Falun

Falun is the administrative centre of the Dalarna province in Sweden. It's the largest town in the area with about 40,000 inhabitants, slightly more than its close neighbour and friendly rival Borlänge.

Understand
Falun was built around the old copper mine, which was operational as early as the 11th century. The mine was an important resource during the years of the Swedish Empire and made Falun Sweden's second largest city around mid-17th century.

The mine was depleted by the beginning of the 1990s, and now it has become a tourist attraction and made it to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Stora Kopparberg (now Stora Enso), the mining company, is still active, although nowadays in the forest industry. It claims to be the world's oldest company, having supposedly existed more than a millennium.

The Dalarna province is by many considered to be the very essence of Sweden, with Dala Horses (see below) and traditional midsummer festivities. Falun has made some contributions to the Swedish heritage as well. Prime examples, and memories of the mining, are Falu Red Paint (Falu rödfärg) and the Falu Sausage (Falukorv). The red colour of the copper was used to make a brownish red paint that has become hugely popular in Sweden. The archetypal image of idyllic Sweden seems to somehow always include a Falu red wooden cottage with white corners. The Falu sausage, thick and ring-shaped, is one of few food products protected by the EU through a "certificate of special character" which states what ingredients must be in a Falu Sausage. The sausage was originally made by meat from the thousands of oxen whose hides were used to make ropes for the copper mine. Today, pork as well as beef is used in the sausages.

Get in
Falun is about 3 hours from Stockholm, and is reached most easily by road or train.

By plane
If you're in a hurry there is an airport at the neighbouring city of Borlänge, about 20 minutes from Falun, serving Gothenburg, Malmö, and Oslo in Norway.

By train
The local/regional connections are served by Tåg i Bergslagen/Tågkompaniet and SJ. Many connections from Stockholm requires a change in nearby Borlänge. Railway tickets can be bought at the SJ website or  Tågkompaniet (only in Swedish) All tickets are available on both sites.

Regional trains run hourly from Gävle to Sandviken, Storvik, Hofors, Falun (65 min) and Borlänge. Some continue to Kopparberg and Örebro.

The railway station is a 5-minute walk from the city centre.



By bus
There are very few bus connections from other cities.Swebus Express has 1-2 connections a day with Stockholm and Gothenburg. Buses stop at the railway station which is a five minute walk from the city center and the hotels there. Unless your bags are very heavy, save the taxi money and walk instead.

By bus
Falun is small enough to be explored on foot, however there is a local bus network handled by Dalatrafik. The price for a bus ticket is 22 kr for adults and 17 kr for children. Infants travel for free.

By bike
Bicycle is good way of getting around except for during snowy winter. Bikes for rental are available at:



By taxi
Taxis in Sweden are pricey. If you want to take a cab in Falun, you will most likely have to phone and ask for one to pick you up – you'd be extremely lucky to catch an available one on the street. Exceptions are the railway station where there is a taxi stand, and weekend nights in the centre. Major taxi companies in Falun include:



By car
Parking is free on many streets and when there's a fee it rarely exceeds 6 kr/hour. Count on getting fined if you ignore the fee.

Copper mine




Do

 * Another option is Främby Udde Camping, see the Sleep section.
 * Another option is Främby Udde Camping, see the Sleep section.
 * Another option is Främby Udde Camping, see the Sleep section.
 * Another option is Främby Udde Camping, see the Sleep section.
 * Another option is Främby Udde Camping, see the Sleep section.

Annual events

 * The Copper Meet (Kopparträffen). Big meeting for motorcycle enthusiasts, around 500 riders gather every year. Includes a motorbike cortège through town, down into the Great Pit at the mine (no, it's not a lemming suicide; there are roads down to the bottom). Held late July every year.
 * Falu Cruising. A vintage car procession through town, bringing car enthusiasts and almost everybody else out to watch the cars and the people in them. Arranged late July every year. Starts at 18:00 and goes on until 00:00.
 * Falu Autumn Market (Falu höstmarknad), again turning the central parts into a market. Held late August/early September.
 * Sabaton Open Air Metal Music Festival in the Lugnet Area. Held Mid-August
 * Falu Cruising. A vintage car procession through town, bringing car enthusiasts and almost everybody else out to watch the cars and the people in them. Arranged late July every year. Starts at 18:00 and goes on until 00:00.
 * Falu Autumn Market (Falu höstmarknad), again turning the central parts into a market. Held late August/early September.
 * Sabaton Open Air Metal Music Festival in the Lugnet Area. Held Mid-August

