Cheap flights to Umeå
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Quick summary
Country
Sweden
Continent
Europe
Airport
UME
Currency
Swedish krona (SEK)
Time zone
UTC+1 (UTC+2 during summer time)
Deals already spotted to Umeå
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Umeå is the largest city in northern Sweden and the capital of Västerbotten County according to Wikipedia (EN), on the Ume River close to the Gulf of Bothnia. It is nicknamed the City of Birches: after the fire of 25 June 1888, which left at least 2,300 of its 3,000 residents homeless according to Wikipedia (EN), wide avenues were planted with almost 3,000 silver birches to slow any future fire. SniperAir tracks prices for flights to UME and alerts you; it does not sell or book tickets.
A young university town and European Capital of Culture in 2014 with Riga according to Wikipedia (EN), Umeå combines contemporary art, wooden architecture, a river and nature within cycling distance. According to Wikipedia (EN), it is also where a team headed by Emmanuelle Charpentier developed CRISPR gene editing, which won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This page is about Umeå itself, not the Lapland sights further north.
A general reminder: official travel advice differs by country of departure and can change; check your own government's advice before you create an alert and again before you buy. Winters are long and freezing according to Wikipedia (EN), so pack suitable clothing and check transport timetables before you set out.
Airport and getting into town
UME, the airport south of the city, and other ways in
Umeå Airport (UME)
The airport is on the southern outskirts of the city according to Wikipedia (EN). Sources differ on the distance to the centre: about 4 km according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN), 5.4 km by road according to the airport's own Wikipedia (EN) page. It opened in 1962 according to Wikipedia (DE, EN). A flight from Stockholm takes about one hour according to Wikivoyage (EN, DE). Routes change from season to season: we do not list them and publish no fares.
We publish no detailed journey times and no fares. For your alerts, also compare Stockholm-Arlanda (ARN) followed by a train or a domestic flight: the result is sometimes different. Check timetables before you travel.
By rail, the Bothnia Line, opened on 28 August 2010, links Umeå with Stockholm in about 6.5 hours according to Wikipedia (EN) ('just over six hours' according to Wikivoyage (EN)); an overnight train also exists according to Wikivoyage (EN, DE). A ferry crosses from Holmsund to Vaasa in Finland in about four hours according to Wikipedia (EN): check the timetable.
An airport bus (line 80) serves the centre, around Vasaplan, according to Wikivoyage (EN, DE). The fares quoted on those pages are old and differ, so we do not repeat them.
Landmarks and sights
Red brick, bridges and rapids: Umeå along the water
Umeå is best explored along the Ume River, between the centre rebuilt after 1888 and the rapids upstream. Six pictures illustrate the city and its surroundings; other places are described in text.
The town hall (Rådhuset)
This brick facade is Umeå's town hall, according to the photo's title on Wikimedia Commons. Wikivoyage (EN) places it in the middle of the city: Rådhustorget, the square of the central shopping district, lies behind it and Rådhusparken in front. It is a good starting point for a walk along the broad avenues laid out after the 1888 fire.
The city church (Stads kyrka)
The red brick city church dates from 1894 according to Wikipedia (DE). Wikivoyage (EN) mentions the neighbouring Vänortsparken, a small park with art linked to Umeå's twin towns. The birches planted after the fire, which give the city its nickname, still number about 3,000 according to Wikipedia (DE).
The Ume River and the Kyrkbron bridge
According to the description on Wikimedia Commons, this view shows the Kyrkbron bridge seen from the island called Ön. The city lies mostly on the north bank according to Wikipedia (FR), and the water shapes local life: cycle paths along the river and bike-only bridges according to Wikivoyage (EN).
Gamla bron, the old bridge
This panoramic view shows Gamla bron ('the old bridge'), photographed from the south bank looking north according to Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia (DE) describes it as the oldest surviving bridge in the city. Beyond it, the low houses of the centre recall the modest scale of a town rebuilt after the great fire.
