Gävle Overview

Two hours north of Stockholm, Gävle (YEV-leh; pop. 90,000) is a gateway to Lappland. Gamle Gefle (Old Town), the only part of Gävle that survived a 19th-century fire, lies just across the canal. Länsmuseet Gävleborg, Södra Strandg. 20, displays contemporary art. (☎0266 556 00; www.lansmuseetgavleborg.se. Open T and Th-F 10am-4pm, W 10am-9pm, Sa-Su noon-4pm. 50kr, students free. W free. MC/V.) Farther inland, the Gävle Konstcentrum, Kungsbäcksv. 32, has Swedish and international contemporary art. (☎0261 794 24; www.gavle.se/konstcentrum. Open June-Aug. Tu-Su noon-4pm; Aug.-May Tu-F noon-5pm, Sa-Su noon-4pm. Free.) On the opposite bank, stroll through the city park’s sculpture garden. The Gävle Goat is a giant straw Yule Goat built in Slottstorget every year since 1966. The display is famously the target of arson attacks. Protection for the goat has been amped up over the years, and finding a way to destroy it has become a pastime that draws tourists to the region.

  Vandrarhem Gävle (HI) , Södra Rådmansg. 1, has homey rooms around a flower-filled courtyard. (☎0266 217 45. Breakfast 55kr. Linens 80kr. Laundry 40kr. Reception 8-10am and 4:30-7pm. Dorms 210kr; singles 335kr; doubles 500kr. 50kr HI discount. MC/V.) Cafe Spegelu , Norra Köpmang. 11, serves large, delicious sandwiches (36-40kr) in the artsy environment of a former movie theater. (☎026 12 00 12. Open daily 10:30am-5:30pm. MC/V.)

Trains run to Östersund (4-6hr., 2-4 per day, 624kr) and Stockholm (1hr., 1 per hr., 236kr). To get to the tourist office, Drottningg. 9, head straight out of the train station down Drottningg. to the market square; it’s in the center of the Gallerian Nian shopping center. (☎0261 474 30; www.gastrikland.com. Open M-F 10am-7pm, Sa 10am-4pm, Su noon-4pm. AmEx/MC/V.) Free Internet is available at the library, Stadsbiblioteket, Slottstorget 1, for 15min. slots, usually with a short wait. (☎0261 794 29. Open in summer M-Th 9am-6pm, F 9am-5pm, Sa-Su 10am-2pm; call ahead for winter hours.) Postal Code: 80250.