Sweden Guide
Central and northern Sweden
Leksand
Located at the southermost point of Lake Siljan, three hours from Stockholm, LEKSAND is perhaps the most popular and traditional of Dalarna's lakeside villages and is certainly worth making the effort to reach at Midsummer, when festivals recall age-old dances performed around the maypole (Sweden's maypoles, incidentally, aren't erected until June: spring comes late here, and in May there are few leaves on the trees and often some lingering snow). Celebrations culminate in the kyrkbåtsrodd, or church boat races, an aquatic procession of sleek wooden longboats that the locals once rowed to church every Sunday. The race starts on Midsummer's Day in nearby Siljansnäs and continues for ten days around the lake, reaching Leksand on the first Saturday in July. Between twenty and twenty-five teams take part, all cheered on by villagers at the water's edge.
The tourist office (mid-June to mid-Aug Mon– Fri 9am–7pm, Sat & Sun 10am–5pm; mid-Aug to mid-June Mon– Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–1pm; 
0247/79 61 30, 
www.siljan.se ) is at the train station. Leksand's comfortable youth hostel, one of the oldest in Sweden, is over the river, around 2km from the train station in Parkgården ( 0247/152 50, 
stf.vandrarhem.leksand@brevet.nu; doubles Price: Up to Kr500, dorm beds 130kr). Otherwise, there are two hotels to choose between: Moskogen, at Insjövägen 50 ( 0247/146 00, www.moskogen.com ; Price: Kr900-1200), with luxury cottages decked out with traditional wooden wall panelling and woven textiles in Dalarna colours; and the beautiful Korstäppan at Hjortnäsvägen 33 ( 0247/123 10, www.korstappan.se ; Price: Kr900-1200), also tastefully done out in traditional styles. The nearest campsite, Leksands Camping, is a twenty-minute walk from the tourist office along Tällbergsvägen ( 0247/803 13, www.leksand.se/camping_stugby ). The best place to eat is at Siljans Konditori & Bageri, facing the main square at Sparbanksgatan 5, with excellent open sandwiches, light snacks and salads for 50kr – in summer there are a couple of tables on the front terrace. Alternatively, try Bosporen, just opposite at Torget 1, a passable place serving pizzas and meat and fish dishes, which does lunch for 60kr and is also a good spot for a drink.