The are many areas for enjoying alpine or downhill skiing in Sweden, and since Sweden is a long country geographically, the ski season can be quite long if you’re willing to travel to the far north. Sweden has a great public transport system, and the ski towns are well catered for in terms of public transport, and connected by good roads to drive if you need to drive.
The skiing in Sweden is generally family-friendly, as it is very common for the ski trip to be a favourite annual trip for the family, so much so that there is a dedicated holiday week in February called ‘sportslov’ – a week to enjoy sports… which of course means skiing!
Åre
Probably the most well known ski resort in Sweden. Åre, in the mountains in Jämtland, is a nice mountain ski town with a large ski field. Åre has the ski runs right by the town, and there is also the nearby ski fields of Duved and Tegefjäll.
It is an overnight train ride away from Gothenburg and about seven hours from Stockholm. Travelling by train is a popular way to reach Åre, but you can also drive there in about 11 hours from Gothenburg and seven and a half hours from Stockholm.
What makes Åre so great is the variety of runs at all levels, with the longest being 6.5 km.
Sälen
Sälen has five ski fields, offering 136 ski lifts and 155 km of ski slopes. It is a great area to ski with a large variety of skiing to explore. Lindvallen/Högfjället has the most ski lifts, and Stöten has the highest difference in altitude.
The five ski fields are:
- Kläppen
- Stöten
- Tandådalen/Hundfjället (Sälen)
- Lindvallen/Högfjället (Sälen)
- Näsfjället i Sälen
To get to Sälen you can fly to the Trysil-Sälen airport, take one of different bus services, or drive. It is about 6 hours drive from Gothenburg, or 5 hours from Stockholm.
Riksgränsen
If you are after more powder and off piste skiing, then Riksgränsen is for you. Right up there in Lapland in the north of Sweden, the long runs offer something very different to the more crowded family-oriented ski fields of Sälen and Branäs. The ski season is also later, starting in February and ending in May.
It will take you over 20 hours to drive to Riksgränsen from Gothenburg, and 15 hours from Stockholm, and during winter this can be impacted by conditions – Sweden deals with snow really well and clears roads pretty quickly, but if you’re trying to get there and there is a dump of snow you will be moving slower.
You can fly to Kiruna and then get a 2-hour transfer to Riksgränsen, or take the train, which takes about 18 hours.
Idre Fjäll
40 ski runs, 41 kms of skiing, with more than 50% of these in the intermediate level.
Snow guarantee from around Christmas until the end of March, where they guarantee that at least 10 ski runs are open – if this is not the case the customer can cancel with a full refund.
Idre Fjäll is a 7.5 hour drive from Gothenburg, and 6 hours from Stockholm.
You can take the train to Mora, and then bus to Idre Fjäll.
Express bus from Stockholm, Malmo and Gothenburg – Fjällexpressen.
Vemdalen
Vemdalen, located on the border between Härjedalen and Jämtland has three ski areas, Björnrike, Vemdalsskalet and Klövsjö/ Storhogna. Björnrike has easier slopes and is more family oriented, while Klövsjö is more challenging and is for more experienced skiers.
To travel between the ski areas, and accommodation you can take the Snöpendeln.
Vemdalen is about 9 hours drive from Gothenburg and 6 hours from Stockholm.
There is a train service that runs from Malmö, through Stockholm and on to Vemdalen.
Branäs
Branäs doesn’t have the steep mountainous runs that other ski areas offer, but for a family with younger children learning to ski it is an ideal destination.
To get there you can take a train to Karlstad, and then a bus to Branäs. You can also drive, which will take you 5.5 hours from Gothenburg and about the same time from Stockholm.
Romme Alpin
Romme Alpin is 13 km outside Borlänge in southern Dalarna, making it ideal for day and weekend ski trips from Stockholm, Uppsala, and nearby areas. It has 14 lifts and 34 ski runs, which is enough to enjoy a couple of days of skiing without having to travel longer distances into the mountains.
Romme Alpin is about 2.5 hours drive from Stockholm, or take a bus there from Stockholm, Örebro, Uppsala, and many other areas. The bus is bookable on this website: https://www.rommealpin.se/en/skibus
Ramundberget
Ramundberget, with its reliable snow cover, is located in Härjedalen, and has 10 lifts and 43 ski runs. It has a good mix of black and red ski runs all on one mountain, while also accommodating for beginners as well on another slope.
To get there, you have a few options:
- Take the Härjedalingen from Stockholm via Uppsala and Gävle.
- Fly to Sveg airport and take a bus or taxi.
- Take the night train to Röjan and then take a bus.
- Drive. It will take about nine hours from Gothenburg and seven hours from Stockholm.
Dundret
Another ski area in the north of Sweden, Dundret is near Gällivare, and is a smaller ski area with six lifts and nine pistes, the longest possible run is 2.5km. It is a good place to ski for a day or weekend, and being so far north the ski season starts and ends later than those further south. There is no hotel at the ski area, and instead you need to find accommodation in Gällivare.
To drive to Dundret from Gothenburg takes about 17 hours, while from Stockholm it is about 12-13 hours. There are trains to Gällivare from Stockholm, as well as flights to Gällivare Airport, also known as Lapland Airport.
Tänndalen
Tänndalen is located in Funäsfjällen, a large mountain area near the border with Norway. It is a large Alpine ski area, but also a big off-piste and cross-country ski area as well, making it a great place to visit for a winter vacation.
We skied here, staying in Funäsdalen and driving each day to Tänndalen, although this is not necessary as there is accommodation in Tänndalen. It was nice skiing, with interesting runs and plenty of variety.
Tänndalen is about 9 hours drive from Gothenburg and 7 hours from Stockholm. The Härjedalingen bus runs from Stockholm via Uppsala and Gävle.
What is the best month to ski in Sweden?
January, February and March. It is possible to ski in April depending on conditions.
It is possible earlier in the season in December, but the days are shorter and the amount of snow is likely to be less than in January-March.
Sweden Skiing Season
Sweden’s Skiing season runs from December to April. It might be possible to skiing in the shoulder months of November and May depending on the conditions that year and the location.
The ski fields further north and higher in the mountains would be more likely to be running in the shoulder months.
Where do Swedish People Ski?
Swedish people are avid skiers – there are even school holidays scheduled in February so that they can ski in the best time of the year! Swedes do ski in a number of different places in Europe, although the majority ski in either Sweden or Norway. For families, it is quite common to hit the slopes in Branäs or Sälen because the ski runs are a bit easier and it is much quick to get there from the southern cities of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. Moving a bit further north there is Funäsdalen and Tänndalen, and the big resort town of Åre.Norway is a popular destination, especially Trysil and and Hemsedal. Outside of Sweden, Switzerland and Austria are popular, as well as France and Italy.
Is Norway or Sweden better for skiing?
Depending on the season, both Sweden and Norway have great Apline ski fields. We have had a pretty good time skiing in Sweden, but overall we have found the skiing in Norway to be better – the ski runs are longer and more interesting. Is your prefer cross country skiing, Sweden is the better destination.
Is it Expensive to Ski in Sweden?
Although Sweden has a reputation of being expensive, skiing there is not always more expensive than other European ski fields. For example, a five day adult ski pass for Chamonix is €275.00, in St Moritz it is about 360 CHF (Swiss Francs), Arlberg in Austria is €345, and by comparison Åre is €243,50.
Does Sweden have Downhill Skiing?
Sweden has more than 250 Alpine or downhill ski areas, the most famous being Åre, Sälen, Idre Fjäll, Vemdalen, and Tänndalen. The areas range from small ski fields, to large fields with a wide selection of runs.
