Inlandsbanan: 1,300 Kilometres Across Wild Sweden to the Arctic Circle

There is a railway in Sweden that goes from no famous city to no other famous city. It starts in Mora, in Dalarna, and arrives in Gällivare, in Lapland, after 1,300 kilometres of birch and pine forests, lakes that never end, towns of two hundred inhabitants and a post office. The Inlandsbanan — literally 'the inland railway' — was built between 1907 and 1937 to open Sweden's interior to mining and forestry. Today it is one of the most extraordinary train journeys in Europe, still almost ignored by organised tourism.

The rhythm of the journey

The Inlandsbanan train is slow by design. It takes two days to cover the entire route, with an overnight break in Östersund or Storuman. The trains stop on request — literally, you ask the driver — and some stations are simple platforms in the forest. This is the detail travellers remember most: the train stopping in the middle of nowhere, the door opening onto the silence of the taiga, the scent of resin and moss drifting into the carriage.

Wildlife, lakes and the Arctic Circle

Moose sightings are frequent along the route, especially in the morning hours. The train crosses dozens of lakes — Siljan, Storsjön, Kultsjön — and in some places seems to be sailing through the water. When it crosses the Arctic Circle, near Jokkmokk, the driver announces it and the train slows down for photographs. In July the sun never sets: you arrive in Gällivare at eleven in the evening in a raking light that turns everything orange.

How to plan the trip

The Inlandsbanan runs from June to September. You can buy an Inlandsbanan Card pass (about 295 euros, valid 14 days with unlimited rides) or single-leg tickets. The recommended combination is: fly to Stockholm, train to Mora, ride the Inlandsbanan in two days with a stop in Östersund, arrive in Gällivare and fly back. Östersund deserves at least one night: it is the city with the museum dedicated to the legendary monster of Lake Storsjön and a medieval market in summer.