One weekend in Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, a bustling, lively student metropolis on the west coast.
It’s easy to explore on foot, has excellent transport links, a fantastic food scene and great bars. What more could you want?
In this guide, I’ve pulled together the best bits from my weekend trip to Gothenburg. Obviously there will be gems which I missed, but hopefully this guide gives you a few pointers into where you should start your Gothenburg trip.
Your first day in Gothenburg
During my visit, I arrived from the direct train from Copenhagen early on a Friday morning, hungry and in need of a good coffee.
The beautiful old train station lies centrally in Gothenburg, beside the town hall. I was meeting my brother who was coming from the airport, arriving at the large bus station adjacent to the station, so the decorated wooden-panelled waiting room made a good meeting point.
After getting our bearings it was a short stroll northwards along the canal for us to walk northwards towards our first port of call:
Stora saluhallen
The ‘Great Market Hall’ was built as the city’s main meat and dairy market in 1848. In the 21st century the space has diversified, with stalls, delis and restaurants serving up all manner of delicious food.
We roamed the great hall in our caffeine-deprived state, taking in the wafting smells of sweet cardomon buns from ‘Steinbrenner & Nyberg’ bakery, freshly roasted coffee from ‘Josefin Te & Kaffehandel’, spiced sauces at the Vietnamese ‘Bahn Mi Shop’ and sizzling delicasies at ‘Bina Delikatesser’.
We spent so long roaming the walkways of the hall that by the time we emerged into the daylight again we needed sustinence in the form of a hearty Swedish lunch. The Stora Saluhallen lies on the Kungstorget (The King’s Square), so we headed across from the hall to the KöttbulleKällaren (Literally: The Meatball Cellar), where we feasted on a classic Swedish dish of meatballs, lingonberry jam and creamy mashed potatoes, accompanied by some delicious local beers.
Fuelled and ready to go, we headed west in the direction of the old town in Gothenburg, named Haga.
I’d recommend you stop off at a couple of places on the way though:
Gothenburg Cathedral
While you are in that neck of the woods around the Stora saluhallen, take a stroll down the main shopping streets to visit the 19th century cathedral. Although not as ‘impressive’ as the Scandinavian Gothic style cathedrals of Denmark, in towns like Roskilde and Aarhus, I found the cathedral beautiful in its own way, with its cream-coloured stonework and classic doric architectural style.
Fiskekyrkan
From one church to another! Fiskekyrkan is Gothenburg’s indoor fish market, a unique building dating from the 1870s. The name means ‘Fish Church’, relating to its resemblance to a gothic church with pointed arches and fluted interiors. It sits right by the water, and although closed when we visited, is the place where fishermen would bring their catch to sell fresh.
Once reopened, I have read some great reviews of the pre-prepared fish dishes you can experience here from the fish stalls, as well as the two restaurants located inside the Fish Church.
Haga
More easy strolling through the mostly pedestrianised streets of central Gothenburg took us to the old town of Haga. The wooden painted houses date mostly from the 19th century, when the area was one of the most impoverished in the city. It’s now known as a tourist destination in Gothenburg, full of cosy cafes, independant shops and stylish boutiques.
Cinnamon buns the size of dinner plates at Cafe Husaren.
A typical street corner in the Haga area, with beautiful shopfronts among wood-panelled houses and cobbled lanes.
Haga is also the place where you will find Cafe Husaren, serving their famous giant cinnamon buns.
It was early afternoon by this point and we could see the looming hill of Skansen Kronen looming in the backround, so decided upon making a stop here to get some more energy.
The buns, although delicious, were truly huge and we made the wise decision to save some of them for later, so as not to put ourselves into a food coma!
Cafe Husaren is popular with tourists and wonderfully decorated inside with 19th century interiors, so it might be worth turning up earlier in the day if you are visiting during a busy tourist season (not February like us!).
Skansen Kronan
Skansen Kronan
Skansen Kronan is one of the two towers built to defend Gothenburg from Danish invasion in the 17th century. It has commanding views across the city and beyond, and your ascent will probably be joined by a mix of tourists, dog walkers and joggers.
The formidable looking stone building was built in the 1680s with later fortifications and artillery positions added later. Nowadays it is a military museum, a conference center and a place to hold weddings - a bit of a change from its original purpose!
Evening activites in Gothenburg
The centre of Gothenburg will leave you spoilt for choice. As a large university town packed with students, there are a multitude of bars, cafes, restaurants and pubs to head to in the evenings, with the network of trams making it easy to get around from one place to another.
We opted for Brewdog Bar, a place we already knew for its amazing beers and hyggelig bars. Here we tried the tasty bar snacks like nachos and hot wings and played some of the board games on offer.
Next it was a trip to Dubbel Dubbel, a dim sum restaurant with a delicious range of dumplings and great cocktails.
Your second day in Gothenburg
We stayed at an airbnb just to the north of a centre, giving us an easy 10 minute journey by tram to and from the city. I would definitely recommend a breakfast pitstop at Brogyllen Hamngatan, a delightful Art Deco cafe directly opposite the Gothenburg City Museum (mentioned below).
