Gävle (pronounced roughly "Yev-leh") is a port city of about 100,000 people in the province of Gästrikland, two hours north of Stockholm on the E4 and the main rail line heading north. It sits at the mouth of the Gavleån river where it meets the Gulf of Bothnia, and for centuries was one of the most important trading ports on the Swedish coast.
The city is best known internationally for the Gävle Goat: since 1966, a giant straw goat has been erected in Castle Square every Advent, and for much of that time it has been promptly burned down by vandals. The goat's fate has become a beloved annual ritual.
The Swedish Railway Museum is one of the best of its kind in the country, with a large collection of historic rolling stock. The old wooden district of Gamla Gefle is one of the few such areas to survive the fires that destroyed most Swedish wooden towns, and is worth a wander. The Prison Museum of Sweden occupies the atmospheric old city jail. The amusement park and zoo at Furuvik, a short drive south, is popular with families. Brynäs IF is one of Sweden's most successful ice hockey clubs and plays at the Monitor ERP Arena.