What to do in Luleå, Swedish Lapland - Island hopping on foot

Island hopping in Luleå, Sweden

Sweden is always a good idea, no matter where you go.

This time, to satiate our winterlust, we decided to head a little more South than usual and spend a week in Luleå.

The largest city in Swedish Lapland seemed to have it all, with a well-connected airport, snowy landscapes, cozy cafés and restaurants, and, of course, the frozen Bothnian archipelago. It’s a university town with very few tourists — exactly our kind of place!

Ready to travel to Luleå with us?

How to get to Luleå

Luleå is easily accessible by air, with the Luleå/Kallax Airport serving as the primary gateway to the region. Several major airlines operate flights to Luleå from Stockholm and other major cities in Sweden. Additionally, you can travel to Luleå by train to enjoy scenic views of the Swedish countryside along the way.

We found a reasonably-priced flight from Barcelona to Stockholm with Vueling, and then a great Black Friday offer for a Stockholm-Luleå flight with Norwegian.

If you’ve been following Penguin Trampoline blog for a while, you probably know that for us, any excuse is good to spend a night in Stockholm!

Lule what?

Luleå is pronounced as "loo-leh-oh". The stress falls on the first syllable, "loo." The "eå" combination is pronounced as a single sound, similar to "eh-oh." That being said, we heard several pronunciations when talking to the locals.

Things to do in Luleå in winter

Island hopping

Luleå is surrounded by an archipelago of over a thousand islands, creating a breathtaking winter landscape. From the city center, walk on the ice to Gråsjälören island and stop for a hot chocolate and waffle served by the Lions Club. If the weather is nice, you’ll see people grilling meat and fish… and some cars parked, as locals love to drive on the frozen sea!

It was close to -20º when we went there, and it’s awesome to see locals enjoying the great outdoors no matter the temperature!

We live in Spain and locals wear a coat and scarf at 17ºC!

From there, you can keep walking along the ice track, and literally hop from one island to another. Check the snow depth before venturing too far!

It’s not something you get to do every day — unless you live in Luleå — and we had an amazing time!

On our way to Gråsjälören

Ice skating or sledding

When the ice is thick enough, the city of Luleå draws an ice track for everyone to enjoy. The track stretches from one harbor to the other and extending out into the Bothnian archipelago all the way to Gråsjälören.

Locals, who in summer have to drive around the bay, can get into town a lot faster on foot or even bike!

The length of the ice track can vary slightly from year to year, but it typically spans approximately 10 kilometers, occasionally extending even farther. Along the route, visitors will encounter strategically placed benches and inviting fireplaces where they can pause to rest and warm up amidst the crisp winter air. Access to the ice track is conveniently available at both the southern and northern harbors, with entrances designed to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers, ensuring accessibility for all.

You can explore the ice track walking, skating or sled kicking.

Ice fishing

You can book an ice fishing tour, or just observe the patient locals trying to catch pike, burbot, perch, roach or salmon. Our favorite cold water fish is the Arctic char! If you’re interested in Nordic gastronomy, don’t miss our article on Arctic Foods.

Did you know?

Luleå is known for its brackish water due to its proximity to the Gulf of Bothnia, an arm of the Baltic Sea. Brackish water is a mix of freshwater and saltwater, resulting in a unique ecosystem that supports a diverse range of flora and fauna.

On the pic: Eli enjoying sledding on the frozen brackish water!

Mushing

While mushing is more developed in the North of Swedish Lapland — check out our article on Kiruna — you’ll find a few dog sledding companies around Luleå.

For outdoor activities like mushing, it’s always a good idea to have travel insurance.

You can get 5% off by booking a travel insurance through us with our partner HeyMondo!

Penguin Trampoline tip:

If you’re not renting a car, you can buy a bus pass at LTT and recharge it. The bus network is excellent, reliable — of course, we’re in Sweden! — and pretty extensive. Plus, they’ll give you adorable heart-shaped chocolates!

Ice breaker cruise

We tried to go on an ice breaker cruise, but unfortunately, it was impossible to book on short notice.

If you book ahead of time, ice breaker experiences are available from Luleå or Piteå and look like a lot of fun!

You even get to float around — in a special suit, of course!

Ice bath and sauna

And for the brave penguins who’d rather swim with no suit, you can try an ice dip! Icebath Luleå offers this experience, followed by a cozy sauna.

We had a sauna in our accommodation, so we did it ourselves, but it might be a good idea to be with locals if it’s your first time.

