Dalarna & Lake Siljan

The heart of Swedish folk culture: Midsummer by Lake Siljan, Dala horses and the Zorn Museum, with the Great Copper Mountain in Falun and Carl Larsson's home also unmissable.

The Lake Siljan area lies in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Siljan is the country's sixth-largest lake, set in a ring structure formed by a meteorite impact about 380 million years ago, and the four towns of Rättvik, Leksand, Mora and Orsa surround its shores. The region is regarded as "the heart of Swedish folk culture": red log cabins, maypoles, Dala horses and the church-boat tradition are preserved here more fully than anywhere else, and the painters Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn both came from this land; Falun, about 50 km southeast of the lake, is famous for its World Heritage Great Copper Mountain. The climate is continental: summers (June–August) have long days and temperatures of about 15–25°C, and Midsummer in late June is the highlight of the year, with the celebrations in Leksand and Rättvik the most famous; winters are cold and snowy, and the first Sunday of March sees the Vasaloppet, the world's oldest cross-country ski race; in autumn the forests turn golden, but many attractions shorten their hours. The area divides into three parts: the east shore (Rättvik's long pier, the Dalhalla open-air amphitheatre, Tällberg and Leksand); Mora and Orsa on the north shore (the Zorn Museum, the Vasaloppet Museum, the Dala horse workshops in Nusnäs and Orsa Predator Park); and Falun–Sundborn (the copper mine and Carl Larsson's home). Getting there: trains from Stockholm take about 3 hours to Rättvik or Mora and about 2.5 hours to Falun. Sights around the lake are spread out and public transport is infrequent, so a self-drive loop around the lake (about 150 km) is recommended. Allow 2–3 days. Note: many attractions are only fully open in June–August, so check ahead in winter; accommodation is tight over Midsummer, so book early.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries