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‘Dalarna stole my heart’: 16 reasons to visit Sweden’s winter gem

Winter is coming – and in Sweden that means every reason to stay indoors, right? Wrong! Actually, there’s every reason to head outdoors to reinvigorate your mind and body – and where better to do it than Dalarna?

Published: 26 November 2020 10:44 CET
‘Dalarna stole my heart’: 16 reasons to visit Sweden’s winter gem
Lake Siljan in winter. Photo: Richard Lindor/Visit Dalarna

When we asked The Local’s readers for their best winter memories of this majestic region of mountains, lakes, and Swedish wildlife, you had plenty to say. “There are many places in the world that I love but Dalarna stole my heart completely,” Mirka Mati, from Slovakia, told us. Ready to pack your bags? Thought so! But first, here are 16 fun things to do once you get there.

Discover all that Dalarna has to offer to make the most of this winter in Sweden

1. Go cross-country skiing 

Cross-country skiing is a perfect way to discover Dalarna’s mountains – and it’s easier than you might think! Grövelsjön in the north of Dalarna offers some of Sweden’s finest cross-country skiing, whether on marked trails or by choosing to make your own tracks across pristine snow. Stay in a cosy cottage, a hostel or a four-star hotel – then get up for a hearty breakfast and set off once more.

2. Skate on natural ice

One of the joy’s of Sweden’s big freeze is the opportunity to safely undertake fun activities on natural ice. With over 70 km of ploughed courses, the Skating Dalarna network can satisfy both novice outdoor skaters and experienced enthusiasts. Check out the wide choice of locations around Dalarna, ice reports and more.

3. Cook over an open fire

Outdoor cooking is a quintessential Swedish experience. Do it fearlessly in winter to be even more like a local! Maybe you just want to grill some sausages on a break from cross-country skiing? Or perhaps you fancy a luxurious outdoor meal with friends after preparing all the ingredients at home? Dig a snow pit, so you can unwind and enjoy the crackling of the fire as the food cooks.

4. Go hiking

Lace up your winter boots and grab your backpack! Many of Dalarna’s finest walking trails are open in winter. Once you hear the snow creaking under your feet as you breathe in pure mountain air, you’ll know you made a good decision. You’re also spoilt for choice as Dalarna has over 360 nature reserves to explore.

5. Just switch off 

After a busy year, wouldn’t it be nice to just switch off? “I usually tell people who travel to Sweden to see Stockholm to stay a little longer and visit Dalarna as it has this different vibe where you can relax your mind,” says Mirka, who lived in Dalarna in 2013, and still returns frequently. She recommends “just wandering in the forest or enjoying calm days at Bojsen beach [in Falun] or Lake Siljan”. 

6. Enjoy a sauna (but earn it with an icy dip!)

A sauna can work wonders. But it’s no longer enough. To take things to another level for body, mind and spirit, take a winter dip first. If you’ve thought about it but never found the time (or courage?), you’ll have no excuses once you’re in Dalarna with its many lakes. Just make sure you have a companion to be safe – and keep thinking of that wonderful hot sauna!

7. Go walking in snowshoes

Fulufjället National Park outside Särna is spectacular all year but has a special magic in winter. Don’t miss the ice art works that form when Sweden’s highest waterfall Njupeskär freezes! Walking in snowshoes is a great fun for both children and adults – and a novel way to reach areas you’d otherwise miss. Snowshoe hiking is offered for all levels at Yttermalungs camping and Green Owl Travel in Rättvik.

8. Take a summit tour 

At Bjursås Skicenter in Falun Municipality, you can sign up for a summit morning – heading up the mountain before the ski lifts open. A guide leads the activity, so you don’t need any prior knowledge, and the tour ends with breakfast – at the top while taking in the views as long as the weather allows!

9. Follow the pack – try dog sledding

Ready for an unforgettable experience that you’ll only find in a handful of locations globally? Various places in the northern part of Dalarna offer dogsled tours. Watch the fabulous scenery rush by as you’re pulled along by a powerful pack of huskies. Exhilarating!

10. Join a snowmobile ‘safari’

Another great option for those who want to feel their pulse racing. You’ll find various places where you can rent a snowmobile in Dalarna’s north and join a guided snowmobile ‘safari’ to give you an adventurous experience of the Swedish wilderness.

11. Find your spark with a kicksled 

Kicksledding is another popular winter activity in Dalarna and you can borrow a kicksled (also known as spark) at a number of hotels. But wait: what exactly is it? This is a small sled, with a chair mounted on metal runners, that you propel by kicking the ground with your foot. Got it? Off you go then! 

12. Lap up the Christmas magic

You’ll need to plan your trip soon to enjoy this one – but it’ll be worth it. Michael Bryant, originally from the UK and now based in Gothenburg, can still feel the magic of a Christmas spent skiing and staying in a log cabin in Dalarna over 20 years ago. “The smell of the fire, the snow-capped cabins, and the evening lights glistening in the thick snow,” he recalls. “It was the truest Christmas feeling I’ve ever had.”

13. Go ice fishing

Once thick ice settles on Dalarna’s lakes, how about some fishing for perch, pike, trout and rainbow trout? You need an ice drill, fishing equipment, a valid fishing licence, and a safety-conscious attitude: check the ice, bring ice studs and dress appropriately. Need help? Book a guided ice fishing tour at Anglerman Fishing Adventures in Älvdalen or Rösjöstugorna by Fulufjället.

14. Meet the reindeer 

Reindeer walk and graze freely in the countryside around Idre and Grövelsjön in northern Dalarna. Idre is home to Sweden’s southernmost Sami village and an ideal place to experience and learn about Sami culture. Want to be sure of meeting these enchanting creatures? Sign up for reindeer experiences at Renbiten, a Sami family business in the area.

15. Stroll through a historic town

If you prefer a gentle stroll to a vigorous hike, towns such as Falun – a World Heritage Site thanks to its mining history – and Rättvik are great choices. “I fell in love with Dalarna, and especially Falun, because it reminds me of my hometown in Slovakia,” says Mirka. “A mountainous region full of ski resorts, lakes, and untouched nature.”

16. Go spring skiing

Well, ok, you might argue that this shouldn’t be on a winter list. But in Dalarna, the ski season is long and the spring conditions are often fantastic. If you’re not sure when you’ll get away, this is an option to keep in mind! Check out the list of Dalarna’s top resorts for Alpine skiing.

Want to recharge your batteries and enjoy some fun in one of Sweden’s most beautiful regions? Discover Dalarna to make the most of your winter

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LIVING IN SWEDEN

What you need to know about owning a second home in Sweden

In most countries owning a second home is a luxury reserved for the wealthy, but in Sweden it's very common to have a summer home or 'fritidshus'. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 8 February 2024 15:25 CET
What you need to know about owning a second home in Sweden

What is a fritidshus? 

In Sweden, second homes are generally either classified as a fritidshus, literally a “free time house”, or a permanenthus or permanentboende.

A fritidshus is defined as “a house which is not set up for all-year-around living”. Rather confusingly, this does not mean that you can’t live all-year-round in a fritidshus, or, indeed, that you can’t use a permanenthus as your summer house. 

The difference comes down to how the two types of property are treated in Sweden’s building code, with fritidshus allowed, among other things, to have lower ceilings, smaller bathrooms, more basic kitchens, worse accessibility for disabled people, a lower standard of insulation. 

If you decide to live permanently in a fritidshus, you do not need to get approval to do so, but the building committee at your local council can, if they learn of what you are doing, demand that the building be changed to meet the requirements of a permanenthus (although this rarely happens).

There is also a subgroup of fritidshus, kolonilott, which are houses with a small amount of land which should be used for growing food (although lots of people just use them as attractive gardens). This is different from an odlingslott, which is just an allotment, essentially a kolonilott without the house.

These are usually in designated kolonilott areas close to or in cities, and are not intended for year-round living. In most kolonilott areas, water supply and drainage is cut off outside of the growing season, and you’re not allowed to register them as your permanent address, for example.

Relaxing outside a summer house. Photo: Doris Beling/Imagebank Sweden

How much does a second home cost? 

The average price of a fritidshus fell by about 6 percent in 2023, following a 1 percent fall in 2022, and now lies at about 2.2 million kronor.

But a search on the Hemnet website for fritidshus under 1 million kronor shows that many sell for a lot less, particularly outside the most popular areas. 

