The Bothnian Bay archipelago, from Skellefteå in the south to Haparanda in the north, consists of more than 4,000 islands under the warming midnight sun in summer. Five municipalities – apart from Skellefteå and Haparanda there are also Piteå, Luleå and Kalix – share the destination known as the Bothnian Bay Archipelago.
If you allow yourself to look, you can find an array of excursions, rest stops and places to visit along the E4 – the road that rolls out through the landscape like a ribbon. But a motorway is always a motorway, and as American author Wendell Berry wrote, human minds were not created for the highway. It should be viewed as a possibility of making detours and stops instead. Adventures and experiences begin where you park your car – perhaps where the road you take off on finishes. This journey goes from south to north.The Bothnian Bay archipelago, from Skellefteå in the south to Haparanda in the north, consists of more than 4,000 islands
Bothnian bay archipelago
The Bothnian Bay archipelago, from Skellefteå in the south to Haparanda in the north, consists of more than 4,000 islands under the warming midnight sun in summer.
1. Skellefteå–Byske: 30 km
The first industry in Skellefteå was actually a steam brewery: Skellefteå Ångbryggeri. In a way it’s a nice touch that today’s award-winning brewery is located in the same spot as that old steam brewery was, back in the day. Bryggarbacken – Brewer’s Hill – with the new brewery, restaurants Rustique and Restaurang Bryggargatan as well as the new park have directed the view of the town back towards the river and its summery feel. Taking a circular walk over the bridges is always a good start to the day. The new Wood Hotel by Elite has also put Skellefteå on the map, for sure. The map featuring the world’s coolest places to stay. This is a small town undergoing a transformation, with a pronounced green transition, lots of creativity and small-town charm, a summer town with a rich cultural life, not least through the new cultural centre Sara Kulturhus, and its festivals Stadsfesten and Trästockfestivalen are epic summer events.
The lighthouse on Bjuröklubb
In 1859 the lighthouse on Bjuröklubb was erected. At the furthest end of a cliff. 52 metres above the sea. Made from wood. Yellow and octagonal. They say the sun always shines over Bjuröklubb. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the fact is that the location of the peninsula makes the sea breeze keep the clouds away. These days you’ll find a café and accommodation here.
2. Byske–Piteå: 38 km
North of Skellefteå you come to Byske Havsbad where the Byske River flows out into the Bothnian Gulf. This is also where the archipelago of the Bothnian Bay begins. The Byske River is known for its amazing salmon fishing. From Kinnbäck, further north, there is a tour boat out to the island Pite-Rönnskär where there are rooms to rent in the old lighthouse keeper’s residence, as well as a café and Sweden’s highest Heidenstam lighthouse.
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The summer coastNorth of Skellefteå you come to Byske Havsbad where the Byske River flows out into the Bothnian Gulf. This is also where the archipelago of the Bothnian Bay begins. The Byske River is known for its amazing salmon fishing. From Kinnbäck, further north, there is a tour boat out to the island Pite-Rönnskär where there are rooms to rent in the old lighthouse keeper’s residence, as well as a café and Sweden’s highest Heidenstam lighthouse.
The work of Heidenstam
The Heidenstam lighthouses were a construction that Gustav von Heidenstam invented. Among other things he was also the father of writer Verner von Heidenstam who wrote: “Better to listen to the string that broke than never tighten a bow”. At Pite-Rönnskär the Heidenstam lighthouse is a 37-metre-high observation tower for visitors. Photo: Andy Anderson.
Pite Havsbad
In Pitsund, south of Piteå, you drive out to Pite Havsbad. Sweden’s largest camping and hotel complex. Every day several thousands of people pass through here, looking for sun, sea and soft ice-cream. It’s a place called Norrland’s Riviera.
