Things to do & places to visit in Vasterbotten County, Sweden

Vasterbotten County #17 destination in Sweden 2023. The average rating score is 4.50 based on 2.420 traveler reviews, of 154 attractions. Timezone: Europe/Stockholm, current date and time: Friday, May 03, 2024, 14:51.

Top things to do (39)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Guitars the Museum (306 reviews)
- Worth a visit
Friday: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Speciality Museums

This space holds a guitar similar to the one Keith Richards used to play the Honky Tonk Women riff. And here's one like the one Eric Clapton used for his solo in Layla. And the kind that Jimi Hendrix set on fire in Monterrey. But how in the world did these and hundreds more rare and priceless guitars from the 1950s and 1960s end up in Umea and become Guitars - The Museum? Why aren't they hanging in the MoMA in New York, or in the Tate Modern in London? This is the story of how the Ahden twins from Vannasby managed to put together the world's finest collection of vintage guitars surreptitiously, almost in secret. Guided tours 12.00, 15.00 & 17.00. See more..
5.0 Aurora Borealis Adventures (228 reviews)
- Unforgettable days in Ekorrsele
Ski & Snow Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours

A wonderful place to stay. We had the opportunity to stay for 7 nights in a cosy guesthouse. In one of those nights we spent 1 night in the tipi surrounded with starlight - just magic! The highlight were the sleddog tours during the day and one night sleddog tour - it was a winterwonderland. Along with the sleddog tours it was an impressive experience to see how wonderful it was to see everyday life with these 47 huskies. We could cuddle them and they loved it. We can highly recommend not to go only for a sleddog tour but also stay some few nights to see how the dogs life is. The owner Donald as well as the dog handler Leata and Arvid do there jobs with enthusiasm and experience. Sylvia, Brigitte und Bige See more..
5.0 Wild Lapland (79 reviews)
- Magical husky ride over forest lake and forests
Nature & Wildlife Tours

The best way to travel, I could live there! Our family of five have loved the experience, it felt like the time had stopped. Tons of snow, magical and lovely contact with the dogs too. Our guide, Frank, was great. I highly recommend the experience, especially at this time. It was truly amazing! See more..
5.0 Forsknackarna (64 reviews)
- Totally loved it! Don't think - just do it.
River Rafting & Tubing

Forsknackarna is not only professional and dedicated, the entire place is breathing hospitality and friendship. The “viking look alike village” is embedded in the calming landscape with the river just down a small steep. We (mum and dad with kids 12, 13 and 15 years old) did the Trollforsenturen - totally worth it! Absolutely loved it! Adrenalin over the top but sooo fun and still safe! Remember: never stop paddling! See more..
5.0 Kungsleden (57 reviews)
- Kungsleden: Abisko to Nikkaloukta, don't miss it.
Hiking Trails

A 450-kilometer-long hiking trail through northern Sweden. See more..
5.0 Petter Karlsson Sleddogs (35 reviews)
- Bucketlist... Check ✔️ Amazing mushing adventure!!!
Spent More than 3 hours Ski & Snow Tours

What an amazing adventure and tour, could not have wished for anything else. Thank you Petter & family for everything. We got there and had a small tour around the grounds greeting all the dogs, then it was time to harness the sled and we went of for a full day in the beautiful wilderness of Northern Sweden. After a couple of hours, stopped to have a homemade typical artic food over the open flame and then coffee. Mushing in the dark was so fun. Me and my wife are coming back and we recommend everyone who has the opportunity to do this, do it with Petter and his crew. Professional and just top notch on every point. They even provided a gluten free dessert to my wife with only two days of notice. Now that's world class service :) and it was breathtaking to only be the two of us with Petter and that made it so personal and non-touristy, if you get what I mean :) thank you once again : D you really made our day!!! Sincerely Alex & Katta See more..
5.0 Svansele Wilderness Centre (28 reviews)
- Amazing place!
Nature & Wildlife Tours

Highly recommended for everyone that likes nature. Great staff and superb food. Perfect for a group of friends or a conference. The real thing. See more..
5.0 Wilderness Latitude (25 reviews)
- trip around wilderness latitude site
Nature & Wildlife Tours

Very nice trip around Vilhemna area. Melody and Vincent have made an original and comfortable wood cabane in the middle of the forest. Fabulous site to stay, try it! See more..
5.0 Openlappland (20 reviews)
- Gros coup de coeur
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Nature & Wildlife Tours

