Things to do in Umeå – 10 tips for the city of birches

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated September 2026 | We have returned to Umeå several times and each time the city has surprised us. We have stood with our mouths open in front of art by the Ume River, found one of the world's coolest guitar collections - and managed to miss a 170-meter-long tunnel. Here is Umeå as we experienced the city.

Umeå – the cultural city by the river that surprises

Umeå is called The city of birches, but after our visits, it's not the birches that come to mind first. It's the Ume River, the art, the music and the feeling of a city that dares to be a little different. In this guide, we've selected the ten experiences that we think best tell the story of Umeå – including a few things we did right, a few we did wrong and a 170-metre-long thing that we somehow managed to miss.

1. Walk along the Ume River – Umeå's beautiful backbone

What a luxury it is to have a river like the Umeälven running right through the city. We just hope that the people of Umeå don't get so used to it that they forget what they have. For us from outside, the river is one of the things that really makes Umeå.

We walked along the water and were particularly drawn to the Arts Campus. There it says Julia, the large white sculpture by the Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. Peter stood there with his mouth open – almost as if he had drunk a couple of too many large strong drinks. The combination of Julia, the Ume River and the campus on the other side of the field of vision was like a finished painting.

Peter's moment: I stood there for several minutes thinking that someone had made a really good decision when they placed Julia right here. Art can be amazing in itself, but sometimes the location is half the artwork.

If you continue along the river, there are nice walking and cycling paths. We went west, over the Lunda Bridge towards Bölesholmarna, further towards Teg and back towards the city centre over the Old Bridge. You don't really need a destination. The Ume River is the destination.

2. Experience Guitars – The Museum

It all started with two twin brothers from Umeå, a burning interest in music and a vacation fund that came to a rather unexpected end. In 1976, Samuel Åhdén was going on a train trip around Europe. Just before departure, a Gibson Les Paul appeared for sale – and about 95 percent of the travel fund disappeared in a single guitar purchase. It was the beginning of something that would grow into one of the world's finest private collections of electric guitars.

Together with his twin brother Michael, Samuel continued to collect for decades. Fender, Gibson, Gretsch and other instruments from the 1950s and 60s in particular were sought out and purchased when old electric guitars had not yet become the investment objects they are today. The collection was kept so secret for a long time that not even the families knew that the brothers eventually had around 400 guitars.

When Guitars – The Museum opened in Umeå in 2014, the world finally got to take a look inside. Around 300 guitars were on display and 25 of the biggest gems were placed in a special vault. Here you can find, among other things, a Fender Broadcaster, a Gibson Les Paul and an extremely rare Gibson Flying V. A single guitar was already valued at over three million kronor when it opened. We had understood that the museum would be good. We had not understood how good.

This isn't just a museum for people who can rattle off guitar models after three beers. The guitars tell a huge part of rock and pop history, and we highly recommend a guided tour. It's when the stories behind the instruments come to light that the displays come to life.

Peter's advice: This is not to be missed unless you are some kind of anti-music nerd. I almost wish the museum was on Djurgården in Stockholm so the whole world could find it. Although I know exactly what the rest of Sweden would say: ”That damn Stockholm should have everything.” So I sit in the corner and say nothing.

3. Discover the artistic Campus and the Bildmuseet

We work with images almost every day and are very passionate about both art and photography, so Picture Museum was high on our list in Umeå. In addition, the museum is fantastically located by the Umeälven River on the Arts Campus, in a building that is almost an attraction in itself.

There was just one problem. It was Monday. And Mondays have an annoying knack of being the day when museums are closed. We were standing outside a museum we really wanted to visit, while we still had about half of Sweden ahead of us on our road trip. Waiting until the next day was simply not possible.

Our miss: So we never got into the Bildmuseet. However, we did get to experience the Arts Campus and the area along the river – and that's where Peter ended up standing in front of the sculpture Julia with her mouth open. Next time we come to Umeå, we're planning to do something revolutionary: check what day of the week it is.

The Bildmuseet shows contemporary international art and is one of the places we still have on our own Umeå list. So our advice is simple: go there – but don't do like us. Check the opening hours first.

4. Get lost among the art in Umedalen Sculpture Park

Art is strange – and it should be. Sometimes you stand in front of a work of art and feel absolutely nothing. Sometimes it hits you right in the gut. And sometimes you wonder what the artist actually had for breakfast.

