‘While what lies beyond the City Hall is a fairly nondescript mix of apartments, shops and offices, Kungsholmen does also have a sprinkling of tranquil parks and some neighbourhood restaurants…’*
Thus, Time Out Stockholm damns my island with faint praise. But Kungsholmen, in this humble inhabitant’s opinion is one of the most fantastic areas of Stockholm to live. It isn’t just the magnificent City Hall, which even the Lonely Planet can’t sneer at. It isn’t the fact that you can walk (yes, walk) to Central Station. It’s the make up of the island overall.
Stockholm tourist guides are very fond of talking about the capital being 1/3 urban city, 1/3 parks and 1/3 water. In nowhere is that more true than in Kungsholmen. From my flat, on Kungsholmsgatan, it’s a short stroll to some of the best restaurants in town. I’m thinking of the beautiful Wijnjas, which sources the widest selection of cheese I’ve ever seen and pairs them up with exquisite wines. Or the fabulous Tabbouli, which serves up an all-you-can-eat Lebanese mezze that leaves you stuffed but still wanting more. And… oh, but I’ve got a word limit. You’ll have to come visit.
.jpg)
The parks in Kungsholmen are positioned by the water, but then it’s difficult not to hit the water here. North, South, East and West, I trundle my baby along in her pram and each time, we reach another area of water where anyone is allowed to fish, swim or sail in. Oh, and did I mention the beach? Stockholmers regularly pile up on the archipelago to get some Swedish sun, sea and sand over the summer. But us Kungsholmers just walk down Strandpromenaden (one of the prettiest walks in any country) to our little ‘private’ beach on Rålambshovsparken.
So the pros of Kungsholmen are easy for me to expound on, but there are some cons. It is expensive. And it’s even more expensive if you have a car (although why would you need one?) Also, there are two sides to Kungsholmen. The Eastern part is all I’ve described, with fantastic links to the 3 huge supermarkets and the mall in Fridhemsplan. If you’re way out West, you’re just not as well connected, nor are there as many restaurants and shops. However, you can still get to those places relatively easily and you always have the parks and the water, which make Kungsholmen what it is. For me, that’s Stockholm distilled into one Swedish mile.
*Time Out Stockholm 2008, p91
Written by Farrah Gillani
Links to Kungsholmen
Kungsholmen Municipal Site - Swedish
Kungsholmen Municipal Site - English, under City Districts
Kungsholmen Info - Swedish
Local Newspaper online - Swedish
Kungsholmen on Wikipedia
.jpg)