This calm Swedish town sits among pine forests near Lake Orsa. Skiers visit Grönklitt resort in winter, while summer brings hiking trails and local delicacies like moose burgers.
Orsa, a town of 5,300 residents, sits along the northern shore of Lake Siljan in central Sweden's Dalarna County. At Grönklitt, you can ski down the 3.2-kilometer Björnspåret run or watch brown bears at the wildlife park. During July's Orsayran festival, local musicians fill the streets with polska dances and fiddle music. The town's 1-kilometer beach, nicknamed the Dalarna Riviera, has white sand and clear water for swimming. North of town, the 30-meter Helvetesfallet waterfall drops through the pine forests of Orsa finnmark.
Getting to Orsa
You can reach Orsa by train on the Inlandsbanan railway, which runs daily services from Mora during summer months and limited winter connections. The European route E45 passes through the town, connecting it to Gothenburg in the south and Karesuando in the north. Regional buses operated by Dalatrafik connect Orsa to nearby cities, with regular service to Östersund twice daily.
Winter Activities at Grönklitt
Grönklitt has 11 downhill runs, including three black-rated slopes and four green beginner runs. The 23 kilometers of cross-country trails wind through pine forests, with 3 kilometers lit for evening skiing. You can rent equipment at the base station. Local guides lead dog sledding tours from 2 hours to full-day trips, and snowmobile safaris run daily through the surrounding wilderness.
Summer in Orsa
Each Wednesday in July, the Orsayran street festival brings fiddlers and nyckelharpa players performing polska and waltz music. The town beach stretches for a kilometer along Lake Orsa, with white sand and a gradual slope into the water that reaches swimming depth after about 15 meters. The 45-kilometer Orsasjö hiking circuit passes rocky shorelines and old-growth pine forests. For cycling, the Siljansleden network includes routes from 5 to 30 kilometers on marked forest paths.
Natural Landmarks
The Helvetesfallet waterfall drops 30 meters through a narrow gorge 20 kilometers north of town, while nearby Storstupet cascades down the river Ämån. These waterfalls lie within the Siljan Ring, a crater formed by a meteorite impact 365 million years ago, which created the circular pattern of lakes and rivers around Orsa.
Local Craft Traditions
Craftspeople in Orsa have shaped grinding stones from local red Silurian sandstone since the Viking age. The Orsa Grindstone Museum in Mässbacken displays the tools and techniques used in this craft. Visit Tuesday through Sunday from May to September, with tours in Swedish and English explaining the stone-cutting process.
