Tallberg (Tällberg in Swedish) is a very popular small village in Dalarna. It’s said that being in Dalarna without visiting Tallberg is like being at a wedding without seeing the bride. And it’s a beautiful and tranquil place that is only about three square kilometers in size. We went there and checked it out and had an amazing dinner.

Tallberg – hotels everywhere

Tallberg might be the village in Sweden that has the most amount of hotels. There are no less than eight hotels there and together they have about 1500 rooms to offer the 250 000 visitors that come each year. Most of the hotels are old and have a rich history. While walking around in Tallberg, you will see lots of hotels and guesthouses.

Another interesting thing is all of the painted houses that are in the traditional color “Falu Rödfärg” that comes from Falu Gruva (a World Heritage Site). Tallberg is located right by Siljan lake and it makes the perfect place for several nice walks. However, being as small as it is – you don’t need to plan to spend several days here because you will pretty quickly go through it all.

Walk around Tallberg and visit Digerberget

The main highlight is to walk around the town. It’s a seven kilometers walk that takes you to the top of “Digerberget” (The Diger mountain) where you have an amazing view of Siljan lake. There are signs that show you where to walk. However, it’s not always that easy to follow and we ended up taking the help of a GPS to get back to the right track. You also have to be prepared to walk both up- and downhill.

The walk takes you on concrete streets, inside the woods, and on small paths. If you want, you can also find the remains of Axel Munthe’s cornerstones of what was supposed to be a big house. But the doctors and author’s wife didn’t want to live in the forest so it ended up being abandoned. There’s not much to see but you might as well check it out while taking the walk.

Swedens most photographed phone booth

In 1988, the artist Lasse Lindqvist painted a phone booth with the famous Kurbits art. Kurbits is principally used for ornamentation in Swedish folk art and to this day it’s a popular part of Dalarnas history. It is also used for painting a Swedish symbol the Dalahorse.  After Lasse painted the booth, it quickly became the most photographed booth in Sweden. In 2012 it got restored by students and in 2015 it was back at its original place.

The people living in Tallberg call it the “Jewel of Tällberg” and to this day, you can’t pass it without being amazed at how pretty it is. Located on a hill with a fantastic view of Siljan lake and its surroundings. During our visit there, we saw many cars stopping at the phone booth just to get a picture of it. A great thing to check out while visiting Tallberg. And why not visit more nice places with a road trip along lake Siljan?

The maypole – a traditional thing

Another thing that is typical of Dalarna, and Sweden of course, is the famous maypole where the Swedes each year dress up, put flowers in their hair, and dance around. The Midsummers in Tallberg is a huge thing and their maypole is special. It’s decorated with braided birch with wishes of a plentiful harvest. The maypole in this village has several different symbols on it.

The rooster stands for watchfulness. The pennant is donated by every couple that gets married during the year in the village. Utility and togetherness are symbolized on the maypole by the wreaths. The heart symbolizes love and commitment (what else) and the arrows stand for freedom. The 12 bouquets are one for each month of the year and the first symbolize the returning life and the evergreen.

Akerblads is the oldest hotel in Tallberg

Åkerblads Gästgiveri Hotell Spa dates back to the 1400s. It used to be a property where they farmed but they also accepted booking for weddings and parties. It was first in 1910 when they started with the hotel for real and to this day, the hotel remains in the family (19:th – 22:nd generation is running it right now). They offer rooms, a restaurant, and a nice spa. Since we were traveling by motorhome, we didn’t stay at the hotel but we went there for dinner. And as soon as we entered, we were brought back in time.

On the walls of where they serve breakfast, there’s information about the previous owners and it is very nicely made. We believe that the breakfast that’s served here is something special. At least if it is anything like the dinner was. We ended up spending a lot of time here, enjoying our meal.

Dinner at Akerblads restaurant

During our visit to the restaurant, we ended up having a starter and a main course. As a starter, I chose the Artichoke soup with pickled apple. Mini ordered the reindeer with herb creme, pickled mushroom, and onion. They were both really good and we felt like we could have eaten a lot more of it. The soup was creamy and the sourness of the apples made it into the perfect combination.

For our main course, Mini went for the fish. He ordered char with asparagus and spinach. I opted for the lamb roast beef and baked vegetables with parmesan creme and rosemary sauce. Both dishes were really good and it was well plated. The lamb had the perfect taste and it went well together with the rosemary sauce. The food is on the expensive side but it tastes incredible.

Camping in Tallberg

If you are like us and travel to Dalarna with a motorhome, you won’t need a hotel. But no worries, there’s camping that has room for 67 motorhomes or campers. The place also offers cabins and rooms for rent so there’s something for everyone. Located nicely right by Siljan Lake this place is great for the whole family.

Address: Sjögattu 44, Tällberg, Sweden.
Website of Tällberg Camping.

Disclaimer: Our visit to Tällberg was part of a press trip that was arranged by Visit Dalarna. All the thoughts and opinions are our own!