Family Life
Luleå has something for everyone!
Regardless of what stage of life you are in, Luleå offers an endless choice of adventures and experiences for you and your family. And while we do have long winters, we also have long summers with the magic of the midnight sun! Even though we are located in the north of Europe, Luleå consistently ranks at the top of all the cities in Sweden with regard to total sunshine hours throughout the year, which allows you to spend your summer enjoying the long days (and nights!) during your vacation.
During the winter, you can ski just minutes outside of the city, ice skate on the city’s famous ice way, which consists of miles and miles of groomed ice tracks across the frozen Gulf of Bothnia, or snowmobile throughout the vast forests of the region. In the summer months, you can swim in crystal clear waters surrounding the city, hike the stunning national parks throughout northern Sweden, mountain bike on miles of tracks five minutes from downtown, or enjoy outdoor cultural and music events.
In Luleå, you will find it all - pristine nature, an endless archipelago, cultural events and experiences, and outdoor adventures for every season.
Luleå is where you can actually have it all
Luleå offers you the unique opportunity to nurture both a successful and impactful career, and a fulfilling private life. The city offers a wide variety of different career paths, but also a fantastic place to start or raise your family. The work-life balance of Sweden and the proximity to everything in Luleå enables you to actually have it all!
Parents in Sweden get a combined 480 paid days off with each child, to be split between the parents as they choose, including 30 days the parents can take together, and an additional 10 days both parents take together once a child is born. And if your child gets sick or requires care from either parent, you are entitled to 120 paid days off a year to do so through the VAB system (vård av barn in Swedish, meaning care for children). You can apply for this from the day your child is 8 months old until he or she turns 12. Living in Sweden also entitles you to child support each month, and additional support if you have two or more children.
Luleå is a fantastic place for your entire family, with a wide selection of preschools, elementary and middle schools, and high schools. Luleå also offers multiple meeting spaces for young people and hosts creative projects open to all. One of our most popular meeting spaces is the rainbow café for young people and the HBTQIA+ community.
Learn more about the Swedish parental leave and VAB system in Sweden