Luleå
Sweden · Norrbotten · 10 m
Description
Luleå sits at the top of the Gulf of Bothnia where the water freezes solid enough to drive on, and the reason to come is ten kilometres inland. Gammelstad is the largest and best preserved church town in Sweden, four hundred and four small red cottages around a stone church from the fifteenth century, built so that farmers from a huge parish could stay overnight after a service they had travelled two days to reach. It is world heritage and the cottages are still privately owned and used. In winter the archipelago freezes hard enough to carry a marked ice road out to the islands.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: June – August
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Gammelstad church town (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Nederluleå church and the 404 cottages
- Luleå archipelago boat trips (June - August)
- Gammelstad visitor centre and its exhibition
- Ice road across the frozen archipelago (February - March)
- Norrbottens museum and the Sami collections
- Hertsön and the Gültzauudden beaches
- Storgatan and the wooden town centre
- Brändön and the outer islands by boat
- Northern lights over the Bothnian ice (December - March)
- Palt and the Norrbotten kitchen
- Rödkallen lighthouse island(Day trip)
Getting there
- Airports:
- LLA
- Train stations:
- Luleå Central
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry