Which mountain resort should we choose for our week in the mountains?

Which mountain resort should we choose? This question comes up every autumn in thousands of family chat groups, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer – but there is a systematic approach. Never start with the resorts; start with yourselves: how many of you are there, how far can you drive, when can you travel, and what do you want the week to be about? The answers to these four questions almost always point to one or two resorts, and this guide shows you how.

We take an in-depth look at Sweden’s major mountain resorts, highlighting both their strengths and weaknesses, and make it clear when Sälen isn’t the right choice. Are you already looking for exclusive mountain houses in Sälen You’ll find them further down – but please do read the section on making a decision first, as the choice of location has a greater impact on the week than the choice of house does.

Which mountain resort you should choose depends on four factors

In practice, four questions will determine which mountain resort you should choose:

• How many of you are there? If there are fewer than six people, the whole country is open. If there are more than ten, the list quickly narrows down to those places with large houses.
• How far can you drive? A journey lasting over six hours makes a long weekend pointless and usually means having to stay overnight when travelling with young children.
• When can you travel? December and May place completely different demands on the resort than week 9 does.
• What will this week be about? Steep slopes, children’s first ski lessons, cross-country trails, après-ski or a relaxing time in the sauna – these five options lead to different resorts.

The map: where are Sweden’s mountain resorts situated in relation to one another?

The Swedish mountain range stretches from northern Värmland up to Riksgränsen, and the resorts are grouped into distinct clusters. Furthest to the south are Branäs and Sunne in Värmland. Next come the Dalafjällen: Kläppen, Sälenfjällen with Lindvallen, Högfjället, Tandådalen and Hundfjället, as well as Stöten in the far north and Idre Fjäll and Grövelsjön towards the Norwegian border. In Härjedalen lie Lofsdalen, Vemdalen with Björnrike and Klövsjö, and Funäsfjällen with Ramundberget and Tänndalen. Åre dominates in Jämtland. Furthest north lie Hemavan and Tärnaby in Lapland, and Riksgränsen, closest to Narvik. Broadly speaking: the further north you go, the longer the season and the longer the journey.

Journey times from Stockholm, Gothenburg and the Mälardalen region

Travel time is the factor that most people underestimate. From Stockholm, you can reach Kläppen and Sälen in around four and a half to five hours, Idre Fjäll in five to five and a half hours, Lofsdalen and Vemdalen in six to seven hours, Funäsdalen in around seven hours, and Åre in seven to eight hours. Hemavan and Tärnaby are ten hours’ drive away. From Gothenburg, the picture is reversed: Branäs is the closest, followed by Kläppen and Sälen, whilst Härjedalen and Jämtland involve long day’s journeys. From the Mälardalen and Bergslagen regions, the Dalafjällen mountains are the obvious nearby destination. Always allow for loading, meals and winter road conditions – plan for five hours’ driving plus an extra hour.

It depends on the group: families with children, a group of friends, couples or a family reunion

With young children, short distances matter more than the number of kilometres of piste: you want accommodation close to the lift, a well-staffed ski school, a gentle practice area and things to do in the afternoon. Sälen, Idre Fjäll, Kläppen and Björnrike are all designed with this in mind. A group of friends who are experienced skiers care more about vertical drop, off-piste skiing and evening entertainment – in which case the trail leads to Åre, Riksgränsen or Tärnaby. A couple without children can choose freely and often benefit from a smaller, quieter resort. A family reunion is the trickiest scenario, as it requires both a wide variety of slopes and a house big enough for everyone; there is accommodation for the family in the mountains of a sufficient size in surprisingly few places.

Snow, the season and Easter – which resorts last the longest?

All major Swedish resorts produce artificial snow and open their first slopes in November or early December. The difference becomes apparent towards the end of the season. Idre Fjäll and Sälen usually have good snow conditions well into April, whilst Vemdalen and Funäsfjällen are situated slightly higher up and further north. Riksgränsen opens late and stays open into June, and Hemavan has a long spring season. If you’re planning a trip over Easter, the answer depends entirely on whether Easter falls in March or April that year – an early Easter means conditions are fairly even across the whole country, whilst a late Easter favours the northern resorts. For a typical winter week in January or February, snow conditions are similar across virtually the entire mountain range.

Price level and total cost

The price difference between the resorts is smaller than most people think, and smaller than the price difference between weeks. Branäs, Kläppen and Idre Fjäll are at the cheaper end of the scale, Åre at the more expensive end, and the rest in between. The main factor, however, is how many of you there are and where you’re staying: having more people under the same roof reduces the cost per person more quickly than changing resorts ever could. Always add up the costs of accommodation, lift passes, travel and food, then divide by the number of people and skiing days before comparing two resorts.

This is where the Sälen comes in – and when you’re choosing a different destination

Sälen is Sweden’s largest mountain resort: four interconnected resorts plus Stöten and Kläppen in the same valley, a wide range of green and blue runs, a well-established ski school and the country’s largest selection of private mountain chalets for large groups. Combined with a four- to five-hour journey from Stockholm, this makes Sälen the go-to choice for families with children, mixed groups and groups wishing to stay together. Read more about the ski resorts in Sälenfjällen if you want to understand how they’re connected.

But the Sälen is the wrong choice in many respects, and let’s be frank about that. If you’re experienced skiers looking for maximum vertical drop and a vibrant alpine village, you should head to Åre – A comparison between Sälen and Åre Let’s look at exactly where the line is drawn. If you prioritise cross-country skiing above all else, Funäsfjällen is in a league of its own. If you want to go skiing in May, Riksgränsen or Hemavan are the only realistic options. If you live in western Sweden and only have a long weekend, Branäs is closer. And if you’re somewhere between Sälen and Norway, you can how Trysil compares to Sälen through the border crossing, the currency exchange and the slopes.

Summary – how to decide which mountain resort to choose

Go through the four questions in order. If there are more than eight of you: start with resorts that have large chalets and let the rest follow. If you only have a long weekend: choose the nearest option that still offers the skiing you’re looking for. If you’re travelling in April or May: head north. If you have beginners in your group: prioritise ski schools and gentle terrain over the number of kilometres of piste. Which mountain resort you should choose is effectively determined by those answers – not by which resort has the most lifts. If you’re still undecided between two resorts, please feel free to get in touch; we’d be happy to let you know when the other resort might be a better fit for you.