We really like outdoor art, and Umedalen Sculpture Park was a really nice surprise. There are about 40 permanent works of art scattered around the area, with works by both Swedish and international artists. The fun part is almost not knowing exactly what awaits around the next corner.

Of course, it would have been even easier if we had found the map from the beginning. It was in a white box near Bistro Le Garage – something we only discovered afterwards. We therefore strongly suspect that we missed some of the artwork.

Our miss: Look up the map before you start walking around. Or do as we did and wander around on your own. Art may not always have to be so organized. Plus, the sculpture park is free to visit, and free is good.

5. Experience Gammlia and Västerbotten Museum

If you want to understand Umeå and Västerbotten a little better, Gammlia and Västerbotten Museum a good place to start. Here you leave modern Umeå for a moment and step straight into the story of how people have lived, worked and coped with everyday life far up here in Sweden.

At the Gammlia open-air museum there are around 30 historical buildings that have been moved here from different parts of Västerbotten. Farms, church cottages, schools and other environments make the area almost like a little journey through time. We like places like this – not just for the houses, but because you start to think about the people who actually lived in them.

Right next door is Museum of Västerbotten, where the story continues indoors with the county's cultural history, photographs, objects and Sami cultural environments. One of the most fascinating objects is a ski that is several thousand years old – One of the most fascinating objects is Calf swamp pod, around 5,400 years old – a pretty effective reminder that people were making their way through the snow here long before anyone had heard of Gore-Tex.

Our feeling: Umeå is very good at modern things – art, architecture, music and university. That's why we like the contrast at Gammlia. To understand where a city is going, it's sometimes quite nice to first see where it comes from.

6. Find Lev! – the tunnel we missed ourselves

How do two people who work with travel, images and stories manage to visit Umeå several times and still miss a 170-meter-long art tunnel with glowing birch trunks, author quotes and bird chirping? We don't know. But we managed.

Sara Lidman Tunnel, also known as Live!, runs at Umeå Central Station and connects the city center with Haga. The tunnel is much more than a passage under the railway. The walls are filled with quotes from the works of the Västerbotten author Sara Lidman, illuminated birch trunks can be seen behind glass and birdsong can be heard from speakers. And somewhere in the middle of it all there is the big word: LIVE! The more we read about the tunnel, the more incomprehensible it becomes that we didn't go there. This is exactly what we usually look for – strange, local and with a story behind it.

Our miss: We don't have any of our own photos from here. No personal experience. Not even a bad selfie. We missed the whole thing. When we later started reading more about Lev!, we also discovered that photographing public art and publishing images online can be subject to copyright rules that aren't exactly the first thing an average visitor thinks about.

And somewhere there, Peter began to see our miss from a completely new perspective. So we missed the tunnel, took no pictures and published nothing. For once, pure incompetence may have been a legal strategy. Next time we come to Umeå, however, we intend to find the tunnel. We'll start by looking. It seems that it's still allowed.

7. Have a drink above the Ume River

After art, guitars and a tunnel that we somehow managed to miss, it was time to see Umeå from a completely different perspective – from above. We took the elevator up to the rooftop bar on Clarion Hotel Umeå. It was too cold to sit outside when we were there, but the view didn't need summer heat. In front of us lay Umeå, the Ume River and the surrounding landscape while we sat with a drink each and just looked out.

It's only up here that you really see the importance of the river to the city. That blue spine that we began our exploration along in number one suddenly lies spread out in front of you.

Peter's advice: If you don't have a drink or a beer here, you could almost jump into the river. But don't. Take the elevator down like a human...!

8. Travel back 4000 years in the Norrfors rock carvings

About 4,000 years ago, there was no Roman Empire. In Egypt, people built some of the most powerful monuments in history – and up here in northern Sweden, someone stood by the water and carved images in the rock. They built pyramids. We carved in stone.

It may sound like we drew the short straw, but when we stood at Norrfors rock carvings It didn't feel that way. Quite the opposite. There are around 50 carvings here, mostly of moose, but also other motifs, created by people who lived here thousands of years before us.

