Mora and Lake Siljan

Mora is small — about 20,000 people in the whole municipality — but it holds Anders and Emma Zorn’s collections, the finish line of Vasaloppet and the Dala horse village next door. Here’s what is open when, what has closed, and how the lake round fits together.

When you need this

You’re deciding whether to base yourself in Mora or elsewhere on Lake Siljan, and want to know what the town itself has to see. Maybe you want to visit the Zorn museum or Zorngården and need hours, prices and tour rules, or you’re coming for Vasaloppet week. Perhaps you’ve read about a Vasaloppet museum in Mora — or you’re planning a loop round the lake and need real distances.

Mora and the lake at a glance

Mora (Mora kommun) had 20,436 inhabitants in mid-2026. It sits at the end of the regional Siljan line, which runs Mora C – Rättvik – Tällberg – Leksand – Insjön – Borlänge, so the three main lake towns are linked by train.

Lake Siljan is Sweden’s seventh-largest lake by area, about 293 km², up to 134 m deep and 27.8 m deep on average, according to SMHI, the national hydrological agency. Its biggest inflows are the rivers Österdalälven and Oreälven, and it drains at Leksand at the end of a 12 km bay. The lake lies in the Siljansringen (Siljan ring), the trace of a meteorite impact 377 million years ago that left a crater 52 km across, according to the Geological Survey of Sweden.

Distances, by our own route measurement (pure driving time):

A loop from Mora through Rättvik and Leksand and back is about 117 km — nearly two hours behind the wheel before you stop anywhere. Give it a day, or take the train one way. For the wider county — Falun, Carl Larsson-gården and the mountains — see our Dalarna guide.

The Zorn collections

Anders and Emma Zorn left almost everything they owned to the Swedish state: some 60 buildings and nearly 20,000 objects, including 180 Rembrandt etchings. The collections are spread over four sites in Mora — Zornmuseet, Zorngården, Zorns gammelgård with the textile chamber (Textilkammaren), and Gopsmor.

Zornmuseet is the museum of Zorn’s art and collections. Parts of it are closed for rehanging from 1 September to 28 November 2026, with reduced admission meanwhile; a new permanent exhibition is shown from the Christmas market on 29 November. The museum is cashless, so bring a card. It has an automatic entrance door and a lift to every floor, pushchairs are allowed, and there’s plenty of public parking on Vasagatan opposite.

Zorngården is the couple’s home. It passed to the state on Emma Zorn’s death and opened to the public in 1942. You can only see it on a guided tour (guidad visning), places are limited and photography inside is not allowed, so pre-book.

Two things catch visitors out. First, Mondays: until 4 June 2027 the museum is shut and Zorngården has no tours that day. Second, access. Zorngården, Zorns gammelgård and Gopsmor all have steep stairs, narrow doorways and high thresholds, so wheelchairs, rollators and pushchairs can’t go in. A step-free visit means Zornmuseet, not the Zorns’ home. There are no toilets at Zorngården or Gopsmor; the accessible ones are at Zornmuseet and Textilkammaren.

The Vasaloppet finish and the Gustav Vasa statue

Vasaloppet, 90 km from Sälen, ends in Mora. The finish portal (målportalen) stands by the bell tower (Klockstapeln) at the end of a 340 m home straight. The 2027 race is on Sunday 7 March, at the end of the Vasaloppet winter week.

Right by the finish stands Anders Zorn’s statue of Gustav Vasa, made in 1903 by the Mora-born artist. It is on the hill where, according to Mora kommun, Gustav Vasa spoke to the people of Mora in 1520. The statue stands on a granite block from Krångåsen’s summer farm, with an inscription in the local dialect. Both the finish and the statue are public places, free to see all year.

The Vasaloppet museum is gone. Many travel sites and directories still list a “Vasaloppsmuseet” in Mora with opening hours. The organiser’s own FAQ says it no longer exists, and points visitors instead to Mora-Nisses hus, opposite Vasaloppets hus, open all summer Tuesday to Sunday 12:00–18:00 (sometimes closing at 17:00). Don’t plan a winter visit around a museum.

