This blog post is part of the running all bridges of Stockholm-project.
Of all islands of Stockholm, Kungholmen is special to me, because I used to live there. Most of the bridge collecting runs started and ended there. Because of this crossing certain bridges e.g. in Södermalm meant quite long, around 20k runs.
For a runner, Kungsholmen offers good paths, though slightly limited selection of routes if you don’t leave the island. Most of the island is densely built and running means stopping in traffic lights and suffering from noise and pollution. Don’t do that. Instead, you can run around the island. That route is around 10k and offers long flats and/or very nice hills – your choice. And all the time you’ll run be close to the water. The route has scenery of all kinds, from canal side grail path and city parks to modern seaside. If I remember correctly, there’s just one mandatory stop at traffic lights in the loop, close to Kungsbron. No surprise running around Kungsholmen is one of the most popular routes in the city. If you want hillier running in the heart of Kungsholmen, head for Kronobergsparken, which is popular among crossfitters.
The bridges. There are tons of them, because Kungsholmen is connected to the mainland and to the nearby islands, and to some there are multiple bridges.
Here come the bridges grouped by the destination.
Mainland
Stadshusbron (crossed 2.9.2020) is a heavy traffic bridge with great pedestrian and cycle lanes and brings you from the city to the most famous and more or less only tourist attraction of the island, Stadshuset. As a runner, you can entertain yourself and run through or around Stadshuset and try not collide with the flocks of tourists. There’s also some cobblestone to run on. Stadshuset is a magnificient building and worth checking out every time running close by.
Klarabergsviadukten (crossed 4.3.2020) is a way too massive bridge for its current purpose, since it connects the now pedestrian / public traffic only Sergels torg area to Kungsholmen. History tells that it was planned to carry much more traffic than it currently does. It’s not very pretty, but does have good pedestrian and bike lanes.
Blekholmsbron (crossed 3.5.2020) is a nice narrow pedestrian bridge right next to Kungsbron. As many other bridges in Stockholm, it’s hard to understand why the bridge exists. I can only think that the idea is to have a bridge on the lower level than Kungsbron. I think I never needed to cross this bridge, I just ran it from time to time to have a different route than normally.
Exactly like Klarabergsviadukten, Kungsbron (crossed 4.4.2020) comprises multiple bridges and connects Kungsholkem to the mainland. This time the destination is Kungsgatan that crosses the whole city all the way to Storeplan. This bridge isn’t a beauty contest winner, but does its job and serves a lot of traffic. When living in Kungsholmen, this bridge I crossed the most, since it was on my commute route.
Similarly to Klarabergsviadukten, Barnhusbron (crossed 3.5.2020) is a way too massive bridge for its current purpose, in both the width and height dimensions. The history book tells that it was designed to serve a lot of traffic and suck the pressure from nearby bridges (presumably S:t Eriksbron and Kungsbron), but since it doesn’t connect any important roads (my opinion) it has become mainly a locals-only bridge.
For a runner, this bridge is typically not the one to take on any route further pointing out its minor importance. But again, it has very good bike and pedestrian lanes if you ever happen to cross it.
S:t Eriksbron (crossed 3.5.2020) is a very busy and massive bridge. Underneath the bridge there’s the metro (tunnelbana) bridge. The bridge is quite high, offering nice views to the canal on both sides. To the west you can see the sunset over the canal, which can be very pretty depending on the weather. The bridge itself is not pretty, it’s just a bridge doing its just. On the Kungsholmen side two massive buildings kind of look like a gate (pic below), which looks pretty cool.
As a former Kungsholmen citizen, this bridge I crossed the most (if not counting commuting). For a runner living in Vasastan and running around Kungsholmen, this is the bridge to take, similarly for someone living in Kungsholmen and heading for a run e.g. in Hagaparken this one is the correct bridge.
Ekelundsbron (crossed 16.3.2020) is a strange one. It’s very low, not that wide, modest looking and the traffic is very low. I’m sure most of the people living in Stockholm don’t know the name of the bridge. Crossing the bridge to mainland takes you to Solna, which is another city.
For a runner the bridge is quite important. It takes you directly to Karlbergs slott park that is perfect for running. Unfortunately the park area is kind of small and there’s nowhere to go from there. I didn’t run there often. But the much more interesting direction for a runner is to turn left and follow the lake on the left side. There’s a very popular and pretty pedestrian route there.
Tranebergsbron (crossed 26.3.2020) is the bridge connecting Kungsholmen to the mainland in the west. The bridge is massive both in height and length and has even been enlarged to fit all the traffic. For a runner, the bridge offers a climb on both sides and spectacular views to Mälaren (the lake) both south and north. Needless to say, the bridge has very clear and wide bike and pedestrian lanes.
The alternative route from Kungsholmen to mainland Bromma is to first run to Lilla Essingen and to Stora Essingen and from there take the pedestrian / rail bridge Alviksbron to Bromma. I personally prefer Tranebergsbron because the bridge between Lilla Essingen and Stora Essingen is not as pleasant to run as Tranebergsbron. The traffic is very heavy on the highway next to it.
Västerbron (crossed 31.8.2019) is one of the most iconic modern bridges in Stockholm. Everybody knows the name and it’s visible from many places. It connects Kungsholmen to Södermalm. For runners, there are exits for Långholmen too.
The traffic is quite high, but it’s fine because the bridge is wide – you don’t feel the pollution or noise. Crossing the bridge on the east side offers a view to Gamla Stan, Kungsholmen and Södermalm, the west side offers sunset view. The pedestrian lane and cycle lane are super wide on both sides.
The bridge is a landmark on the Stockholm marathon route illustrating its significance.
Routes
One of my favourite routes leaving and coming back to Kungsholmen is to leave the island via Ekelundsbron, follow the coastline, cross the Huvudstabron to Bromma and again follow the coastline all the way to Västerbron and return to Kungsholmen.
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