Things to do in Luleå - 15 tips for great experiences

What to do in Luleå? This northern city boasts a Unesco World Heritage Site in the form of Gammelstad Church Town, but there's plenty more to discover. Here are all our top tips for things to see and do in Luleå.

Luleå

Luleå is Sweden's 25th and Norrland's fifth largest urban centre. This northern city has Sweden's seventh largest freight harbour and a large steel industry with extensive research, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the 'Steel City'. It is also home to Sweden's northernmost technical university, Luleå University of Technology. The first Swedish ship to sail around the world, the Mary Ann, was built in Luleå and started its journey in 1939.

We visited Luleå during our motorhome trip around the Gulf of Bothnia, exploring the city as tourists for a few days.

Luleå is located on the coast of Norrbotten, about 55 kilometres northeast of Piteå.

What can you do in Luleå?

So what can you do in Luleå? Apart from the church town, there is everything from interesting museums to beautiful nature. Here are our top tips for things to do in Luleå and the surrounding area.

1. familiarise yourself with the centre of Luleå

When visiting a new city, it is always interesting to stroll around and discover the central parts. In Luleå, you can walk along Storgatan, which is largely a pedestrianised street with shops. It's also nice to go down to Norra hamnen, for example, where there is a nice harbour promenade.

2. take a look inside Luleå Cathedral

Luleå Cathedral was built after the great fire of 1887, which destroyed the previous church. The church, which is built of brick in the neo-Gothic style, was consecrated in 1893, and a decade later, in 1904, it became a cathedral with the formation of the Luleå Diocese.

3. Visit the Norrbotten Museum

Norrbotten Museum tells the story of nature, culture and history in Norrbotten. Here you can learn more about the landscape, with both coast and mountains, as well as the multicultural environment that includes Sami, Tornedalian Finnish, Finnish and Swedish culture.

4. See art at the House of Culture

In the centre of Luleå is Kulturens hus, where there is an art gallery. The exhibitions vary and, at least when we were here, admission was free. In addition to exhibitions, workshops and other activities are sometimes organised.

5. Shopping in Shopping

Designed by architect Ralph Erskine, Luleå's first shopping centre was unique when it was built in the mid-1950s. Due to the cold climate, Erskine wanted to create a 'city within a city', with a comfortable indoor climate.

The then-modern architecture, with an indoor environment adapted to function in a cold winter climate, means that "Shopping" is sometimes described as "the world's first indoor shopping centre", although there are of course older malls of other models, such as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan (1877) or the Galleria de la Marseilles (1877). Grand Bazaar in Istanbul (1455) You can still shop here today!

6. Hang out at Södra Hamnplan

One thing to do in Luleå, if you visit the city in the summer, is to visit Södra Hamnplan. Here, in a place that the tourist office aptly describes as "Luleå's own Kran Kanaria", a delicious holiday environment has been created with sand, palm trees and small stalls selling food and ice cream. Various boat trips out into the Lule archipelago also depart from here.

7. Take a boat trip in the Lule archipelago.

Outside Luleå there is a beautiful archipelago, which can be experienced by boat. Laponia Rederi organises cruises with food and music and also operates tour boats in the archipelago. During the summer and autumn, you can go to the Klubbviken sea baths on Sandön, Hindersön, Brändöskär, Småskär, Kluntarna and Junkön from the South Harbour.

7. Stroll around Gammelstad's church town

Gammelstad church town is the largest and best-preserved church town in the world, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Once upon a time, people flocked here during church holidays, using the cottages for overnight stays, as travelling back and forth during the day was too far for many.

Today, no less than 404 charming church cottages have been preserved around the medieval church. The church town also has a Visitor Centre, eateries and guided tours.

8. See Nederluleå church

The church in Gammelstad church town is called Nederluleå Church and is the largest medieval church in Norrland. The church was built as a parish church in the 15th century, and as such is unusually grand. Don't miss the opportunity to see the interior of the church!

9. See historic houses in the Hägnan open-air museum

Right next to the church town is the Hägnan open-air museum, where you can see historical buildings from Norrbotten. There is also a café and events are sometimes organised here.

10. Bring your family to Teknikens Hus

Teknikens Hus is a science centre that is popular among families with children. Here you can learn more about science, technology and maths in a fun way. For example, you can immerse yourself in space exploration or try experiences related to mining and working in steel mills.

12. Check out the F21 aviation museum

Flygmuseet F21 is located right next to Norrbotten's air base, F21, and is well worth a visit. The museum is run by an association and the dedicated association members, often with their own background in the air force, do their best both to develop the museum and to tell visitors about objects and historical events.

There are exhibitions about air defence in Norrland, with its harsh and often tough climate, from the 1940s onwards. Very interesting! There are also a lot of aeroplanes and helicopters that you can take a closer look at, both in an indoor hangar and outdoors. There is also a Viggen simulator that was very popular with both younger and older visitors.

