Borlänge

The Trafikverket building in Borlänge houses Sweden's governmental infrastructure agency.

Borlänge is a town in the Dalarna province in Sweden. It has a population of roughly 51,000, slightly less than its close neighbor Falun.

Understand

Until the end of the 19th century, Borlänge was a small village. In the 1870s, the village became a stop on the new railway connecting Falun and Ludvika, and around the train station a service and industry city emerged. The most notable among the Borlänge industries were Kvarnveden paper mill and Domnarvets Jernverk steel mill. In 1900 Borlänge had grown to some 4,000 inhabitants. The city remained heavily industrialized until the 1970s, but today the majority of Borlänge's population work in the service sector. Borlänge's modernist city centre was voted the ugliest in Sweden in a 2018 popular poll.

Tourist office

• Borlänge turistbyrå (Borlänge tourist office), Sveagatan 1, ☏ +46 77-162 62 62. (updated Feb 2018)

Get in

The town is easy to reach. The road network is excellent and the only time to expect traffic jams is at 16:00 when most people head home from their work. There is also a railway station and an airport.

By plane

• 1 Dala Airport (BLE  ^IATA). Flights to Borlänge go from Gothenburg and Malmö, tickets can be booked online at AIS Airlines. The local bus 1 operates between the airport and central Borlänge.  

By train

Regional trains run hourly from Gävle on the coast via Sandviken, Storvik, Hofors and Falun. They continue from Borlänge to Kopparberg, change for Örebro. Others run from Mora. Buy tickets online from the Swedish railway company SJ.

• 2 Borlänge railway station (Borlänge centralstation). (updated Oct 2020)

By bus

Bus is in general the cheapest way of reaching Borlänge from other cities. Tickets can be found at the website of Swebus Express (Available in English).

Dalatrafik operate the regional bus network.

By car

Route 70 connects Borlänge with Mora and Enköping; route 50 with Söderhamn and Örebro; and route 71 with Sälen; and route 293 with Falun.

Get around

Getting around by car is easy and parking not too hard to find. The bus network covers the entire town and the villages outside. A ride inside the towns borders costs 30 kr for adults.

By taxi

• TaxiKurir Borlänge, ☏ +46 243 170 70. Smart phone app offers address based routing and calculates price according to them. (updated Aug 2020)
• Borlänge Taxi, ☏ +46 243-131 00. (updated Feb 2018)

See

Ornässtugan just outside Borlänge is one of Sweden's oldest museums.

• 1 Ornässtugan, ☏ +46 243-223072. An old timber-house dating back to the 16th century. The soon-to-be Swedish king Gustaf Vasa hid here after the Stockholm Bloodbath, when he was the last remain of the Swedish noble the Danes sought to eliminate. Guided tours are available. (updated Jan 2018)
• 2 2047 Science Center (Framtidsmuseet), Jussi Björlings väg 25, ☏ +46 243-79 39 00, info@2047.nu. M-F 10:00-17:00, Sa Su 10:00-15:00. A children-oriented science and learning center. Adults 100 kr, children 60 kr, with an additional 45 kr fee to see the planetarium. (updated Feb 2018)

Do

• Go skiing in the Romme Alpin. Modern ski facility some kilometres from Borlänge downtown.

Buy

• 1 Kupolen. The largest shopping mall in the province with over 80 shops and restaurants. Since 2013 there's an IKEA next door making the area quite irresistible for Dalarna's shoppers. (updated Jan 2018)
• Borlänge city. Merchants in central Borlänge struggle to compete with the lure of Kupolen, but there are shops, restaurants with food from many cultures and several coffeeshops. 

Eat

• Dala indiskt kök, Stationsgatan 13, ☏ +46 243- 22 99 99. Weird interiors but great Indian food. 
• Coco Thai, Vattugatan 2, ☏ +46 243 - 88445. Nice choice for Thai cuisine. 
• American Take Away, Hagavägen 13, ☏ +46 243-883 00. Not just takeaway, despite the name. American style pizzas, don't miss the mouth-watering El Taco with guacamole and sour cream! 

Drink

Younger people go to S2, located opposite of Stationsgatan 1, or Flamingo for dancing. If you want a pub with the real local feel you should check out Engelska. It's kind of a dive bar and populated by a diverse bunch of people. Bolanche, above Stationsgatan 1, is the place for people in the ages 25-30 while Liljan, in the Liljan "galleria" on the park side, is the place for the more mature. If you like rock you may want to head to The Rock House, opposite Flamingo, although it's usually kind of deserted. And as always it's easiest to ask the locals were to find these places.

Sleep

• 1 Best Western Gustaf Wasa, Tunagatan 1, ☏ +46 243-217400. (updated Jan 2018)
• Borlänge Vandrarhem, Tjärna Allé (2 km (1.2 mi) north west of the train station), ☏ +46 243-22 76 15, stf@borlangevandrarhem.se. A hostel operated by the Swedish Tourist Association. (updated Feb 2018)
• Buskåkers Gästgifvargård, Buskåkersvägen 5 (10 km (6.2 mi) south of central Borlänge), ☏ +46 243-23 32 33, info@buskakers.com. 700 kr for a single room, 800 kr for a double room. (updated Feb 2018)
• Hotell Kupolen, Kupolen 111 (Inside the eponymous shopping mall), ☏ +46 243-680 50, info@hotelkupolen.se. 800 kr for a single room, 1050 kr for a double room. (updated Feb 2018)
• Hotell Saga, Borganäsvägen 28, ☏ +46 243-21 18 40, reception@hotellsaga.se. (updated Feb 2018)
• Quality Hotel Galaxen, Jussi Björlingsväg 25, ☏ +46 243 21 60 00, q.galaxen@choice.se. (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Scandic Borlänge, Stationsgatan 21-23, ☏ +46 243-799000. (updated Jan 2018)

Stay safe

In an emergency always call 112.

• Borlänge Police office, Wallintorget 9, ☏ 114 14 (in country only), w.polismyndighet@dalarna.polisen.se. (updated Feb 2018)
• Borlänge hospital, Bergebyvägen 4, ☏ +46 243-49 70 00. (updated Feb 2018)

Go next

• Falun, the white-collar sibling and friendly rival of Borlänge, has a UNESCO-listed old copper mine and is 20 minutes away by car.
• Siljansbygden, the area around beautiful Lake Siljan, is a very attractive part of Dalarna and well worth a visit.