Gothenburg (Swedish: Göteborg) is Sweden's second largest city with 600,000 inhabitants, and about 1 million in the metropolitan area. The city lies on Sweden's West Coast, at the outlet of the Göta River. Gothenburg has a long industrial heritage, which is still present with companies such as the Volvo, as well as Scandinavia's largest port. The city hosts numerous national and international sporting and music events such as Gothia Cup, Partille Cup and Way Out West.
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Gothenburg is a fairly green city with parks, which is divided by the Göta River. Built after being founded by royal decree in 1621 it was modelled after the Dutch city style, with plenty of canals. By far the largest non-capital city of the Nordic countries, the city has a strong local identity, and many nicknames that allude to its canals, such as "little London", "little Amsterdam", and "little Venice".
Public transportation within Gothenburg (and the west of Sweden) is operated by Västtrafik and consists of trams, buses and ferries. You can find more information about tickets and a journey planner on their homepage. Public transport in Gothenburg can be fairly slow: For example, to cross one side of the city to the other (20 km) can take up to an hour. It can be a good idea to look up alternative routes, with some of the express buses being considerably faster, and it sometimes being possible to save many minutes by walking a few hundred meters to a tram-stop located on a different line.
1 Gothenburg Cathedral (Göteborgs Domkyrka), Kyrkogatan 28. Built in 1815, in the centre of old town. The seat of the Diocese of Gothenburg. It is the third church standing there – the earlier two burned down in city fires. Domkyrkoplan, the park surrounding the church, used to be the cemetery of the second church. (updated Nov 2019) 2 Christinæ Church (Deutsche Kirchengemeinde Göteborg), Norra Hamngatan 16. The church of Gothenburg's German community, built in 1748. This church is likewise the third church standing here, as the earlier ones have burned down. (updated Nov 2019) 3 Crown House (Kronhuset), Postgatan. Built in 1643-1655, and briefly home of the Swedish Parliament.
1 Liseberg. The biggest amusement park in all of Scandinavia, with lots of different rides for all ages. Be sure to try Balder, the wooden roller-coaster. Liseberg is the number one attraction in Sweden by number of visitors. A new indoor water park, Oceana, will open 2026/2027. (updated Nov 2023) Lisebergslinjen. A vintage tram line that runs during summer from the central station to Liseberg. Adults 30 kr, children 20 kr, small children free. (updated Feb 2024) 2 Ale Vikingagård, Vikingavägen (25 km north of Gothenburg along E45, a few km south of Älvängen), alevikingagard@gmail.com. Irregular hours, not daily. A Viking farm.
The main restaurant street in Gothenburg is Linnégatan running from Järntorget to Linnéplatsen. It has a high concentration of good restaurants of all kinds in the low to moderate price range. Most restaurants offer lunch menus in the range 90-130 kr. Mostly they are served between 11:30 and 14:00. Most restaurants are closed on Mondays, so you need to plan in advance if you want a nice dinner It can be worth to take out an intro subscription to the local paper Göteborgs-Posten that has a dedicated restaurant section to read their reviews The market hall Saluhallen, listed in Buy above, also hosts a range of eateries. 1 Feskekörka, Fisktorget 4.
In the summertime there are outdoor serving along Avenyn and Linnégatan. You can pick up the free Nöjesguiden and Djungeltrumman magazines in various stores to read more about Gothenburg's nightlife. They are only available in Swedish though. The Bishops Arms. A chain of English pubs. In Gothenburg there are three located at Kungsportsavenyn 36, Västra Hamngatan 3 and Järntorget. Good selection of beer on tap and fine single malt whiskey. A bit pricier than other pubs. 1 Kellys, Andra Långgatan 28. Cheap beer. Lots of vegan food. Mixed crowd of middle-aged regulars and young people. 2 King's Head, Andra Långgatan 32A, ☏ +46 31 24-20-40.
Most crimes against tourists are crimes of opportunity, such as pick-pocketing, bicycle theft, auto theft and auto vandalism. Pickpockets converge in Gothenburg during the summer months so beware. As always, do not leave valuable items in your car or in a cloakroom, and watch your bag in crowded places. Take special care of your belongings at the central train station and the bus terminal. Most shops and all major taxi companies accept credit and debit cards, so there is no need to carry a lot of cash. Downtown Gothenburg is plagued by illegal taxis by night, and they are considered very unsafe, especially for women.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Gothenburg typically sees ~23°C daytime highs and 14 rainy days.
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