Dalarna, latinized form Dalecarlia, is a province and county in the region Svealand, in Sweden. It has a population of almost 280,000 and mostly consists of smaller towns, except for the southeastern twin cities Borlänge and Falun.

Regions

Dalarna is Svealand's largest province with much difference between the mountainous wilderness in the northwest, and the flat southeastern farmlands.

Västerdalarna (Vansbro, Malung, Sälen and Älvdalen) The forested, mountainous border to Värmland and Norway contains ski resorts and wildlife.

Siljansbygden (Mora, Orsa, Rättvik, Leksand, Gagnef, Tällberg and Gesunda) The towns and villages around Lake Siljan make up an archetype of Swedish folk culture.

Dalabergslagen (Avesta, Borlänge, Hedemora, Falun, Ludvika, Smedjebacken, Säfsen, Säter) A mining and metalworking district, more populated than the rest of Dalarna.

Cities

• Avesta, small town where you'll find the largest Dala Horse in the world
• Borlänge, a blue-collar town and friendly rival of its sibling Falun
• Falun, known for its copper mine, and two of its by-products: red paint and sausage.
• Leksand, famous for its Midsummer celebrations and ice hockey team
• Mora, home of the Dala Horse
• Orsa, with nice small-scale skiing and Europe's largest bear park
• Rättvik, with great views over lake Siljan
• Vansbro, known for its annual river swimming contest

Other destinations

• Säfsen, a popular ski resort
• Sälen, an even more popular ski resort

National parks

• Färnebofjärden
• Fulufjället - in Älvdalen in northwestern Dalarna.
• Hamra National Park
• Töfsingdalen

Understand

One of many lakes in Dalarna surrounded by summer-houses

Dalarna is an important province in Swedish history. Several uprisings against foreign and domestic rulers have started in Dalarna. The most famous is the Liberation War of the 1520s, where Gustav Vasa travelled to Dalarna to stage an uprising against the Danish rulers of Stockholm. The truth of his legendary adventures in Dalarna is disputed; nevertheless, they are commemorated by Vasaloppet, an annual ski race.

As nationalism rose in the 19th century, the folk culture of Dalarna, especially in Siljansbygden, was ascended to an archetype (and, in some cases, stereotype) of Swedish national identity. Falu Rödfärg (the red paint typical to Swedish farmhouses), Midsummer celebration and the Dala Horse are some Swedish icons originating from Dalarna. This phenomenon can be compared to Bavaria, which is the origin of many icons of German culture.

Dalarna has a thriving pop music scene, with the Peace and Love festival in Borlänge, and acts such as HammerFall and Miss Li.

Talk

As in the rest of Sweden, everyone, except the elderly, speaks some English. When it comes to local language, Dalarna has a special-sounding dialect. The dialect of Älvdalen is usually considered a language distinct from Swedish.

Get in

Resrobot is a search engine for all public transport inside Sweden.

By plane

Flights to Borlänge go from Stockholm, tickets can be booked online at the site of the airline Skyways. Borlänge can also be reached by air from Malmö, Gothenburg and from Oslo, the capital of Norway. Tickets online at Direktflyg. All airline sites have booking services in English.

By train

Most cities are reachable by rail, either operated by SJ or by the regional company Tåg i Bergslagen. Tickets for both can be bought at the website of the Swedish railway company SJ.

By bus

Going by bus is usually slightly cheaper than by train. You can buy tickets at the website of Swebus Express (Available in English).

Get around

Travelling inside Dalarna is by train (Tåg i Bergslagen. Ticket purchase in English on sj.se) or by bus (Dalatrafik). Ticket purchase can be done onboard.

Travelling within cities is by bus, and the ticket can be used multiple times in one hour.

See

• Falun copper mine. Known as the Great Copper Mountain, the millennium-old mine and its surroundings are on the UNESCO World Heritage List since December 2001 and a must-see when in Falun.
• Dala Horse factory in Nusnäs, Mora
• Santaland in Gesunda

Do

Dalarna is great for outdoor life; especially winter sport, as the province is usually snowier than southern Sweden, and has many mountains.

• Canoeing: In the region of Tyngsjö is one of the nicest things to do in the Swedish summer.

Information and rental adresses are found in this region south of Malung

• Winter sport. In the northern part of the province there are several popular ski-resorts, such as Sälen and Idre. There's also a pretty big alpine resort i Borlange, called Romme Alpin.
  • Vasaloppet, a cross-country ski race, is a leg of the Swedish Classic Circuit.

• Vansbrosimningen in Vansbro.

• Dalhalla, in an old quarry outside Rättvik, ranks as the fourth best outside-arena in the world (by Austrian Magazin Festspiele). During the warmer half of the year lots of concerts and theatre plays are shown here.

Buy

• Kupolen. The largest shopping-mall in the province with over 80 stores and several more nearby, located in Borlänge.

• Dala Horses in Nusnäs, Mora.

• Mora knives.

Eat

There are dishes from all over the world available at restaurants. Domestic and international fast-food companies are well established.

A local specialty of Falun is the falukorv, a big sausage. Hard bread, knäckebröd is made around Dalarna, more famous for its role as a cornerstone of Swedish cuisine, than its taste.

The forests provide game and berries, and there are many places for foraging.

Stay safe

See cold weather and driving in Sweden.