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Into the waterThere are several places to go for a swim here on Pitholmen, but none of them as famous as Havsbadet. You can also take a boat taxi, again with Nordisk Sjötaxi, out to some of the islands in the Piteå archipelago. The same company also rents out cabins on these islands, for example Mellerstön, Vargön and Stor-Räbben.
Norrland’s Riviera
It all started with electrician Elof Söderberg taking a kiosk to the beach in Pitsund. Today Pite Havsbad is considered Sweden’s largest of its kind.
3. Piteå–Luleå: 55 km
Piteå became a town in 1621 and has already celebrated its first 400 years in existence together with cities like Luleå and Gothenburg. At the mouth of the Pite River, the town was in a perfect spot for salmon fishing, forest companies and paper mills. These days the town is known for its summer festivals, such as Piteå Summergames, Piteå Dansar och Ler, Noliamässan and many other events. Hotell Kust has become a landmark, and Piteå offers small town charm near the sea combined with cosy cafés, guest houses and restaurants. Some of them feature in the White Guide, and all of them are good.
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Travelling well
4. Luleå
University city Luleå markets itself as “Clean. Clever. Close.” and it’s easy to understand why. Nothing is very far, the city feels full of fresh air, and surely a city that’s constantly transformed itself can proclaim its smartness too. Luleå city created not only its own, but also a large part of Sweden’s wealth from salmon fishing. However, during the post-war period it was a harder kind of steel that underpinned the economy. These days the city is part of the drive for development in the north, towards a greener steel production and a more sustainable world. There’s also an open and progressive cultural life and city life here. Many of the restaurants and cafés in the city are on the White Guide list and it’s never far between places where you can quench your thirst or satisfy your hunger.
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A roadtrip for the hungryFrom Luleå it’s easy to get out into the archipelago. Boat traffic runs from the southern port every day. If you want to get further out in the archipelago, to overnight cabins and accommodation on Hindersön for example, the tour boat runs daily. But you can also use your own boat, or rent a kayak.
World Heritage Gammelstad
Gammelstad Church Town is just outside Luleå. This was the city centre right up until the 17th century and features red log cabins in a kind of organised jumble around one of the most beautiful churches in the north of Sweden. This place is one of a kind, and a place worth preserving.
Sea Life
From Luleå it's easy to get out into the archipelago in summer. Boat traffic runs from the southern port every day. If you want to get further out in the archipelago, to overnight cabins and accommodation on Hindersön for example, the tour boat runs daily as well. But you can also use your own boat, or rent a kayak
5. Luleå–Kängsön: 40 km
Speaking of kayak rental. North of Råneå, on Kängsön, there’s a company called Canoe Adventure North that rents out kayaks and canoes from breakup until the ice settles again. Near Råneå there’s magic paddling, both in the sea and in the forest land. The Råne River also has good salmon fishing, very good pike fishing and classic crayfish spots. A bit upstream from Råneå you’ll find the manor house Meldersteins Herrgård, an Arctic mansion that stands out if you’re looking for somewhere to stay. Once upon a time, all the land between the Lule River and Kalix River belonged to this mansion, from Gällivare down to the coast. In letters, the place was referred to as “The Principality of Melderstein”.
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WaterwaysOnce upon a time, Meldersteins Herrgård owned all the land between the Lule River and the Kalix River, from Gällivare down to the coast, and in letters the place was referred to as “The Principality of Melderstein”.
A driftwood diary
From a small shed by the sea on Kängsön, paddling enthusiast Oskar Hederyd runs Canoe Adventure North.
6. Kängsön–Kalix: 45 km
The journey continues north past Vitådalen, known for its flea market every summer. Different homes in the valley, 30–40 of them, host a flea market on the same weekend in July. They say it’s the longest flea market in the world, distance wise. In Töre you’ll find Norrbottens destilleri, a distillery that makes award-winning gin and mulled wine. Perhaps you can treat yourself to a gin and tonic when the day’s driving has come to an end. The coastal town Kalix is in a beautiful location by the river, and a bit further out there’s the sea and the archipelago. The famous hotel Valhall sits right in the middle of the city and by the golf course, on the south side of the river, there’s Filipsborg Manor and Ice and Light Village. Filipsborg has an exciting history by the way: the Taube family lived here, and it’s also the place where the modern mobile phone was invented, overseen by the Torne Valley-born engineer Östen Mäkitalo. Nowadays you can stay here in style and leave your phone behind for a while.
