In Swedish it’s called Fäbod and we had a hard time finding the English word for it. Think of a farm – an eco-farm with barn animals and lots of things to see and explore. We got to visit Karl-Tövåsens Fäbod and we liked it a lot. This is the oldest running Fäbod in all of Sweden!

What is a Fäbod?

So, a Fäbod is loosely translated into a chalet. It’s like an ecological farm that is only run during summer. A lot of them are open to the public and some even offer guided tours. A visit to a Fäbod is like going back in time and going back to the basics. The different places offer different experiences and we only visited Karl-Tövåsens Fäbod. We chose that one because it’s the longest-running in Sweden.

A lot of these places are made up of small barns, chalets, and houses and create like a micro village. The animals are free walking and we believe that they reflect the past. This is how it used to be. Used to be before the world got so crowded and before we started mass consuming meat. It makes for a nice excursion for both children and adults to visit a fäbod in Dalarna.

Today, there are only about 100 active fäbodar left in Sweden!

Karl-Tövåsens Fäbod

As I mentioned before, Karl-Tövåsens Fäbod is the oldest chalet in the country that is still up and running. Exactly how old it is – no one can tell but a fact is that it has been running each summer since 1663. Today, it is run by Tin and her family. Tin came here for the first time in 1992 and she fell in love with this place. In 2006, she came back and bought the place and since then Tin has been the proud owner of this place.

During summer, the chalet is open for visitors and you can come here and learn more about how this place is run. You are welcome to walk around and twice a day, there are guided tours that will teach you more about Karl Tövåsens Fäbod. And it is a special feeling being here – walking among the small houses and seeing all the farm animals.

How to spend your day here?

This is the place where you come to learn more about farm animals and the past times. This place had its golden years during the middle of the 1800s. Today there are eight cows (that provide the milk), eight calves, six pigs, two horses, and four small goats. Twice a day, there is a guided tour of the farm. After the tour, you are free to walk around and explore on your own. However, there’s more to this place than just watching animals – here you can also see how butter is made!

If you are lucky, you might see Anna washing and making the butter. It’s all made by hand and after seeing the process – you can either buy a crispbread sandwich with the freshly made butter, or you can buy butter to bring back home with you. You can also buy cheese. Did you know that you need ten liters of milk to make one kilogram of cheese? After your visit, stop by the café and shop to taste their delights!

You need 20 liters of milk to make 1 kilo of butter – but oh, how great the butter tastes!

Our visit to Karl Tövåsens

As we were driving to get to the chalet, we saw cows strolling the pastures. At first, we both felt that it was staged and thought they had let the cows out to hype up the place. It turned out that we were wrong – their cows were walking freely, strolling around, and grazing all day. We had a great visit and were surprised that there were so many people here. Even before they opened, there was a line to enter.

We ended up spending several hours here, cuddling with all the animals and enjoying life. Visit a Fäbod is a great way to learn more about Dalarna’s rich history with farm life. We are pretty sure that if you travel with children, this will for sure be a highlight of your trip. This is a must-visit during a summer vacation in Dalarna.

Things to do nearby

• If you are looking to see some predators, you might want to visit the Orsa Rovdjurspark – a predator park with a focus on bears.
• Or why not go for a road trip around Siljan with loads of nice places to visit.

Information about Karl-Tövåsens Fäbod

Address: 795 95 Vikarbyn.
Entrance fee: About 10 euros per adult. However, when you pay the entrance fee – you’ll get a button and after that, you can visit as often as you want just by showing your button.
Opening hours: During the summer, it is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12.00 to 16.00. The guided tour is at 12.30 and 15.00.
Website of Karl-Tövåsens Fäbod.

Visit a Fäbod in Dalarna – other chalets to visit:

• Torrlids levande fäbod – Torrlidsvägen, 796 90.
• Grejsans fäbod – Unnamed Road, 790 26, 790 26 Enviken.
• Levande fäboden i Arvselen, Täpp Lars Arnesson – Arvselen, 782 91.
• Prestbodarnas fäbod – 790 26 Dådran.
• Ärteråsens fäbodar – Furugårdsvägen 4A, 790 70 Furudal.
• Skräddar-Djurberga – Unnamed Road 794 91, Orsa.
• Gessi fäbodar – 796 99 Älvdalen.
• Indnäs fäbod – 792 96 Våmhus.