Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [184]
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HIGHLIGHTS
Explore some of Sweden’s formative myths in a beautiful setting at Gamla Uppsala
Take a hike to the ‘troll church’ at Tiveden National Park
Discover the Swedish underground – via silver mines at Sala and copper mines at Falun
Sleep on a train, then ride a museum railway in the cute wooden town of Nora
Pick up some tips on domestic bliss at Carl Larsson’s house in Sundborn
Get a taste of the remote and rugged north in Idre
AREA: 80,843 SQ KM
POPULATION: 3,469,486
HIGHEST ELEVATION: STORVÄTTESHÅGNA (1204M)
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Orientation
Central Sweden (Svealand) consists of six landskap (provinces). In the east are Uppland and Södermanland (also known as Sörmland), in the middle there’s Västmanland and Närke, and the west has Värmland and Dalarna.
The attractions of Stockholms län (Stock-holm County) are covered in a separate chapter (Click here).
Information
Visitors can contact the following regional tourist offices for more detailed information on the area:
Destination Örebro (019-21 21 21; destination@orebro.se; Box 328 00, Slottet, 70135 Örebro)
Discover Västmanland (www.vastmanland.se)
Sörmlands Turism (0155-22 27 70; www.sormlandsturism.se; Västra Kvarngatan 62, 61132 Nyköping) The office for Södermanland (aka Sörmland).
Turistinformation Dalarna (023-640 04; www.dalarna.se; Trotzgatan 10-12, 79183 Falun)
Uppsala Tourism (018-727 48 00; www.uppland.nu; Fyristorg 8, 75310 Uppsala)
Visit Värmland (054-701 10 00; www.varmland.org, visit@varmland.se; Box 1022, Lagergrensgata 2, 65115 Karlstad)
Getting Around
Driving, though expensive, is one of the best ways to see the hidden corners of the region. Car-hire companies with offices at Stockholm Arlanda airport are listed on Click here.
Express buses connect major towns in southern areas. For the west and north of the region, you’ll need to use länstrafiken (regional network) services.
The following companies provide regional transport links. For longer trips, it’s worth enquiring about discount cards, monthly passes or a sommarkort, offering cheaper travel in the peak summer period (late June to mid-August).
Dalatrafik (0771-95 95 95; www.dalatrafik.se, in Swedish)
Länstrafiken Örebro (0771-22 40 00; www.lanstrafiken.se/orebro)
Länstrafiken Sörmland (0771-22 40 00; www.lanstrafiken.se/sormland)
Upplands Lokaltrafik (0771-14 14 14; www.upplandslokaltrafik.se/en)
Värmlandstrafik (0771-32 32 00; www.kollplatsen.com, in Swedish)
Västmanlands Lokaltrafik (0774-41 04 10; www.vl.se)
SJ (0771-75 75 75; www.sj.se) trains run along both sides of Mälaren lake. Hallsberg is a major junction and trains continue west to Karlstad and Oslo, Norway. There are good services from Stockholm to Uppsala, Mora and other destinations.
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UPPLAND
UPPSALA
018 / pop 182,000
Drenched in history but never stifled by the past, Uppsala has the party vibe of a university town to balance out its large number of important buildings and general atmosphere of weighty cultural significance. It’s a terrific combination, and one that makes the town both fun and functional, not to mention very rewarding for the interested traveller.
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WORKS THAT NO LONGER WORK
Central Sweden’s industrial past is well preserved in these evocative attractions:
Engelsberg Bruk
Falu Kopparbergsgruva
Österbybruk Click here
Lövstabruk Click here
Forsmark
Sala Silvergruva
Rademachersmedjorna
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On the edge of the city is Gamla (Old) Uppsala, the original site of the town, once a flourishing 6th-century religious centre where humans made sacrifices to the Norse gods and home to an ancient burial ground.
Information
BOOKSHOPS
Akademibokhandeln Lundequistska (13 98 30; Forumgallerian, Dragarbrunnsgatan 43-45; 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat, noon-4pm Sun)