Gothenburg city guide

Things To Do In Gothenburg

Sweden's west coast city: seafood from a market that looks like a church, canals built by Dutch engineers, cinnamon buns the size of your head, and an archipelago reached by tram and ferry on one ticket.

Where to stay What it costs

Hostels in the city

8.5

Average, from 9,707 reviews

1621

The city founded, laid out by Dutch engineers

1923

Liseberg amusement park opened

~20

Islands in the southern archipelago on the public ferry

Friendlier, cheaper and more relaxed than the capital

Gothenburg is Sweden's second city and its great port, founded in 1621 and laid out by Dutch engineers with canals running through the centre. It has a reputation in Sweden for being warmer, more down-to-earth and funnier than Stockholm, and Gothenburgers are happy to confirm it.

It is a seafood city. The west coast supplies shrimp, langoustine, oysters and, in season, lobster, and the fish market hall — Feskekôrka, the Fish Church, built in 1874 to look like a Gothic chapel — is the place to see it.

Liseberg, the amusement park opened in 1923, is one of the most visited attractions in Scandinavia.

Haga, the old wooden-house district, is known for its cafés and for a cinnamon bun called the Hagabullen that is roughly the size of a dinner plate.

The southern archipelago is reached by tram and ferry on an ordinary public transport ticket, with car-free islands a short ride out. Two or three days.

Where to stay

A canal-ringed centre, a wooden old quarter and a lively district to the south.

Inom Vallgraven

First-timers

The canal-ringed centre: shops, the station, the harbour and most of the beds.

Haga and Linné

Cafés and nightlife

South-west: wooden houses, the famous cinnamon buns, and the best bars along Linnégatan.

Majorna

Local and relaxed

Further west: a working-class district turned creative, with cheaper food and a village feel.

Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 5 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Things to do

Things to do in Gothenburg

Go to the archipelago. Take the tram to Saltholmen and a ferry out to the southern islands — Styrsö, Vrångö, Brännö — on an ordinary Västtrafik ticket. The islands are largely car-free, with granite rocks, swimming spots and small harbours. It is the best thing in Gothenburg and it costs a bus fare.

Liseberg, one of Scandinavia's most visited attractions, is an amusement park with serious rollercoasters and a Christmas market in winter. Entry and ride passes are sold separately.

Feskekôrka, the Fish Church, is a market hall built in 1874 in the shape of a Gothic chapel and is where to see and eat the west coast's seafood.

Walk Haga and buy a Hagabullen, a cinnamon bun roughly the size of a plate.

The Universeum science centre and the Röhsska design museum are both good.

A Paddan boat tour runs through the canals and under very low bridges, which you duck under, from spring to autumn.

Free things

Free things to do in Gothenburg

The southern archipelago costs only the transport fare and is the best free day out in the city.

Haga, the canals and the harbour front are free to walk.

Slottsskogen, a large park with free-roaming deer, seals and penguins in a small zoo, is free.

The Botanical Garden is free or by donation and one of the largest in Europe.

Skansen Kronan, a fortress on a hill above Haga, is free to walk up to and gives the view over the city.

Food and drink

Eating and drinking in Gothenburg

Seafood is the reason. Shrimp, langoustine and oysters come from the west coast, and lobster season opens in late September with real ceremony.

A räksmörgås — an open shrimp sandwich piled high on bread — is the classic lunch at around 150 to 200 SEK (€14–18).

Dagens lunch, the daily lunch special, runs 120 to 150 SEK (€11–14) and is the best value, as everywhere in Sweden.

Fika in Haga is compulsory, and the Hagabullen is the famous one.

Gothenburg has a strong craft beer scene. A beer is 70 to 100 SEK (€6.50–9), a little below Stockholm.

Strong alcohol is sold only at Systembolaget, closed on Sundays.

Nightlife

Going out in Gothenburg

Linnégatan and the streets around Haga and Linné have the best bars, with a relaxed and friendly crowd.

Avenyn, the main boulevard, has the bigger clubs and a more mainstream, dressed-up scene.

Gothenburg has a large student population and a strong live music history, and the city has produced a disproportionate number of Swedish indie and metal bands.

A beer is 70 to 100 SEK (€6.50–9) and cocktails 140 to 180 SEK (€13–16).

Way Out West, in August, is one of Scandinavia's best-known music festivals, held in Slottsskogen park.

Getting around

Getting around Gothenburg

Trams are the backbone of the city, and the Västtrafik ticket covers trams, buses and the southern archipelago ferries. Buy it through the app or at a machine; there are few cash options.

The centre is walkable and flat.

Landvetter airport is about thirty minutes by the Flygbussarna airport coach.

Trains reach Stockholm in about three hours, Malmö in about two and a half, Copenhagen in about three and a half, and Oslo in about four.

For the archipelago, take tram 11 to Saltholmen and change to the ferry.

Costs

What Gothenburg costs

Expensive, but a little below Stockholm. Dorms are 280 to 500 SEK (€25–45), a dinner main 180 to 280 SEK (€16–25), and a beer 70 to 100 SEK (€6.50–9).

A day is €65 to €110.

You pay in kronor, almost entirely by card.

The archipelago on a public transport ticket is the best-value day in Sweden. Dagens lunch is the best way to eat.

Liseberg is the main expense, with entry and ride passes sold separately.

Safety

Staying safe in Gothenburg

Gothenburg is a safe city for visitors and crime affecting tourists is low.

Pickpocketing happens around the central station and Avenyn at weekends.

Gang-related violence has increased in some outer suburbs in recent years. It rarely affects visitors or the central areas.

In the archipelago, the rocks are smooth granite and slippery when wet, and the sea is cold. Swim at the known bathing spots, and check ferry times home — the last ferries leave earlier than you might expect.

Emergency number is 112.

Day trips from Gothenburg

Car-free islands, a fortress on a rock and the Bohuslän coast.

Marstrand

1 hour · Bus and ferry, about 90 SEK (€8)

An island town under Carlsten fortress, a sailing centre with painted wooden houses.

Oslo, Norway

4 hours · Train or bus, €30–60

Norway's capital, reachable directly.

What's on

What is on while you are there

A music festival in a park, a film festival in winter, and lobster in autumn.

2 October

Our Lives, Our Musicals

Viktor Norén and Linus Wahlgren bring a heartfelt tribute to musical theatre with Our Lives, Our Musicals at Scandinavium. The show blends iconic songs…

14 November

Miss Li

Miss Li brings her anniversary tour Nu som då för evigt to Scandinavium in Gothenburg, celebrating 20 years as an artist. The concert promises…

12 Sep – 18 Oct

La Traviata

La Traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play 'La Dame…

9–10 October

Gothenburg Roots 2026

Gothenburg Roots is a new two-day festival in Gothenburg focusing on americana, folk, country, and roots music. The festival aims to create an intimate…

10 October

ODZ

ODZ has evolved from a gritty underground cellar in Stockholm to selling out festivals and clubs across the country, all while keeping the raw…

19 October

Bob Dylan

The legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was born in Minnesota as Robert Allen Zimmerman. Counted among the best songwriters of all time, his career spanning…

31 Oct – 29 Nov

1984

1984 is an opera in three acts composed by Lorin Maazel with a libretto by J. D. McClatchy and Thomas Meehan, based on George…

31 Oct – 1 Nov

Hillary the Witch Goes to the Opera

Hillary the Witch Goes to the Opera is an opera in one act by Peter Lund, translated and adapted by Louise Ahlsell and Wolfgang…

All events in Gothenburg

Hostels

Where to stay in Gothenburg

A reasonable scene in the centre and around Haga and Linné. Live from Hostelworld.

9.0 160

When to go

May to September for the archipelago. Late September for lobster.

1°

Jan

Cold, dark and wet

1°

Feb

Cold. The film festival runs early in the year

5°

Mar

Brightening

10°

Apr

Thaw

16°

May

Excellent

19°

Jun

Midsummer and long light

21°

Jul

The best month for the islands

21°

Aug

Warm. Way Out West

17°

Sep

Lobster season opens late in the month

11°

Oct

Autumn and cheaper

6°

Nov

Dark and wet

3°

Dec

Christmas at Liseberg

Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets: quiet busy peak

Average highs. Gothenburg is milder and wetter than Stockholm, with rain spread through the year.

What your trip will cost

Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros — you will pay in kronor, at roughly 11 to the euro, and mostly by card.

Shown in euros for comparison; you pay in kronor, mostly by card. The archipelago costs only the transport line.

Nights 3

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Beds—
Food and drink—
Getting around—
Doing things—

Gothenburg travel questions

The ones we get asked most.

How do I get to the archipelago?

Take tram 11 to Saltholmen and change to the ferry. The southern islands — Styrsö, Vrångö, Brännö — are covered by an ordinary Västtrafik ticket, largely car-free, and have granite rocks and swimming spots. Check the last ferry home.

Is it cheaper than Stockholm?

A little. Dorms 280 to 500 SEK (€25–45), a beer 70 to 100 SEK (€6.50–9), and a day around €65 to €110.

What is the Fish Church?

Feskekôrka, a fish market hall built in 1874 to look like a Gothic chapel. It is where to see and eat the west coast's seafood.

What should I eat?

A räksmörgås — an open shrimp sandwich piled high — and anything from the west coast. Lobster season opens in late September. And a Hagabullen, the plate-sized cinnamon bun, in Haga.

Do I need cash?

Almost never. Cards are accepted everywhere and cash often is not.

When is Way Out West?

August, in Slottsskogen park, with club nights across the city alongside it. It is one of Scandinavia's best-known music festivals.

How does it compare to Stockholm?

Smaller, cheaper, friendlier and more relaxed, with better seafood and an archipelago that is easier to reach. Stockholm has the grander sights; Gothenburg is the easier place to spend time.

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