WINTER IN LULEÅ, THE GETAWAY TO THE SWEDISH LAPLAND

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This was one of those adventures that was a dream come true. One of the world’s last bastions of true wilderness, Lapland has been on my travel wishlist for as long as I can remember so it felt super special to finally get the opportunity to visit this part of the world earlier this year.

The region, also known as Sápmi, covers northernmost parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and a bit of Russia's Kola Peninsula and is one of the most sparsely populated parts of Europe - after nearly two decades of living in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a big city, the feeling of space and freedom that comes from being surrounded by nature is all encompassing. It feels otherworldly yet surprisingly calming and reassuring, a perfect sanctuary from the stresses of modern city life. Lapland is home to the indigenous Sámi people and their reindeer who live in harmony with nature surrounded by deep endless forests, rolling hills, rugged mountains, crystal clear lakes and mighty rivers.

For my first short visit I picked the city of Luleå, a scenic city on the Bothnian coast that's both the capital of the Norrbotten County (the northernmost county in Sweden) and the gateway to the Swedish Lapland. You might be surprised or disappointed - why travel to a place that is all about raw, uninterrupted nature and breathtaking landscapes and stay within the confines of a city? - but trust me, in Swedish Lapland nature is inextricably intertwined in people’s everyday lives even in towns and cities and the great outdoors is at your fingertips wherever you are!

For a relatively small city (just under 80,000 residents) Luleå punches way above its weight in terms of what it has to offer visitors, with plenty to see and do whether you’re staying for a week or just a few days. In this article I hope to give you a little taste of what you can expect when visiting.

WHERE TO STAY IN LULEå

There is plenty of accommodation to choose from in and around the city from chain hotels and hostels to wooden lodges and cabins.

We stayed in the historic Elite Stadshotellet, right in the centre of the city and overlooking the north harbour. It’s the city’s oldest and most historic hotel dating back to 1903. The rooms are large and spacious, if a little old fashioned and dated, and with all the modern conveniences you’d expect. And you can’t beat the wow factor of enjoying your nordic style buffet breakfast in one of the best preserved banquet halls in Northern Sweden built in French Renaissance style with white and gold with huge crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

WHAT TO DO IN Luleå

Gammelstad Church Town

A short bus ride away from the city centre you’ll find Gammelstad Church Town, the largest and best-preserved example of a church village unique to northern Scandinavia. Here 424 traditional Falu red wooden houses are huddled around the early 15th century stone church. The houses were used as kind of crash pads by churchgoers who used to travel long distances braving harsh arctic weather conditions to attend church (attendance was mandated by law back then: it was compulsory to attend every Sunday for those living within 10km of the church and every other Sunday for those living within 20km).

Although the village is at its liveliest during the summer season with the open air museum Hägnan and the cafes closed for the winter months, it’s still worth visiting during the winter. Taking a walk down narrow pathways amongst the snow covered cottages, the place looks straight out of a fairytale storybook.

Ice Roads

The most unique and fascinating thing about Luleå is undoubtedly its location on the east coast of Sweden where the Lule River enters the Gulf of Bothnia (the northernmost part of the Baltic Sea). The estuary is the borderland between the freshwater from the river and the saltwater from the sea which creates an incredibly diverse environment both biologically and physically. It’s also the reason the water freezes over in the winter allowing miles and miles of roads to be cleared across the sea between the city’s harbours and into the islands of the archipelago. The most popular is a 10km long ice track spanning from the north to south harbour and into the island of Gråsjälören. Visit early in the morning, right after the sun rises and you can feel like you’re out there all by yourself surrounded by only the icy landscape. Or later in the day join the locals who come out on the ice track with their friends and families to ice skate, long distance ski, ride kick-sleds or fat bikes, walk, run or even drive cars. On weekends the organization Lions opens up a small café on Gråsjälören where you can warm up with a coffee or a hot chocolate and waffles. You'll know it's open when you see the flag waving in the wind. There are also fire pits and wood to use if you'd rather bring your own food.

Winter Activities

If you’d like to try your hand at winter sports such as snowmobiling, dog sledding, cross country skiing or ice fishing, hang out with some reindeer, go Aurora chasing or take a trip on an icebreaker ship, head to the Brändön Lodge just half an hour drive from the city. The resort consists of a main lodge, 15 accommodation cabins, large Tepee tents as well as several relaxation and sauna cabins and is located in a small farming and forest community on the edge of the archipelago. All activities are open to both visitors and people staying at the resort and they offer good value transfers to and from Luleå city.

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK IN LULEÅ

One thing I love about Swedish cuisine is that it embraces the locally sourced ingredients and the dishes and flavours on offer often reflect whatever is in season. In Swedish Lapland it means freshly caught arctic char, salmon and herring, moose and reindeer meat, wild mushroom and all kinds of arctic berries feature on most restaurants’ menus.

There are some amazing restaurants in Luleå and plenty of cafes to enjoy a short break for fika, here are just a couple of my favourites.

Bistron

Bistron is one of the cluster of Luleå's White Guide-listed restaurants (the city is known for its thriving modern nordic food scene) and it’s located right on the edge of the north harbour overlooking the ice track.

It was here that I had the best meal of the whole trip in the form of slow cooked moose shoulder with potato puree, mushrooms, roasted yellow onions, chanterelle gravy and buttered red wine gravy - the meat was delicious and falling off the bone and all flavours complimented one another perfectly. It’s also a perfect place to sample Kalix Löjrom, local vendace roe that is the area’s most famous and highly prized delicacy and the only Swedish product with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, issued by the European Union.

Restaurang Arkipelag

Tucked away on the ground floor of an apartment building, Arkipelag is easy to miss but well worth going out of your way to visit. is a small informal restaurant serving top quality seasonal food, excellent wines and local beers. The service is friendly and personable without being overbearing and the food absolutely delicious. We tried reindeer fried in butter, served with roasted celeriac purée, blueberries, fir shoots and pickled chanterelles as well as local cloudberries with homemade wafers and white chocolate ice cream.

HOW TO GET TO LULEÅ

For most of the year, reaching Luleå requires driving more than 900 km across Sweden, more than 12 hours long train journey or a just over one hour long domestic flight from Stockholm. Additionally in winter 2022, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) introduced a seasonal route with twice weekly non-stop flights from London between December and March, making Luleå a perfect winter city break destination.

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