Sweden by train - Indlandsbanan travel log
Imagine a journey by slow train on a single track from central Sweden’s lake country to the wilderness of the Arctic north, where the Sami people live. Imagine a journey where the driver stops the train if there’s something interesting to see.
This is the Inlandsbanan.
It’s a single coach, or sometimes a pair, with an onboard guide, hot and cold drinks and snacks, and a toilet. There are lots of stops, some for a few minutes, some for longer – and more stops if you ask.
One train runs each way each day, so you can do the entire line in two days, or you can hop off, go exploring and pick up the train again the next day. If you are biking enthusiast, it is possible to bring your bike along and go off on some beautiful remote trails - you just need to book a place for your bike on the train beforehand.
The Inlandsbanan is so called because it runs further ‘inland’ than the main line north from Stockholm, which follows the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. It was built in 1937 and runs 1,388 kilometres from Mora to Gallivare, originally serving mining and timber industries as well as their remote communities. Times change and the line closed in 1992 but re-opens for a few weeks each summer for visitors.
This year we joined the train at Ostersund, the largest town on the Inlandsbanan. It’s a busy place, on a large lake where you can swim and go boating.
We stayed two nights and went for a marvellous walk round an island in the lake with impressive views west to snow-capped peaks on the Norwegian border. Ostersund also has an interesting gallery display about the Sami, called the Jamtli History Land.
Travelling north from Ostersund, you’ll be surrounded by vast areas of forests, mountains, bogs and rushing water. Keep your eyes peeled for reindeer, moose and bears along the track. The train pulls in at Arvidsjaur in the afternoon, which allows you time to visit the village of Lappstaden.
The land of the Sami
The northern stretch of the Inlandsbanan runs through the land of the Sami, the indigenous nomadic people of northern Scandinavia, living as reindeer herders and hunters since the Ice Age across what is now Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. This entire region of northern Sweden is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, including several endangered species. The Attji Museum at Jokkmokk near the northern end of the Inlandsbanan also has a Sami museum, demonstrating the lives and some of the artefacts of Sami life.
The trip from Ostersund to Gallivare takes 14 hours. The landscape gradually changes as you go north, with the vegetation becoming sparser, with scattered groups of wild reindeer.
We took the whole northern section in one day but with plenty of opportunities to get on and off the train. The big rivers tumbling down from the mountains offer good fishing, there are wilderness trails, places to camp, small hotels and B&Bs.
One sure place to stop for a photo is crossing the Arctic Circle. In summer it will still be light when you reach Gallivare. The next day you could visit the National Parks and Nature Reserves of the UNESCO Heritage Site of Laponia, the copper and iron mines or walk out across the Arctic landscape of mountains, lakes, ancient forests and glaciers.
The journey now continues by train past the ore fields of Kiruna, the northernmost city in Sweden and on towards Abisko national park with the Kebnekaise mountain as backdrop.
Alternatively you can catch a train from Kiruna to Narvik in Norway (and the Lofotens beyond), or a fast train back to Stockholm.
A wonderful, unique experience!
Ben: Thanks to Chris Culpin and Jennifer Armstrong for writing this fantastic article about their trip on the Indlandsbanan and for photographs!
What does it cost to travel on the Indlandsbanan?
When you buy an Inlandsbanan Card, two children up to and including age 15 travel free of charge. Young people aged between 16–25 receive a 25% discount, as do students. There are also senior citizen and group discounts. Interrail Passes are also valid on the Inlandsbanan.
It’s a popular journey in the summer, so rememebr to book the trip well in advance, as this automatically includes a seat reservation. Get info on prices and tickets here.
When is the Indlandsbanan open?
The railway is open for tourist traffic with daily departures from the middle of June until the end of August.
Continue your Scandinavian travels…
This article is the first in a series of three, charting a summer holiday in 2022 which began in Stockholm and finished in Denmark, taking in the Indlandsbanan route, the Lofoten Archipelago, the Hurtigruten south to Bergen and the birthplace of Lego at Billund.
Read on to find out about the next leg of our journey: making our way to Narvik in Norway and from there on to the majestic Lofoten islands:
Visit the Lofotens
Incredible landscapes, beautiful beaches and dried cod - what more could you want from a summer holiday?