Photograph: Sodra Stadsberget, Sundsvall by Hans Lindqvist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sundsvall is a port city on the Gulf of Bothnia, about 395 kilometres north of Stockholm, whose centre was rebuilt in stone after a fire on 25 June 1888 and has been called Stenstaden, the stone city, ever since. It is the seat of Sundsvall Municipality in Vasternorrland County, nearly 100,000 people live in the wider area, and forested hills rise on either side of the town. This guide covers what to pack for a stay here: a compact, mostly pedestrianised centre, hill walks and a long coastal trail, and a climate that sits on the border between subarctic and cold continental.
The photograph above is taken across the water towards the town's southern hill, Sodra Stadsberget: calm water in front, white industrial silos and tanks on the waterfront at the left, low sheds along the shore, apartment blocks and houses among the trees, and above them a long hill of dark conifer forest with a cleared strip down one slope and a group of buildings and a tall red and white mast on the summit. It cannot show you the stone city. Stenstaden's streets, the main square of Stora Torget, the church, the warehouse museum of Kulturmagasinet and the open-air museum on the northern hill are all outside the frame, and so is anything indoors. It is the town's setting, seen from the water, rather than the town.
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What Is Here
Sundsvall is an industrial and university town as well as a place to visit. The English Wikipedia describes a city still dominated by the pulp and paper industry and by aluminium production, with banks, insurers and large public data centres alongside, and one of the two campuses of Mid Sweden University. The town was chartered in 1621, and Wikipedia records that it has burned down and been rebuilt four times, the first in 1721 when the Russian army set it on fire.
Its labour history is part of its identity too. Wikipedia names the Sundsvall strike of 1879 as the first large strike in Sweden. Wikivoyage's summary of what to see is short and clear: most sites of interest are in the central area rebuilt after 1888.
Stenstaden: The Stone City
The fire of 1888 made the town you walk through today. On 25 June that year, Wikipedia records, strong wind and dry conditions contributed to two city fires in Sweden on the same day, at Umea and at Sundsvall, and it calls the Sundsvall fire the largest in Sweden's history. It is presumed to have been started by a spark from a steamship. Umea rebuilt differently; Sundsvall decided to rebuild in stone. Wikivoyage adds that the town was prosperous at the time, so the centre went up in art nouveau style, with grand city blocks and lavish exteriors. Wikipedia notes the cost: after the fire, only the better off could afford to live in the centre.
Wikivoyage describes Stenstaden as mostly pedestrianised. Its main square, Stora Torget, mixes building styles from red brick to concrete brutalism, and the main church, the Gustav Adolf church, stands just to the west. By the harbour, Kulturmagasinet is a museum spread over three floors of two linked warehouses. Our advice is to give the centre an unhurried morning on foot, which is how it is built to be seen, and to keep Kulturmagasinet for a wet afternoon.
The Two Hills and the Coast Trail
Sundsvall has a hill on each side, and both are worth packing for. On the northern hill, Norra Berget, about 2 kilometres from the centre, Wikivoyage lists an open-air museum showing rural life. On the southern hill, the one in our photograph, it lists Sodra Berget, a leisure complex overlooking the city with a hotel, a spa and a restaurant, and a small ski slope.
Sodra Berget is also the start of the Botnialeden, a marked hiking trail of 48 kilometres running south to Galtstrom by way of Kvissleby, inaugurated in 2024. Wikivoyage describes views of the Bothnian Sea, forests and rivers along the way, and says it suits day trips or multi day hikes. Our advice is to walk a section rather than plan the whole thing on a first visit, to carry water and a waterproof, and to tell someone which stretch you are on. The FCDO's health page lists biting insects and ticks among Sweden's health risks, so cover your legs on forest paths in the warmer months and check your skin afterwards.
When to Go
The English Wikipedia places Sundsvall's climate on the border between subarctic and cold humid continental, and says temperatures are made significantly milder by the influence of the Gulf Stream. We have not printed monthly temperatures, because the figures are recorded at a station inland near Timra and Wikipedia itself says that station has lower minimum temperatures than the town centre. Check a local forecast before you pack.
The broad shape is still clear enough for planning. In our view summer is the time for the coast trail and the hills. For winter, Wikivoyage lists two small ski areas just south of the city, including the slope on Sodra Berget. The FCDO says that during winter, snow and ice on Swedish roads cause accidents daily, and that from 1 December to 31 March, and at any other time the police designate, all vehicles must have winter tyres. If you are hiring a car in those months, confirm the tyres before you leave the desk.
Getting There
The train is the simplest way in. Wikivoyage lists direct express trains from Stockholm taking about three and a half hours, and if you fly into Stockholm Arlanda it says there is no need to go via the capital: take a northbound train from Arlanda Central station inside the airport, possibly changing at Uppsala or Gavle. Regional trains also link Sundsvall with Ostersund and Umea. Sundsvall's central station, Wikivoyage notes, is close to the centre and every train stops there.
