Camping in Dalarna

A camping holiday in the heart of Sweden in Dalarna offers an impressive lake landscape and hilly surroundings. The province in the centre of the country is densely wooded and invites you to go hiking with the whole family or with your dog. In both summer and winter, there are numerous traditional events that holidaymakers can attend together with the locals. In addition to the central cities, excursions to nearby Stockholm are a great change of pace.

Special features of camping in Dalarna

The west of the Swedish province offers ideal conditions for skiing for the whole family. Visitors are not far from the campsites in Dalarna to the slopes near Falun, Sälen or Äre. However, the majority of holidaymakers are drawn to the well-connected campsites located around Lake Siljan, and the River Dalälven is also a meeting point for many anglers and swimming enthusiasts. Both bodies of water are picturesquely surrounded by hilly valleys. The larger towns of Leksand and Mora offer cultural and artistic attractions during your camping holiday. Meanwhile, those seeking peace and seclusion can head north of the lake to the densely wooded Orsa Finnmark region.

Journey

Visitors travelling from northern Germany to the province by motorhome have to travel up to 1,100 km to Dalarna, depending on the starting point. Part of the journey is spent on the car ferry, so holidaymakers should plan for the departure times of the ships. Travellers starting their journey from Hamburg should first drive via Lübeck on the A1 and continue on the B207 to Heiligenhafen and then across the island of Fehmarn. Before taking your camper van on the car ferry at Puttgarden, it is worth taking a break or staying overnight on the small island. A day at the beach also provides the necessary relaxation before travelling on towards Sweden.

After arriving in Rødby, holidaymakers follow the E4 towards Stockholm/Kristianstad for around 330 km. Visitors now pass dual carriageway 26 towards Östra Leden before the turn-off to Moravägen. They then follow the Europaweg 45 for a few kilometres until they reach their destination of Dalarna in Sweden.

Destinations in Dalarna

In addition to the industrial town of Börland, the three larger towns of Leksand, Rättvik and Mora are well worth a visit. They are all located in the Siljan region around the lake and are characterised by a mixture of tradition and modernity.

Borlänge for interesting museum visits

The river Dalälven runs through the largest town in Dalarna, Borlänge. Campers who want to go shopping on holiday will find Kupolen, one of the largest shopping centres in the whole of Dalarna. In the various museums of geology, music and architecture, visitors can enjoy interesting exhibitions during their camping holiday.

Traditional Leksand

In addition to a well-known ice hockey team, the inhabitants of Leksand like to refer to their crispbread factory, which was built in the capital of the municipality of the same name in 1920. This is where visitors buy the special round or triangular bread with the famous Dala horse on the packaging. The crispbread factory is the most famous in Sweden after Wasabröd.

The lake idyll of Dalarna: Rättvik

The popular holiday resort enchants with its rural idyll. In summer, you can row across Lake Siljan to the church in Rättvik for Sunday mass. Many art festivals are also held here in the summer. Rättvik is one of the centres of the province of Dalarna and is the departure point for excursion boats to the surrounding area.

Top 5 sights

• Museum of the Future in Borlänge: This interactive museum on the history and development of mankind invites visitors to discover, try out and experiment with its many stations.
• Geological Museum: Numerous minerals can be seen in the exhibition rooms in Borlänge. Children can also have fun panning for gold.
• Pylons: The Borlänge Road Authority's museum displays interesting facts about road construction and maintenance.
• Rättvik Church: The remodelled church from the 13th century impresses with more than 100 church stables and huts from the 17th century.
• Landing stage in Rättvik: From this 625 metre-long structure dating back to 1895, excursion steamers depart for the midsummer event.

Top 2 insider tips

• Ekomuseum Bergslagen: The open-air museum is part of the central Swedish mining and metallurgical area in the south of Dalarna. Visitors can see up to 60 disused mines here. The joint project is one of the largest museums of its kind in the world and the Engelsburg Ironworks area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Sami: You can still encounter the indigenous Sámi tribe on a hike through Dalarna. The so-called Sámi still breed reindeer, for which Sweden is famous, in small, local communities.

Activities and excursions

Thanks to picturesque lakes and majestic mountains, active holidaymakers can expect plenty of variety when camping in Dalarna between Sälen and Are.

Island charm in the middle of Lake Siljan

Sollerön is Siljan's largest island and is easy to discover on a day trip. Thanks to its fantastic location, the 20.5 km² island is perfect for long walks with the whole family or the dog. The island is home to the main town of the same name with Sollerön church in the centre. Guests can visit Sollerön via two bridges or take a boat from Mora or Rättvik.

Winter wonderland above the fells

Above the needle line, the west near the village of Sälen is mountainous. Skiers and snowboarders can enjoy themselves in the Tandådalen alpine area with 36 lifts and 54 slopes. From here, winter sports enthusiasts can continue by lift to the popular Hundfjället area and enjoy even more snow slopes near the Swedish-Norwegian border.

Hike in the Fulufjället mountains

On the border with Norway, you can discover the Fulufjället mountains while hiking on your camping holiday. The mountains are part of the national park of the same name and are a nature reserve. Many visitors come here to see the Old Tjikko spruce, which is over 9,550 years old.

Events

While sporting events take centre stage in Dalarna in winter, the summer is blessed with local music festivals and car shows.

March

• Wasalauf: This sporting event, which is one of the biggest alpine events in the world, welcomes all those who want to compete in cross-country skiing. The route, which runs from Sälen to Mora, also attracts many spectators to Dalarna in Sweden in sometimes freezing temperatures.

June - July

• Musik vid Siljan: Since 1969, musical personalities have been meeting at Lake Siljan for Sweden's biggest summer music event. Around 30 organisers perfect the festivities, which aim to combine nature and music in a harmonious way. Every week after Midsummer, camping holidaymakers can listen to folk music, classical operas and international performers and choirs. There are also numerous dance and game interludes, making the festival a successful family event.

July

• Classic Car Week: Car enthusiasts with a penchant for classic cars with original engines come to this event in the village of Rättvik, which is well-known beyond Sweden's borders. Every year, up to 30,000 car fans and nostalgia enthusiasts are expected to spend a week talking shop about technology, car brands and spare parts.

Gastronomy

When it comes to Swedish cuisine, many holidaymakers think of crispbread, Köttbullar and crayfish. In fact, the dishes served in restaurants are predominantly simple. Sill, known here as herring, is a must in the kitchen and is served as a meatball fish, called fiskbullar in Swedish. Sill in white wine is also popular. In addition to cod, crayfish cooked with dill is a delicacy. Swedes also orientate their dishes to the seasons. In summer, the traditional crayfish meal is served with plenty of schnapps. In the restaurant, bread is always served as a side dish. It is usually sweetened with syrup or flavoured with cinnamon. Only the crispbread tastes like wholemeal.

Best time to visit

Dalarna has a pronounced continental climate. This means that there are large temperature differences between summer and winter. As the highest temperatures between 16 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees Celsius are recorded between May and September, this is the best time for a camping holiday in Dalarna, Sweden, when the landscape in the south and north-east is at its most beautiful, with colourful vegetation that can be enjoyed while hiking and cycling. Otherwise, the province is one of the coldest regions in the country. In the months of December to February, temperatures can sometimes drop to -9 degrees Celsius at night under a starry sky.