The Baggböle rapids
The Baggböle rapids (Baggböleforsen) are, according to Wikimedia Commons, popular with sunbathers in summer. The village lies upstream of the city (8 km according to Wikipedia (EN), about 10 km according to Wikivoyage (EN)). In the 19th century its water-powered sawmill was the largest in Sweden according to Wikipedia (EN); today Arboretum Norr collects trees from similar latitudes according to Wikivoyage (EN), and Wikipedia (DE) also points to Baggböle manor.
Holmön and the Holmöarna archipelago
According to Wikimedia Commons, this photo shows the shoreline of Holmön. The main island of the Holmöarna group, in the Kvarken narrows of the Gulf of Bothnia, is part of Umeå Municipality according to Wikipedia (EN); a large part of the archipelago has been a nature reserve since 1980. We have not checked how to get there: find out before planning an excursion.
Other landmarks: the Grön eld sculpture in front of the station according to Wikipedia (DE), and the old Backen district, where the original parish stood according to Wikipedia (EN, FR). Paid sites and places with changing hours are not detailed here.
Museums and culture
Contemporary art, free museums and open-air sculpture
Bildmuseet
The university's museum of contemporary art and visual culture, housed on the arts campus beside the river since May 2012 according to Wikipedia (DE). The official tourist board (Visit Umeå) states that admission is always free; check opening hours and current exhibitions on the museum's own site.
Västerbottens museum and Gammlia
The county museum covers cultural history, textiles, photography and art, and according to Visit Umeå it displays the world's oldest ski. It stands at Gammlia, an open-air museum devoted to regional history, where entry is free according to Wikivoyage (EN): reconfirm before you go.
Umedalen Sculpture Park
A sculpture park of some 40 works, including pieces by Tony Cragg, Louise Bourgeois, Anthony Gormley, Jaume Plensa and Anish Kapoor according to Visit Umeå. It is open all year, around the clock, and free according to Visit Umeå and Wikivoyage (EN).
Guitars - The Museum and the Museum of Women's History
Guitars - The Museum presents the Åhdén brothers' collection, one of the world's largest private collections of electric guitars and amplifiers according to Visit Umeå; it was founded in 2014 according to Wikipedia (DE). The Museum of Women's History, in the Väven cultural centre, is the first of its kind in Sweden according to Visit Umeå.
NorrlandsOperan and the music scene
The city is home to the opera of northern Sweden according to Wikipedia (EN, ES) and an annual jazz festival, one of the larger Scandinavian festivals for modern jazz according to Wikipedia (EN, ES). We publish no dates, which change every year.
Food and drink
Västerbotten cheese, palt and seasonal restaurants
Västerbotten cheese
Västerbottensost is a hard cow's-milk cheese, salty with a slightly bitter edge, compared to Parmesan according to Wikipedia (EN, FR). It is made only in Burträsk, not in Umeå itself, but it is a staple of northern cooking: Västerbotten cheese pie is eaten at Christmas, Easter and Midsummer according to Wikipedia (EN).
Palt
Palt is a meat-filled potato dumpling, more common in the north of Sweden according to Wikipedia (EN), traditionally served with butter and lingonberry preserves.
Restaurants and events
Visit Umeå presents restaurants that work with the seasons and local produce, and a calendar of food events: check it before you go, as it changes every year. We name no specific address.
Getting around
Bike, bus and stations
By bike
Cycling is very common in this student city, with dedicated lanes and bike-only bridges according to Wikivoyage (EN). The Sverigeleden 4 route passes through the city according to Wikipedia (DE).
By bus
Local bus services converge on Vasaplan in the centre according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN). Frequencies are lower in summer: check the official timetable before you set out, especially in winter.
By train
The main station (Umeå Central) is in the centre; a second station, Umeå East, is next to the university and hospital according to Wikivoyage (EN) and Wikipedia (EN).
