A SWEDISH LAPLAND STORY

Swedish Lapland's Guide to

Överkalix

In the afternoon on a perfect summer’s day in July you turn off the E10 and enter Överkalix. You’ve decided to stay for 24 hours in a place you’ve never visited. The town is located beautifully on an island where the river Ängesån meets the Kalix River. But what are you planning on doing in Överkalix during your visit?

Afternoon: The dominant impression as you enter Överkalix is the Grand Arctic Resort. A facility for those who would definitely consider the easy life of all-inclusive. At least that’s what the staff tell you when you check in. You can choose between staying at the campsite, the hotel, or the hostel (for groups), and there’s also a pool here for your 25 metre laps and a sauna down by the water. There are also SUP boards, kayaks and bikes for rent. Since you’re keen to get rid of the travel dust you decide that some stand up paddling might help.

Over 1,000 people live in Överkalix's conurbation, and a little more than 3,000 people live in the entire municipality. On the surface, Överkalix is close to 3,000 square kilometers. The rivers Kalixälven and Ängesån merge in Överkalix and just north of the town, on the way to the remarkable Jockfall waterfall, you cross the Arctic Circle.

Evening: After visiting the Kalix River in the late afternoon sun, you book dinner at the hotel. But before dinner – and because you managed to fall off your board a couple of times – you visit the sauna. In the lobby bar you drink a Pils brewed by Skellefteå Bryggeri but designed specifically for the Grand Arctic Hotel.

After dinner and, well, after another beer (this time an IPA) on the summer terrace, you decide to take a walk along the promenade. It’s beautiful. People are out on the river in boats and on jet skis. You realise the importance of the river, and you’re also aware that some of the world’s biggest salmon are swimming past right here. They’re heading towards waterfalls like Jokkfall or Linafallet, or other spawning grounds.

About Överkalix

Överkalix is a place of rich soils with rivers and creeks breaking up the landscape into islands, islets, and headlands. Get a breathtaking view over it all from Storlappberget where you also can ski downhill in the winter. Take part in the rockabilly culture and admire beautiful vintage cars at the annual cruising festival around midsummer — and listen closely for the rich Överkalix dialect, which sounds like it’s own language.

Have a chat with the local tourist information for more insights visitoverkalix.com

Curious about living in Överkalix?

Check out overkalix.se

The Kalixälven is renowned for its fine fishing and not least the fishing for salmon in Jockfall. Jockfall's campsite with an excellent restaurant and café is also located by the fall.
The Ängesån is a tributary to the Kalixälven and a popular fishing water. At Linafallet, the Ängesån meets the Linaälven.

Morning: Early bird as you are you make it to the pool – with its 27-degree water – to swim a couple of hundred metres. There’s also an outdoor gym here. After all this wellbeing you’re ready both for a hearty breakfast and a day full of experiences.

Morning: You’ve rented a bike and pick it up after breakfast. You pack your swimming gear, a windbreaker, and some water, then bike along Storgatan past Seth Engström, a classic outfitter, past Brännvalls, the archetypical café, and on the opposite side of the square there’s another well-known institution: Nettan’s Centrumkiosk. Before the day is over, you’ll have time to eat a burger meal and have some coffee and cake in town. You bike up Grelsbyberget and then down the road from Brännaberget mountain: the much-loved dance pavilion that’s now made a comeback.

Both from Grelsbyberget and Brännaberget you get a stunning view across the valley. You bike on towards the ferry station and take the car ferry across to Boheden.

Here you’re able to enjoy your first coffee of the day at Jakobsgården, also offering farm stays, a summer café, yarns and sausages for sale (from their own sheep). You take the ferry back, and since you’re on holiday perhaps it’s time for another swim. You can find natural beaches in Överkalix by the Grand Arctic Resort, for example, but also in Lansjärv, at Sanningslandets badplats, and here by the ferry dock. You take a swim in the river, and dry in the sunshine.

Brännvall's café, which is as classic a café as it gets, and on the opposite side of Torget in central Överkalix is Nettan's equally classic Centrumkiosk.

Afternoon: You bike back towards the Grand Arctic Hotel. You have a burger meal at Centrumkiosken as you go past. You also take a peek into Seth Engström, mostly just to see what’s hidden behind those old-fashioned display windows. Next to the clothes shop is Brännvalls. A café that was closed down for more than 15 years, but one day Katarina Samuelsson decided it should open its doors again.

Also read

Discover more towns in Swedish Lapland

The cloudberry cake served here ought to guarantee that it will always stay open. “It’s the old man who’s picked the cloudberries”, says Katarina as you order and pay. Then you bike back to the hotel, return the bike, and prepare for departure. It’s certainly a lot of hassle having to sunbathe, have coffee and enjoy the view.

Explore Jockfall

The cycle paths in Överkalix came to the forest workers began to use bicycles to get to work. Today, the old road network makes for fantastically pleasant cycling, not least for those interested in culture.

To Explore Jockfall >>

Take the opportunity to turn in at one of Överkalix's most famous stops, Vippabacken. Their salmon sandwich is said to be really good.

