Accommodation in Hemavan and Tärnaby

Cabin, apartment or hotel?

Accommodation in Hemavan ranges from large cabins to single hotel rooms. The most important choice is the kind of place that suits your group and your trip.

• Cabin or house – more space, often several bedrooms and sometimes a private sauna or terrace. Good for families and groups staying a week and cooking for themselves.
• Apartment – your own kitchen in a smaller space, easier to heat and clean. Good for couples and small families.
• Hotel or mountain station – breakfast and service, no cleaning. Good when there are only a few of you, or for a few nights or a short trip.
• Hostel – simpler and cheaper, handy the night before or after a trip into the mountains.

Cabins and apartments in Hemavan are let by private owners and companies, through agencies and booking sites. Check whether a place is let by the week or by the night.

Where in the village to stay

The E12 road runs through Hemavan and splits the village into an eastern and a western side. The ski area is on the eastern side, with Centrumliften, the main lift, in the middle of the village. The airport is on the western side, in the southern part of the village, about a 10-minute walk from Centrumliften.

• For skiing – stay close to the slopes. Some cabins and apartments are ski-in/ski-out, so you do not have to carry skis and children to the lift every morning.
• For Kungsleden and hiking – stay within walking distance of naturum Vindelfjällen, the visitor centre where Kungsleden (the King's Trail) starts. The night before a multi-day hike, it is good to leave the car behind.
• If you fly in – the airport is in the village, but with a lot of luggage a short walk to your accommodation is worth something.
• If you come by car – distance matters less, but parking and an engine heater socket make a big difference in winter.

When you search, look at the distance to the lift and the map in the listing before you book.

Hotels and hostels

These are the hotels in Hemavan at the moment:

• Hemavans Högfjällshotell – a hotel a few dozen metres from the piste, with single, double and family rooms.
• STF Hemavan Fjällstation – run by the Swedish Tourist Association (STF), with hotel rooms and self-catering and a shared kitchen, about 30 metres from Centrumbacken and close to the start of Kungsleden.
• Hemavan Fjällcenter – hotel rooms and a hostel next to the airport, about 1 km from the start of Kungsleden. There are also pitches with electricity for motorhomes and caravans.

What is included, such as breakfast and bed linen, can differ between room types and seasons.

Staying in Tärnaby

Tärnaby lies about 20 km down the E12. There you will find hotels, cabins and apartments along the foot of Laxfjället, close to the slopes, and camping by the Tärnaån river. Tärnaby Fjällhotell is currently 50–100 metres from the Anja lift, and Tärnaby Sporthotell is next to the Linbanan lift at the western end of the village. The lift pass currently covers both villages, so you can stay in one and ski in both. Hemavan has the airport and the start of Kungsleden.

Travelling with a dog

Only some places accept pets, often for an extra fee and sometimes only in certain rooms or cabins. Filter for pets when you search, read the accommodation's own terms, and ask before you book if the listing does not say. STF Hemavan Fjällstation currently has a limited number of rooms where pets are allowed, Hemavans Högfjällshotell allows pets in some rooms, and Tärnaby Fjällhotell allows dogs in some rooms.

From 1 March to 20 August dogs must not run loose in the countryside, and in Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve the County Administrative Board advises you to keep your dog on a lead at all times.

Check before you book

• Number of beds – count beds, not rooms. A sofa bed or loft bed is not always what everyone had in mind.
• Cleaning and bed linen – in many cabins and apartments these are booked as extras or brought from home.
• Drying room or cabinet – worth a lot after a wet day on the slopes or the trail.
• Parking, engine heater and charging if you come by car.
• Check-in and keys – if you arrive late by plane or bus, make sure you can get in.
• Cancellation terms – read them on the booking site before you confirm.

When to book

New Year, the Swedish school winter holidays and Easter are peak season in Hemavan and Tärnaby. The winter holiday, called sportlov, is normally in one of weeks 7 to 10 – roughly mid-February to early March – and different Swedish municipalities take different weeks, so several busy weeks follow each other. Easter Sunday falls between 22 March and 25 April. If you want to stay near the slopes in these weeks, book early – for sportlov, preferably in the autumn before. The weeks between New Year and sportlov, and the weeks after Easter, are quieter.

In summer, the trails in Vindelfjällen are busiest in late July and early September. If you are walking Kungsleden in those weeks, book the night before in good time. See also when to visit Hemavan.