Freeway - Graduation in Sweden

Åre- The alpine centre of Sweden

Åre, a village where high mountains, lakes and wilderness are mixed with modern attitudes, sport, night life and big adventures. Åre has always been a well visited place. From the pilgrims of the Middle Ages to the "air guests" of the industrialism who were the first tourists of Åre. Today, Åre has about 300.000 visitors per year.

Doesn’t it sound great to wake up in the morning and have fresh bread from the local bakery or why not some chocolate cream from Åredalens Chocolate factory to your morning coffee. A calm breakfast before you are heading for the lively hills. After a refreshing skiing you can go to Åre market place where you can find a mixed collection of stores. Whether you want to find a new ski outfit or something fine for the evening you always find something. In the evening about 50 different restaurants are taking their finest porcelain out. Only round Åre square there are about 10 very good restaurants who serve everything from hamburger plates to three courses dinner with tastes from the big gourmet world. Later in the evening there is a great after-ski waiting for you. And there’s no doubt that you’ll have fun since Åre has the best after-ski in whole alpine Sweden so count with loudness in it’s places.

You don’t have to like skiing to enjoy your stay in Åre. There are a lot of other things to do to while away the time. To cycle from the top of Åreskutan, which is at about 1420 m, is a very neck-breaking experience. You can also try stream warp which is very popular in the spring when the snow is melting into the streams. The fishing is also fantastic in the fresh and clear water. Berry picking has it’s pursuers, so has the mountain wandering, climbing, golf and open-air life as a rule.

For the Children
There are of course opportunities for the children who don’t want to ski. There are a lot of places where they can build snow caves, there is a mining village where they can play or they can just have nice time in the warmth cottage.

Where to Stay
When you come as a tourist to Åre you got about 20 hotels and cottage villages of high standard to choose from. There are also rooms and apartments to rent by private renters.

Events
Every year Åre has some discount weeks, designed for different groups in the society, to make more people come to the already well visited place. There are for example student-weeks, girl-weeks and a gay-week. Åre has also arranged the World Championship in down-hill skiing and many of the Swedish down-hill skiers have their training there.

Celebrities
If you’re lucky you can, during your stay in Åre, get a glimpse of some Swedish stars go down the hills. You can even meet the Royal family, who has a cottage not far from the village. If you don’t meet any celebrities there you will surely meet them at the after-ski.

Lift capacity and pistes
About 100 years ago the first ski-track was made in the newly-fallen snow in Åre. Since that Åre has become Scandinavia’s biggest ski-resort. Åre has 49 lifts, totally 96 km of pistes, 90 different ski-runs to chose from and the longest one is 6,5 km. There are also a lot of offpist areas in Åre for the cross-country skiers there are 75km prepared pistes. Many of them are equipped with lighting appliances.

Night-skiing
Some pistes in Åre are open even after the dark has fallen . Åre is the only ski resort where you need sunglasses after the sunset. Enormous lighting appliances have been build in two of Åre’s best pistes.

Ski-school
In Åre there are ski-schools for both adults and children. There are classes for slalom, snowboard, offpist, cross-country skiing and telemark. Besides the ski teachers help you to find the right skis and pistes for you, you can have lessons at night, private lessons or lessons in group. In the ski-school for children there is more then ski-training and it is as much fun as training. There are after ski with games and entertainment. In the ski-school you do more than just learn to ski, you can also meet some new friends, or spend time with your old friends and discover the beautiful pistes on Åre mountain.

You can’t really escape the fact that Åre is a paradise for many. The high pulse and the lively night life. Villages perfect for families with children, and other villages entice the youth with exiting and changing hills. A pleasant place for a pleasant vacation.