Budget and precautions
Price level: no unverified figures
What we know
Several cultural sites are free according to the official tourist board and Wikivoyage (EN): Bildmuseet, Umedalen sculpture park and Gammlia. That eases the leisure budget, but meals, accommodation and transport are still yours to pay.
What we do not publish
Meal, bus and ticket prices quoted on Wikivoyage are dated and not cross-checked by a second independent source, so we publish no ranges. The currency is the Swedish krona.
Precautions
Winter cold is severe (record low of -38.2 C according to Wikipedia (EN, SV)): bring suitable gear. Check your government's travel advice before departure.
When to go
A subarctic climate, with white nights in summer
Winter (December to February)
The climate is subarctic according to Wikipedia (EN, FR): about -7 C on average in January according to Wikipedia (EN). Daylight lasts a little over four hours at Christmas according to Wikivoyage (DE). The record low is -38.2 C, set on 15 February 1978 according to Wikipedia (EN, SV).
Spring (March to May)
The transition is late: according to Wikipedia (DE), the birches only come into leaf around 25 May. Days lengthen quickly; Rally Sweden, the only World Rally Championship round on snow, moved to Umeå in 2022 according to Wikipedia (EN).
Summer (June to August)
July averages around 16 C according to Wikipedia (EN). On 21 June the sun rises at 2:21 and sets at 22:59 according to Wikipedia (FR): no true midnight sun, but white nights according to Wikivoyage (EN). The record high is 32.2 C, on 23 July 2014 according to Wikipedia (EN, SV).
Autumn (September to November)
The birches shed their leaves in the second half of September according to Wikipedia (DE). Wikivoyage (EN) calls the Baggböle arboretum especially beautiful in autumn.
For culture and the rapids, summer is comfortable; for a Nordic winter mood, expect to prepare more. The figures above are guidelines drawn from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage: check the forecast before you go.
By length of stay
What to do in Umeå depending on your stay
Centre and river
Town hall, church, bridges and the Ume River banks, then Bildmuseet, a free museum according to the tourist board.
Museums and sculpture
Gammlia and the Västerbotten museum, Umedalen sculpture park, then Guitars - The Museum or the Museum of Women's History.
Nature upstream and at sea
The Baggböle rapids and arboretum by bike or public transport, and, once you have checked access, an excursion to the Holmöarna archipelago.
In pictures
Umeå in pictures
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions about flights to Umeå
Why is Umeå called the City of Birches?
After the fire of 25 June 1888 the city was rebuilt with wide avenues planted with almost 3,000 birches to slow the spread of fire according to Wikipedia (EN, DE). The Swedish nickname is Björkarnas stad.
How far is Umeå Airport from the centre?
Sources differ: about 4 km according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (EN), 5.4 km by road according to the airport's Wikipedia (EN) page. An airport bus (line 80) runs to Vasaplan according to Wikivoyage (EN, DE); we do not publish its fare.
Can you see the midnight sun in Umeå?
Not strictly: the city lies south of the Arctic Circle according to Wikipedia (EN, FR). It does have white nights in June and July according to Wikivoyage (EN); on 21 June the sun sets at 22:59 according to Wikipedia (FR).
Are Umeå's museums free?
Several are according to the official tourist board and Wikivoyage (EN): Bildmuseet, Umedalen sculpture park and Gammlia. Others may charge: we publish no prices, so check the official sites.
When is the best time to visit Umeå?
Summer is the easiest time for long days, the rapids and the arboretum. Winter suits those who like cold and snow: daylight is very short and temperatures can be very low according to Wikipedia (EN) and Wikivoyage (DE). Autumn brings birch colours.
How long should I plan for?
Two to three days cover the centre, the museums, Umedalen and the nature upstream. Add a day if you want an excursion to the archipelago, once you have checked access.
How much does a flight to Umeå usually cost?
The price depends mostly on your departure city, the season and how early you book. The opportunities section above shows real examples of fares SniperAir has already detected to this destination.
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