lovely location and contains excellent medieval sculptures from the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries. There are rather faded wall paintings from 1561, and also a 13th-century crucifix. The view from the Vättberget, reached by a 3km unsurfaced road from Liden, is one of the finest in Sweden, and shows the ribbon lake to its best advantage.
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Gammlia
Don’t miss Gammlia, a cluster of museums 1km east of the town centre. They include cultural and historical exhibits and Sami collections at the regional Västerbottens Museum; the modern art museum, Bildmuseet; and the Maritime Museum. These are surrounded by Friluftsmuseet, an open-air historic village where staff wear period clothes and describe traditional homestead life.
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Jukkasjärvi
As well as the famous Ice Hotel, tiny Jukkasjärvi, 18km E of Kiruna, is home to a church, which has a modern Sami painting behind the altar. Near the church is Gárdi, a reindeer yard that you can tour with a Sami guide to learn about reindeer farming and Sami culture. Also in this area is the Hembygdsgård, a typical open-air homestead museum. Regular bus 501 runs between Kiruna and Jukkasjärvi (Skr26, 30 minutes, several daily).
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Färgfabriken Norr
An offshoot of Färgfabriken in Stockholm, the Färgfabriken Norr is a huge art space across the E14 motorway from Jamtli (take bus 14 or 8). It’s a cavernous room with an ambitious curatorial scope; the initial exhibition included work by some 80 artists, including David Lynch and JG Thirlwell, representing pretty much all forms, from painting, sculpture and video to installations using broken glass, body hair and lightning.
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Ski Area
A fun, outdoorsy place to hang out in during the low season, Åre is beautifully situated in a mountain valley, but it gets uncomfortably crowded in winter, thanks to its famed ski area. The place has 45 ski lifts, 100 pistes and 1000 vertical metres of skiable slopes, including a 6.5km downhill run. The skiing season is from November to mid-May, but conditions are best from February, when daylight hours increase.
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Norrbyskär
The island of Norrbyskär, 40km south of Umeå, is a worthwhile destination. It has an interesting history - a sawmill community was built up here from nothing in less than 10 years, only to disappear just as suddenly 10 years later. There is a museum as well as other attractions; buses run to and from Umeå to Norrbyn, to connect with ferries - inquire at the tourist office for times.
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Lake Cruises
You can take lake cruises on the old S/S Thomée steamship, including themed tours, dinner tours and trips to the small castle-capped island of Verkön (Skr110/40). Book through the tourist office; the schedule’s complicated, but it’s posted on a sign by the boat at the harbour. A handful of rush tickets are usually available at the harbour before each trip.
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Holmön
Holmön, which calls itself the sunniest place in Sweden, is a 15km-long offshore island with a boat museum and a collection of traditional craft, plus a good quayside restaurant and swimming beaches. In July there's a rowboat race to Finland, which is only 36km away. Free ferries depart two to three times daily from Norrfjärden, 26km northeast of Umeå (bus 118 or 119).
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Esrange Tours
Some 23km further out from Kiruna is the space base Esrange, a facility where scientists research outer space as well as atmospheric phenomena like the northern lights. Detailed four-hour tours of the facility are offered to enthusiasts in summer, but must be arranged in advance; inquire at the Kiruna tourist office. There’s no public transport; taxi fare should be around Skr500.
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Frösön Island
Frösön Island is reached by road or footbridge from the middle of Östersund (the footbridge is from the pleasant Badhusparken - nearby you can rent bikes, inline skates and canoes). Just across the footbridge, outside Landstingshuset and near the Konsum supermarket, there's Sweden's northernmost rune stone, which commemorates the arrival of Christianity in 1050.
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Jokkmokk Winter Market
The small town of Jokkmokk, also on Inlandsbanan, is just north of the Arctic Circle and started as a Sami market and mission. Since 1605 the Jokkmokk Winter Market has taken place here; the three-day event attracts some 30,000 people and starts on the first Thursday in February. If you're interested in Sami handicrafts this is the place to go.
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Stone Age Rock Carvings
Glösa, 40km northwest of Östersund and by the Alsensjön lake, has some of Sweden’s finest Stone Age rock carvings. The carvings, on rock slabs beside a stream, feature large numbers of elk and date from 4000 BC. There’s also an excellent reconstruction of a Stone Age hut and replicas of skis, snowshoes, a sledge and an elk-skin boat.
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Museums
Gammlia, 1km east of the town centre, has several museums and shouldn't be missed. Attractions include the modern art museum, Bildmuseet, and the Maritime Museum. The surrounding Friluftsmuseet, featuring old houses and staff wearing period clothes, is also worth a look. The museums are open daily June to August (closed Monday for the rest of the year).
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Tant Anci & Fröcken Sara
Humongous bowls of soup or salad are the speciality at this adorable organic cafe, where you can also get hearty sandwiches, giant bowls of pasta and pastries. There are only a few tables, but takeaway is available; part of the space is devoted to a small health-food shop for organic tea and coffee, chocolate, snacks and cooking supplies.
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Vindeln
Many activities are based at Vindeln, 54km northwest of Umeå. Adventures on offer include fishing, white-water rafting, jet-boating and canoeing on the local rivers, plus horse riding and a variety of walking trails (from two hours to three days). The tourist office can help organise these. Bus 16 connects Vindeln and Umeå.
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LKAB iron-ore mine
A visit to the depths of the LKAB iron-ore mine, 540m underground, is recommended - many of the facts about this place are mind-boggling. Tours depart from the tourist office regularly from mid-June to mid-August, though tours in English happen only a few times a week; make bookings through the tourist office on Lars Janssonsgatan.
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Lörudden
For a pleasant excursion, head to Lörudden, a picturesque fishing village about 30km southeast of town, with a tiny café and fish smokehouse. There's a beach of flat rocks here, which is perfect for warming up in the sun after a dive into the sea. Take bus 20 south to Njurundabommen, then change to bus 126.
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Chair Lift
Across the highway from the STF Turiststation, a chair lift takes you up the neighbouring Mt Nuolja (1169m), where those without vertigo can enjoy epic views from the deck of the Panorama Café. In summer this is a prime spot from which to see the midnight sun. Tickets are sold at the STF reception desk.
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Ice Hotel Restaurant
Opposite the accommodation complex in Jukkasjärvi is this high-quality restaurant specialising in local produce. Try the Arctic char or reindeer and, for dessert, cloudberry mousse or moose cheese parfait. Some meals even come on plates made of ice. The lunch buffet (available in summer) costs Skr95.
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Sundsvall Museum
Kulturmagasinet, on Sjögatan down near the harbour, is a magnificent restoration of some old warehouses. The buildings now contain the library and Sundsvall Museum, which has exhibits of local art, natural history, Iron Age archaeology and geology. The tiny cafe serves a buffet lunch (Skr65).
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Fiskekyrkan
In an old warehouse at the south harbour, Fiskekyrkan has live music Wednesday to Saturday, plus an affordable lunch buffet (around Skr70) and a range of meals on offer, from fast food (kebabs and pizzas) to more ‘gourmet’ offerings. This is a very popular late-night drinking spot.
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