Åre · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Sweden's main alpine resort, where the lift pass costs more than the bed if you plan badly.
Duved and Järpen
Beds around Åre Torg are priced for skiers; hostels and shared cabins in Duved, eight kilometres west, and Järpen further down the valley cost far less.
What a day costs
SEK 700–1,200 in ski season, roughly $65–115, before a lift pass at around 500–650 a day. Summer prices fall by about a third.
Train and free ski buses
The Mid-Sweden line from Östersund stops in Åre village, and free ski buses link Åre, Björnänge and Duved all winter. No car needed.
Free by day
Walking up Åreskutan from the village, the boardwalks at Tännforsen waterfall, and swimming in Åresjön in summer — all free and all signposted.
Åre Torg
The square at the base of the funicular is where après-ski happens, from the veranda bars to the barn clubs. Loud from four in the afternoon.