One of Sweden’s friendliest cities packs literary credentials, world-famous coffee and tons of parks onto the shores of the country’s biggest lake.
Visit Karlstad, known in Sweden and beyond for its literally sunny disposition. One of the sunniest cities in the country, it also acquired its reputation from the charms of Eva-Lisa Holtz, an 18th-century waitress whose cheer infected the whole town. Pay a visit to the statue honoring her in town. Make jaunts to the city’s well-known cultural establishments and enjoy long summer afternoons on the banks of Lake Vänern.
Begin the day with a visit to Löfbergs, one of Sweden’s largest and best-known coffee roasters, for a typical way to start the day. While away a morning in the Sandsgrund, a former nightclub now devoted to Lars Lerin, the famous Swedish watercolor artist.
Just outside town, visit Mårbacka, the childhood home of Selma Lagerlöf, the first female Nobel laureate for literature. See very different 20th-century history at the Brigadmuseum, dedicated to Sweden’s experience in the Cold War.
Karlstad’s lake was mentioned in Beowulf. When the weather is nice it is impossible to resist visiting its shores. Head to the Mariebergsskogen, the city park beloved of children and full of ice skaters in winter. Bring a picnic to Stadsträdgården or just walk through the frosted countryside. In the summer, borrow a bike for free from downtown and cycle through the idyllic nearby countryside on the Klarälvsbanan, once a railroad line.
Located roughly equidistant from Stockholm, Gothenburg and Oslo, Karlstad is relatively easily accessible. Fly into Karlstad Airport from limited European destinations. Travel by train from any of those three major cities in 2 hours or drive in 3 hours. Though Karlstad itself is easily accessible by public transportation, the natural areas nearby are best explored by private vehicle, which you can rent in the city.
Karlstad is one of Sweden’s sunniest cities, but be prepared for winters that can be very cold and dark. There’s no better way to acclimate to the sometimes brutal Karlstad winter than with a visit to the sauna, a sure cure for chilly toes.
