Gävle

The Old Town Gävle, archaic spelling Gefle [1] is a provincial town in southernmost Norrland on central Sweden's East Coast, with an industrial heritage, large parks and a small university college. Some 93.000 people live in the municipality. The old town with its colourful wooden houses is authentic. Understand Gävle, at the southern end of the province Gästrikland is the seat of the government of Gävleborg County. It is situated on the E4 road and on the railway to north Sweden , about two hours drive north of Stockholm . It has about 92 000 inhabitants. Among the tourist attractions is the Railway Museum. There is also a prison museum. The arboretum Valls Hage with 200 species and varieties of trees is also worth a visit. Get in Being a railway hub in southern Norrland, Gävle can be reached by a variety of trains from all over Sweden. Stockholm is only 1h 20m away with the fast X2000 trains, continue north and you will reach Sundsvall. Direct InterCity services are available from Linköping, Norrköping and Östersund. Regional trains connect with Dalarna region and Örebro while frequent commuter trains head out towards most nearby towns. Night trains to and from Norrland also call at Gävle. Gävle Central station is a quick walk east of city center. Cheaper coach services are also available from most coastal cities and towns in Norrland as well as Stockholm. Most of them depart from just outside the train station, however a few "express" buses only make a quick stop-over at Gävle Bro, a service area by the E4 highway. Gävle is also a junction of several inter-country highways, e.g. E4, R67, R68, R76 and R80 so driving is easy. Get around Gävle has an excellent bus network connecting most suburban areas with city center. Lines #1-4 are express services while lines with higher numbers usually take longer routes. Line #13 starts departing for Läkerol Arena, the hockey stadium, a few hours before a match. All buses stop at Rådhustorget in central Gävle. Taxi service is usually reliable and can show up on short notice (15min or less), although on busy weekends you might have to wait up to 45 minutes. A typical ride will cost you somewhere between 100-140 SEK. As in most places in urban Sweden taxi drivers speak good English. You can get to about everywhere in town on bicycle. Walking is the obvious option in the compact city center, it takes less than ten minutes to walk from the central Stortorget square to the pubs and restaurants of Söder. Most hotels are clustered around these two areas too. The train station is at the eastern end of the central shopping district. See The Gävle Goat Swedish Railway Museum, Rälsgatan 1, +46 26 14 46 15. Open Tue-Sun 10AM-4PM (Jun-Aug open daily). Joe Hill Museum, Nedre Bergsgatan 28 [2], located in the Old Town and dedicated to the famous American labor organizer, Joe Hill, who was born and raised in Gävle as Joel Emmanuel Hägglund. Open Saturdays 11-15. Gävlebocken, During the Christmas season local business owners contribute to construct a large straw goat in Castle Square. The goat often is victim of a fiery death by pranksters. Be aware that burning the goat is illegal, though locals might try to trick foreign travellers to commit the act. Prison Museum, Hamiltongatan 1-3 [3] Do There are lots of possibilities to go canoeing on the numerous lakes of Gävle's region. Fishing is a popular recreation as most outdoor activities are during the summer months as most Swedes exit the towns for cabins and camping in the countryside. Furuvik Park [4], is a short drive south of town. Furuvik features a small carnival and arcade for toddlers as well as a small zoo and cold war era coastal defense installation and museum. Buy There are a few enclosed shopping malls downtown, other than that most storefronts are located along the main drags in downtown and south. Eat Gävle provides good opportunities for eating, although there are few really high-end places you will find plenty of places that will serve tasty and filling food. If you are looking for lunch there are several good options around the city square, but if you can't decide there are always the large food court located in the central shopping mall, Galleri Nian. Pigalle, Södra Kungsgatan 32, ☎ +46 (0)26-624044. The classic lunch restaurant in town, have served almost the same menu since 1958. This is the right place for authentic Swedish traditional food known as husmanskost.  