Umeå - Attractions

1. Gammlia
During the summer the lush green surroundings at Gammlia are transformed into a lively open-air museum. You can acquaint yourself with woodwork and handicrafts, taste newly baked Swedish thin bread and join the guides dressed in period costumes to learn about the historical buildings. Here you will find Västerbotten's County Museum, fishing and maritime exhibitions, and the Swedish Ski Museum. The museum's permanent exhibitions at the Museum depict prehistoric times in the region and explore the life of the settlers and the culture of the Sami people.

2. Bildmuseet Museum of Contemporary Art and Visual Culture
The Bildmuseet Museum of Contemporary Art and Visual Culture is one of Sweden's foremost art museums, which showcases both contemporary and historical art exhibitions of international standing. The forms of artistic expression featured include photography, film, installation and painting.

3. The Elk House
Petting a live elk is truly an unforgettable experience for most people. At the Elk House you can do just that and much more. See how an elk cow is milked and sample elk cheese, a delicacy produced from the milk of the elk.

4. The Sculpture Park at Umedalen
The Umedalen district of the city is home to a unique cultural environment where northern Europe's most important collection of sculptures has evolved. Visitors can view more than 40 works of art in a captivating outdoor setting. The Sculpture Park attracts over 200,000 visitors each summer and is open round the clock.

5. Olofsfors Ironworks Museum
The Olofsfors Ironworks Museum is one of Sweden's most genuine and well-preserved ironworks milieus. Step back in time - almost all the buildings that make up the museum date from the ironworks' glory days in the 1700s. Not only are the manor house and the workers' dwellings well preserved, the blast furnace and foundry and finery forges also remain as a lasting legacy.

6. Guided tour
Umeå is a relatively young city with a fascinating history. Take a guided city tour and learn how Umeå became the City of the Birches. See buildings that survived the great fire of 1888, and find out why the old Town Hall has two front sides. There are also some excellent shopping tips along the way.

7. Umeleden/Ume Trail and salmon ladder
The Ume Trail follows the valley of the River Umeälven and offers many pleasant experiences and interesting sights to visit. The salmon ladder at Norrfors is one of them. Each summer, thousands of salmon pass through the salmon ladder on their way to the spawning grounds in the River Vindelälven. You are almost certain to see them.

8. Vindelälven's nature reserve
Take the scenic road to Vindeln through authentic Swedish farming countryside, and see and experience the majestic Vindeln rapids. Enjoy a stroll through the scenic beauty and marvel at the dramatic stretches of rapids that make up this fascinating nature reserve. You can also visit the Nature Room, where the nature and culture of the River Vindelälven are presented and brought alive.

9. Norrbyskär Island
At the end of the 19th century, one of Europe's largest sawmills was established on this beautiful archipelago island just south of Umeå. Today the history of the island is interwoven with art, handicrafts, the culinary traditions of Västerbotten, and outdoor adventure activities to create an attraction that is not to be missed.

10. Water activities
Umeå's proximity to rivers, lakes and the sea makes water activities a natural part of the recreational scene. Try some thrilling white-water rafting on Sweden's national River Vindelälven, enjoy a leisurely paddle by canoe and search for beavers, or join an unforgettable seal safari.