Race week changes the town. Mora kommun counted over 50,000 visitors during the 2026 winter week, and closed several central streets — Badstugatan and Kaplansgatan had a vehicle ban from 16 February to 3 March. Expect the same pattern in 2027 and read the municipality’s traffic notice before you drive in.

Round the lake: Nusnäs, Rättvik, Leksand

Nusnäs, 11 km from Mora, is the village where the Dala horse (dalahäst) tradition lives on. Forest workers in the villages around Mora started carving the wooden horses in the 1700s. Our Swedish souvenirs guide covers the craft.

Rättvik, 38 km from Mora on the rail line, has Långbryggan (the long pier): 628 m of wooden pier built in 1895 as the landing for the steamer S/S Rättvik. It was reopened on 6 June 1992 after a renovation partly paid for by selling 2,938 named planks. Rättvik’s heritage farm (gammelgård) and its maypole ground are always open.

Tällberg is a stop on the Siljan line between Rättvik and Leksand.

Leksand, 58 km from Mora, is where Siljan drains. It is also the place for a public Midsummer: the municipality runs central Leksand’s celebration in an open area called Gropen, with around 30,000 visitors, and about 90 villages around it celebrate from a week before the Midsummer weekend and through much of the summer. Midsummer Eve is Friday 25 June in 2027. See our Midsummer events guide.

Getting there and around

Season by season

Practical information

FAQ

What is there to see in Mora, Sweden?

Mora’s main sights are the Zorn collections: Zornmuseet with Anders Zorn’s art, and Zorngården, the artist couple’s home, shown only on guided tours. In town you find the Vasaloppet finish portal by the bell tower and Zorn’s 1903 statue of Gustav Vasa beside it. The Dala horse village of Nusnäs is 11 km away.

Is there a Vasaloppet museum in Mora?

Not any more. The Vasaloppet organiser says Vasaloppsmuseet no longer exists, although older guides still list it. Instead it points visitors to Mora-Nisses hus, opposite Vasaloppets hus, open all summer Tuesday to Sunday 12:00–18:00, sometimes closing at 17:00. The finish portal and the Gustav Vasa statue in Mora are free to see all year.

How do you visit Zorngården?

Zorngården, Anders and Emma Zorn’s home in Mora, can only be seen on a guided tour, places are limited and photography inside is not allowed, so book ahead. Until 4 June 2027 tours run Tuesday to Sunday with at least one English tour a day. An adult ticket was 150 SEK at our check. Steep stairs and high thresholds make it unsuitable for wheelchairs.

How far is Mora from Rättvik and Leksand?

By our own route measurement Mora to Rättvik is 38 km, about 36 minutes by car, and Mora to Leksand 58 km, about 55 minutes. A loop from Mora through Rättvik and Leksand and back is about 117 km, nearly two hours of pure driving. The regional Siljan train also links all three towns, so you can go one way by rail.

How big is Lake Siljan?

Siljan is Sweden’s seventh-largest lake by area, about 293 square kilometres, according to SMHI. It is up to 134 metres deep, 27.8 metres on average, and drains at Leksand. It lies in the Siljan ring, the trace of a meteorite impact 377 million years ago that left a crater 52 kilometres across, according to the Geological Survey of Sweden.

Can you get to Mora without a car?

Yes. Mora is the end of the regional Siljan line through Leksand and Rättvik, and line 50 runs Mora–Borlänge–Sala; plan through-journeys from Stockholm in a journey planner. Local Dalatrafik buses take card or app payment, not listed cash. In summer the Inlandsbanan tourist train leaves Mora for Östersund, and a state-procured flight to Arlanda runs until at least October 2027.

Related guides

• Dalarna — the county hub: Falun’s copper mine, Carl Larsson-gården and the ski mountains.
• Vasaloppet — the 2027 race week, entries and getting to the start in Sälen.
• Midsummer events — Leksand and Rättvik in detail, with dated programmes.
• Inlandsbanan — the summer train north from Mora.
• Other small towns: Ystad and Smögen and Fjällbacka.

Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: SMHI, SGU, SCB, Mora kommun, Rättviks kommun, Leksands kommun, Dalatrafik, Trafikverket, Transportstyrelsen, Riksdagen, Zornsamlingarna, Vasaloppet, Tåg i Bergslagen, Destination Inlandsbanan, OSRM route measurements — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.