13. Visit the Norrbotten Railway Museum

Another interesting museum in Luleå that you won't want to miss is the Norrbotten Railway Museum. This museum is also run by dedicated enthusiasts in an association, who work together to bring home, refurbish and display interesting trains and locomotives. The museum has a lot of exciting things to look at, such as a railway bus and a train with a snow blower.

In the summer, the Railway Museum usually organises tours with vintage trains from the museum to Gammelstad church town. Unfortunately, this year (2023) the trains could not run because the museum did not receive the necessary permits in time, but they hope to have this resolved by the summer of 2024. Then it is a perfect excursion for everyone staying at the nearby campsite to ride the vintage train to the town's Unesco heritage. The museum is open during the summer season, but groups can book visits at other times.

14. Swimming in the Arcusbadet

If you, or someone in your family, likes water parks, head to Arcusbadet, located at First Camp Arcus - Luleå. There are three different pools, slides, wave machine, children's pool and some other activities, as well as a barbecue and kiosk. You can also swim in the river nearby.

15. Take an excursion to Storforsen

One excursion you won't want to miss in Luleå is a trip to Storforsen, a waterfall rapids in the Pite River. Driving to Storforsen from Luleå takes about an hour and a quarter, and it's definitely worth it. The rapids are Europe's largest unregulated rapids, with a total length of 5 kilometres and a total fall height of 82 metres.

Between 1878 and 1945, a raftable river channel was created and used until 1982, when rafting operations ceased. The construction also created one of the main attractions of the rapids, the so-called 'Deadfall'. This is an area of bare rocks, pools and babbling brooks. It is very popular for sunbathing and swimming, and when we arrived it was full of both children and adults in swimwear.

Storforsen is a very popular destination, visited by around 180,000 people every year. There is also an accessible ramp, food service, a forestry and logging museum and a chapel. The area, with its rapids and riparian forest, has also been established as a nature reserve.

More things to do in Luleå for culture and history lovers

There is, of course, even more to see and do in Luleå than our tips. Here are some more suggestions for those who like culture and history.

• Gallery Y is a gallery where new exhibitions are always on display (Kråkbergsvägen 7, Södra Sunderbyn).
• Norrbotten Theatre produces theatre and performing arts. (N:a Strandgatan)
• The windmill on Junkön is more than 200 years old and is of the hat mill type. Who built it is disputed.

More things to do in Luleå for nature lovers

There is of course even more to see and do in Luleå in addition to our tips. Here you will find some more suggestions for those who enjoy nature.

• Bälingeberget is an excursion destination where you can hike up the 139 metre high mountain.
• Cycling and walking can be done in many places. Ask the tourist office for trails and maps.
• Fishing can be done in the Lule River, the Råne River, the Luleå archipelago and in various lakes.
• Golf you can play at Luleå Golf Club. (Golfbanevägen 80)
• Canoe can be paddled in several places, and you can also rent a canoe or kayak.
• Ormberget Outdoor Centre and the adjacent Hertsöns outdoor area offers a ski slope, sledding hill, jogging trails and more.
• Picking berries the forests are popular: blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries and even field berries.

More to do in Luleå with children and teenagers

Travelling with children or teenagers? Then you'll find even more tips on things to do in Luleå here.

• 360 Trampoline Centre is a trampoline park. (Storhedsvägen 5)
• Alcatraz is a multi-arena with paintball, lasergame, go kart, Prison Island, arcade and more. (Spantgatan 12)
• Aronsbadet is an outdoor swimming pool that is open in summer (Örnäsvägen).
• Cape Wild is a wilderness centre with moose and reindeer (Bälingevägen 277).
• Gültzauudden is a headland with a child-friendly swimming area.
• High altitude railway is available at First Camp Arcus - Luleå.
• Klätterhuset Luleå offers bouldering, rope climbing, gym and more. (Ödlegatan 7)

Things to do in Luleå in winter

We visited Luleå in the summer, which was nice, but it is also a winter destination. Here are suggestions for things to do in Luleå in winter.

• Dog teams is an experience that can be done on different Siberian husky farms.
• Isbanan is ploughed every year from North Harbour around Gültzauudden to South Harbour and further out to Gråsjälören.
• Skiing is popular, both in terms of downhill and cross-country skiing.
• Excursions in winter by snowmobile, snowshoeing or tours to see the northern lights.

Where can you stay in Luleå, or park your campervan?

In Luleå there are many different hotels and other accommodation options. If you, like us, are travelling with a campervan, there are also a bunch of different options in and around Luleå, such as, among others:

• One's boat harbour, Småbåtsgatan 2 (serviced car park)
• First Camp Arcus - Luleå, Arcusvägen 110
• Parking at the icebreakers, Sjöfartsgatan

More to see and do near Luleå

From Luleå it is not far to Kalixwhere you can visit the interesting Siknäs Fort, among other things. If you are travelling south instead, you can go to Piteå, where you will find fine sandy beaches.

More tips for things to do in Luleå?

Have you visited Luleå? Do you have even more suggestions on what to see and do in Luleå? Let us know!