county (län) in Sweden
Europe > Nordic countries > Sweden > Norrland > Västerbotten County

Västerbotten County, Västerbottens län, in Norrland in Sweden consists of the coastal province Västerbotten and southern Lappland.

Municipalities edit

 
Map of Västerbotten County

 
Västerbotten County.

Västerbotten edit

Southern Lappland edit

  • 10 Åsele   (Southern Sámi: Sjeltie), historically administrative centre, huge annual market.
  • 11 Lycksele (Southern Sámi: Liksjovvene/Liksjoene, Ume Sámi: Lïkssjuo), the first and still largest inland town.
  • 12 Malå   (Ume Sámi: Máláge, South Sámi: Maalege)
  • 13 Dorotea   (South Sámi: Kraapohke)
  • 14 Vilhelmina   (South Sámi: Vualtjere)
  • 15 Storuman (South Sámi: Luspie, Ume Sámi: Lusspie)
  • 16 Sorsele  (Ume Sámi: Suarssá, South Sámi: Suarsa)

Other destinations edit

  • 1 Hemavan, a secluded ski resort by the largest nature reserve in Sweden, with botanic garden of alpine plants; trailhead to the famous Kungsleden hiking trail
  • 2 Tärnaby  , a ski resort which has fostered several ski champions

Understand edit

While the coastal Västerbotten province has culturally been part of Sweden since the Middle Ages, Lappland is a traditional homeland of the Sami people. Many settlers from middle Sweden arrived during the early 20th century. Its population is decreasing, except for that of the bustling city of Umeå.

Talk edit

While Sámi language and bondska (archaic Swedish dialects) are spoken by some, everybody speaks Swedish.

Get in edit

Resrobot is a search engine for all public transport in Sweden.

By plane edit

Airports are

By train edit

SJ has trains from Stockholm to Umeå.

By bus edit

By boat edit

Wasa Line runs ferries between Umeå and Vaasa, Finland across the Gulf of Bothnia.

By car edit

  • From Stockholm or Malmö to Umeå/Skellefteå: road E4.
  • From Stockholm or Malmö to Vilhelmina/Storuman/Tärnaby: road E4 to Sundsvall, then road 331.
  • From Finland: road E4 from Tornio

Get around edit

By bus edit

By taxi edit

  • Smartphone apps: Uber

See edit

The county will be of interest primarily to nature lovers, and hikers will here find quite some wilderness. But the mines of Kiruna or the ice hotel are other points of interest.

Do edit

City-life is primarily found in Umeå. This sparsely populated region is great for outdoor life; especially hiking along Kungsleden, and winter sport (see winter in the Nordic countries).

Eat edit

See also: Nordic cuisine

Västerbottensost is a local cheese made in Burträsk near Skellefteå.

While Umeå has a lively community of vegans and vegetarians, fishing and hunting are pastimes in the countryside.

Drink edit

Nightlife can mainly be found in Umeå, and at the ski resorts.

Stay safe edit

See cold weather. Bears roam the region.

Go next edit

This region travel guide to Västerbotten County is an outline and may need more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. If there are Cities and Other destinations listed, they may not all be at usable status or there may not be a valid regional structure and a "Get in" section describing all of the typical ways to get here. Please plunge forward and help it grow!