What to do in Dorotea in Sweden

Hej hej! Welcome to “my village” Dorotea in Sweden! Since the summer of 2023 I live in Dorotea in Swedish Lapland and in this article I will tell you more about my hometown. About what to do there, where to stay, the best hiking trails and more tips. Välkommen!

Dorotea is one of the smallest kommuns (municipalities) in Sweden, in terms of population. The municipality of Dorotea consists of the village of Dorotea, the Borgafjäll region and several small surrounding villages and settlements. The village of Dorotea has about 1.500 inhabitants, but despite this small population, it has everything you need, such as two supermarkets, a pharmacy, a swimming pool, a gym and a cinema and a small hospital (although I hope you don’t need it).

Dorotea is the first village you come across when you cross the border from Swedish Lapland via the E45 to the north of Sweden. Just past this invisible border you come to a fork in the road: turn right for going into Dorotea, turn left for heading into Borgafjäll, where the road eventually ends.

The name Dorotea comes from Queen Frederika Dorotea Vilhelmina, the wife of King Gustaf Adolf IV. Frederika and Vilhelmina are also villages in Southern Lapland.

Let me be honest, as a tourist there’s note that much to do in Dorotea. In the winter, like in every village in Lapland, you can go dog sledding, snowmobiling and do that kind of activities. In the summer there are some walks that are worth it, I will tell you more about that further down in this article.

Dorotea doesn’t have any really special sights. You can go to the Husvagnsmuseum (caravan museum) opposite the Polar factory or visit the church, beautifully situated on a hill above the village, where you can find some works of art by Carl Milles. The adjacent Hembygdsgården is also worth it. Note that all these attractions are only open in summer time!

There are several nice hikes in and around Dorotea. I have tried them all in the meantime and can recommend the following routes:

• The walk around the lake Bergvattensjön, approx. 3 kilometres. Starts from the town centre.
• Prästhällan, or the hill of the priest. 1 km from the car park of Hotell Dorotea. From the top you have a beautiful view over the mountains of South Lapland.
• Lillbergforsen, a nine kilometre walk (return) to the river Fjällån. Goes through marshes and forest and at the end you will find a beautiful shelter for a fika.
• I also tried the Kyrkstigan between Dorotea and Avaträsk but I did not recommend it. Poorly maintained and little to see along the way.

The most beautiful hiking trails can be found in Borgafjäll, but there will be an longer blog about that later this year since I haven’t tried all the trails there yet. The most beautiful trail I’ve done here so far is the one to Klöverfjäll.

The local bakery, Konditori Dorotea, is my favorite place to go. They make really delicious cakes and I’ve been told it’s the best bakery in Lapland. It’s always busy, so I recommend it. For a day’s lunch, go to Doro Camp and for dinner I can recommend Anki’s Bar and Pizzeria. Not super special, but the best Dorotea has to offer and a tasty dinner!

The only camp site in Dototea is Doro Camp, located just outside the village. They have camping spots as well as cabins. Hotell Dorotea has recently closed, so Doro Camp is your only option in town. However I would advise you to drive onto or the Vildmarksvägen, where there’s more overnight options.

Dorotea is located on the E45 that crosses the village, the E45 is the main road from the south of Sweden to the far north. Dorotea is also easily accessible by bus, there are several daily connections to Vilhelmina, Umeå and Östersund with Länstrafik Västerbotten. In the summer you can reach Dorotea by train with the Inlandsbanan. By plane you can go to South Lapland Airport in Vilhelmina and with Bäckströms Transport you can book a transfer to Dorotea for 200 SEK per person. There’s plenty of possibilities to get here.

If you are traveling through Dorotea this summer, you now know what there is to experience here. I wish you a lot of fun in Sweden and who knows, maybe we will bump into each other somewhere!

If you want to read more, you will also like the following articles:

• Driving in Sweden – all you need to know
• The most beautiful places in Sweden for your bucket list
• The best cities in Sweden to visit

Or check out my Sweden page with more than 50 articles about Sweden.

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