Sweden

10 x good to know about Västerbotten in Swedish Lapland

8 August 2017

things you don’t know about Västerbotten in Sweden yet

Are you planning a trip to Västerbotten in Sweden? You’ll be sure of a trip full of beautiful nature. I was there for a short week during the summer and although Swedish Lapland is most well known for the tourism during the winter, it’s also beautiful out there in the summer. Don’t forget your walking shoes and active wear for the hikes in the forest or the outdoor activities like canoeing on the lakes and rivers. After that you can relax in the sauna or hot tub and rise and shine early the next morning. Västerbotten is a region in Swedish Lapland in the North of Sweden. You can find dozens of small towns here (like not even seven houses per town) and beautiful long roads through the forest that seem endless. What’s good to know before you go to Västerbotten? You’ll read it in this blog!

weetjes over vasterbotten

10 x good to know about Västerbotten in swedish lapland

  • The water here is really clean so you can easily drink water out of the tap. And did you know the tap water sometimes comes directly out of the lake? At some rivers you can even fill your bottle with water from the river!
  • Västerbotten is a vast region that’s anything but densely populated. So chances are that you have to drive for a while before getting close to stores or a restaurant. Make sure to bring something to eat during a road trip.
  • Are you going to Västerbotten on vacation you’ll definitely need a car to get from A to B. So rent a car for your round trip at the airport!
  • In Västerbotten they have local cheese you really have to try, trust me! I loved it so much. It’s called Västerbottenost and it can be bought at most stores in the region. Tip: if the cheese is well packaged you can take it back home in your suitcase.
  • The region Västerbotten is bigger than The Netherlands, but has approximately 260 thousand inhabitants. Just a little difference ;-).weetjes over vasterbotten
  • If you’ve been in Sweden for a longer time you’ll probably notice that the most houses are red. They look very cute, but exactly why is that? Well, during the winning of copper in the city of Falun a residual product is released that they use as pigment for paint. And that’s how they get the red paint that’s called ‘Falun red’ by the locals.
  • In the most restaurants the food on the menu is local, biological and fresh. What you can eat a lot in Swedish Lapland is reindeer, salmon or moose. Are you a vegetarian? In that case most of the time there are enough options on the menu.
  • Västerbotten is located in the Swedish part of Lapland, but Lapland itself reaches across Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. They call the inhabitants of Lapland ‘Lappen’, but for them that’s an insult. They prefer to call themselves ‘Sámi’.
  • There is a lot of wildlife in Västerbotten, so chances are you’re in the car and suddenly spot an animal. Pay attention and who knows, you might see a moose or a reindeer while cycling through the woods of from your car. It’s always special to spot wild animals!
  • Euros? No, they don’t have them! In Sweden you pay with the Swedish Crown, so make sure to check how much your Euros are worth before you head out that way, or exchange some money beforehand.
  • During the summer it almost doesn’t get dark here and it can get pretty chilly. So bring some warm clothes with you, and wear lots of layers. When you’re going to do outdoor activities you’ll get warm quickly and in that case it’s convenient that you can take off some clothes.
  • And lastly one more tip: take a mask for sleeping with you. Because who knows, the curtains in your hotel or cabin might be a little see-through, and sleeping in the dark is probably the best.
  • The largest city in Västerbotten is Umeå. A nice little town (not even 90.000 inhabitants) of which a large part are students. Because there’s a university there you can find several nice cafés and restaurants there.

Västerbotten Travel Tips for swedish Lapland

Are you still looking for good hotels in the region of Västerbotten or in Umeå? Then click the below button to see our shortlist with seven of the best hotels in this region of Swedish Lapland.

BEST HOTELS IN VÄSTERBOTTEN >>

Check out our other blogs on Västerbotten in Swedish Lapland:

For more handy tips on Swedish Lapland you can have a look on the sites visitsweden.nlvisitvasterbotten.se and swedishlapland.com.

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TIP: discover more fun hotspots and travel tips in the books of Yourlbb DE AMSTERDAM CITY GUIDE & WANDERLUST!

LIEFS,

JANNE

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