RegionOutline guide

Västerbotten County

County (län) of Sweden

Photo: Eva Mårtensson from Högland, Dorotea, Sweden, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

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

Getting there and around

Getting there

By plane
By train
By bus
By boat
Wasa Line runs ferries between Umeå and Vaasa, Finland across the Gulf of Bothnia.
By car

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Getting around

By bus
By taxi

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Airports and nearby hotels

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Lycksele Airport

Lycksele · Regional · LYC

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Cities

Hemavan

Hemavan is a secluded ski resort in Swedish Västerbotten. It is the southern trailhead for the Kungsleden trail.

Read before you go to Västerbotten County

Articles and travel topics about Västerbotten County and Sweden.

Nature & adventure

Best Places to See the Northern Lights: Season Guide

Where to see the northern lights in 2026 and 2027 during Solar Cycle 25, comparing weather in Tromsø, Abisko, Fairbanks and Iceland.

Oct 17, 20267 min read

Itineraries

E4 through Sweden

E4 can also refer to E4 Mediterranean Arc, see Long distance walking in Europe. European route E4 stretches 1,590 km (990 mi) with most of Sweden's length between Helsingborg in the south, and Haparanda in the north,…

Wikivoyage

Itineraries

Lapplandsleden

The Lapplandsleden (English: Lappland Trail) is a long-distance hiking trail in Swedish Lapland, inaugurated around 2021.

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Travel tips

Nordic Noir

Nordic Noir is, in its most general sense, crime fiction from, or set in the Nordic countries. It has been appreciated outside its homeland for its spirit of cynicism, melancholia and angst.

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Full travel guide

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Municipalities

UnderstandWhile the coastal Västerbotten province has culturally been part of Sweden since the Middle Ages, Lappland is a traditional homeland of the Sami people.

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

Get inResrobot is a search engine for all public transport in Sweden.

Get around

SeeThe 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.

DoCity-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).

EatVästerbottensost is a local cheese made in Burträsk near Skellefteå.

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

Stay safeSee cold weather. Bears roam the region.

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Västerbotten County" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Västerbotten County", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Eva Mårtensson from Högland, Dorotea, Sweden, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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