Can dalarna be visited without a car?

Yes, it is easy to get to Dalarna without a car. Stockholm to Mora to Falun to Gothenburg is easy to do by train. While Falun is charming, the area around Siljan is worth a visit if you are in the area.

I liked the Zorn Museum in Mora a lot. Otherwise, I didn't find much in the town since I was without a car. I may have missed stuff, obviously, but I paid a lot for my hotel in Mora, so the cost to visit the Zorn Museum and do nothing else except walk around was SEK 1890 (over $180 at the current exchange rate). That was in July 2022; maybe the hotel rates in June will be lower.

You should have taken the bus to Nusnäs, just outside Mora, to see how the Dala horses are made!

Yep, I missed that!

maybe i should skip mora then. Or see if i can do a daytrip from Falun?

Overall, if each of you had to advise a friend how to spend two to three full days in the area without a car, what would you advise?

to get to lake siljan from falun, do i need to take a tour? is there a bus? thanks so much for any replies

Overall, if each of you had to advise a friend how to spend two to
three full days in the area without a car, what would you advise?

What would that friend be interested and looking for?

to get to lake siljan from falun, do i need to take a tour? is there a
bus?

There is a rail line along the northern/eastern shore of the lake. The train stops in several towns/villages along the lake.

I'm not equipped to answer that question since I only went to Mora. It was a one-night stop between Orebro and Uppsala. Orebro has a biennial outdoor art festival (Open Art) that I enjoyed, but this is its off-year.

Badger,
I would like to see the Swedish countryside and the pretty red houses. acraven mentioned how Mora had that one museum and not much else. I like art museums but it doesn't seem worth it for me. I don't know if dalarna is 'worth' a 3 day detour just to see red houses though. Would just adding a day and doing
6 days stockholm
stockhom to falun
1 day falun
falun to gothenburg
2 days gothenburg

be worth the detour

Does the rail line you mentioned go to Falun by the way? My itinerary above assumes it does

and thanks for the info acraven.

I would like to see the Swedish countryside and the pretty red houses.

Then Dalarna might be worth it. Consider staying in Tällberg, where there are many older hotels built in traditional architecture.

acraven mentioned how Mora had that one museum and not much else. I
like art museums but it doesn't seem worth it for me.

The Zorn museum and his house is worth it if you like art museums. He is one the most well known Swedish painters and was internationally famous even during his life time.

I don't know if dalarna is 'worth' a 3 day detour just to see red
houses though.

In my opinion it is. But there are many things to see and you can't see them all.

Would just adding a day and doing 6 days stockholm stockhom to falun
1 day falun falun to gothenburg 2 days gothenburg be worth the detour

I'd suggest two nights in Dalarna at least.

Does the rail line you mentioned go to Falun by the way?

No, a change in Borlänge i required. But it's nothing to worry about.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/sweden/can-dalarna-be-visited-without-a-car

Thanks so much Badger.

I meant 2 nights in dalarna and one full day. So it’s 6 nights Stockholm, 2 nights dalarna, 3 nights Gothenburg.

And don’t misunderstand me about Zorn museum! I like his art and originally planned on going. It’s just the potential price tag with lodging that turned me off. I’ll see if I can fit it in from Tallberg or Falun. I’ll check if it’s next to the train stop.

I’ll see if I can fit it in from Tallberg or Falun. I’ll check if it’s
next to the train stop.

It's a short walk from the train to the Zorn museum in Mora.

i had difficulty finding non-expensive housing in tallborg (i think i tried to book too late), but i found a place in mora next to the train station for about 70 usd a night. I booked it for three nights but can cancel if you (badger) dont think it's a good idea. Does this seem like a good itinerary?

day 1 - arrive from stockholm (probably in evening)-
day 2 - take the rail to lake siljan that badger suggested. Where do i go exactly? Tallborg? hop from town to town? again the goal is the nature/countryside/red houses
day 3- go to mora museum in afternoon. Any other part of dalarna to try to go to in the morning (falun, anywhere else)? I don't mind waking up early to try to make the most of the day.
day 4 - mora to gothenberg - leave as early as possible, arrive around 12 noon.

let me know what you and anyone else thinks, thanks!

let me know if anyone has any final suggestions or advice relating to my last post. Otherwise i'll just book and hope for the best!

You might consider staying in Falun instead of Mora. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Acraven wasn't too impressed by Mora, and it is a rather small town. But in a pretty location and a good base for day trips, Nusnäs is as mentioned an option. Falun is a larger town, traditionally the cultural centre in Dalarna. Full of old wooden buildings and with an old copper mine that is worth a visit. Going to Gothenburg you also save a bit of time if you start in Falun instead of Mora. Tällberg can be nice for a day trip from both. Trains are not too frequent along the line, but there is a train in each direction once an hour so frequent enough to be a bit spontaneous.

In the end it is your trip and I can't make that choice for you. You'll probably be happy whichever option you go for.

is mora to falun considered a local train that doesn't need to be bought in advance?

Yes, the local trains have fixed prices so no need to buy the tickets in advance.

one of the days is a day trip to tallberg or rattvik. Any suggestions on which town to pick and how to spend the day?

Thanks!

You can see both Tällberg and Rättvik in the same day. It's 8 minutes between the towns by train.

hi badger, how many hours would you suggest in each?

It depends on what you are looking for and feel like. And how the weather is. If it was me I'd consider it a spontaneus day. The trains run roughly once an hour and as long as you have the schedule with you it's easy to get from Tällberg to Rättvik when you feel like it.