Local Directions, etc.

Campus

Computing Science, HPC2N - High Performance Computing Center North, UMIT Reseach Lab, and Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics are all located in the MIT building at Umeå University.

Visiting address:

Umeå University
MIT-building
HPC2N
Campustorget 5, 4th floor
S-907 36 Umeå
Sweden

Maps of the campus can be found below (click the maps to enlarge them).

Digital maps of campus can be found here: Digital maps of Umeå Campus

About Umeå

Umeå is, with approximately 120 000 inhabitants, the largest city in northern Sweden. It is situated ca. 600 km north of Stockholm.
The tourist office in Umeå offers information about the Umeå region (Renmarkstorget, e-mail: info@visitumea.se, Tel. 46 (0) 90 16 16 16, Fax 46 (0) 90 12 82 70).

Arrival and departure

Making your travel arrangements to Umeå should not cause too many difficulties, but it is wise to book flight and local accommodation early on.

Flying to Umeå

The following companies all operate daily flights from Stockholm Arlanda airport or (for BRA) from Bromma Airport, also in Stockholm. The flight time is about 1 hour in either case. Please keep in mind that you are sometimes required to take your luggage through customs yourself when transiting at Arlanda Airport, Stockholm.

• Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
• Norwegian
• BRA

When you arrive at Umeå airport you can either take a taxi (about 200 SEK) to your hotel, or use the airport shuttle. You should buy the ticket in the vending machine before boarding, as it is cheaper (30 SEK). It costs 40 SEK onboard. Cash is not accepted, but all/most credit cards with chip will work. The shuttle goes downtown (Stop: Vasaplan), which will put you fairly close to most of the hotels. The airport shuttle no longer goes to the University (Stop: Universum), but from downtown you can take several busses that do go to the University: 2, 5, 8, 9.

Train to Umeå

Alternatively, an overnight train from Stockholm, Nattåget operated by SJ (English information) gives an opportunity to see a bit more of the Swedish landscape. The travel time is about 8 hours.

Ferry to Umeå

There is a ferry (Wasaline) from Vaasa in Finland to Umeå (or rather to Holmsund, which is where Umeå port is located). To get from Holmsund to Umeå, take the transfer buss.

Tickets must be pre-booked at the latest 3 hours before departure. Booking via telephone +46 90 14 14 14 The booking service is open during all hours.

Connection traffic must be booked in advance. Non-booked passengers will only have a seat in case of free space.

Local transportation

Umeå University is situated approximately 2 kilometers outside the city centre (30-40 minutes walking) and is easily reached by bus. Busses depart roughly every 10 minutes from Vasaplan (the street where most busses start from).
 

A single trip with the bus costs 26-32 SEK (dependent on the age of the rider - there are youth tickets for anyone below 26) if you purchase the ticket onboard the bus. There are discounted prices if you purchase 6 trips or more, which can be done at the Bus Information Office on Vasaplan, as well as in many kiosks and supermarkets.

Note that the busses do NOT accept cash, only credit cards (with chip) and SMS-tickets (a Swedish registered cell phone is required).

More information can be found at the bus companies homepage.

Bus lines 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 all go between the city center (Vasaplan) and the University (Universum) or the nearby University Hospital. Check with the driver to make sure the bus goes in the right direction!

Bus 80 is the Airport bus. It goes regularly between the Airport and Vasaplan. It travels on a loop, and will pass the university (stop: Universum) on the way to the Airport. When travelling from the Airport, ask the driver if the bus continues to the University. That is usually the case. 

Taxis cost about 200 SEK one way University/downtown. The price is higher outside the times 09:00-15:00.

Accomodation

The nearest hotel is Hotell Björken, which is on the Campus. It is mainly for people visiting patients at the University hospital, but is also used by visitors to the university and is open for general booking. The link goes to a Swedish only page where booking can be done, but the hotel is also bookable through hotels.com and booking.com.

There are several hotels downtown in the city center, near Vasaplan (the bus street). Buses (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 ) go regularly from Vasaplan to the university and take about 10 min to travel there.

• Hotels in Umeå (hotels.com)
• Hotels in Umeå (booking.com)
• Complete list of hotels and other accomodation in Umeå

Restaurants

There are many restaurants in downtown Umeå, and the prices range from a budget meal for 75-95 SEK to 400-500 SEK at the most expensive restaurants. You should expect to pay around 150 SEK or a little more for a dinner meal at most restaurants.

Vegetarian meals are usually offered at most restaurants, and they can also generally accommodate food allergies if you ask them.

A good list of restaurants can be found at the website of Visit Umeå (the tourist guide for Umeå).

Various useful facts about Sweden

Tipping in restaurants is welcome but not expected. Electricity is 220V with a type F Schuko socket. The sockets will also accept the flat Europlugs. The tap water is good, safe to drink, and not chlorinated. The currency is Swedish crowns (SEK). 100 SEK is approximately 11 EUR, 12 USD, or 8 GBP. International country dialing code is 46; outgoing international calls should be prefixed by 00. The emergency number for ambulance, fire department, and police is 112.