Buy
Unlike the neighboring town of Borlänge, Falun doesn't have a dominating shopping mall outside the town centre. Thus the best shopping is downtown, mainly along the streets Slaggatan/Holmgatan and Åsgatan. If you're interested in local handicraft look for the Dalarnas Hemslöjd store by the main cobblestone square of Stora Torget, but be prepared for quite hefty pricetags. There's also handicraft and souvenirs available at the mine.

The most common souvenir from Falun and the Dalarna province is the Dala Horse (Dalahäst), a symbol of Sweden. This small wooden horse has been carved since the 17th century. It is usually orange or blue and decorated with kurbits painting, a symmetrical type of decoration. If you want a genuine one, expect to pay at least 100 kr for the smallest kind.

If the Dala Horse feels too mainstream and you want a symbol of the town of Falun rather than a symbol of Dalarna, look for a Falu Maiden (Falujungfru). This lady is far from the fame of the Dala Horse and is not as easy to find in the shops. Look for the dress and the hat.

A third option is to buy a Kåre Goat. According to legend, the copper mine in Falun was discovered when the goat Kåre one day showed up at home with reddish dirt on his horns. Kåre's owner followed the goat into the woods the next day and saw him rub his horns in the ground, and thus the copper was found. A large wooden Kåre Goat stands on the mining area, overlooking road 50 towards Borlänge.

Budget
Self-catering is always the cheapest way to get a meal in Sweden and there's plenty of food stores in Falun where it's possible to stock up. If you're starving in the middle of the night, run to the Statoil gas station which is open 24 hr daily and offers hot dogs and groceries. Fast food is also available at the many pizzerias, at the Swedish fast food chain Sibylla, at McDonald's near Lugnet or at Gandhis Gatukök at the main square.

Close to the train station, you can find a 7-Eleven gas station, that also offers some food and MAX Burgers.

Mid-range
For fairly cheap restaurant food, catch "Dagens rätt" ("Dish of the day"), available weekdays at lunchtime in most restaurants. Price around 65 SEK. Check if the price includes drinks; if not, you can save money by asking for tap water instead. A daily overview in Swedish of what dishes are served in the different restaurants is found here. Most of the listed restaurants here are also open in the evening with à la carte prices around 100 kr for a meal.



Drink
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday is the best time for a night out. The bars below also serve as restaurants and offer Dish of the Day during weekday lunch hours.



Camping
Falun, like all of Sweden, has the Right to access rule which allows anyone to camp for one night almost anywhere in the woods.

Budget




Phone
The country code for Sweden is 46. The area code for Falun is 23, or 023 if you're calling from a Swedish phone. Mobile phones have numbers that start with 70 or 73, that is 070 or 073 if calling from a Swedish phone. When making international calls from a Swedish phone, dial two zeroes, 00, before the country code. The emergency number is 112.

Internet
Sweden is one of the most online countries in the world. The catch for visitors, however, is that there's a slight shortage of internet cafés since most people have good connections at home. An internet café/pool hall is on Falugatan 4, but it's a dark, dingy place.

Go next


Dalarna has many attractions. While the south-eastern part (Dalabergslagen) has the industrial heritage, Siljansbygden has the iconic folk culture, and Västerdalarna is great for outdoor life.


 * In Sundborn, 10 kilometres from Falun, you'll find Carl Larsson-gården. The 19th-century home of national painter Carl Larsson and his artisan wife Karin is very popular among tourists, and the house and its surroundings is what inspired the famous painter as he created idyllic images that have come to symbolize Sweden. Guided tours are available daily between 10:00 and 17:00 in high season (May–September) and weekdays at 11:00 in low season. Entrance for adults is 100 kr.
 * If you're into downhill skiing Falun is about 33 km from Romme Alpin outside Borlänge. The Bjursås Ski Center, some 30 minutes from Falun, also has very nice ski-slopes. The huge ski resort Sälen is one of the most popular in Sweden. It is 200 km from Falun. The second major ski resort in Dalarna, Idre, is in Älvdalen about 240 km north of Falun.