edit Buddy's, Nygatan 24, ☎ +46 (0)26-127713. If grease is your thing, you'll love Buddy's. Meat, stripes and lots of fat saucees are the staple food here. Might not attract the best clientele in town but the food comes in plenty and beer is cheap!  edit Church Street Saloon, Kyrkogatan 11 (50 meters from city square on side street, past McDonalds), ☎ +46 (0)26-126211, [5]. M-Th 7PM-midnight, F 5PM-1AM, Sa 11:45AM-1AM. Serves American-western style food and flair, kitschy but great food. Crowded most weekends, expect to wait up to an hour if you are coming in late, no reservations possible.  edit Bistro Nord, Centralplan 2 (Same building as the train station), ☎ +46 (0)26-109101, [6]. M-Sa From 4PM. This small and quite anonymous restaurant might just be the best one in town. Prices from 380 SEK and upwards. Reservations are strongly recommended.  edit Drink Most bars/clubs are within walking distance, so follow the crowds. There are several bars clustered in Söder along Södra Kungsgatan, most with a relaxed atmosphere. Bilagan (One block behind Scandic hotel, to the left), Hattmakargatan 15, ☎ +46(0)26-121638, [7]. W-Sa 9PM-2AM. Don't get fooled by their glitzy homepage, this open-scene karaoke dive bar mostly attracts people looking to get drunk cheaply. However, from time to time great karaoke singers appears on the stage. 40-50 SEK 50cl draft/bottle beers.  edit Goya (Northeast end of city square, entrance around the corner), Nygatan 18, ☎ +46(0)26-660030, [8]. If you are looking for more upscale discotheque atmosphere, Goya is most definitely the best nightclub in Gävle.  edit Interpool, Södra Kungsgatan 20, ☎ +46(0)26-605165, [9]. M-F 3PM-2AM, Sa-SU 1PM-2AM. The place for playing a game of billard in town. Open until 2 AM everyday. 60-70 SEK 50cl draft/bottle beers.  edit Heartbreak Hotel, Norra Strandgatan 15-17, ☎ +46(0)26-183021, [10]. Tu 4PM-2AM, F-Sa 6PM-2AM. Just a few meters away from the city square is the largest nightclub in town. Most action are on the weekends, the younger crowd usually hangs around in the basement. 100 SEK or more for entrance on weekends.  edit Olles, Södra Kungsgatan 31. A sport pub that transforms itself into a nightclub on weekends afterhours with a bar and dance floor in the basement.  edit If you are a student at the university or manage to befriend one you should try out the student pubs at the campus. You must be either a registered student or get one to sign you up for the guest list. The main venue is Kåren, usually open twice a month and associated with dirt-cheap beer (around 20 SEK) and students going wild. Sleep Scandic CH (One block north from train station, turn left), Nygatan 45, ☎ +46(0)26-4958400 (ch@scandichotels.com, fax: +46(0)26-4958411), [11]. Arguably the best hotel in town, at least the most expensive. Located between the train station and city center. 700-1300 SEK/night.  edit STF Gävle/Gamla Gefle (South side of town, turn left after 200m on Södra Kungsgatan), Södra Rådmansgatan 1, ☎ +46(0)26-621745. A youth hostel in the old town, walking distance from the railway station. 185-350 SEK/night.  edit Get out The easiest way to leave is by taking one of the numerous trains heading south to Stockholm, Uppsala and Arlanda Airport. Prices vary greatly. X2000 trains are fastest reaching Stockholm in as little as 1h 20m. Be sure to indicate first or second class and be flexible on times. Don't be afraid if you must take a connection in towns such as Tierp, Uppsala or Märsta. Trains from Upplands Lokaltrafik are slower and you need to change trains to suburban rail to reach Stockholm city center, they are however a bit cheaper. In the busy season, allow plenty of time for arrival of your train as Arlanda can get very crowded. Daytime buses are slower but can be as cheap as 95 SEK for youth and students. Routes through Gävle Stockholm ← Uppsala ←  W  E  → Sundsvall This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. 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