Around a three-hour drive (or train journey) northeast of Stockholm lies Dalarna, a region of vast natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, with Lake Siljan – Sweden’s seventh-largest lake – at its centre. It’s a place of stark contrasts, from gently rolling hills and grassy meadows in the south to cascading waterfalls and rugged mountains in the north, close to the Norwegian border. Much of Dalarna is carpeted in forest, too, where the likes of bears, wolves and moose roam in the wild. This is also the home of some of Sweden’s most renowned artists, vivacious midsummer celebrations, the iconic Dala horse, the world’s longest cross-country skiing race (Vasaloppet) and Falu Rödfärg, the instantly recognisable shade of deep red paint that characterises traditional cottages all around the country. Little wonder, therefore, that Dalarna is often described as ‘Sweden in miniature’.
Wild blueberries and lingonberries are found throughout the forests of Dalarna
Last week, I was fortunate enough to experience it for myself on a trip organised by Visit Dalarna – and it didn’t take long for me to appreciate why this is such a perennially popular holiday destination for Swedes. After a smooth two-hour flight to Stockholm Arlanda, our first stop was Kloten Nature Resort, whose collection of cosy log cabins are peacefully situated in a forest overlooking a lake. Here, we went canoeing and foraging for lingonberries and mushrooms, before enjoying the sauna and hot tub and a delicious dinner of locally caught trout – the perfect introduction to our Dalarna adventure.
Preparing dinner in the woods near Säfsen Resort
The next morning, we set off for the Adventure Mine, an abandoned iron-ore mine just outside the village of Tuna-Hästberg, which has been converted into a labyrinth of tunnels, ladders, suspension bridges and ziplines over crystal clear underground lakes. They even have a concert hall, a sauna and a scuba diving site down there. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this, but it was a lot of fun – albeit, very cold and dark. We then drove to Säfsen, a family-focused resort with cottages and apartments dotted across a hilly area of forests and lakes, which we explored by e-bike (a much easier alternative to normal biking, especially when going uphill). Dinner was prepared for us over an open fire in the middle of the woods; a hearty root vegetable stew with freshly baked bread and a dessert of pancakes with ice cream and cloudberries. What a treat!
Packrafting in Dala Floda
It was an early start the following day for a crash course in packrafting on river rapids at Dala Floda, which was superbly organised by a local company called Kajaktiv. This was a fantastic activity, particularly well suited for novices like myself. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse in the afternoon, so we adapted our plans and swapped a hike for several interesting indoor stops around the Lake Siljan region. First, we checked out the Leksands Knäckebröd crispbread factory and then moved on to the Nils Olsson Dala horse factory in Nusnäs, where we were able to watch these famous wooden handicrafts being carved and painted from scratch. There was then time for an obligatory fika break at Siljans Konditori in Rättvik, whose cakes and pastries were typically excellent. Although most of our trip was geared around being in nature, it was great to get a taste of Dalarna’s cultural side as well.
Explore Dalarna, the essence of Sweden
The charming village of Tällberg
In the evening, we arrived in the delightful village of Tällberg, where we stayed at Green Hotel – a truly charming, quintessentially Swedish timber lodge dating back to 1917, with stunning views overlooking Lake Siljan from the top of a hill. It has hosted some rather high profile guests in the past, not least Barack Obama. The restaurant is a real standout (with a strong emphasis on local, seasonal produce) along with the spa, featuring a heated indoor pool and a sauna, and an extensive art collection which even includes an original Picasso piece. Later on, the clouds which had persisted throughout the day finally began to clear and I was able to see the Northern Lights glowing on the northern horizon. Little did I know, this would not be the last time the aurora made an appearance on this trip!
Northern Lights in Tällberg
It was then time to head up north, passing through the ski area of Sälen (accessible via direct flights from London Heathrow to Scandinavian Mountains Airport this winter) en route to the tiny village of Rörbäcksnäs for a spot of fishing and lunch by a lake, arranged by a local outdoor adventure company called More Activities. After a short hop across the border into Norway, we continued our journey to Idre, the southernmost Sámi village in Sweden. When you see reindeer crossing the road, you know you’ve arrived in Sápmi! The scenery here was markedly different to anywhere else we’d been – wilder, more dramatic and dominated by the mountains, with the emergent autumnal colours making for particularly photogenic views. It reminded me a little of the landscapes in and around Abisko National Park in Swedish Lapland.
Typical road traffic in Idre, northern Dalarna
Our base here was the Pernilla Wiberg Hotel at Idre Fjäll, which offers some of the most varied and snow-sure ski slopes in Sweden and a superb array of well-marked mountain biking trails, suitable for all experience levels. The auroral activity was looking extremely promising in the evening, but the weather was seemingly not on our side, with a thick layer of cloud initially inhibiting our chances. Still, we decided to head out after dinner for a drive to see if we could find a patch of clear sky, and somewhat miraculously, we did. The Northern Lights swirled majestically for the best part of an hour in virtually every direction. We could hardly believe our luck and ended up staying out much later than anticipated to marvel at the show.
Mountain biking at Idre Fjäll
The following morning was undoubtedly one of the highlights of our trip, as we took the gondola up to the top of Idre Fjäll for fika in a stunning mountain lodge and an exhilarating couple of hours winding our way along the area’s network of mountain biking trails. Having never properly tried mountain biking before, this introductory ride was immensely enjoyable and something I would definitely recommend to anyone when visiting Dalarna. We finally returned back south to Mora, a historic town at the northern tip of Lake Siljan, renowned as the home of the famous Swedish artist Anders Zorn, whose paintings are displayed in the small but well-curated Zorn Museum. You can even take a guided tour around his former home, Zorngården, which has been carefully preserved so that it remains almost completely unchanged since he lived there in the early 20th century.
Mora Church
Mora Hotel & Spa was our home for the final night, conveniently positioned a short stroll from the town’s main pedestrian street, the shore of Lake Siljan and the train station. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at the restaurant here; Arctic char with buttered dill potatoes, accompanied by local beer from Mora Brewery. For the third night in a row, we were fortunate enough to have clear skies coinciding with very strong solar activity, which resulted in the most spectacular Northern Lights display of the trip. What began as a subtle, greyish tinge on the horizon gradually grew in intensity, to the point where the green and pink pillars were rapidly dancing and clearly visible to the naked eye. I’ve been lucky to see the Northern Lights on quite a few occasions previously, but this was up there with the most impressive displays – quite remarkable considering that Mora is only located at 61°N, well below the Arctic Circle.
Northern Lights in Mora
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Dalarna and would love to return, perhaps in winter next time to see it when it’s entirely blanketed in snow and primed for activities like husky sledding, snowmobiling and skiing. There really is so much to see and do here all year round, whether you’re more interested in outdoor activities, cultural experiences or a mixture of both. With so many different types of accommodation to choose from, there’s plenty to suit all kinds of different tastes and budgets. Either as a standalone destination, or combined with a city break in Stockholm, Dalarna has an extraordinary amount to offer. It might be somewhat off the beaten track right now, but its popularity among international visitors is steadily growing – and it’s easy to see why.
