Umea is a university city in Västerbotten, Sweden. It is the biggest city in Norrland and the capital of Västerbotten County. It is located near the mouth of the Ume River and has the nickname the "Town of Birches".
Umeå has become a capital of culture in northern Sweden. The Opera of northern Sweden, the Norrland Opera, is based in the city. The annual Umeå Jazz Festival is one of the larger Scandinavian festivals for modern jazz.
The main museums worth visiting in Umeå include the Museum of the county of Västerbotten,the Museum of Umeå, The Image Museum and the Museum of Skiing.
Things to See & Do
* Gammlia – the city’s open-air showcase
* The Garden in North/Trädgård i norr
* Vänortsparken is a small park in central Umeå
* Västerbottens Museum
* Beach Promenade
General information
Cruise Season – March - Nov
Currency – Swedish Krona (SEK)
Language – Swedish
Land Area – 27.39 km²
Population – 76,000
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code - + 46
Port Location – The nearby community of Holmsund serves as the port for Umea.
Travel Links – Near the city centre (4 km) lies the Umeå Airport. SAS has between four and seven flights a day from Stockholm-Arlanda and one flight a day to Kiruna. Malmö Aviation has three to five flights a day from Stockholm-Bromma.Flynordic has one to four flights a day from Stockholm-Arlanda. The flight time from Stockholm to Umeå is 50-60 minutes.
There is one night train from Stockholm. It takes between 10 and 12 hours and is operated by Veolia Transportation. Umeå railway station is at the city centre. Note that the train may not run to Umeå on some Sundays, requiring you to take a bus from Vännäs (approximately 35 km away).
RG Line runs ferries from Vaasa, Finland across the Gulf of Bothnia to the port town of Holmsund down the river. From Holmsund, take bus line 123 or 124 (35 SEK) to get downtown.