Gällivare Travel Guide

 
by LouSwe
 
  •   Gällivare
    by LouSwe
  •   Gällivare
    by LouSwe
  •   Gällivare
    by LouSwe
  •   Gällivare
    by LouSwe
  •   Gällivare
    by LouSwe
 

Explore Gällivare

Things to Do  

Ettöreskyrkan

Ettöreskyrkan, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  Along the Vassara River and the railway lies the "Lapp quarters" which is where the nomadic Sami's (known as Lapps for a good while in Swedish history until this was considered incredibly rude) settled when they needed to stay in the Gällivare area for a while. The Swedish... 

Porjus

Porjus, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  Some 45 kilometres south of Gällivare on the main Jokkmokk road is the hydropower village of Porjus. Its main sight is the Hydropower exhibition by the great dam in the Lule River. Hydropower is a debated way to get Swedish electricity and many are opposed to it wrecking the... 

Heritage Park

Heritage Park, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  Down by the Vassara River is the Gällivare Heritage park, showing you some of the oldest houses in town which have been gathered here. You will find an old school, the oldest shop and a Sami camp as well as a homestead and the barracks that the English constructors up here... 

Hotels  

Dundret Gallivare AB

 4 Opinions

Restaurants  

Peking: Popular Chinese

Peking: Popular Chinese, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  This being Gällivare, the Chinese restaurant also has to diversify and serve pizzas, but at least they do their own Chinese food reasonably well and this place is popular both at lunch and in the evenings. They also don't seem to mind if people walk in with snowy ski... 

Restaurang Peking: Restaurang Peking

Restaurang Peking: Restaurang Peking, Gällivare

 Piggelin Says:  Here you can eat great chinese food but you can also get a pizza. Fried pork with sweet and sour sauce 

Nightlife  

various: Pub life

various: Pub life, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  Gällivare is not the hub of Swedish nightlife but the Grand Hotel Lapland has its Vassara Pub which is nice for a beer amongst friends. There is also an adjacent nightclub weekends. A good thing about this place is that since it is in a hotel, you find a mix of locals and... 

The Kilkenny Inn: Kilkennys

The Kilkenny Inn: Kilkennys, Gällivare

 LouSwe Says:  Irish pub with nightclub downstairs.One of the three nightclubs in town and the place where most people go to have fun! 

Transportation  

Kick it

Kick it, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  The Norrland way to transport yourself around town in wintertime is by "spark" which translates as "kick" as that is how you move forward on the snow. 

By train

By train, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  Gällivare is along the "Malmbanan" iron ore railway which runs between Luleå on the Baltic Sea coast, and Narvik on the Norwegian coast. This means railways up here are a tradition since navvies sacrificed their lives to create the line that would send Swedish iron ore... 

Shopping  

Hemslöjdsboden: Northern handicraft

Hemslöjdsboden: Northern handicraft, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  There are several handicraft shops but this is one of my favourites and in a central location, even if there are others with more Sami things. Here you will still find (expensive) Sami carved knives, silver jewellery and different reindeer art as well as more general... 

Local Customs  

Snowmobile culture

Snowmobile culture, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  In winter, you will see people transporting their snowmobiles between different tracks and their garages with special snowmobile trailers all over town... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Huddinge, Tullinge, Tumba!

Huddinge, Tullinge, Tumba!, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  If you feel like walking downhill from the Dundret hotel complex in winter (hey, you might want a waffle at the ski slope cafe or something, seeing as Dundret is closed...), just be aware that even though the walking path is signposted as a walking path, this makes no... 

Well, lets just say, if you're...

Well, lets just say, if you're..., Gällivare

 Piggelin Says:  Well, lets just say, if you're gay you will not be popular. 

What to Pack  

Packing List

Packing List, Gällivare

 Piggelin Says:  A backpack is recommended. If you go in wintertime, bring warm clothes. It can get very cold. In summertime, bring mosquito repellent. I recommend 'Mygga' but it doesn't work for everyone, so just try different brands until you find something that works for you. 

Off The Beaten Path  

Stora Sjöfallet National Park

Stora Sjöfallet National Park, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  I have never been here but it has to be mentioned on a page about Gällivare. Located in the westernmost part of this vast municipality, the park can be reached by road from Porjus about 40 kilometres south of Gällivare, and that is as close as I've ever got to it but I hope... 

Kaitum

Kaitum, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  Some 40 minutes north-west of Gällivare, towards Kiruna, is the village of Kaitum which is a Sami village and therefore is the local centre for Sami handicraft. Moreover, there is a famous chapel here by Anders Labba, in honour of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskiöld who... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Tobogganing

Tobogganing, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  Children can sometimes borrow toboggans from the ski centre in the Dundret slopes but otherwise the sport shop in the city centre should sell them cheap. Dundret was full of skiers to avoid but we still found a toboggan-friendly hill or two. It just got quite dark on a... 

Nordic skiing

Nordic skiing, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  There are ten kilometres of cross country skiing tracks prepared on Mount Dundret, but you can also ski in the city centre, following tracks along the river. 

Favorites  

Vassara walk

Vassara walk, Gällivare

 Sjalen Says:  Go for a walk along the river. You can start at the Heritage area and work your way towards the railway and then across to the Lapp quarters which makes for a lovely walk on a sunny day and gives you lots of local history. 

Come here for the nature,...

Come here for the nature,..., Gällivare

 Piggelin Says:  Come here for the nature, winter or summer doesn't matter, it's always breathtaking. Sunbathing on the snow when the sun is getting warm again after the winter. Just love it. And no, it's not me in the picture. 

The Place

Plan a Gällivare vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Gällivare locals

Experience Gällivare
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The People

2 Members Live Here
 
Advice from the Locals
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 Gällivare :: My hometown - Gällivare is a small city in the north of Sweden, situated about 100 km above the polarcircle. You can easily get here by plane from Stockholm, a two hour flight. Even though it's so far up, the... 

2 members live in Gällivare

 

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Top 3 Gällivare Writers

1

Arctic hub

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 As you hop off the train or arrive from the airport, Gällivare town centre is perhaps not the most inspiring place in Sweden, with modern houses and empty shopping centres, but forget about that as...... 

2

Piggelin's Gällivare Page

Piggelin profile photo

 Gällivare lies 10 Swedish miles south of Kiruna. It was my home town for 15 years. Skiing during the winter, hiking during the summer, the nature here you just have to see for your self. 

3

Gällivare :: My hometown

LouSwe profile photo

 Gällivare is a small city in the north of Sweden, situated about 100 km above the polarcircle. You can easily get here by plane from Stockholm, a two hour flight. Even though it's so far up, the... 

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