Packing up: As you leave Överkalix to tackle the E10 again you consider the fact that if you’d stayed there longer, you’d probably repeat a lot of the day and turn it into a routine. But you’d also have taken the opportunity to go on excursions. To Anna-Lena Kati and her reindeer for example, or to Arctic Moose Farm. The jumping salmon at Jokkfall and the tasty lunches there would have been another alternative, just like the bike trails in the area where Explore Jockfall provide guiding sessions. Picking your own strawberries at Polcirkelbär would have been the ideal dessert. So, even if you’re not that hungry yet you take the opportunity to turn off at one of the most famous stops in Överkalix: Vippabacken. Their salmon sandwich is rumoured to be truly tasty, so you buy one for the road. Nilles Bar & Camping is another roadside tavern, with good pizza.

Part of theme:

Överkalix

  • Mentions

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In sauna veritas

Sauna, or bastu in Swedish, is something as natural to people in the north as the midnight sun and the northern lights. It used to be something of a prerequisite for life in the Arctic, and now it is a rich part of the culture itself. Sauna is the essence of life up here.

When to see the northern lights in Swedish Lapland

Shimmery and magical. The dance of the northern lights is a spectacular sight that we frequently enjoy in Swedish Lapland. Viewing the Aurora Borealis is both a jaw-dropping and mystical experience. But when is the best time to see the northern lights in Swedish Lapland?

The Arctic light

You might think that in the Arctic, we have darkness or daylight. In the winter, the sun never rises above the horizon, and in the summer, the sun never sets. But in fact, we have light all year round. Just different kinds of light. Some darker, some brighter, and some very colourful.

Photograph the northern lights

So you've gone to Swedish Lapland, Sweden's Arctic destination, to experience the magical northern lights. Here are seven tips on how to get some good pictures of the beautiful light phenomenon to take back home.

Shooting autumn colours

Many think autumn is the most beautiful time of year in Swedish Lapland. It's as if Earth itself grants a generous firework display of colour before the winter sleep settles over the Arctic landscape. And it's easy to capture the show with a camera on standby. These are five simple tips for capturing autumn in a photo.

Midsummer

When the sun never sets, and the kids are on summer holiday. When holidays are waiting around the corner and meadows explode with wood cranesbill. That's when long lines of cars queue up to get out of the cities. It's time to go find tranquillity with friends and family in summer houses and holidays homes, away from the hustle and bustle. It's time to celebrate the most important holiday of the summer. It's midsummer.

The midnight sun

The midnight sun. The feeling of never having to face tomorrow, just keep having fun and enjoy the never-ending day, is absolutely wonderful. But. Those who depend on their beauty sleep will face certain challenges.

The not-so-big five

Scouting out the 'Big Five' on the African savannah is the big dream of many. They include leopard, lion, elephant, rhino and African buffalo and is a group of large, majestic and fairly dangerous animals. Here in the Arctic part of Sweden, we don't have animals the size of an elephant or with the speed of a leopard, but we have a fair few animals that are pretty cool in their own way. Below we have listed five animals that are both unique and fascinating, definitely worth putting on a list of must-see animals.

The midnight light

If it's your first time visiting Swedish Lapland during the summer, you'll notice that it never gets dark. You have entered the world of the midnight sun, and if you're not used to it, it's an extraordinary experience. But beware, it might affect your sleep quality.

The forest is yours

Is it really true that anyone can walk around the forests and beaches of Swedish Lapland? Pick berries and pitch a tent anywhere? Yup, that's exactly what it's like in the democratic forest.

Outdoor fika

That Swedes have their fika (coffee and a snack), and that they drink lots of coffee, are well-known facts. But what's the thing about having it outdoors? What's the deal with coffee boiled over an open fire?

Midnight salmon

As the renowned crew of fly-fishing filmmakers Hooké from Canada touched down at Luleå Airport, they didn’t really know what to expect of Swedish Lapland – but soon they got overwhelmed by the warm welcome of big Baltic salmons.

The taste of
Swedish Lapland

When you visit Swedish Lapland, you will notice that our food culture is closely intertwined with our lifestyle. There is a strong tradition that testifies to how we have lived from what nature has generously provided us with for many millennia. Join us on a guided tour of our natural resources, taking the shortest possible route to the plate.

The way we eat

When in Swedish Lapland, exploring the nature of the Arctic, chasing the northern lights or just soaking up the sun 24/7, make sure you don’t miss out on the food. Some of the food we eat might sound a bit strange, but we highly recommend you try and get a taste of Swedish Lapland.

Catch a Baltic

How to catch a Baltic salmon in Swedish Lapland? That’s the 100-dollar question for many salmon fly fishers. But there’s some good news. It’s getting easier. A lot easier. During the last years, salmon runs in the wild Swedish Baltic rivers have been heading in the right direction.

Muohta

Snow is something more than frozen water to the Sámi people. It's a way of expressing the foundation of their existence – the migration of the reindeer. To a skier, snow is also more than snow. It's the way you experience life.

The eight seasons

In Swedish Lapland, nature plays an intrinsic role in our life and work, and the people here are highly sensitive to the small details of the changing seasons. Therefore, it seems only natural that the Sámi people describe eight seasons instead of four.

Christmas

It is December and the landscape is covered in a white blanket; trees are heavy with snow and the roads are white. The dense mid-winter darkness creates a blue light during a few hours, and windows are lit up by advent stars and candlesticks. Christmas is here.