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Malören — at the outmost rimA trip out to Malören and Malören Lodge, a lighthouse in the outer archipelago, is exciting. Life used to be a never-ending struggle for fishermen and hunters out here, but these days it’s just a pleasant experience. Back on the mainland you discover the Kalix chocolate creator Arctic Treats, which again has nothing to do with the difficulties they used to face in the outer reaches of the archipelago. You buy a bag of pralines for the journey, for a bit of an energy boost. Perhaps you make the excursion to Vitvattnet and the company Riipibo to go on a rail-cycle adventure on the longest trolley railway route in Sweden. A full 90 km.
Kalix Löjrom
Kalix Löjrom, vendace roe, became Sweden’s first foodstuff awarded a protected designation of origin more than ten years ago. Here you can learn more about this delicacy and how it became a favourite in Sweden’s restaurants.
The Key West of the Bothnian Bay
Perhaps you prefer driving to a tour boat out into the sea and the archipelago? Frevisören north of Kalix offers a nice sandy beach and a feeling of open sea. But just south of Haparanda there’s a perhaps even better opportunity. Some have called this detour out to Seskarö Norrland’s own Key West. Even if that might be a slight overstatement, it gives you an idea of what the car journey across the bridges is like, between the islands and out into the sea. Outside Seskarö is where Haparanda Skärgård National Park begins. In summer, tour boats take you to Haparanda Sandskär from Nikkala.
The world's largest sauna
The easternmost point in Swedish Lapland is Cape East, which is also the location of the world's largest sauna, together with a good spa, accommodation and food.
6. Kalix–Haparanda: 50 km
Haparanda Stadshotell is the oldest city hotel in the destination Swedish Lapland. Mostly because this used to be a meeting point between East and West, Czarist Russia and Western Europe. Today it’s the location of the most peaceful border in the world, where people along the river don’t consider it something that separates, but rather something that unites. When you play golf at the Haparanda-Tornio golf course your game moves between two countries. The IKEA store is the northernmost store in the world and having an IKEA also means that there are a number of exciting outlets in the area. If you prefer to experience a cultural and historical farm and shop we recommend a visit to Hermanssons Handelshus. Another visit well worth it is Cape East of course. The easternmost point of the destination with a good spa, accommodation, and the world’s largest sauna.
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In sauna veritasHaparanda Stadshotell
Once upon a time, Haparanda was a meeting point for East and West, a nest of spies, agents, and goulash barons. If the walls of the city hotel in town could speak, we’d be very interested in hearing all the stories about what used to happen in the centre of the world.
7. Haparanda–Kukkolaforsen: 15 km
Ambling along the Torne Valley, perhaps on a morning walk, you pass a monument to Struwe’s Meridian Arch, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The measuring point Struwe used is actually on the other side of the river, by the church, so this is a work or art to remember it by. In Haparanda there’s also a measuring point in Perävaara near Karungi. Where, by the way, you can also go on a rail-cycle adventure with Riipibo, the same company as in Kalix.
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The whitefish in KukkolaIf you feel like a bit more sauna, the sauna museum in Kukkola is always an adventure. Even late in summer, this is the place to go to feast on smoked fish so fresh it’s difficult to really grasp: 70 metres from the river to your plate. This is what summer is all about!
Rail-cycle through the Valley
Travelling by rail-cycle in Torne Vally, along a disused railway line is an adventure that will excite big and small, old and young. Tired legs? No problem! Sit on the little bench and let your partner, friend or family member push the pedals instead.
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