Touring – Scandinavian Weekend 2023

Here you will find information for the tours taking place on Saturday August 26th. Two trips are planned, one for the copper mine in Falun and one around the Lake Siljan.

Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun

The enormous mining excavation known as the Great Pit at Falun is the most striking feature of a landscape that illustrates the activity of copper production in this region since at least the 13th century. The 17th-century planned town of Falun with its many fine historic buildings, together with the industrial and domestic remains of a number of settlements spread over a wide area of the Dalarna region, provide a vivid picture of what was for centuries one of the world’s most important mining areas.

TOUR 1: Riding and visiting Falu gruvan – Falun Copper Mine – World Heritage site

Total distance: 157 km, 3 h, 40 min driving time. Two groups, departure: 08:30 and 08:45.

Map TOUR 1: Falun Mine

GPX-file available for download on Garmin navigator.

 
Discover a thousand years of history

We often say that Falun Mine is a spot with a millennium of history. When you visit the Mine Museum, you realize that Falun Mine even tells a tale of Sweden and Europe over several centuries.

The Mine Museum was Sweden’s first technical museum; total rebuilding was completed in 2017. Today, it tells the whole story of Falun Mine, from the Viking Age, when the copper ore mining started, until the mine’s being declared a World Heritage site in 2001.

Web: https://www.falugruva.se/en/

Guided tour 67 meters underground

The guided tour underground takes us through mine passages and large chambers and past deep shafts. You need to be careful where you step, make sure your helmet is worn correctly, and listen carefully to your guide: there are special rules that only apply below ground. The tour takes one hour. Tickets must be bought at the entrance before the tour starts, price SEK 190 per person.

 
First stage: Tällberg to Torsångs café: 75,6 km, 1 h 28 min               

Small roads towards Torsångs café by the river Dalälven. Stop for coffee and a bun.

 
Second stage: Torsångs café to Falun Copper Mine: 37,4 km, 51 min

 
Third Stage: Return to Tällberg 60,9 km, 1 h 1 min

Return-ride to the hotel is planned at 14:30 – 15:00 hours.

 
Tour details

There will be two groups with separate departure from the hotel, max 32 members in each group.

Group A: Swedish language, departure 08:30 – guided tour in the mine starts 12:15.

Group B: English language, departure 08:45 – arrival at the mine about 11:45. The guided tour in the mine starts 12:45. This means that we have to have lunch before the guided tour in the mine, just after arrival.

The guided tour at the mine starts at the meeting point, marked with a bell, at Gruvplatsen 1, next to the Great Open Pit. The guide will meet you there.

Falu Gruva provides rain capes and hard hats to the visitors. The temperature under the ground is around 5 degrees Celsius the whole year around, and the conditions in the mine are damp and dirty.

The tour contains around 600 steps on the way down to a depth of 67 meters and up again. Toilets are situated in the vistor’s centre and the Mine Museum during regular opening hours.

Lunch is planned in restaurant Geschwornergården close to the mine after the guided tours. Approximately from 13:00 hours. Return ride to the hotel is planned  14:30 – 15:00 hours.

TOUR 2: Ride around Lake Siljan

Distance: 127 km
Total time: 2 h, 27 min. Departure 10:00.

Map TOUR 2: Around Lake Siljan

 
Lake Siljan around

1. Visit Nusnäs (production of Dala horses). Coffee brake.

2. Lunch at Wasastugan in Mora, opens 12:00. Select between fish and meat.

Possible to visit finish area in the famous Wasaloppet; cross-country race of 90 km from Sälen to Mora.

Note: If anyone wants to go around Siljan and also visit the Falu mine, they can visit the mine themselves on Sunday after check-out.