What to See in Östersund, Sweden: Free Audio Guide

Looking for things to do in Östersund? The capital of Jämtland sits on the eastern shore of Lake Storsjön, opposite the island of Frösön, and combines regional history, Sámi culture, art and distinctive lakeside landscapes. A free Östersund audio guide from Neywo covers 28 narrated places, making it easy to explore the city independently.

What to See in Östersund

Jamtli

Jamtli is the regional open-air museum of Jämtland and Härjedalen, combining historical buildings across its grounds with indoor permanent and temporary exhibitions. Its name comes from the local dialect and means “the hillside of Jämtland”.

The museum is especially known for living history. Since the 1980s, actors have portrayed everyday life in historical settings through the Jamtli Historyland project, launched in 1986. The museum was founded in 1912 by three local societies, and its original building opened in 1930.

Nationalmuseum Jamtli

Within the Jamtli museum area, Nationalmuseum Jamtli presents art through a collaboration between Jamtli and Nationalmuseum, Sweden’s national museum of fine arts. Opened in June 2018, the building includes an exhibition hall and an art education workshop.

The museum brings works from Nationalmuseum’s collection to Östersund while connecting them with Jamtli’s educational programme.

Gaaltije

Gaaltije is a Southern Sámi museum and cultural centre housed in the historic Tullkammaren building. Its name means “cold spring” in Southern Sámi.

The centre explores Southern Sámi language, history, culture, livelihoods, art, crafts, business and community life. It was inaugurated in 1999 and has also worked with institutions in Norway and northern Sweden to document Southern Sámi history and cultural landscapes.

Östersunds gamla kyrka

Östersunds gamla kyrka, usually called Gamla kyrkan, is a historic church in the Staden district in central Östersund. It stands roughly 800 metres north of the city’s larger main church, Stora kyrkan.

Its central location makes it a natural stop while exploring the older parts of the city.

Great Church

The Great Church, or Stora kyrkan, is a Church of Sweden building in central Östersund. It stands in the Söder district, near Österängsparken, around 800 metres south of Östersunds gamla kyrka.

Together, the two churches offer an easy way to experience different parts of Östersund’s urban centre on foot.

Lake Storsjön

Storsjön, meaning “the Great Lake”, is the fifth-largest lake in Sweden and the largest in central Sweden. Östersund stretches along its eastern shore, facing Frösön.

The lake covers around 460 square kilometres and reaches a greatest depth of 74 metres. Its bays and sounds shape the landscape around the city, with high mountains to the west and extensive forests to the east. Storsjön is also associated with the legend of Storsjöodjuret, a lake monster whose reported appearance varies from one sighting to another.

Frösö Church and Sommarhagen

Across the water on Frösön, Frösö Church is a much-loved landmark and the parish church for Frösö, Sunne and Norderö. The island is also home to Sommarhagen, the former summer home of composer Wilhelm Peterson-Berger.

Built between 1913 and 1914, Sommarhagen combines National Romantic and Art Nouveau influences. The Jämtland artist Paul Jonze decorated the interior, including the two-storey Music Hall, while the upper floor contained the composer’s study, library and guest rooms.

Hornsbergskyrkan

Hornsbergskyrkan is a modern church in the centre of Frösön. It was inaugurated in 1966 as part of a larger project creating a new administrative centre, which combined the church with a civic hall.

The complex was designed by architect Yngve Tegnér together with a group of architects and artists. It serves the Frösö, Sunne and Norderö parish within the Diocese of Härnösand.

Heliga ljusets kyrka

At Torvalla Centrum, Heliga ljusets kyrka—the Church of the Holy Light—is shared by the Church of Sweden and the Evangelical Free Church, EFS. The red-brick building was designed by architect Rolf Bergh and built in 1988.

Its tower is topped by a mountain hawk, or fjällripa, while stained-glass windows bring colour into the interior.

Häggenås, Lockne, Lit and Näs churches

The wider municipality includes several smaller churches that reflect the religious and community history of the surrounding settlements. Häggenås Church stands in the village of Häggenås. Lockne Church serves Lockne parish and has long been a local spiritual and community focal point.

Lits Church is in Klösta, around two kilometres west of the Lit area along the Indalsälven river, and serves the Häggenås-Lit-Kyrkås parish. Näs kyrka is located in Näs, within Östersund Municipality.

Explore Östersund with a Self-Guided Tour

For an independent way to discover the city, Neywo offers one walking tour and one bike route in Östersund. The walking tour, The Winter City on Storsjön: From Customs House to Viking Stone, covers 4 km in about 92 minutes and includes 7 narrated stops. It visits the Great Church, Gaaltije, Östersunds gamla kyrka, Östersund, Jamtli, Frösö Runestone and Hornsbergskyrkan.

The bike route, Cycle Paths from the Viking Stone to Torvalla, covers 10.8 km in about 54 minutes and has 4 stops: Frösö Runestone, Gaaltije, the Great Church and Ängsmokyrkan.

Download Neywo for Östersund

Download Neywo and explore Östersund with 28 narrated places, one walking tour and one bike route. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

Östersund is part of Sweden, a country with plenty more cities to discover, from Umeå and Stockholm to Gothenburg.