Slottskogen
We then headed over in the direction of Slottskogen, the biggest park in Gothenburg. We were there in February so it had a windy, wintry vibe, but I’ve read that in the spring and summer it is a popular spot for locals and students to hang out with picnics and grills.
We started at the Natural History Museum, then strolled around the lakes at the Stora and Lilla dammen. There is a zoo spread out amongst the park, with seals, penguins, elk and a petting zoo for kids.
One Swedish concept to mention is ‘fika, defined as:
“Fika means making time for friends and colleagues to share a cup of coffee (or tea) and a little something to eat.”
Experience some Fika for yourself in Slottskogen by stopping at the Villa Belparc on the Stora Dammen or Björngårdsvillan cafe close to the children’s zoo.
The harbourside and Opera House
After our exploration of Slottskoggen we took the tram north into Nordstaden and walked up to the harbourside and the Gullbergskajen Pier. In February it was a slightly grim sight with grey skies and grey waters, but in summer it is a slightly more picturesque view!
We visited the old toll house on the harbour, where merchant ships used to pay taxes to enter the Gothenburg harbour. After this we took in the outside of the Gothenburg Opera house, which has a distinctly maritime feel with a vast pointed prow jutting out towards the fjord.
After this there was time to take in the extraordinary Barken Viking, a 1907 ocean-going vessel now restored as a floating hotel (or a botel as I later found out the name is!). The four-masted ship was built in Copenhagen and originally carried cargo to and from Australia, competing in tall ship races throughout the first half of the 20th century. It’s now a pretty impressive sight to take in and, I imagine, a great place to sleep the night in the middle of Gothenburg.
Next stop: Lindholmen
We had been recommended by a friend to cross the water by ferry to visit the up-and-coming area of Gothenburg called Lindholmen. Ours left from Stenpiren and took around 10 minutes to reach the pier at Lindholmen, giving great views of the harbourside area along the way.
Lindholmen is a modernised area, full of new buildings and offices, as well as a street food market, bars and bakeries. If you are feeling energetic, it is only a short walk up to Keillers Park, the top of the mountain, where you get a panoramic view looking southwards towards the city.
Gothenburg City Museum (Göteborg Stadsmuseet)
Alongside the Trädgårdsföreningen’s glass palm tree house, one of the best cultural sights in Gothenburg is the City Museum. It lies just by the canal on Norra Hamngatan, just by the canal and opposite the Art Deco Brogyllen Hamngatan cafe where we had breakfast.
It brings together the history of the city from its earliest origins, through the fearsome Viking period, the wars with Denmark and up to the present - through interesting and engaging exhibits.
The City Museum is every day except Mondays, from 11-18 and adult tickets cost 60kr.
Your second evening in Gothenburg
As I mentioned above, Gothenburg is treasure trove of great places to eat and drink. We opted for the fantastic Cafe Magasinet for some cocktails and beers, a beautiful cafe situated inside a large glasshouse, with tropical plants of all shapes and sizes cascading down from the metal rafters above. It was busy with locals so consider booking a table if you are visiting during the summer.
Next up we staggered across the street to Brewers Beer Bar which, along with a range of exceptional beers, have a pizza oven preparing delicious gluten free, vegetarian and vegan pizzas (alongside gluteny, meaty pizzas, if that is your scene!).
All in all a fantastic trip to a beautiful Swedish city, definitely a place I would visit again and recommend to anyone of any age or interest. Gothenburg also lies 3 hours from Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, so is a brilliant stopping off point for any cross-Scandinavia roadtrips or interrailing journeys you may be planning.
Below, I’ve offered up a few places which we didn’t have time to see, but which could be worth a visit on your tour to Gothenburg.
Other places to consider during your visit to Gothenburg
Liseberg
Fans of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen might also love this old fashioned theme park just outside the centre of Gothenburg.
Like its Danish cousin, Liseberg is packed with rides, rollercoasters and arcades for all ages, as well as hosting live events. If you happen to be visiting during midsummer, Halloween or Christmas, Liseberg also hosts great celebrations for children.
Gothenburg Archipelago
In the summer one of the best things you can do in Gothenburg is to take a ferry out to one of the islands. The ferries go from Saltholmen, the small harbour and swimming spot at the end of tram line 11. The ferries are a great way to island-hop if you want to explore a few islands, or spend the day on one walking through nature, eating at a restaurant, enjoying the Swedish summer and taking a swim!
How to travel around Gothenburg
Getting to Gothenburg and travelling around it once there, was easy from start to finish. For those of us arriving at the airport, the city is easy to reach, with a private airport bus which takes you directly from Göteborg Landvetter Airport to Nils Eriksson Bus Terminal by Gothenburg Central Station. As mentioned, there are bus and train connections to major Scandinavian cities, including Stockholm, Malmö, Copenhagen and Oslo.
While in Gothenburg, you can easily and quickly travel around using the network of trams. These run regularly and cover the entire city. When you arrive, I’d recommend buying this ticket from Västtrafik, either through the app or by purchasing a physical travel card. The individual tickets for inner-city travel (zone A) last 90 minutes and cost 35kr. This allows you to travel unlimited journeys within the city for 1 hour and a half.