Cécile et Jérôme nous reçoivent comme des membres de la famille …. Activités variées avec les chiens ( traineau, cani-rando, mushing adapté aux enfants)… ferme de rennes avec un Sami passionné… balade dans un parc naturel…. Et tout ça en étant seul au monde, la déconnexion totale. Les chiens sont heureux, Cécile et Jérôme aiment ce qu’ils font et nous le font ressentir. Et même quand la journée est finie, nos hôtes nous préviennent si des aurores pointent . les petits plats du soir concoctés par Cécile nous font découvrir la gastronomie locale en toute simplicité, chacun y trouve son compte, petits et grands . Nos filles de 11 et 8 ans ont adoré cette parenthèse enchantée au milieu de paysages hallucinants et pour nous ce fut un gros coup de cœur. Je ne peux que conseiller openlappland See more..
5.0 Horses of Taiga (18 reviews)
- Amazing experience. With wonderful horses
Equestrian Trails • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Horseback Riding Tours

We had a verry warm welcome by horses of taiga. The place is beautiful. De horses are great and so cute. We had a lovely ride in the wood with our guide Rianne. We had a great experience! We will never forget. After the ride we had a fika with warm chocolate and a nice swedisch cookie. Thank you verry much Rianne and Flo for geving us a wonderful time. Best regards from Odette and Kim. See more..
5.0 Stekenjokk (16 reviews)
- Roadtrip
Spent 2-3 hours Mountains • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Valleys

Fun to travel on a road with lots of snow in the summer. Great views and being a birdwatcher you can observe, with some luck, some of the northern europé species here. See more..
5.0 Spruce Island Husky (15 reviews)
- WOW!!
Nature & Wildlife Tours

Thank you Luck and Beatriz for an unforgettable experience in Sweden! Their love and care for the dogs go beyond words and made this experience even better See more..
5.0 Snötroll Sleddog adventures (10 reviews)
- A fantastic sled dog tour, highly recommended.
Ski & Snow Tours • Eco Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours

Snötroll tours offer a warm, familiar and very relaxed atmosphere in small groups. The backcountry hut is very cozy, the dogs are over-the-top playful and friendly, the views breathtaking and the guides experiences and fun to be around. A trip you won't easily forget. See more..
5.0 Backfors Gard (10 reviews)
- Adventure ride - 4h
Horseback Riding Tours

Great activity in very nice environments, kind and impressive horses and great personal. I highly recommend Backfors Gård. See more..
4.5 Vasterbottens Museum (157 reviews)
- Small but lovely!
Friday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Speciality Museums • Art Museums • History Museums

It is a small open air museum. We were there during the Samisk veckan (the sami week) in march and they had activities and real reindeer on the premises :) Thanks to a recent snowfall and perfect blue sky it was a great day to visit the museum. The museum building also houses some interesting collections and exhibitions about the region. See more..
4.5 Flarken Adventure (62 reviews)
- Beautiful surroundings!
Spent More than 3 hours Eco Tours

These dogs are so beautiful - you get a bit scared at first but they seem like they actually just want to please their owner and just ride away. It's truly an experience you will never forget! See more..
4.5 Fatmomakke Kyrkstad (47 reviews)
- Well worth the visit
Points of Interest & Landmarks

I really wanted to visit Fatmomakke and due to the lack of public transport had to hire a car to do so. This was an expensive exercise but turned out to be worth it. The village is really interesting and beautiful, and the drive there just gorgeous. See more..
4.5 Trappstegsforsen (38 reviews)
- Beautiful
Spent < 1 hour Bodies of Water • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Nature & Wildlife Areas

On the Wilderness route you bump into the Trappstegsforsen. It's a beautifull sight, also easy to park. See more..
4.5 Algens hus (30 reviews)
- Very, very good
Farms

We were taken to the Ålg Farm by Swedish friends as a joint birthday present. After picnic fika outside we went into the farm which is located in beautiful Swedish countryside. We went in to start a guided tour in English - our friends had arranged this for us. Make sure you ask for this if you don’t speak Swedish. The guide was amazing. Lots of info about the animals, their habits and how their numbers are managed. This talk was really interesting. Our questions were answered fully. The tour then went on to an 18min slideshow - equally riveting, before we went out to the elk on the farm. We were able to go into the enclosure with the recently born elk calves and with the adults in a separate area. You can touch these gentle giants, the furry covering on the antlers is so soft. Brilliant! There is a restaurant which we didn’t use. Great day out See more..
4.5 Arboretum Norr (30 reviews)
- Beautiful Nature
Spent 1-2 hours Bodies of Water • Biking Trails • Nature & Wildlife Areas

If you love walking around in mature, this would be a perfect place to visit. There are beautiful plants and views. See more..
4.5 Grössjön Nature Reserve (27 reviews)
- Felt remote, but it was close to town
Nature & Wildlife Areas

