Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
LULEÅ ARCHIPELAGO
This extensive offshore archipelago contains over 1700 large and small islands, most of
them uninhabited and therefore perfect for skinny-dipping, berry picking, camping
wild…we can go on! The larger islands, decorated with classic red-and-white Swedish
summer cottages, are accessible by boat from Luleå. Facilities are limited, so most visit-
ors come as picnicking day-trippers. Here's our island-in-a-nutshell top five:
Sandön
, the largest permanently inhabited island and the easiest to access from
Luleå, features an attractive beach in
Klubbviken bay
and a walking path running
across pine moors.
*
Junkön's
distinguishing feature is a 16th-century windmill; fishers catch herring and
whitefish here in summer.
Rödkallen
, the southernmost large island, is famous for its numerous bird species and
the 1872 lighthouse that was 'retired' a hundred years later and turned into a historical
monument.
Kluntarna
, the all-in-one island, with holiday cottages and all the different bits of
scenery you'll find on the other islands - pine forest, seabird colonies and fishing vil-
lages.
Brändöskär
is bleakly beautiful, lashed by the wind and the waves in the outermost ar-
chipelago.
Regular boats depart from Södra Hammen in Luleå from late June to mid-August, with a
reduced service running until mid-September; check online
timetables
(
www.bottenvicken.se
). Fares are Skr60 to Klubbviken, Skr430 to Rödkallen and Skr110 to
all the other islands.
Luleå
0920 / Pop 46,607
Luleå is the capital of Norrbotten, chartered in 1621, though it didn't become a boom town
until the late 19th century when the Malmbanan railway was built to transport iron ore
from the Bothnian Coast to Narvik (Norway). The town centre moved to its present loca-
tion from Gammelstad in 1649 because of the falling sea level (8mm per year), due to
postglacial uplift of the land.