And the place looked completely different then. The land uplift has changed the landscape and the water level was significantly higher. We tried to imagine the people sitting here at the water's edge. Maybe a self-built boat was just below. Someone took a tool and started tapping out the image of an animal in the stone. Why? Was it hunting? A story? Something religious? A way of saying we were here?We don't know – and that's almost the best thing about the place.

We have seen many rock carvings around Sweden and always do the same thing: look, guess, discuss and try to understand. In this way, the rock carvings become almost like a 4,000-year-old interactive museum where no one has the answers anymore.

Our thought: It's easy to be impressed by pyramids and Roman ruins when we travel abroad. But Sweden also has amazing stories lying right in front of us – and sometimes literally under the moss. And think about it: Someone carved a moose into the rock thousands of years ago. And we're still standing here looking at it.

9. Eat by the river

When we come to a city where we know someone, we try to meet up. Gunilla, who runs the travel blog 4000mil, lives in Umeå. Competitors perhaps? Yes, partly, but above all good friends and colleagues of course!

We met at Sea breeze, right by the Ume River, and had a really good lunch together. Gunilla is not only a great travel blogger but above all a good friend who we have traveled with several times.

Sea breeze? Good food, nice location and once again we were seated right next to it River Umeälven. That bastard follows us all over Umeå.

10. Sleep by the sea in Norrmjöle

Not every day on a road trip has to end with yet another attraction. Sometimes it's enough to park the camper, walk down to the beach and realize that you don't actually have to do anything at all.

There are several nice swimming spots around Umeå and we managed to visit a few of them. But the one we liked the most was Norrmjöle sea baths, south of the city. Here you will find sandy beaches, sea and the kind of tranquility that is very easy to forget when trying to experience half of Sweden.

We also stayed overnight in our camper. When the day visitors disappear, places like this change. The pace slows down, the beach becomes quieter, and suddenly you're just sitting there in the sun, looking out over the water.

Our experience: We love big sights, strange museums and places with stories to tell. But some of our strongest travel memories come from moments when absolutely nothing happens. Norrmjöle became such a place. A beach. A camper. Beautiful Sweden. And no reason to rush on at that moment.

Where to stay in Umeå?

For our first time in Umeå, we would choose the city center and preferably near the Umeälven River. Then you can walk to restaurants, shopping, Guitars – The Museum and the Strandpromenaden, and large parts of our first day of travel can be done without a car.

The city center and the Ume River – our first choice
Here you stay in the middle of what we like most about Umeå. Clarion Hotel Umeå is located by the river and is of course extra tempting after our trip to the rooftop bar. If you want more history, there is Stora Hotellet in Umeå from 1895, while U&Me Hotel is located in the same central area by Väven. Visit Umeå also highlights the riverside location of Clarion and Stora Hotellet's historical character and breakfast. 

Central but a little further from the river
If you primarily want to be within walking distance of the city center, there are several options around Rådhusesplanaden and the central neighborhoods, such as Elite Hotel Mimer, Umeå in an old school building. From here, it is still easy to discover the city on foot. 

Outside the city center – for nature and peace
If you have a car and nature is more important than nightlife, you can stay further out. But for a regular weekend we wouldn't bother.

Our choice: We had chosen the center near the Ume River. After everything we have written about the river, it would be almost a misdemeanor to send you to an industrial area twenty kilometers away just to save a few hundred kroner. There is also a bonus: If you stay at Clarion, you don't have to think about how you will get home after the drink on the roof. You press a button in the elevator...

Umeå with a campervan

When we last visited Umeå with our camper van, we stayed one night centrally at Västra Kyrkogatan, which was then designated as a camper van parking lot. The location was great and we could leave the camper van and explore the city center and the Umeälven River on foot. However, we can no longer find the location among Umeå's current camping sites, so don't expect to be able to do exactly as we did. If you want camping and full service, there is First Camp Nydala, where we once stayed many years ago.

On our last visit, we also spent a night at Norrmjöle Seaside Resort. There are still parking spaces next to the beach – a completely different experience than standing in the middle of town.

More city guides nearby

Are you planning to travel in northern Sweden? Here you will find several guides.

• Things to do in Skellefteå
• Things to do in Örnsköldsvik
• Things to do in Piteå
• Things to do in Luleå
• Things to do in Sundsvall
• Things to do in Hudiksvall