All previous reviewers have visited Gammelstad in summer, so I will add my experience of visiting the site in winter.

We profited from a rare seasonal direct flight to Lulea from Zurich in December 2025, targeted at winter tourists. Having our hotel in Pitea, I rented a car. From Lulea, there would also be regular, buses even in winter.

Days are very short, but there is no eternal darkness. Around 10am there is some light and between 11am and 1pm the sun is partially and for a few minutes even fully visible. The temperature was actually not too bad, always at or just above 0 degrees Celsius. The whole region is covered in snow, that is mostly rather ice.

We visited on a Saturday, and the town was surprisingly lively. The houses are private property, but the rule was kept, that they can only be inhabited during the weekend. Many seemed to have used the opportunity to spend Christmas in their holiday house, assuming by the number of cars in front of the houses. There was also a fair amount of visitors roaming the streets.

The church, a small shop and a restaurant (rather Kebab place) were open. The visitor centre should have been open but was closed. Same goes for the other 2 Cafes I found.

Apart from the very short hours with daylight, there are no drawbacks in visiting Gammelstad in winter. There are even some advantages. If you are lucky, you combine your visit spotting northern lights, and the rather boring town of Lulea becomes more exciting in winter. The bay is completely frozen, and you can walk or skate on it. I walked all the way to an island nearby and loved it.