Sundsvall: The Stone Town on the Bothnian Coast

Sundsvall is a timber-boom town on the Gulf of Bothnia, rebuilt in stone after a fire, with a free museum, two town mountains and the High Coast to the north. This page gets you oriented, flags the traps, and sends you to the right in-depth guide.

When you need this

You are breaking the long trip north along the coast, or you have landed at Sundsvall Timrå Airport and need to get into town. You are driving the E4 and saw a sign about a bridge fee. Or you want to know what the stone town is, which museum is free, and whether Sundsvall works as a base for the High Coast.

The stone town

Sundsvall municipality had 98,962 registered residents at the end of 2025, according to Statistics Sweden. The town sits on the Gulf of Bothnia between its two town mountains, Norra Berget and Södra Berget, and the E4 crosses the bay on the Sundsvall bridge.

The center is the reason to stop. On 25 June 1888 the town burned, and about 9,000 people lost their homes. The sawmill industry was at its peak, and the sawmill owners, the träpatroner (timber barons), brought in some of Sweden’s best-known architects. What grew up was a town of richly decorated four-storey stone houses with towers, pinnacles and bay windows. The county board calls it without equal in this part of Sweden and a monument to the timber export trade. Locals call it Stenstaden or Stenstan, the stone town.

The Town Hall is not a museum. Its festival hall opens to visitors during events, so the way in is a concert or a public event on Stora torget.

Sundsvalls museum is the free way into the story. It is in Kulturmagasinet at Packhusgatan 4, and its collections take in finds from the Högom grave field, forest-industry objects, the city’s history and Swedish contemporary art. The museum turned 70 in 2026.

Getting there

By train: SJ’s high-speed trains take 3 hours 35 minutes from Stockholm Central to Sundsvall C, which is within walking distance of the center. Some board at Arlanda C, so you can go north straight from a flight; the Arlanda to Uppsala guide explains the station. Both night trains to Upper Norrland, to Luleå and to Umeå, call at Sundsvall. The Lapland night-train guide covers berths and booking.

By regional train: Norrtåg runs north to Umeå in about three hours and west to Östersund in about 2 hours 20 minutes. Since 14 December 2025 Norrtåg sells no tickets on board: buy on norrtag.se, in the app or from a reseller before you board. If you combine Norrtåg with SJ, buy the whole trip at once. A Resplus ticket protects the connection at Sundsvall. The northern trains guide has the details.

By air: SAS flies Arlanda–Sundsvall Timrå Airport in under an hour. The airport has belonged to the Sundsvall and Timrå municipalities since 2013; it is not one of Swedavia’s state airports. The catch is the ground link:

The domestic flights guide compares flying north with the train.

By car: the E4 runs through Sundsvall and crosses the bay on Sundsvallsbron, which carries a state bridge fee (broavgift). Cameras record every passage, every day and around the clock, and the owner gets an invoice; there is no booth. Foreign vehicles are invoiced through EPASS24. An unpaid invoice adds a 300-kronor late fee and then a further 500 kronor. Motorcycles are exempt. The bridge tolls guide explains how to pay from abroad.

Getting around

Local and regional buses are Din Tur, the public-transport brand of Västernorrland county.

• Cashless: no bus takes cash. Buy a single ticket on board with a bank card.
• The app sells all tickets and takes card, Klarna or Swish.
• The center stop is called Stenstan.
• Norra Berget is served by line 70 only on request: book the trip by phone at least an hour before it runs. Lines 2 and 4 pass nearby with no booking.

The bus payment guide explains cashless tickets across Sweden.

The two town mountains

Norra Berget is Sundsvall’s open-air museum: about 40 historic buildings moved from around Medelpad. It was founded in 1906 as Fornhemmet by the Medelpad heritage society. The local tourist association had already put up a wooden lookout tower in 1897, modeled on the Eiffel Tower. Today the municipality runs the museum and the surrounding nature reserve.

• Always open: the grounds are open around the clock all year, and parking is free where a P sign is posted.
• On foot: a stairway climbs from Baldersvägen at the foot of the mountain.
• Warm-up: the warming hut in Skyttepaviljongen has a microwave and about 20 seats, open daily 7–16.
• Fires: only in the free grills at Tunet, with your own wood or charcoal. It is a nature reserve, so don’t break branches.
• Dogs: on a leash everywhere, around the clock.
• Adders: they live here and bite only when they feel threatened. Watch children and dogs.

Södra Berget is the outdoor mountain. Friluftscentrum on top is the start of the southern ski-track system, which bills itself as the Norrland coast’s only official Vasaloppet center. Tracks are groomed for classic and skate. The slalom slope is on the summit, and Sidsjön lake lies at the foot. In summer the Bike Arena has 19 trails, also on a paid trail pass.

One thing surprises visitors: Södra Berget’s ski tracks are paid. Most municipal tracks in Sweden are free, but here you buy a day card online. Children up to six ski free. Sundsvall has over 300 km of groomed tracks in all. The cross-country skiing guide explains when a track may charge.

The coast: Alnön and the High Coast

East of the center, the island of Alnön holds Stornäset, a nature reserve run by the county board. Its long headland of shore meadows may be the finest bird-migration site in Västernorrland, mostly for waders and ducks, and land uplift keeps pushing the meadows out to sea.