This lovely park is a perfect way to explore the forested area of Umea. The signage on the main road to get to the park is little tricky; at first we thought we were on a logging road going into the area. But then, a clearly marked hiking sign indicated we had found the reserve. I WOULD NOT recommend this easy hike for children under the age of 8 (10?), as there are many boardwalks that lead over the wetlands, and one wrong move will put your little ones into the bog! See more..
4.5 Bonnstan (22 reviews)
- Very old housing area
Neighborhoods • Historic Walking Areas • Scenic Walking Areas

They built this houses once for their church visit; because they had a long way to travel to worship. If you are lucky, some of the people now living in these houses let you have a peek inside = sometimes a nice question is very helpful :-D See more..
4.5 Umeå Folkets Hus (17 reviews)
- Great place
Civic Centres

This is truly a great place for per pet formative arts, specially music. It has multiple venues inside all very comfortable and great sounding rooms. It goes from 80 seats to almost a thousand I would say. It’s a place that can host all sorts of music and I wish we had a venue like this in my home country, Portugal. Congrats Umeå! See more..
4.5 Olofsfors Bruk (16 reviews)
- An interesting historical ironworks area
Friday: Factory Tours

We were visiting Umeå for the first time and since we had our own car we decided to drive to Nodrmaling. We have visited over the years some Swedish ironworks areas and Olofsfor Bruk, which history dates back to 1762, is among the best. The whole area is well preserved. It's nice to just walk in the area and you can also stop by the small exhibitions. It is more open air museum so in my opinion the visit requires good weather. There is also a small shop in the area with nice interior goods as well as a cafe. If you are on a road trip this could be a perfect stop and picnic place. See more..
4.5 Skelleftea Adventurepark (15 reviews)
- Visited the mine
Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Zipline & Aerial Adventure Parks

Only visited the mine and it was very interesting. There's no need to book in advance, you get a helmet, jacket, boots and a flashlight and can explore the mine on your own. They show you a short film first (not sure if English option is available) and the whole visit took less than an hour. I would appreciate a small exhibition or something like this but I really enjoyed the chance to walk around the mine on our own. See more..
4.5 Kittelfjäll (14 reviews)
- Fantastic place and incredibly good staff
Hiking Trails • Ski & Snowboard Areas • Day Trips

I had a 75 minute private slalom lesson with Alexander Jemt and I am extremely happy. I am 40 years old and had never done slalom before. But during this lesson, I managed to go on be myself. I can highly recommend Alexander Jemt and Kittelfjäll Ski School. See more..
4.5 Lappland Emotions (14 reviews)
- Amazing hospitality in an amazing place!
Nature & Wildlife Tours

For the third year, I took a school trip of twelve and thirteen year olds to Lapland Emotions. Marie-Linne and Arnauld are very welcoming, great teachers and are brilliantly organised. They love their dogs deeply and are able to pass that on to their customers. The Svansele wilderness is ideal for dog sledding, remote and wild but stunningly beautiful. Frozen lakes, deep snow and dense birch forests are the perfect terrain for this exciting activity. They are also easy to work with, communicative (in French, English and Swedish!) and flexible, able to provide suggestions and let you do as little or as much of the work as you want. I cannot recommend them highly enough, I would gladly give them 6 stars if I could. See more..
4.5 Mickelbo Farm (12 reviews)
- Meet animals face to face
Spent 2-3 hours Zoos • Farms

A farm with many different animals, including those normally found in Scandinavia but also e.g. camels and alpacas. Visitors can approach most of them, clap and even feed and lift some of them. They seem to be well taken care of, with reasonably large enclosures, possibility to seek privacy and good physical health, definitely better than an average zoo. Food is available for purchase and there's a small gift shop too. Most visitors seem to be families with small children but not only. Most easily accessible by car, but there's a bus too - line 21 between Umeå and Skellefteå. See more..
4.5 Vilhelmina Turistbya (10 reviews)
- Tourist Office Vilhelmina
Spent < 1 hour Visitor Centers

Welcome to Vilhelmina Tourist Centre, the all year round open Tourist Office. Here you can purchase hunting and fishing licenses, get information about our area and book hostel accomondation. We also have souvernies and a wide range of local litterature. We are a part of South Lapland and cooporate with Dorotea, Asele and Stromsund. See more..
4.0 Bildmuseet (154 reviews)
- Fab ! Right by the river
Friday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Architectural Buildings • Art Museums

Bildmuseet is the number one spot for contemporary art and culture in Umeå with admission all year long and the greatest view over Umeå and Umeälven. We exhibit contemporary international art, photography, architecture, design, and visual culture, and sometimes art history retrospectives. The exhibitions are complemented by guided tours, lectures, films, open workshops, and educational activities that inspire creativity. Make sure to drop by the museum shop and grab a bite at the cafe/restaurant on the bottom floor. Check out our website for the latest news! See more..