Car Hire Umea

Umea Mini Guide

What can you Tell me About Umea?
It’s had an interesting history. In its early days it was on the frontier of the Swedish Christian church where a river joined the sea and consisted of a wooden church and houses. It developed into a trade centre with the Sami people before gaining importance as the last city before the northern wilderness began. As a result it often became the first place to be attacked in any conflict and was burnt to the ground several times. To prevent fire ravaging the town, fire breaks of silver birches have been planted across the city adding to its attractiveness. Today it is a university city with renowned research facilities.

How do I get to the City?
Umea has its own airport just outside the city. Most flights to it are domestic from Gothenburg or Stockholm so you’ll have to catch a flight to either of those airports and take a connecting flight. You can easily get a bus or a taxi into the city from the airport or consider car hire if you want to explore a little. You can also get to the city by the night train from Stockholm or the long distance buses that operate across Sweden.

What’s There to See and Do in the Area?
There’s plenty to occupy you for a few days there including the Gammlia open air culture exhibition which showcases the city across the ages. You can visit several parks which display art or sculptures. One, Vanortsparken, has art from the city’s twins across the world. Another interesting visit is to Nydalasjon, a beautiful lake near the city which has a beach plus many water activities.

And After Hours?
Because of its large student population there’s a lot of bars and nightclubs in the city plus many sports and social clubs linked to the university.

Umea has one of the lowest average ages for the population of any city in Sweden because of the university there. This means that many of the activities are geared to the young including sports and nightlife. Nydalasjon Lake is the focus of activities in the summer months whether it’s sunbathing or enjoying the water sports on offer.

Hire a car to travel up the river or further afield into the barren northern lands of the country. Finally, back in Umea, you’ll find that the nightlife is very active whether on the university campus or in downtown Umea.