If there’s no ice pool around, you can always roll in the snow. Just watch out for hidden ice underneath before you jump, right, Eli?

Northern lights

We had booked a rental cabin by a lake in the outskirts of the Luleå city limits, so it was a prime location to watch the northern lights. And we got extremely lucky, with a high KP (minor solar storm) and relatively clear skies 3 nights out of 7!

Plus, it was a lot warmer than what we’re used to when we travel North, so we could stay out of the warmth of the cabin for hours.

Check out our article: Northern Lights for Dummies for our best tips.

Gammelstad Church Town

Step back in time and explore the UNESCO-listed Gammelstad Church Town, a well-preserved medieval church village located just outside of Luleå — a short bus ride if you’re not driving.

Wandering through narrow cobblestone streets lined with quaint red cottages and visiting the stone church dating back to the 15th century is a unique experience — and it’s even more picturesque when covered in snow.

Gammelstad, a true Swedish postcard!

In summer, many cottages are opened for visiting. When we went there, we could visit one, and the lovely lady told us incredible stories of the past!

If you keep walking past Gammelstad, there’s an open air museum called Friluftsmuseet Hägnan. There was not much in winter, but it was lovely to walk around this serene winter wonderland.

What to do in Luleå with bad weather

We got lovely weather all week so we were mostly outdoor, but in case of rain or snow storm, Luleå has a few museums like Norrbottens Museum, Teknikens Hus: and Havremagasinet.

If you get cold walking around, Luleå City Library is a nice stop, with a cozy café and a small souvenir shop.

And speaking of shopping, you’ll find your typical Nordic brands in the city center, plus a few original stores. For souvenirs, your best bet is the tourist center and Konst & Handverk. They sold Sami artifacts and local designer pieces at the time we visited, but the name was different.

Luleå on ice festival

We happened to be in town during Luleå on ice festival, and it was awesome!

We saw mesmerizing ice sculpture exhibitions, an ice skating race — man, they’re fast! — with participants from all over the world, and live demonstrations showcasing activities such as ice hockey, figure skating, and snowboarding.

You can indulge in traditional Swedish cuisine with delicious offerings such as hot mulled wine, hearty stews, and sweet treats like cinnamon buns and gingerbread cookies. Check our article on Arctic Foods for more goodies!

There were also live music performances, interactive workshops and cultural showcases, and the highlight for the little and no so little ones: petting the reindeer!

We even found a LGBTQ stand, and we had a great chat with a lady working at the city hall. She was trying to get us to move to Luleå, and her arguments were hard to resist to!

The ambiance was great, and it was a fantastic opportunity to interact with the welcoming locals.

Where to stay? Accommodations in Luleå

Luleå region offers accommodation options for all budgets and tastes, from fancy hotels to rustic cabins.

We booked a cabin outside the city for our best shot at seeing the Northern Lights, but it was still near a bus stop going to the city center.

If you’re not renting a car, we would recommend you to do that to get the best of both worlds!

We were just a 20-minutes bus ride to the city center and completely surrounded by nature, right by a frozen lake and minutes away from beautiful forests. It was fun walking across the lake and through the forest to reach the grocery store!

On our way to the grocery store

Obviously, if you have a rental car, we would recommend venturing a little further out to enjoy the true Scandinavian wilderness.

Booking and Airbnb have all kind of options.

Where to eat? Luleå restaurants

For Nordic cuisine, you’ll find fancy restaurants like Bistron along the sea. If you go at night — weather and Kp allowing — you might be in for a northern lights treat!

Not very Nordic, we know, but we really enjoyed Bastard Burgers. Burgers were delicious — you need comfort food at -20º — and the staff was super nice.

For fika time, follow the locals and head to Espresso House, conveniently located by the main bus stop, or cozy Café La Vache. Gotta love the name!

If your accommodation has a kitchen, you’ll find reindeer & moose meat and smoked sausage, salmon, kötbullar and other Swedish goodies at any grocery store.

Finally, here is our personal playlist to watch the northern lights — but don’t worry if they don’t show up, it also works with any Nordic landscape!

We absolutely loved Luleå — loo-leh-oh — low-key and unpretentious vibe, the friendly locals, and, as always in Scandinavia, the breathtaking landscape.

Easily accessible from anywhere in Europe, it’s one of these under the radar destinations we’d like to keep to ourselves — but we’re happy to share it with our little penguins!