Umeå

Umeå is a city of about 110,000 located near the mouth of the Ume River and is the capital of Västerbotten County in Norrland in Northern Sweden. The city's nickname is the "Town of Silver Birches".

Umeå has become a capital of culture in northern Sweden. The Opera of northern Sweden, the Norrland Opera, is based in the city. The annual Umeå Jazz Festival is one of the larger Scandinavian festivals for modern jazz. Umeå is also the home of worldwide known hardcore band Refused, as well as many metal bands such as Meshuggah,Cult of Luna, Naglfar and Nocturnal Rites. The main museums in Umeå are: Museum of the county of Västerbotten,the museum of Umeå, The Museum of Visual Culture and the Museum of Skiing.

Umeå is a centre for cultural activities, with annual film and music festivals, and is a multi-cultural city with over 100 different nationalities. At the moment the world's northmost mosque is about to be built in the eastern parts of Umeå. The city aims at being elected the European Cultural Capital for 2014.

Bus routes are well developed in Umeå. It is the cheapest way to get around in Northern Sweden and a comfortable one as well. Don't be surprised if there is serving onboard of the long distance routes or even free Wifi internet. Usually there are discounts for students and sometimes even a business class section with wider seats and simple meal included in the ticket price.

Umeå has a lot of students and bikes are common. The city offers a wide variety of bike-friendly roads and bike-only bridges. It is often both easier and faster to get around by bike rather than by car or bus.

If you prefer to use public transport, the local bus system has Vasaplan as its hub in central Umeå and costs 22 SEK per ride for adults, 17 SEK for youth below 26 and 11 SEK for children below 18 Buses tend to be very infrequent in summertime and as a general rule it is advisable to check the timetable before getting to the bus stop during all seasons - waiting for 10 or 20 minutes in a bus stop at -20 C is a potential health risk. Night buses are available on Fridays and Saturdays for 40 SEK.