• The Lugnet sports area in the north-eastern part of town offers many possibilities for sports, including in- and outdoor swimming pools, hiking and cross-country skiing. There is also a sports museum on the premises. The National Ski Stadium is in Lugnet. Its ski jumping hills can be seen from far away and have become a symbol of Falun. The hills area offers a café, a nice view of town, and a hint of just how insane you need to be to become a ski jumper. To get to the hills, keep going straight ahead after the Lugnet roundabout and follow the "Hopptorn" signs.
• The lake Runn provides many places to swim. With its many islands it's also popular among boat owners. Canoes and kayaks can be rented at Runns Sjöbod[13]. Prices between 300 and 500 SEK depending on size. Phone (+46) 73 9907422 or (+46) 73 9874701. E-mail backeus@telia.com. Another option is Främby Udde Camping, see the Sleep section. During winter you can instead rent skates and go tour skating, a popular winter activity.
• The cinema in town is on Östra Hamngatan just below the main square. Look for the rotating neon owl on the roof. Movies are normally in English with Swedish subtitles, except for children's films which are dubbed.
• The town's bowling alley is on the bottom floor of Scandic Hotel Lugnet (see below). Lane rental is 120 SEK per hour daytime, 155 SEK in the evenings and on weekends. Preferably book in advance on +46 23 24320. Friday and Saturday nights the place adds music and disco lights to make it all more fun.

Annual events include:

• The Runn Days (Runndagarna)[14], on and around lake Runn. Has a winter edition one weekend in mid-February (2007: February 17-18), with tour skating, curling and other ice activities. The summer edition takes place on a weekend mid-August and features boat trips, music and general fun.
• The Swedish Ski Games (Svenska Skidspelen)[15]. World Cup competitions of cross-country skiing. Takes place in the Lugnet area in March (2007: March 24-25).
• The Falu Party (Falukalaset)[16], turning downtown Falun into a large market with vendors, carousels and entertainment. It takes place in early June (2007: May 30-June 3).
• The Copper Meet (Kopparträffen). Big meeting for motorcycle enthusiasts, around 500 riders gather every year. Includes a motorbike cortege 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 (2007: July 21-22, cortege on the first day).
• 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 (2007: July 25). Starts at 6PM and goes on until midnight.
• Falu Autumn Market (Falu höstmarknad), again turning the central parts into a market. Held late August/early September (2007: August 31-September 1).

Copper mine

The mine, known as the Great Copper Mountain [10], and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 2001 - a must-see when in Falun. The mine was an important source of copper for an entire millennium until mining ended December 8, 1992. Part of it is still open for visitors with a guide. The interesting tour, with English translation available upon request, takes about an hour and visitors are taken 65 meters underground.

Tickets are bought in the souvenir shop, and the price for adults is 100 SEK. Helmets and raincoats are handed out before the tour. Do not wear your best shoes or trousers, since the red, copper-rich mud in the mine causes stains. Shoe protection is available in the souvenir shop for 5 SEK.

There is also a mining museum in the area. It has exhibitions about the history of coins in Sweden (including the largest coins in the world), and scale models of mining inventions by medieval tech genius Christoffer Polhem. Entry fee 20 SEK.

The Great Pit (Stora Stöten) can be seen from the surface for free. It's the result of an enormous collapse in the mine in 1687, and with a depth of 95 meters and a diameter of 400 meters it's an impressive sight. Miraculously nobody was killed in the collapse since it occurred on Midsummer's Day when the miners were free from work!

Other attractions

• Dalarnas Museum, Stigaregatan 2, downtown, ☎ +46 23 765500, [11]. Closed Mondays. Has several exhibits about the province and its history. Its main attraction is the reconstructed 1910 library and study room of famous writer Selma Lagerlöf, portrayed on the Swedish 20 crown bill. 40 SEK for adults.  edit

• Kristine Church, by the main square. Open daily, 10AM-4PM. Built in 1655 and was one of the prerequisites for Falun to get city rights. The renaissance church has two organs, from 1906 and 1982.  edit

• Church of the Great Copper Mountain, near the corner of Kyrkbacksvägen and Seminariegatan. Open M-F 10AM-4PM, Sa 10AM-6PM, Su 9AM-6PM. The oldest building in Falun. It was most likely built during the 12th and 13th centuries. In the cemetery outside rests Fet-Mats Israelsson, a miner who was killed in a cave-in at the mine in 1677. He was discovered 42 years later, and since the conditions in the mine had preserved his body, his former fiancée immediately recognized him. Fet-Mats' corpse was put on display as an attraction for visitors - it wasn't until 1930 that he was finally laid to rest.  edit

• Tourist Office, Trotzgatan 10-12, ☎ +46 23 83050, [12]. This office can help with almost anything tourist-related.  edit

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 neighboring city of Borlänge, about 20 minutes from Falun, serving Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Oslo in Norway.

