The Falun Mine is the reason most visitors come here, and it justifies the journey on its own. Beyond the mine, Falun has a well-preserved 17th-century town plan, a fine parish church, and the Lugnet sports complex that has hosted World Cup cross-country skiing and the Nordic World Ski Championships. The surrounding Dalarna landscape — red farmhouses, birch forests, frozen lakes in winter — is the Sweden of picture books, and Falun is the natural base for exploring it.