As a rule of thumb, anything within an hour’s drive of Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö is likely to be more expensive, as is anywhere on the coast (particularly on Gotland), next to a lake, or near one of Sweden’s more popular skiing areas. 

A report from Länsförsäkringar Fastighetsförmedling, out in mid-2023, found that summer houses were cheapest in Kronoberg country (the southern bit of Småland), followed by Örebro, Värmland, Norrbotten and Västernorrland, and most expensive in Gotland, Stockholm County and Halland. 

What’s the point of having one? 

Despite its vast expanses of unspoiled nature, Sweden is very urbanised, with nearly 90 percent of people living in built-up areas and 63 percent in the biggest few cities. It’s much more common to live in an apartment in a city than in the sort of suburban sprawl of houses with their own gardens so common in countries like the UK and US.

This means that most urban Swedes leave any gardening to their summer houses or allotments.

Given the cold, dark winters, that probably makes sense. 

Fritidshus and other second homes are also at the centre of the long Swedish summer break, when people often take three, or even four, weeks off back-to-back. If you don’t have your own fritidshus, you can spend much of the summer visiting people who do. 

What’s the downside? 

Aside from the cost, it’s a lot of work. Owning a fritidshus means weekends spent at out-of-town building supply shops, and brings a whole new list of chores like cleaning the gutters, mowing, trimming hedges, raking leaves and chopping wood.

If you like foreign travel, and have a lot of other passions and hobbies, you may find owning a summer house squeezes them out. 

A summer house in the Stockholm archipelago. Photo: Sara de Basly/Imagebank Sweden

How common is it to have a fritidshus? 

There are about 607,000 fritidshus in Sweden, and according to Statistics Sweden, about one in three children (35 percent) have access to one.

It most common to have access to a fritidshus in the north of Sweden, with more than half of children having access to one in 51 municipalities north of Dalarna, and it is least common in Skåne, where in some municipalities only 10 percent of children have access to a fritidshus. 

Is it best to have a second home in a fritidsområde or on its own? 

Many municipalities in Sweden have set aside areas, often near a lake or by the sea, specifically for the building of fritidshus, selling off plots, or tomter, on which people can either build a holiday cottage themselves or get a builder to do it.

According to Statitsics Sweden, about a quarter of fritidshus are in such an area, with Stockholm County boasting the most fritidsområde, or holiday home areas, followed by Västra Götaland (near Gothenburg) and Skåne (near Malmö and Helsingborg). 

If you are building your own summer house, the advantage of doing so in a fritidsområde is that electricity, water and sewage has normally already been run along the edge of the plot, making these services cheap and easy to connect. 

If you want to get a summer house near the coast or a lake, it is also cheaper if you buy one in a fritidsområde. 

On the downside, they can feel a little like living in a housing estate, you have to be careful not to make too much noise, and can end up getting complaints from the local neighbourhood committee if you don’t maintain your property in the way they expect. 

As many fritidsområde were set up the 1960s and 1970s, with a lot of the houses then built by enthusiastic amateurs, they can also be in desrepair and have structural problems. 

The plots that have yet to be built on, meanwhile, are often the worst, for instance with ground that is damp or prone to flooding. 

Renting out your second home

One of the advantages of your second home being classed as a fritidshus is that – so long as you’re only renting it out short-term — you are not covered by Sweden’s strict rental law or hyreslagen.

This means whatever rent you agree with the tenant is valid, there is no requirement to ask for a “reasonable” rent, and tenants cannot contest the rent with the regional rent tribunal.  

Airbnb makes renting out your fritidshus extremely easy and on the other side makes it a lot cheaper and easier to rent a summer house for three weeks in the summer than to own one all year around.  

If you earn more than 40,000 kronor in a year from renting out your fritidshus, though, you are required to declare it to the Swedish Tax Agency. 

You can then subtract a 40,000 kronor ‘standard deduction’ from your rental revenue and a further 20 percent deduction for rental income, before it gets taxed. See the guide from the Swedish Tax Agency here. 

This means if you receive 60,000 kronor in rent, you subtract first 40,000 kronor, then 20 percent of the 60,000 kronor, which comes to 12,000 kronor.

This leaves you with 8,000 kronor to be taxed as capital income at 30 percent, leaving just 2,400 kronor in tax due. 

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