Shopping is a breeze in Karlstad

The brilliant thing about shopping in Karlstad is that all the shops are within walking distance in the city. And the biggest shopping centre (‘shopping mall’ for our American friends) in Karlstad and the Ikea store outside the city are just a short bus ride, or drive away.

In Karlstad you’ll find all the big, established Swedish retail brands like H&M, Lindex (womanswear), Åhléns (department store), all with their own stores. In the smaller stores and boutiques you’ll also find rising stars of the international and Swedish fashion scenes such as Odd Molly womenswear, Filippa K male and female-wear and accessories, Whyred, J. Lindberg, Nudie Jeans and Cheap Monday jeans. And as for legendary Swedish art glass, crystal and tableware, look no further than Kosta and Orrefors which you’ll find in stores on the streets that criss-cross Järnvägsgatan and Drottninggatan.

Still in the city, you can also shop at ‘Mitt i City’ a shopping centre in the centre of Karlstad that takes up a whole block and has 50 stores selling Swedish and international goods and products, as well as restaurants and cafés. You can even go up to its dome-shaped rooftop and enjoy a tipple of your choice at its sky bar with views over the Klara River.

If you want to visit Ikea on its home turf, in its now world famous blue box-style building. We won’t bother telling you what to look out for at Ikea, you probably live close to one. Ikea lies beside Bergvik Köpcentrum (shopping centre) just outside town. Bergvik was awarded ‘shopping centre of the year’ in Sweden in 2008, with its 68 shops, restaurants and cafés. All the big Swedish names are here and look out in particular for Swedish-design clothes and accessories, outdoor wear, household goods, glassware, textiles and kitchenware. FYI lots of Norwegians come here to shop as it’s just across the border and everything in Norway is expensive.

We have to mention the  ‘King Creole Elvis’ shop in the Haga area of the city that sells everything Elvis (note that the shop owner plays Elvis – all the time). Wonderful.

 

Published date: 2010-03-04