Umeå
Sweden · Västerbotten · 15 m
Description
Umeå burned to the ground in 1888 and was rebuilt with three thousand birch trees planted along the streets as firebreaks, which is why it is called the city of birches and why the centre looks nothing like its age. It is a university town of forty thousand students, was European Capital of Culture in 2014, and put its money into a cluster of buildings on the river that hold an art museum, a design school and the best guitar museum anywhere. Västerbottens museum keeps the oldest ski in the world, found in a bog and dated to more than five thousand years ago.
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
- Bildmuseet art museum on the river
- Västerbottens museum and the oldest ski in the world
- Umeälven riverside walk and the birch avenues
- Guitars, the Museum
- Gammlia open-air museum quarter
- Umeå student nightlife and the campus quarter
- Rådhustorget and the rebuilt town centre
- Norrlandsoperan and the culture house
- Norrbyskär sawmill island museum(Day trip)
- Holmsund and the ferry across to Vaasa(Day trip)
- Umeå street food and the Västerbotten cheese
- Nydala lake and the city forests
Getting there
- Airports:
- UME
- Train stations:
- Umeå Central
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry