Gothenburg – travel tips, restaurants and sights
No Sweden posts on the blog? Well, that’s not possible. Yes, dear readers, I’m with you. Although, it’s not like I’ve never been to Sweden. My first solo trip took me to Stockholm, from where I traveled by train via Gothenburg to Copenhagen. That was exactly ten years ago. Time to refresh the memories. We decided to take a weekend trip to Gothenburg. Stockholm’s little sister is just the right size for a cozy city weekend of good food, coffee and shopping.
Traveled
We traveled by direct flight Zurich – Gothenburg. We booked the flight with Swiss, it was operated by Helvetic Airways. The flight time is just under two hours. Landvetter Airport is twenty minutes by bus from the city centre. The “Flygbussarna” serves the route approximately every 15 minutes and a single trip costs SEK 80. Worked in the office until shortly before noon, departed Zurich at 12:00 p.m. and checked into the hotel before 3:00 p.m. Unfortunately, we caught a complete rainy weekend and Gothenburg didn’t look particularly photogenic at first glance through the hotel window. No problem – we focused on things that are fun in rainy weather.
Done – Sightseeing
Happy in the rain|
Gothenburg is not a particularly “pretty” city. Most of the buildings are built in a restrained manner. If you walk through the alleys, you will still find exciting facades, pretty doors and beautiful streets. The green belt, which stretches in the former ramparts around the old town centre and shines in all colours even in autumnal rainy weather, is striking. Admittedly, one of the few splashes of color in the otherwise rather dull gray in gray that prevailed this weekend. Nevertheless, we bravely walked from Brunnsparken across the old town to the Haga district and braved wind and raindrops. Haga, with its 19th-century wooden houses with numerous cafes and small shops, is worth a visit in any weather.
Braving the rainy weather in museums |
After this walk through the city center, we needed a warm place to warm up. We would have liked to take a look at the city library right next to the art museum, but it was closed due to All Saints’ Day. So we headed for the art museum. The entrance ticket (80 SEK) gives you access to the Hasselblad Center at the same time. At the end of each year, paintings by the winner of the Hasselbladspriset are exhibited here. The focus of the art museum is on works by Scandinavian artists.
Also worth seeing is the Röhsska Museum, which is housed in a beautiful historic building. According to the website, the entrance fee is 40 SEK. We didn’t have to pay an entrance fee on this day (All Saints’ Day) – why exactly, is unclear to me.
Shop in Swedish |
The “shopping” part is generally neglected on my city trips. Most of the time I’m busy checking out all the sights. Since there aren’t that many sights in Gothenburg anyway, and the weather didn’t make us want to go for long walks, we took our time in Gothenburg to check out the various shops. First of all, we paid a visit to the Gothenburg market hall «Saluhallen». It is centrally located at Kungstorget and houses around forty different shops with products from all over the world. Afterwards we strolled along the Vallgatan. It’s worth taking a look at the backyards, as there are nice little boutiques hidden there as well. If you like Swedish design, you should stop by Emma och Malena (Vallgatan 4). My other favorites are Filippa K and the Vagabond shoe store. And if you’re looking for beautiful kitchen utensils, you’ll find what you’re looking for in Designtorget.
Eaten – Restaurants in Gothenburg
Gothenburg is a paradise for foodies and coffee drinkers. We had a good time and regularly planned a coffee stop. Below is an overview of our favorite restaurants.
Breakfast |
Actually, we had breakfast included in the room rate. But with the large selection of really good cafés, we skipped the hotel breakfast and explored Gothenburg’s coffee scene. For a quick coffee with a fine cinnamon roll, the Gateau bakery (Södra Larmgatan 4) is a good address.
The Brogyllen confectionery is packed in the late morning. Here you will find various breakfast options, fine cakes and hearty Smörrebröd.
Fika |
Drinking coffee “fika” has a high status in Swedish society. The density of good, cosy cafés in Gothenburg is correspondingly high. Just around the corner from the art museum is Viktors Kaffe (Geijersgatan 411). The fine hot chocolate is recommended here.
The Alkemisten Kaffebar (Gustaf Dalénsgatan 14) is located about ten minutes by tram from the centre in the new development area north of the train station. Here you will find fine pastries and a cozy atmosphere.
The Kale’i Kaffebar (Kyrkogatan 13) can call itself Coffee Bar of the Year 2016. Every year, the White Guide publishes a list of the best cafes in Sweden and is a good starting point for researching great coffee places in Gothenburg. Not only did I like the coffee here, but also the avocado bread! Delicious. Update 2019: the Kale’i coffee bar is permanently closed according to online information!
Brunch |
We happened to walk past the Restaurant Project (Södra Vägen 45) on our way to the bar Heaven 23. The restaurant is a newcomer, but I was immediately hooked. The interior is great and the menu sounds enticing. Since we had reserved for both evenings at other restaurants, we returned to the Project the next day for the Saturday brunch (from 12:00 noon). The brunch menu includes either Egg Benedict or Egg Florentine, bacon, croissants. Bloody Mary, freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee. Great concept, great food.
Drinks |
In November, it gets dark early in Gothenburg. During the Blue Hour, it is worth taking a detour to the Feskekörka. With its special appearance, the fish market hall makes a beautiful photo motif. Another great spot to watch Gothenburg go dark is the cocktail bar Heaven 23 on the exhibition grounds (about twenty minutes walk from the centre).
Fine Dining |
I started researching restaurants for Gothenburg early on by my standards. And although I sent out reservation requests over a month before our trip, I couldn’t get a seat at the Michelin-starred restaurant SK Mat & Manniskor. I had better luck in the coca (also awarded a star). We ordered the 7-course menu variant with a reduced wine accompaniment (3 wines). The culinary fun cost SEK 1,280 per person. That’s the equivalent of around 140 CHF, which I think is a great price-performance ratio compared to top Swiss gastronomy. Service, food and ambience top! The dishes are seasonal and offer a nice mix of regional seafood and Nordic specialties.
On the second evening we ate at Magnus & Magnus at Magasinsgatan 8. On this street there are other (at least externally) promising looking restaurants. The Magnus & Magnus cuisine is Nordic with an Asian touch. We opted for the 4-course menu with the complete wine accompaniment for 1’050 SEK per person. I like the casual ambience here. The menu portions are rather small (for 4 courses), but enriched with exciting Nordic products.
Slept – Hotel in Gothenburg
We stayed at the Avalon Hotel (Kungstorget 9). The hotel is one of the design hotels and is hard to beat in terms of centrality. In my opinion, the room furnishings do not do justice to the “Design Hotel Standard”. On the other hand, the lobby and restaurant area is chicly designed. For this city trip, the Avalon offered us the ideal starting point to discover Gothenburg (price for 2 people incl. breakfast: 3’490 SEK for two nights).
Extratipps
- We explored practically everything on foot and only used the tram for the detour to the Alkemisten coffee bar. Tickets can be purchased either in selected shops around the tram stop or on the tram. The only problem: the vending machine in the tram didn’t accept any of our credit cards (so better to buy them in the shops). A one-way ticket costs SEK 28
- It is not worth changing Swedish kronor in advance. The only place we needed cash was the locker at the art museum
- Funnily enough, the credit cards in the shops only work with a signature (although I actually set pin requirement). In the shops, they each require an ID.
The most important facts about Gothenburg
| Best time to visit: | Spring, around Midsommar and autumn |
| Entry requirements: | Valid Swiss identity card or passport |
| Currency: | Swedish Krona (SEK) |
| Languages: | Mostly Swedish |
| Population: | 572,799 (December 31, 2015) |
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