Kungsholmen is the large island immediately west of Norrmalm, and for a long time it was where Stockholm kept its hospitals, breweries, and industry — the practical island, away from the show. That history has left it with broad streets, solid early-20th-century apartment blocks, and a settled, residential calm that makes it one of the most liveable corners of the central city. Its single great monument is at the eastern tip: the City Hall (Stadshuset), the National Romantic landmark whose brick tower and golden crowns close the view across the water from Gamla Stan and Riddarholmen.
The real pleasure of Kungsholmen, though, is the water. The whole southern shore is lined by the Norr Mälarstrand promenade, a tree-shaded walk along Lake Mälaren that ends in the green sweep of Rålambshovsparken — a summer gathering place for picnics, swimming, and open-air concerts. Inland, Hantverkargatan and Sankt Eriksgatan carry a low-key but genuine neighbourhood restaurant and café scene that locals rate above the busier districts across the water. It is an easy island to walk, and a good antidote to the crowds of the old town.