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The Inlandsbanan begins in Mora, making its first stop at ORSA , fifteen minutes up the line, where the nearby Gronklitt bear park (mid-May to late June & late Aug to mid-Sept Mon-Fri 10am-3pm; late June to mid-Aug 10am-6pm, mid-Sept to mid-Oct open Sat & Sun 10am-3pm; 75kr) provides the best chance to see the bears that roam the countryside. The hostel at the park (tel 0250/462 00; under GBP5/$8) has fine facilities. Several hours north of here, the line's halfway point is marked by OSTERSUND . It's a welcoming place, and its Storsjon - or Great Lake - gives it a holiday atmosphere unusual this far north. In summer, you can make a tour of the lake on a steamboat cruise , stopping off on the small island of Veron (June & mid- to late Aug Wed, Fri & Sun at 11am; late June, July & first two weeks of Aug also Tues at 1.30pm, 4pm, 6pm & 7.30pm, Wed at 9pm, Thurs at 3.30pm, Fri at 6.30pm & Sat at 1.30pm, 3.30pm & 5pm; 95kr; also Fri at 6.30pm in high summer; 295kr, including dinner in the castle). Otherwise, the main thing to do in town is to visit Jamtli (late June to mid-Aug daily 11am-5pm; 90kr), an impressive open-air museum fifteen minutes' walk north from the centre along Radhusgatan, full of volunteers milling around in traditional country costume. They live here throughout the summer and everyone is encouraged to join in - baking, tree felling, grass cutting. For kids it's ideal, and you'd have to be pretty hard-bitten not to enjoy the enthusiastic atmosphere. Historical re-enactments are performed from late June to mid-August. On the way in, the Lansmuseum (late June to mid-Aug daily 11am-5pm; rest of year closed Mon; entry covered by the Jamtli ticket) shows off the county collections, a rambling houseful of local exhibits that includes monster-catching gear from the last century. Back in the centre, the town slopes steeply down to the water, and it's tiring work strolling the pedestrianized streets that run around Stortorget. Apart from the Stadmuseum (late June to early Aug daily noon-4pm; rest of year for special exhibitions only; free), a crowded two hundred years of history in a house the size of a shoebox, there's not a vast amount in the way of sights. The harbour is a better bet, from where you can take the bridge over the lake to Froson island, site of the original Viking settlement here. The tourist office is at Radhusgatan 44 (Mon-Fri 9am-5/7/9pm; June also Sat & Sun 9am-3pm; July to early Aug also Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 9am-7pm; tel 063/14 40 01, www.ostersund.se/turist ) and sells the Ostersundskortet (mid-May to mid-Aug; 120kr), giving free access to the town's sights, half-price round trip bus journey (normally 90kr) and half-price on the steamboat cruise for nine days. For a central hotel , try either Hotell Aston , Kopmansgatan 40 (tel 063/51 08 51; GBP15-20/$24-32), or the Hotell Linden , close to the train station at Storgatan 64 (tel 063/51 73 35; GBP20-25/$32-40). During the Storsjoyran festival week (26 & 29 July) rooms are very hard to come by so it's worth booking early. The STF hostel in Ostersund (tel 063/13 91 00; GBP5-10/$8-16) is a ten-minute walk from the train station at Sodra Grongatan 36 in the town centre. More atmospheric is the hostel at Jamtli (tel 063/10 59 84; GBP5-10/$8-16; take bus #2 to the end of the line) - although slightly more expensive, staying there saves on entrance fees to the museum. Campers can stay at either Ostersunds Camping , 2km down Radhusgatan (tel 063/14 46 15), or on Froson island at Froso Camping (tel 063/14 46 15; early June to early Aug; bus #3 or #4 from the centre). For food , try the young and trendy Brunkullans restaurant with its outdoor garden at Postgrand 5, or the daily specials at the Australian Captain Cook, Hamngatan 9 - cheaper than Brunkullans , with live entertainment on Wednesdays, and very popular for drinking too.
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