By train

The train station is situated a five minutes walk from the city center and is served by the main train company SJ for connections to Stockholm. The local/regional connections are served by Tåg i Bergslagen/Tågkompaniet. Railway tickets can be bought at the SJ website [2] or Tågkompaniet (only in Swedish) [3] All tickets are available on both sites.

By bus

There is very few bus connections from other cities. Swebus Express [4] (unfortunately the site lacks an English version) 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 [5]. The price for a bus ticket is 20 SEK for adults and 15 SEK 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:

• Cykel & Fjäll, right by the main square, ☎ +46 23 63862, [6].  edit

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 downtown. Major taxi companies in Falun include:

• Koppartaxi, ☎ +46 23 63000, [7].  edit

• Taxi Kurir, ☎ +46 23 15300, [8].  edit

• Taxi Falun, ☎ +46 23 18900, [9].  edit

By car

Parking is free on many streets and when there's a fee it rarely exceeds 6 SEK/hour.

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, 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 SEK 100 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. 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 24-7 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.

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 SEK for a meal.

• American Takeaway, Holmgatan 16, ☎ +46 23 22044, [17]. Offers a lunch buffet and tasty pan pizzas - the best one is Mex-style, called El Taco. Not just takeaway, despite the name. Has a US-style interior with interesting red metallic sofas.  edit
• The Kings Arms, Falugatan 3, ☎ +46 23 711344, [18]. Downtown pub/restaurant with good food. Dish of the Day 70 SEK.  edit

• Tzatziki, Myntgatan 33B, ☎ +46 23 10980. Greek restaurant, specializing in coal-grilled food. Dish of the Day 65 SEK.  edit

• Hammars konditori, Åsgatan 28, ☎ +46 23 39039 (info@hammers.konditori.se), [19]. 11.30AM-3PM. Italian kitchen. Worth a visit just to see the cozy interior of the building which was built in 1776. They serve lunch with vegetarian alternatives and a la carte italian food.  edit

• Mariann's Saloon, Slaggatan 13, ☎ +46 23 20101 (marianns-pub@telia.com, fax: +46 23 20101), [20]. Western/Mexican style restaurant and pub. Dish of the Day 65 SEK.  edit

• Åhlens Café & Restaurang, Åsgatan 21, ☎ +46 23 711427. Convenient for shoppers since it's found on the top floor of the Åhléns department store. Dish of the Day available.  edit

• Restaurang China Thai, Nybrogatan 23, ☎ +46 23 28850. Asian restaurant with a popular lunch buffet.  edit

• Ging Thai, Myntgatan 10, ☎ +46 23 153 83. Thai restaurant with the best Thai food in town.  edit

• Kopparhatten, Stigaregatan 2 (same building as Dalarnas Museum), ☎ +46 23 19169, [21]. The place to go for hungry vegetarians in Falun. The lunch buffet for 70 SEK is popular among meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.  edit

• Rådhuskällaren, Slaggatan 2, ☎ +46 23 25400, [22]. Offers Dish of the Day in the town hall cellars. Summertime it moves outside and is one of the nicest places to eat lunch if the weather is good.  edit

• Geschwornergården, Gruvgatan 55 (by the Great Copper Mountain mine), ☎ +46 23 711923, [23]. The place to go if you suddenly get hungry while visiting the area around the mine. It shares management with the Banken restaurants. Make sure you get a seat outside if the sun is shining. Dish of the Day 65 SEK..  edit

Splurge

• Banken Två rum & kök, Stadshusgränd 2, ☎ +46 23 26025, [24]. The best and most expensive restaurant in town. Make sure to book your dinner table in advance and be prepared to pay at least a couple hundred crowns per dish. It is run in close cooperation with neighboring Banken Bar & Brasserie (see below), but it has its own entrance from Stadshusgränd.  edit

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.

• Systembolaget, Åsgatan 19, ☎ +46 23 12300. Not a bar but the only alcohol store in town, due to the Swedish government monopoly on alcohol. If you want to do it the Swedish way and save some money by having a pre-party before going to the bar, this is where to shop.  edit
• Harrys, Trotzgatan 9 (same building as First Hotel Grand), ☎ +46 23 794887, [25]. The most popular night club in town. Main entrance from Åsgatan, arrive early if you don't want to pay the cover charge. Wednesdays often feature the "two for one" offer, where you get two meals or drinks for the price of one. Book a table in advance if you want to eat since it's quite popular. The Saturday crowd is slightly younger than the one on Friday night.  edit
• Club Etage, Holmgatan 22 (top floor of the Jungfrun shopping galleria, use elevators at the bottom floor), ☎ +46 23 63131, [26]. (Closing time 2AM on weekends.). Downtown restaurant and night club. Look for the sky tracker lights in the sky and you'll find it.  edit
• Banken Bar & Brasserie, Åsgatan 41 (Old bank building on the corner of Åsgatan and Stadshusgränd.), ☎ +46 23 711911 (info@bankenfalun.se), [27]. (Closes at 1AM on weekends). If you prefer sipping on a beer in a somewhat more quiet area, Banken is a good choice.  edit