Stockholm/Västerort, Solna and Sundbyberg





Västerort [ˈvɛstərˈuʈ] is the western part of Stockholm municipality, extending far from the inner city, nearly encircling the autonomous towns Solna [ˈsoːlˈna] and Sundbyberg, just north of the Vasastan and Östermalm districts of inner Stockholm. Bromma is connected by bridges to the inner-city island Kungsholmen in the east, and to Ekerö in the south-west. The municipalities further north of those (Danderyd, Sollentuna, Järfälla, etc.) are covered in our guide to Stockholm's northern suburbs.

Understand
During the 18th and 19th centuries, men of wealth and power have built themselves palaces and manors west of Stockholm. Most of them remain as conference facilities. During the 20th century, the area was transformed from farms to suburbs, as rail, subway and light-rail lines were drawn. While Bromma and Spånga [ˈspɔŋˈa] are affluent garden cities, the areas of Järvafältet [ˈjærvaˈfɛltət] (Rinkeby, Tensta, Hjulsta) were built as part of the Million Project in 1960s and 1970s, at the subway, to provide low-cost housing. On the west coast of the lake, Blackeberg [blakəˈbærj] is a typical modernist suburb, known for the vampire film Let The Right One In. Vällingby [ˈveliŋˈbyː], built in 1954 as one of the world's first planned multi-functional suburbs, became an icon of the Swedish welfare state. Due in large part to successful co-operation between phone company Ericsson and telecom operator Telia, the Kista [ˈɕiːsta] area is a flourishing high-tech cluster, rivalling central Stockholm as the main business district.

Solna is an autonomous city containing the royal park Hagaparken, and three Royal Palaces.

Hagastaden is a neighbourhood under development in the 2020s. It is dominated by Karolinska University Hospital, attached to the Karolinska Institute, famous for selecting the Nobel Prize laureates in medicine. See Stockholm/Vasastan and Hagastaden.

Sundbyberg, nicknamed Sumpan, is Sweden's smallest municipality (kommun) by land area. The settlement grew along the rail lines, with rectangular city blocks and detached homes. It is reputed to have a higher percentage of one-person households than any other city in the world.



Get in
The typical way of getting in is by the public transport of Stockholm. Some regional trains call at Sundbyberg. See Get around below and Stockholm.

By plane




Get around

 * See Stockholm County for advice on public transport.

Public transportation covers most of the region.

The metro and commuter rail lines are radial, connecting the suburbs to central Stockholm. The Tvärbanan [ˈtvæːrˈbɑːnan] light rail line from Solna through Alvik is a semi-circular line connecting to Söderort. The ride across lake Mälaren is very scenic.


 * Nockebybanan connects the district of Nockeby to Alvik on the green line of the Tunnelbana. The buses heading to Drottningholm Palace call at Nockeby (although in practice, taking the bus from Brommaplan on the green line of the Tunnelbana is more efficient) and pass through the quaint garden-city of Bromma.

Highways E4 and E18 pass through the region. Traffic is usually heavy during rush hours, and stadium events. While the suburbs are exempt from congestion tax, the bridge to central Stockholm, Tranebergsbron and the road connections between Solna and inner Stockholm have toll stations. See Stockholm.

See


The Stockholm Metro is renowned for its decorations, especially the blue line, which goes into the northwestern district. Some famous stations are:
 * Ulriksdal slott 1.jpg
 * Bromma kyrka view03.jpg
 * Ulriksdal slott 1.jpg
 * Bromma kyrka view03.jpg
 * Ulriksdal slott 1.jpg
 * Bromma kyrka view03.jpg
 * Bromma kyrka view03.jpg
 * Bromma kyrka view03.jpg

Do

 * Several beaches for water sport, especially at Hässelby.
 * Fishing is allowed in Lake Mälaren and Brunnsviken, prohibited in smaller waters.
 * Brommapojkarna play their home games at Grimsta IP, Bromma (T Blackeberg). Brommapojkarna advanced to the top league in 2009.
 * Fishing is allowed in Lake Mälaren and Brunnsviken, prohibited in smaller waters.
 * Brommapojkarna play their home games at Grimsta IP, Bromma (T Blackeberg). Brommapojkarna advanced to the top league in 2009.

Budget
The suburban centres have low-end diners.



Drink
As most residents venture to central Stockholm for nightlife, the suburbs mostly contain local hangouts, hotel bars, and bars in shopping malls. A few places beyond the usual are:


 * Several sport bars in Solna around the dismantled Råsunda Stadium.
 * Several sport bars in Solna around the dismantled Råsunda Stadium.

Stay safe
Some suburbs along the blue line (Rinkeby, Tensta, Husby) have a reputation for crime. While incidents do happen, visitors who do not look for trouble are usually safer than in central Stockholm.

The main risk is traffic, in particular animal collisions.