In one of those ‘oh look, Ryanair has a sale on’ moments, I bought tickets to Gothenburg. I had no idea what to expect, it was one of those typical low cost airfare sale decisions, but I was delighted by this bright and clean city. My Dad had spent time there during is travels in the late sixties, so I was interested to have a short break in Gothenburg to see it for myself. Turns out there are many points of interest in Gothenburg Sweden.
Where to stay in Gothenburg
We stayed at the Hotel Opera, which was very central and was right next to the central station and Nordstan – the giant shopping complex. This typically Scandinavian hotel is a good mid-range option. Our ‘double’ room was actually two single beds pushed together, something we’ve learnt is quite common to increase the versatility of hotel rooms. And there were two duvets. This was useful for couples where one party is a duvet-hog!
It was also my first introduction to a Scandinavian breakfast – cold meats, pickles, sour milk and such. It was enough to wake you up, but didn’t leave you lethargic like English breakfasts do. Could be why the Swedes are so lean and healthy looking!
Other central hotels to consider are:
- For a luxury option, try the Dorsia Hotel & Restaurant – this boutique hotel is richly decorated and highly rated. Or the Upper House, on the top floors of the Gothia House high-rise – this hyper modern hotel is pure luxury.
- If budget is your budget, then I recommend the Boat-Hotel Barken Viking! It is well-priced and a novelty place to stay!
Gothenburg Points of Interest:
Architecture
Gothenburg is a lovely city, very clean and full of great shopping. Architecturally, it didn’t stun me, however the history of the buildings was very interesting. For instance, a long time ago they had a ban on all wooden buildings higher than 2 storeys (for fire safety reasons). So one ingenious man realised that if you build one storey out of bricks at the bottom, then put two storeys of wood on top, you technically only have a two-storey wooden house – very clever!
Take a wander
Take a walk around the city centre to get your bearings. Meander along the canal, and down the famous main street called Avenyn, and on to the suburb of Haga. Then down Linnesgaten to a street called Olivesdalgatan – the leafy area where my Dad stayed all those years ago.
The district of Haga was my favourite. It was once the lower class area, with small workers quarter housing. Nowadays, it is hugely popular with the students and has great little cafes and shops, and tiny little cobbled streets.
Fish Church
The fun building to visit is the ‘Fish Church’ – a building that looks like a church nestled on the side of the canal, but which is actually a fish market. Apparently people have actually been married there! This neo-gothic building is a bit of a tourist-attraction these days and has a seafood restaurant on site.
Learn more about the attractions in Gothenburg from the official tourism website, or book a tour with Get Your Guide:
Bus Tour
If you are in Gothenburg for a short time, as we were, then I recommend a hop on-off bus tour via of the city with the Stromma company. You can get combo tickets that include a river cruise too. The audio guides come in many languages and we could get more background about the sights and areas of Gothenburg. We got to visit the hill near Haga where the Skansen Kronen tower sits – you can climb up this lookout, but beware, there are lots of stairs!
Shopping
If you enjoy shopping, or need to get last minute souvenirs, head to to the huge mall, Nordstan, near the station. We enjoyed the department store Ahlëns and the home decor places. Despite popular belief, we found the prices to be very reasonable indeed, and the service was second to none.
Gothenburg Archipelago
You can’t visit Gothenburg without exploring the beautiful archipelago. You can catch a tram (Gothenburg has an amazing tram network) out to Salthamon to catch a ferry to the southern archipelago. The wonderful thing was that you can use your tram/bus tickets on the ferries too – and the tickets can be used for 1.5 hours. So for around £2-3 we got a tram ride and a ferry ride that took us all over the southern island chain. The ferry ride was brilliant, and it was a gorgeous sunny winters day. Some of the islands were only big enough for one house – too cute.
It very much reminded me of the Thousand Islands area of Ontario, Canada.
For more Scandinavian adventures, read about our city break to Copenhagen
Gothenburg Sweden : Points of Interest
Gothenburg was a real revelation and I’m glad I took the risk of buying the airfares without researching! It was sunny and warm both days we were there (October), and only cold when the sun set or if you were in the shade or wind. So we were very lucky I think, as all reports I’d read stated that it rained all the time. I would highly recommend Gothenburg for a short break – it is a funky and interesting city, and the archipelago is magical. I hope this guide to the points of interest in Gothenburg, Sweden, inspires you to visit!
Weekend breaks are a great way to get a taste of a city.
How about 4 days in Berlin? Or a weekend in Barcelona?
All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!).
A lovely article on a part of Sweden I’ve yet to visit! Loved the photos and the description of the Haga (although I wanted to see some pics of those cobbled streets ;-)) But all-in-all an informative post that helps anyone seeking a short break in Goteborg. Tack sa mycket! (Thanks a lot, pa Svenska!)