Luleå, also called Lule, is the seat of Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. The city lies at the mouth of the Lule River, in the north-west corner of the Gulf of Bothnia. It has about 70,000 inhabitants, a technical university, and a steel mill.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
When Luleå was mentioned in documents for the first time in 1327, it was located on the site of today's Gammelstad. It developed into a market place and centre of a parish, which at that time included almost all Norrbotten. Due to the post-glacial land rebound, it became increasingly difficult to use the harbour, and in the mid-17th century the town relocated to where it is now, with the old town changing its name to Gammelstad. The major employers in the area are the steel industry and Facebook (which operates some data centres there).
A fast, cheap and comfortable way of getting to the different parts of the city, is by using the local bus traffic (LLT). Local buses are usually 20 kr per trip. If you plan on making more than 4 trips, buy a 3-day tourist pass from the tourist office, which allows you unlimited travel on local buses for 80 kr. At weekends you should be able to catch a night-bus from most local traffic bus stations about once an hour between 00:00 and 03:00, at a raised cost. TaxiKurir Luleå, ☏ +46 920 10-000. Smart phone app offers address based routing and calculates price according to them. (updated Aug 2020)
1 Luleå Archipelago. The Luleå archipelago is worth a trip and is available through tour boats during the summer. Klubbviken at the island Sandön is a pleasant stop with a nice beach. 2 Gammelstad (about 10 km north west of Luleå, on a former small island in the delta of the Lule River. It can be reached by local bus.), ☏ +46 920-45 70 10, gammelstad@lulea.se. Gammelstad, literally "old town", is the old parish village. It is a part of the Swedish national heritage, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list and was originally the site of Luleå. At its centre is an early 15th-century stone church surrounded by 408 cottages.
Luleå to Narvik is, on average, 7 h 33 min for the 377 km (234 mi) distance. Narvik is the northernmost standard-gauge railway station in the world. This iron Ore Line passes through forests of Sweden, the Scandinavian Mountains and the thick forests of Norrbotten and Lappland.
1 Max Hamburgers, Timmermansgatan 19C, 972 31 Luleå. Burger chain that has a presence all across Sweden and in some other Nordic countries. Has vegetarian and vegan items on its menu in addition to the regular burgers. (updated May 2017) 2 Iraj Kyrkbyn (Iraj Pizzeria), Lulevägen 1, Gammelstad (Is in Gammelstad Church town. Bus Route 9, walking distance from route 1 and 2), ☏ +46 92076000. 10:30 - 20:00. Great place to eat if you are visiting the church town. SEK100. (updated Jan 2024)
1 STUK, Universitetsvägen 9 (On the Campus of LTU), ☏ +46 920 690-92. A student bar run by and for LTU-students. You need a student ID or a special "guest ticket" (which can be purchased by LTU students) to get in. 2 The Bishop's Arms, Storgatan 15, ☏ +46 920 27-40-30. Part of a chain of bars, has a large collection of beers
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Lulea typically sees ~25°C daytime highs and 7 rainy days.
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