Tour suggestion: Route E45 – Inlandsvägen – The Inland Road

Sveg – the gateway to the province Härjedalen

Sveg offers a chance to recharge one´s batteries with shops, restaurants, cafés, hotels, camping and an indoor waterpark with a waterslide, climbing wall and jacuzzi by the swimming pools.

Do not miss the White Guide appointed Café Cineast with light lunches, tasty pastries and memorabilia from well known movies including Pulp fiction, Gremlins and Star Wars.

Enjoy local history at Gammelgården in Sveg hosting events like Midsummer dancing, folk music events etc. Gammelgården is an old logbuilding which has a perfect example of the beautifully carpentered entrances found in the province of Härjedalen – a “barfred“.

At Sveg railway station you can continue north or south along the Inland railway, Inlandsbanan. In the summer time there are guides onboard letting you in on the history of the landscape as you travel and sharing tips for adventures. The Inlandsbanan pretty much follows the route E45 between Mora and Gällivare.

From Sveg you can choose to make a detour westwards along road 84 to see Sonfjällets National park – one of our most bear dense areas!
Continue west to Funäsfjällen mountain resorts or Vemdalen mountain resorts.

Viking age tapestries and the golden village

‘Continue north from Sveg to Överhogdals forngård and its heritage site with a colourful history of the Viking age tapestries, Överhogdalsbonaderna, which really are worth more attention. The actual tapestries are kept in Jamtli, Östersund. But this is where they were found and this is where you will get the whole story.

The next larger village, Åsarna, is known as the Golden Village thanks to the world champion cross-country skiers who hail from this village. Their cross country ski tracks are world-class, prepared by none other than ski legend Thomas Wassberg. Stop by Åsarna Ski Center to see a historic exhibition on XC skis and a hearty meal or stop overnight.

From Åsarna you can choose to make a detour west to Ljungdalsfjällen mountain resort and hike to the southernmost glacier in Sweden – Helags.

A lake monster, a cave and a heritage museum

Further along the road you will reach Svenstavik with shops, restaurants and an RV-parking lot. Stop to learn more about the local Lake Monster, the Storsjöodjuret, at the visitor’s centre.

The nearby peninsula Hoverberg has numerous hiking trails around the mountain top and a view tower to let you see quite a few church towers around the south end of lake Storsjön. In Hoverberg there is an interactive illuminated cave, Hoverbergsgrottan. It is Scandinavia´s largest cleft cave. The adjoining heritage centre houses the original Bingsta smithy works which used to produce quality rifles. Guides can tell you how it was once done.

Medieval church history and meteorites

Hackås has a medieval church beautifully situated by the lake shore and with a grand view of the Oviken Mountains. The old limestone paintings portray Saint Margareta and are possibly the oldest of its kind in northern Sweden.

Locknesjön Lake and the area of Ångsta was created by a meteorite 455 million years ago and the crater spans 7,5km in diameter. The Geohuset centre in Ångsta is a visitor center telling visitors about the event attracting geologists from all over the world.

Between Brunflo and Östersund is the Brunflo church and a church tower built as a fortress dating back to the 1100’s. The view from the tower is simply majestic.

The nearby Teknikland in Optand and its´ wartime exhibits covers the history of the military in Östersund and surrounds. Östersund is the largest city in Jämtland Härjedalen and has a large offering of shops, restaurants and activities. The Jamtli Museum offers an insight into local culture with indoors exhibitions and an outdoors heritage park with farms from different centuries.

From Östersund you can choose to make a detour along road E14 to mountain resort Åre.

Orchids and the start of the Wilderness road

Heading north from Östersund towards Fyrås is the Vackermyren nature reserve with a wealth of flora including rare orchids. Remember to thread carefully, do not pick flowers and leave nothing but footprints!

Strömsund is another community along the way with services, shops and restaurants, picturesquely located on the banks of Ströms Vattudal. Check out the homestead museum by the water housing the museum of the well known swedish author and actor Beppe Wolgers. From Strömsund you can turn west following signs to Gäddede to experience the Wilderness Road, Vildmarksvägen.

Hoting north of Strömsund is famed for the car museum housing Bil Ivars collection of veteran cars and motorbikes, including swedish King Gustav VI Adolf’s Princess Van den Plas.

The route E45, Inlandsvägen, continues north through Swedish Lapland and further into the north of Norway to Kautokeino.

Map of the tour along the Inland Road.