Luleå has a wide range of hiking trails, each with its unique character and showcasing distinctive parts of Luleå’s natural environment. Several of them are within walking distance of the city centre, others are easily reached by bus or bicycle. If you have access to a car, then the possibilities are endless. Hiking in Luleå is almost like strolling through the history of this unique city. For instance, you can begin by hiking across the large shingle fields on Bälingeberget — the first spot to rise from the sea, following land uplift after the recession of the inland ice sheet. At the time, Bälingeberget was just an islet in the middle of the sea and the waves shaped the rocks that now make hiking on the mountain a fascinating experience. Continue through the history of Luleå by visiting the place we now call Gammelstad Church Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and once the centre of Luleå, before the city was moved in the 17th century. Today, it is a popular tourist destination and there are also many rare birds in the area. Here, you can hike on what was once the seabed, now a beautiful forest with pleasant walking paths. When you have made your way to the modern city of Luleå, on the peninsula by the coast, you’ll find many other amazing areas to explore on foot. When people moved here in the 1600s, they also began exploring the surroundings. This helped create several excellent hiking trails near the city centre, such as one of the locals’ favourites, the trail around Hertsöträsk. You can pick up a copy of Luleå’s hiking guide at the Luleå tourist centre in Kulturens Hus.

Enjoy some absolutely staggering vistas from the viewpoints of Cannon Fort, a military construction built by the Japanese during WWII amongst the thick tropical vegetation of the green hills of Cát Bà island. Explore the tunnels and the historic gun emplacement used by Japanese, French, and Vietnamese soldiers throughout the past century. There is even a small museum, a café and mannequin gunmen loading and firing the weaponry.

At the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, you will find hundreds of species of birds and exotic plants in a beautiful setting filled with fountains and sculptures. On the West of Garden Road, which runs straight through the gardens, you will find a zoo with an impressive collection of endangered species.

Monastero San Benedetto, situated in Crociferi street, is a symbol of Catania. It is identifiable by the arch which unites the Monastery’s main abbey and the Church of Saint Benedict – one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Sicily – to the little abbey, wherein the MacS museum is housed.