Stockholm/Vasastan and Hagastaden

Vasastan (formally Vasastaden) is a neighbourhood in north-central Stockholm, making up the northern part of the Norrmalm borough. It borders Östermalm to the east at Birger Jarlsgatan, Kungsholmen to the south-west.

Hagastaden is a neighbourhood under construction. The residential buildings of Hagastaden replaced the demolished train station Norra station and belong to Vasastan and Norrmalm borough. Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, also a part of Hagastaden, are located in neighbouring Solna municipality.

Understand
The population of Vasastan is around 60,000, and the area is around 3 km². It is less busy than Norrmalm, with the classical city plan mostly preserved. Vasastan was built from the 1880s until the following decade, and exposes the development of art deco and early modernist architecture. Odenplan is an important transportation hub, with commuter rail, metro and buses. A main draw of Vasastan is alternative and second-hand shopping in small stores (with most of Stockholm's remaining shops for vinyl records), as well as art galleries.

Hagastaden is a neighbourhood with trailblazing 21st century architecture, scheduled to be finished around 2030. The dominant institutions are Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institute. The tallest building is Innovationen at 120 metres above ground level. Its twin tower, Helix, reaches 104 metres.

Karlberg is a park in southern Solna, dominated by Karlberg Palace, which hosts the Swedish Military Academy. Most of the area is open to the public, and the waterfront is crowded in summer.

Get around
The area is well served by public transport. Beside the metro stations, there is a commuter rail (pendeltåg) station at Odenplan below ground, opened in 2017 and endowed with contemporary art.

Most places are within walking distance. Car parking lots are available but costly.

Cars must pay congestion tax when they pass the city border between Stockholm and Solna.

Traffic around Hagastaden is re-routed around the construction sites.

See






Galleries around Hudiksvallsgatan
Several trendsetting galleries for contemporary art have opened around Hudiksvallsgatan in Vasastan (T St Eriksplan). Among them are:



Records
For some odd reason, most of Stockholm’s second hand record shops are clustered in the area between Odenplan and St Eriksplan. Most are open M-F 11:00-18:00, Sa 11:00-15:00. Some examples are:
 * Around Odengatan:


 * North of S:t Eriksplan:


 * Along Sankt Eriksgatan:

Second-hand stores




Eat
Vasastan has plenty of restaurants, most in the mid-range bracket, many in ethnic style. They are usually crowded by office workers during lunch break (from noon to 13:00).

Splurge






Drink




Stay safe
Vasastan is among Stockholm's safest districts, but not devoid of crime. As always in Stockholm, look out for speeding cars, pickpockets and drunk brawls.