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Umeå
Table of Contents: Culture and History / Travel to Umeå, visa requirements Flights to Umeå, airtickets By train By car By boat / Get around / Umeå attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Learn / Work / Shopping, Umeå souvenirs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Budget / Mid-range / Splurge / Umeå nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Budget 2 / Mid-range 2 / Splurge 2 / Contact / Stay safe / Cope / Get out More from V C A sterbotten: Umeå souvenirs Popular destinations Istanbul (Marmara region ) culture, Barcelona (Catalonia) culture, Rome (Lazio) culture, Singapore (Southeast Asia) travel tours, Western Europe (Europe) souvenirs, South Africa (Southern Africa) hotels and youth hostels, United Kingdom (Western Europe) tourist attractions, Europe (Home) travel tours, Vancouver (Greater Vancouver) tourist attractions, Morocco (North Africa) culture |
Umeå [1] is a city of about 110,000 located near the mouth of the Ume River and is the capital of Västerbotten County in Norrland in Northern Sweden. The city's nickname is the "Town of Birches".
Culture and History
Travel to Umeå, visa requirements
Flights to Umeå, airtickets
- SAS has four flights a day from Stockholm-Arlanda
- Malmö Aviation has five flights a day from Stockholm-Bromma.
- Flynordic go from Stockholm/Arlanda and back.
The flight time from Stockholm to Umeå is 50-60 minutes. Umeå Airport [2] lies 4 kilometres east of the city center, on the edge of the city. Transports to and from the airport include a special airport bus (35 SEK, goes to Vasaplan in the city center) and taxi.
By train
The train from Stockholm takes between 10 and 12 hours. Umeå railway station is at the city centre.
For train bookings contact Connex
By car
649km (403 miles) north on E4 from Stockholm
By boat
RG Line [3] runs ferries from Vaasa, Finland across the Gulf of Bothnia to the port town of Holmsund down the river.
Get around
Since Umeå has a lot of students, bikes are common and the city offers a wide variety of bike-friendly roads. It is often both easier and faster to get around by bike than by car or bus. Bikes can be rented at Cykel & Mopedhandlaren (Kungsgatan 101, +46(0)90-140170) or Umeå Camping (Nydala, +46(0)90-702600).
If you prefer to use public transport, the local bus system (run by Ultra) has Vasaplan as its hub in central Umeå and costs 20 SEK per ride for adults, 10 SEK for children (both include one hour of free transfer).
Umeå attractions and sightseeing
- Gammlia [4] is the city's open-air cultural showcase, centered around the Västerbottens Museum. Exhibits focus on the region's history, with art exhibits and musical performances as well. Free entry, closed Mondays.
- Umeå Rådhus (City Hall) lies in the middle of Umeå. Behind it (on the north side) lies Rådhustorget (City Hall Square), the heart of Umeås central shopping district. Rådhusesplanaden leads you from the square to Järnvägstorget (The Rail Square), next to which lies the train station as well as the long-haul bus station. Off to the side of Rådhusesplanaden you will also pass Umeå Stadsbibliotek (Umeå City Library) and Vasaplan (the hub of local bus traffic). In front of the City Hall is Rådhusparken and down by the waterfront is Trädgård i Norr (Garden in the North), which is a small flower park.
- Björklöven [5] is the local ice hockey team.
- Umeå Universitet [6] is the local university.
- Nydalasjön is a beautiful lake with public paths and barbeque spots all around it. Popular for bathing in in the summer. The Nydala camping site is situated at the northern end of the lake and also has a pool that is open during the summer months.
- Vänortsparken is a small park in central Umeå, next to Umeå Stadskyrka. The park contains art related to each of Umeås sister cities around the world.
City tours
- Umeå International Film Festival, [7]. Yearly film festival, usually held in mid-September.
Learn
With 27,000 students, Umeå is Sweden’s fifth largest university city.
- Umeå University (UmU), [8]. Faculties include Humanities, Medical, Teacher Education, Science and technology, Social Sciences, Fine Arts, Restaurant and Culinary Arts, Institute of Design, Business and Economics, Environment, Physical Education and Sports and Technology.
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Forestry, Agriculture, Landscape planning and Garden science, plus the School of Environmental Studies.
Work
Shopping, Umeå souvenirs
Good restaurants and cheap meals
Budget
- Fantastisk Grill, Umeå Universitet. Cheap kebab and hamburger meals for the students at the university. ca. 35 SEK.
- Rådhusgrillen, Rådhustorget. "Rull"-kebab and -pizza, a local specialty. ca. 35 SEK.
Mid-range
- Droskan, Öst på stan, [9]. Lunch restaurant with "husmanskost" (Swedish food). 75 SEK.
- Frasses, Rådhustorget, [10]. Hamburger chain, try the garlic dip that only the Umeå franchises have. ca. 50-70 SEK.
- mAx, Rådhustorget, [11]. Hamburger chain. ca. 50-70 SEK.
- Mias Grill, Järnvägstorget. Hamburgers with generous portions of fries. ca. 50-70 SEK.
- Queens, Vasaplan. Pan pizzas and hamburgers. Lunch buffet of pan pizza for a reasonable price. ca. 50-90 SEK.
- Älvans Pizzeria, Tomtebo. A small pizzeria with the best kebabpizza around. 40-70 SEK.
Splurge
- Restaurang Viktor, Vasagatan 11, ☎ 090-711115, [12]. Tue-Sat 18:00-23:00. Upscale restaurant. 300 SEK and up.
- Rex Bar & Grill, Rådhuset, [13]. Upscale restaurant. 200 SEK and up.
Umeå nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
Budget
- First Camp Umeå, [14]. Cottages and camping. Close to university, only fifteen minutes by bike to city centre. Wireless internet connection available. Popular among students and workers all year around, families during the summer. Outdoor pool area closeby.
Mid-range
- Ramada Hotel Botnia, Obbolavägen 125, +46 90-13 54 90. Located near the airport some 3km from the city center, but provides free car transportation to and from locations within the city; also bicycles. Originally the "Flyghotellet" or "Aviation Hotel", its decor is entirely aircraft-related.
Splurge
- Scandic Plaza Umea Four stars hotel in centre.
Contact
- The centrally-located library (Umeå Stadsbibliotek) has internet PCs for public use (10 minute limit).
Stay safe
Cope
Get out
- Arboretum Norr Approximately 10 km upstream the Ume river from the city center, Umeå universitet, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet and Umeå kommun has laid out an arboretum with trees from places all over the world found on the same latitude. The best way to get there is by bike, following the Ume river. The scenery can be stunningly beautiful, especially in the fall.
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