Central Sweden - The Rough Guide to Sweden - page 304

mountains. Room s have private f facilities or share with just
one other. Dorms 210kr , doubles 500kr
Nya Pensionatet Prästgatan 65 T 063 10 20 05,
W nyapensionatet.se. The cheapest place in town, this
tastefully decorated guesthouse dating from around 1900
has just six rooms; all bar one have washbasins, but the
bathrooms are shared. There's access to a microwave, fridge
and kettle, too. 650kr
Rallaren Hostel Bangårdsgatan 6 T 063 13 22 32,
W rallarens.se. Accessed from the platform at the train
station, this hostel has dorm beds in rooms sleeping 2-6.
Bear in mind that the noise from passi ng goo ds trains in
the night may disturb your sleep. Dorms 160kr

Scandic Östersund City Kyrkgatan 70 T 063 57 57 00,
W scandichotels.se. A massive modern hotel with 126
newly renovated rooms; high on Scandinavian design and
quality - with wooden floors and leather armchairs. The
location, too, i is unbeatable, right in the heart of the city.
850kr/1340kr

CAMPING
Östersunds Stugby & Camping Krondikesvägen 95C
T 063 14 46 15, W camping.se/z11. Located a couple of
kilometres south of the town centre and perfect for the
fantastic indoor swimming compl ex, Storsj öbadet . There
are also cottages here. Tents 140kr , cottages 690kr

EATING AND DRINKING

Athena Stortorget 3 T 063 51 63 44. Tucked away in one
corner of Stortorget, this rather dingy place serves tasty,
authentic pizzas from 75kr, as well as steaks from 255kr.
The house speciality is lamb chops marinated in rosemary
served with fried mushrooms and Greek salad for 228kr.
Mon-Wed 2-9.30pm, Thurs & Fri 2pm-10pm, Sat
noon-10pm, Sun 1-9pm.
Brunkullans Krog Postgränd 5 T 063 10 14 54. This
old-fashioned, home-from-home restaurant, with polished
lanterns and a heavy wooden interior dating from the
1880s, offers modern Swedish dishes, such as oven-baked
salmon and marinated chicken breast for 199kr. Tues-Sat
5pm till late.
Captain Cook Hamngatan 9 T 063 12 60 90. This
moderately priced place has a selection of delicious
Australian-style specials that really draw in the crowds -
try the Bushman sandwich with bacon and coleslaw
(109kr) or an Aussie burger (139kr). Another favourite is
the grilled salmon with whitefish roe (195kr). Tues
5-10pm, Wed & Thurs 5pm-midnight, Fri 4pm-2am,
Sat 5pm-2am.
Cuprum Biblioteksgatan 5 T 063 10 64 64. A newly
opened lounge bar and restaurant serving winning dishes
such as venison steak (253kr), Arctic char (224kr) and
cannelloni unusually, though tastily, stuffed with ricotta
and cauliflower (176kr). Mon-Thurs & Sun 4pm-2am,
Fri & Sat 3pm-2am.

Eastern Palace Storgatan 15 T 063 51 00 15. The
town's best Chinese restaurant with an enormous central
aquarium and giant Ming vases, with the usual dishes from
115kr. They also have a number of Szechuan mains for
115-170kr and an evening Mongolian barbecue and
Korean buffet at 135kr. Mon-Thurs 11am-10pm, Fri
11am-11pm, Sat 1-11pm, Sun 2.30-9pm.
En Liten Röd Brogränd 19 T 063 12 63 26. A cosy
neighbourhood restaurant with a good choice of meat
dishes from 235kr and a selection of fondues: chocolate
fondue for two people (145kr), cheese fondue for two
(235kr) and a delicious seafood fondue for four people
(565kr). All fondues, except the meat one, should be
ordered one day in advance. Mon-Sat 5-10.30pm.
Ì Paviljong Prästgatan 50B T 063 13 00 99. The
modest interior decor may suggest otherwise, but this is the
best Indonesian/Thai restaurant in central Sweden - make
the most of it, and try the excellent massamam chicken
curry or chicken with garlic chilli and Thai basil (both 129kr).
Mon-Thurs & Sun 1-9pm, Fri & Sat 1-10pm.
Sir Winston Prästgatan 19 T 06310 68 00. An English-
style pub with carpets, wooden wall panels and chandeliers
overlooking the main square with locally sourced mains
like elk entrecôte marinated in juniper (245kr), Arctic char
with crayfish tails (195kr) and burgers with smoked ham
from Jämtland (135kr). Mon-Fri & Sun 4pm-midnight,
Sat 4pm-1am.

8

GO WEST: PILGRIMS AND VIKINGS
Heading west from Östersund, the E14 and the train line follow the course trudged by
medieval pilgrims on their way to Nidaros (now Trondheim in Norway) over the border, a
twisting route that threads its way through sharp-edged mountains rising high above a bevy
of fast-flowing streams and deep, cold lakes. Time and again, the eastern Vikings assembled
their armies beside the holy Storsjön lake to begin the long march west, most famously in
1030, when King Olaf of Norway collected his mercenaries for the campaign that led to his
death at the Battle of Stiklestad.
Today, although the scenery is splendid, the only real attractions en route are the winter
skiing and summer walking centres of Åre (see p.308) and Storlien (see p.309).