Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
former
militar
y buildin
g locat
ed just 1km from the centre.
Dorms
200kr,
doubles
560kr
Scandic Karlstad City
Drottninggatan 4
T
054 770 55
00,
W
scandichotels.com.
One of the most stylish hotels
in town, its Nordic minimalist decor and warm wooden
floors represent Swedish design at its best; superior rooms
608-620 have t
heir own balcony
and cost just 200kr extra
- well worth it.
1020kr/1410kr
Solsta
Drottninggatan 13
T
054 15 68 45,
W
solstahotell
.se.
A good, central budget option on the city's main shopping
street with cable TV and fridge in all
rooms and acc
ess to a
microwave and kettle for self-catering.
805kr/995kr
CAMPING
First Camp Karlstad Skutberget
Skutberget
T
054
53 51 20,
W
firstcamp.se/karlstad; bus #56 runs from
Storatorget via the bus station between mid-June and
mid-Aug.
A 7km drive west out of the town along the E18,
located beyond IKE
A, besi
de Lake
Vänern
. Also has cabins.
Open all year. Tents
140kr
, cabins
445kr
Karlstad Swecamp Bomstad-Baden
Bomstad-
Baden
T
054 53 50 68,
W
bomstadbaden.se; bus #56
runs from Storatorget mid-June to mid-Aug.
Beautifully
situated on the shore of La
ke Väne
rn, wit
h a wid
e range of
cabins. Open all year. Tents
140kr
, cabins
440kr
EATING AND NIGHTLIFE
Båten
Älvgatan 4
T
054 10 11 63.
An upmarket fish
restaurant housed on a boat moored close to the main
square, serving sophisticated dishes such as cod steak with
lobster terrine and zander with chive sauce (around 290kr).
Tues-Thurs 5pm-midnight, Fri & Sat 5pm-1am.
Bishops Arms
Kungsgatan 22.
Classic British-style pub
enjoying a great location overlooking the river, with
outdoor seating in summer and a wide range of beers. It's
also a popular spot for a bite to eat, serving pub meals such
as burgers and steaks.
Mon-Thurs 4pm-midnight, Fri &
Sat 4pm-1am, Sun 4pm-11pm.
Fontana di Trevi
Järnvägsgatan 8
T
054 21 05 00.
Karlstad's best Italian restaurant, with suspended brass
lanterns and a beamed ceiling that create an intimate and
romantic atmosphere. Pizzas cost from 87kr, while there
are mains such as an excellent breast of chicken stuffed
with Parma ham and mozzarella for 185kr.
Mon-Thurs
11am-10pm, Fri 11am-11pm, Sat noon-11pm, Sun
noon-8pm.
Glada Ankan
Kungsgatan 12
T
054 21 05 51.
A lively
first-floor restaurant with a balcony overlooking the main
square, with burgers, pizzas and burritos from 139kr,
chicken breast with salad for 189kr and salmon fillet at
179kr.
Mon-Thurs 5pm-11pm, Fri 11am-11pm, Sat
3pm-11pm.
Harry's
Kungsgatan 16
T
054 10 20 20.
There's a
wooden Native American figure to welcome guests, half-
built brick walls and chandeliers at every turn. It's one of
Karlstad's most popular eating spots with cheeseburgers
(159kr), chicken risotto (189kr), smoked salmon (179kr),
halibut (229kr) and steak (215kr).
Mon & Tues 4-11pm,
Wed & Fri 4pm-2am, Thurs 4pm-1am, Sat 2pm-2am.
Leprechaun
Östra Torggatan 4.
Small and dark,
Karlstad's best Irish pub is a firm favourite, particularly for
its Irish jam evenings and whiskey-tasting sessions which
make use of the pub's impressive array of bottles.
Mon &
Tues 4-11pm, Wed & Thurs 4pm-midnight, Fri
3pm-1am, Sat 1pm-1am.
Ì
Tom-Yam
Drottninggatan 35
T
054 18 51 00.
Authentic Thai food is served up here by a friendly Swedish
guy and his Thai wife: red salmon curry (192kr), stir-fried
chicken with roast cashews in oyster sauce (169kr) or an
exceptional beef massamam curry (179kr).
Tues & Thurs
4-9pm,
4
Wed
11am-1.30pm
&
4-9pm,
Fri
11am-1.30pm & 4-10pm, Sat 4-10pm.
Ì
Tre Kök
Gustaf Lovéns gata 9
T
054 15 00 20.
Located in Karlstad's inner harbour, this stylish brasserie
serves some inspirational twists on home-cooking classics.
Menus change frequently but at lunchtime there's always a
buffet with soup, pasta and a favourite
husmanskost
dish.
Mon 11.15am-2pm, Tues-Sat 11.15am-2pm &
6-10pm.
Valfrids
Östra Torggatan 8
T
054 18 30 40.
A well-
respected lounge restaurant that's big on style, with black-
and-white leather chairs and floral wallpaper. Here
Swedish food meets the best of Asian cuisine: pork skewer
with Asian noodles, for example. Mains around 185kr.
Daily 5pm-1am.
Around Karlstad: Selma Lagerlöf's house at Mårbacka
40km north of Karlstad • Mid-May to early July & mid- to late Aug daily 10am-4pm; early July to mid-Aug daily 10am-5pm • 90kr •
W
marbacka.com
Selma Lagerlöf
(1858-1940) was the first female winner of the Nobel Prize for
Literature, in 1909, and is arguably Sweden's best-known author of her generation and
familiar to every Swede. Her fantastical prose was seen as a revolt against the social
realism of late nineteenth-century writing; commissioned to write a geography book for
Swedish children, Lagerlöf came up with
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
, a saga of
myth and legend infused with affection for the Swedish countryside, which became