Sundsvall-Timra Airport is about 21 kilometres north of the city, with flights from Stockholm, and long distance buses run from Stockholm through Sundsvall and on north to Umea. Within the town, the centre is walkable and local buses cover the rest.
On any train or bus, the FCDO's advice applies: take particular care of your belongings in major cities, because pickpockets often target tourists for passports and cash. Keep your passport in an inside pocket rather than a backpack's outer pocket.
Is Sundsvall Safe for Women Travelers
The FCDO advises against no part of Sweden and names Sundsvall nowhere, as read on 12 November 2026. Its national lines apply here as anywhere in the country. It says terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Sweden and that attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreign nationals. It says demonstrations are usually peaceful, and to avoid them wherever possible and follow the advice of the local authorities.
On crime, the FCDO says violent crime does occur, and that gang related crime, including knife crime, shootings and explosions, has been reported in Malmo, Stockholm and Gothenburg. Sundsvall is not one of the three cities it names. That does not make the town risk free; it means the specific warning is about other places, and the ordinary pickpocket advice above is the one that applies here.
Two laws are worth knowing. The FCDO says paying for sex is illegal in Sweden, and that illegal drugs, including cannabis, are strictly prohibited even in small quantities. It gives no women specific warning for Sweden. Our advice for a woman alone in Sundsvall is practical rather than fearful: keep your phone charged on the trail, take a taxi booked through an app or your hotel late at night, and tell someone your plans before a long walk on the coast.
The Sundsvall Packing List
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women is the first thing we would pack for Sundsvall in any season. It works under a shell on a windy hill, on its own in a heated museum, and through several days on a train without a wash.
For Wind, Rain and the Trail
A packable rain jacket is the outer layer we would carry year round, and a Columbia Fast Trek fleece adds warmth under it on the hills or in spring and autumn. For forest paths in the warmer months, a DEET insect repellent helps with the biting insects and ticks the FCDO lists.
For Winter
From late autumn, our advice is to add an insulated hooded jacket and a merino beanie, and to treat a heavyweight merino base layer as a second layer rather than an extra. That is our sixth affiliate link, which is our limit per post, so we have not linked boots or gloves: in winter, pack waterproof boots with a good grip and a pair of warm gloves of your own.
For the Stone City
Our advice for Stenstaden is a pair of comfortable waterproof walking shoes in the warmer months and boots with real tread in winter, when any northern pavement can ice over. Pack a swimsuit if you plan to use the spa at Sodra Berget.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Essential Resources for Women in Sundsvall
Emergency numbers: 112 for ambulance, fire and police, according to the FCDO's getting help page; its health page says to dial 112 and ask for an ambulance.
Medical care: the FCDO says that to get medically necessary state healthcare in Sweden you need a Global Health Insurance Card or a European Health Insurance Card, and that neither is an alternative to travel insurance. It keeps a list of medical providers in Sweden where some staff speak English. If you walk away from the town, the FCDO says to consider how easily you will be able to reach emergency services in remote areas. We have not named a hospital, because we could not source one this time; in an emergency, call 112.
US State Department travel advisory: the Sweden advisory. Read the current level there directly rather than relying on a figure printed in any guide.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sweden, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits.
Official health authority: the Public Health Agency of Sweden.
US Embassy: the United States Embassy in Stockholm, is in Stockholm.
Official tourism authority: Visit Sweden, the official tourism website, covers the whole country.
Solo women safety assessment: Sundsvall is in a country the FCDO advises against nowhere, and the gang crime it describes is named in Malmo, Stockholm and Gothenburg rather than here. The realistic risks for a woman travelling alone are theft on trains and in crowds, winter ice, and being far from help on a long trail. Keep your passport and cash close, book taxis late at night, carry a charged phone and a spare layer on the hills, and tell someone your route. Emergency 112.
Takeaways
Arrive by train, walk Stenstaden on your first morning, and keep Kulturmagasinet for a wet afternoon. Climb one of the two hills and walk a stretch of the Botnialeden if the weather allows. Pack a merino base layer, a rain shell and a fleece in any season, add real winter clothing from late autumn, and keep your passport out of easy reach on public transport.
Reading On
The capital at the other end of the railway is covered by the Stockholm packing list, and the university town where Arlanda trains may need a change by the Uppsala packing list. Far to the north is the Kiruna packing list, and in the south the Gothenburg packing list and the Malmo packing list. The Sweden packing list and the Sweden travel guide for women cover the whole country. For why one wool layer handles a cold hill and a heated room, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women, and every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women. The base layers themselves are in the Roman Trail collection.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