A wooden ramp from the disabled-parking area crosses the alder swamp and the shore meadow, suitable for wheelchairs and prams. The birdwatching guide puts Stornäset in a national context.

North of Sundsvall the coast rises into the High Coast, the UNESCO World Heritage area. It begins at the High Coast Bridge on the E4 between Härnösand and Kramfors. Norrtåg trains from Sundsvall call at Härnösand and Kramfors on the way to Umeå. The High Coast’s own destination organisation says a car is the way to see the region, though. The High Coast guide and the High Coast Trail guide take it from there.

Seasons

• Summer: north of the Dalälven river, which includes Sundsvall, it never gets fully dark around midsummer. See the midnight sun guide.
• Spring and autumn: migration season at Stornäset; the bird zone is closed from 1 April to 10 October.
• November: on Saturday 14 November 2026 the municipality holds Lyslördag. A free Christmas market runs from 11 to 18 on Stora torget, Storgatan and Vängåvan, and the stone town’s Christmas lights go on in the late afternoon. The show is sign-language interpreted, with reserved spaces for wheelchair users.
• Winter: ski the track systems, ride the slalom slope on Södra Berget, or walk Norra Berget, which stays open around the clock. The museum is open all winter.
• Sportlov 2027: Sundsvall’s school winter break is week 10, 8–14 March 2027, one of the busiest ski periods.
• From 13 December 2026: Norrtåg has applied for hourly Sundsvall–Umeå trains. Trafikverket sets the final timetable.

Mistakes to avoid

• Looking for an airport coach. There has been none since 2013; take the regular bus to Deltavägen and walk about 1 km.
• Paying the Norrtåg conductor. On-board sales ended in December 2025.
• Carrying only cash for the bus. Din Tur is cashless.
• Ignoring the bridge-fee invoice. It grows by 300 kronor, then by 500 more.
• Assuming Södra Berget’s ski tracks are free. Buy a day card first.
• Waiting for bus 70 without booking. It runs only on request.
• Walking into Stornäset’s bird zone in season. It is closed from 1 April to 10 October.

Practical information

FAQ

How do I get from Stockholm to Sundsvall?

By train or plane. SJ’s high-speed trains take 3 hours 35 minutes from Stockholm Central to Sundsvall C, which is a walk from the center, and some also board at Arlanda C. Both night trains to Upper Norrland call at Sundsvall. SAS flies Arlanda to Sundsvall Timrå Airport in under an hour, but there is no airport bus.

Is there a bus from Sundsvall airport to the city?

Not a dedicated one. The airport coach stopped on 19 June 2013. Today you take an ordinary Din Tur regional bus between Sundsvall and the Deltavägen stop, about 40 minutes, then walk about one kilometer to the arrivals hall. The bus is cashless, so pay by bank card on board or in the app. Otherwise book a taxi or rent a car.

Why is Sundsvall called the stone town?

Because of the fire of 25 June 1888, which left about 9,000 people homeless. The sawmill industry was booming, and the timber barons hired leading architects to rebuild in stone: four-storey houses with towers, pinnacles and bay windows. The county board calls the result without equal in this part of Sweden. Locals call the center Stenstaden or Stenstan.

Is Sundsvalls museum free?

Yes. Sundsvalls museum in Kulturmagasinet, Packhusgatan 4, has free entry. It is open Monday to Thursday 10 to 19, Friday 10 to 18 and weekends 11 to 16, and closes on public holidays such as Christmas and All Saints’ Day. Its collections include finds from the Högom grave field, forest-industry objects, the city’s history and Swedish contemporary art.

Do foreign drivers pay the Sundsvall bridge toll?

Yes. Sundsvallsbron on the E4 carries a state bridge fee of 9 kronor per passage for a car, charged by camera every day around the clock, with no booth. Foreign vehicles are invoiced through EPASS24; an unpaid invoice adds a 300-kronor late fee and then a further 500 kronor. Motorcycles are exempt.

Can I use Sundsvall as a base for the High Coast?

Partly. Norrtåg trains run from Sundsvall via Timrå and Härnösand to Kramfors and on to Umeå, about three hours end to end, and the World Heritage area starts at the High Coast Bridge north of Härnösand. Buy tickets before boarding. For Skuleberget and the fishing villages a car is far easier than buses.

What can I do in Sundsvall in winter?

Ski: Sundsvall has over 300 km of groomed cross-country tracks, and Södra Berget, an official Vasaloppet center, sells day cards for its paid system. There is a slalom slope on Södra Berget’s summit. Norra Berget’s open-air museum stays open around the clock, and the free museum in Kulturmagasinet is open all winter.

Related guides

• Trains in northern Sweden — Norrtåg’s lines from Sundsvall, and why you must buy before boarding.
• The High Coast — the World Heritage coast that starts north of Härnösand.
• Bridge tolls in Sweden — how the Sundsvall bridge fee reaches a foreign car and how to pay it.
• Umeå travel guide — the next city north, three hours by Norrtåg.
• Night trains to Lapland — the night trains that call at Sundsvall on the way north.

Also on the way: Östersund, Gävle and Örnsköldsvik.

Facts verified 2026-10-15. Sources: SCB, Sundsvalls museum and Sundsvalls kommun, Länsstyrelsen Västernorrland, Destination Sundsvall, Sundsvall Timrå Airport, Transportstyrelsen, Norrtåg, Din Tur, Trafikverket, SMHI — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.