Västerbotten, Sweden · Europe
Umeå sits on the route: 10 minutes from Röbäck.
Umeå is a city located in Västerbotten, Sweden. With a population of 130,224, it is an important destination in Europe.
On a road trip, Umeå sits in Sweden, where you drive on the right. It's in the Europe/Stockholm time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Umeå to your route.
Umeå (Swedish: [ˈʉ̌ːmɛɔ] , locally: [ˈʉ̌ːmɛ] ; Finnish and Meänkieli: Uumaja; Ume Sámi: Ubmeje) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County.
Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest locality in Norrland and the thirteenth largest in Sweden, with aRead more
wider municipal population of 132,235 inhabitants in the beginning of 2023. When Umeå University was established in 1965, growth accelerated, and the amount of housing has doubled in 30 years from 1980 to 2010. As of 2018, Umeå was gaining around 1,000 inhabitants per year and the municipality plans for having 200,000 inhabitants by 2050. The projection of municipality size in 2050 has, however, been questioned as an overestimation in an independent study.
Umeå is a university town and centre of education, technical and medical research in northern Sweden. The two universities located in the city, Umeå University and one of the three main branches of SLU, host around 40,000 enrolled students, which corresponds to around 30% of the total population. CRISPR gene editing was developed by researchers, headed by Emmanuelle Charpentier at Umeå University, being awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Umeå was the European Capital of Culture during 2014, along with Riga in Latvia. Umeå is certified by the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program.
Honorary consulates from twelve countries can be found in Umeå (2026): Denmark (from 1848), Finland (from 1921), Norway (from 1963), France (from 1989), the Republic of Seychelles (from 2001), Iceland (from 2002), Italy (from 2012), Lithuania (from 2012), Latvia (1939–1940; again from 2014); and Estonia, the United Kingdom and Spain.
Umeås' municipality sees wide international cooperation in within its involvement with twin towns and sister cities; which can be defined by its purpose of encouraging the exchange of experience and promote friendship at an international scale. Umeå currently has five twin towns and sister cities; with a foundational core being three Nordic twin cities since 1953: Harstad (town), Norway, Helsingør, Denmark, and Vaasa, Finland. With the remaining two sister cities being Saskatoon, Canada and Würzburg, Germany.
Umeå has been a member of International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) since 2016, one of 25 safe-cities within Sweden. There are currently 89 sanctuaries world-wide and since 2006 it has allowed more than 350 persecuted cultural practitioners to take safe-heaven in one them.
The city has also been the home of Rally Sweden since 2022, one of the annual World Rally Championship (WRC) stages; and the only WRC stage taking place on snow.
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Umeå is located in Västerbotten, Sweden, Europe. The coordinates are 63.8284 latitude, 20.2597 longitude.
Umeå has a population of approximately 130,224 people, making it a city in Sweden.
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Essential numbers in Sweden
Dipped headlights required at all times. Watch for wildlife (moose/deer) on rural roads.
Full driving guide for SwedenMay to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
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