Hey there!
If you've ever heard me speak you would assume I was from America but in fact, I was born and raised in the beautiful Swedish West Coast city of Gothenburg. While I moved out of the city at the ripe age of 19 I still think of Gothenburg as my home and often rave about it when people are looking for new places to travel.
While it pains me to admit, Stockholm is the more beautiful city, Gothenburg has a lot to offer with quaint neighbourhoods, an indoor rain forest, a great food scene, and the fact that it is on the best coast.
Whether it be watching the sunset behind the harbour, eating your body weight in seafood, or just enjoying the best type of humour, Gothenburg should definitely be on your travel bucket list.
You might not be too familiar with what Gothenburg really has to offer but if I haven't enticed you with seafood, a rain forest, and the fact that it is the greatest city in Sweden then here are 12 Things You Must See in Gothenburg.
UNIVERSEUM
Universeum is a science museum located near Korsvägen, right next to the largest amusement park in the Nordics, and offers a wide range of interactive exhibitions where you can learn about the water's path through Sweden, understand the force of gravity, and wander through a shark tunnel in the aquarium. But the best thing is at the end where the rainforest is. With animals running around freely and humidity higher than in the car in Titanic you will not be disappointed!
This museum is a must-see if you are traveling with children but even adults will thoroughly enjoy it.
HAGA
Of the few words of Swedish that are floating around the internet, fika is probably the most famous. While the interwebs have tried to explain what fika means I often find they make it more complicated than it is. Fika essentially means sitting down and relaxing with a non-alcoholic beverage and a small bite to eat. Us Swedes often end up fika-ing for hours and Haga is one of the best places in Gothenburg to get your fika on!
Haga is this quaint little neighbourhood with some of the oldest houses in the city, most of them wooden. With its cobbled stones and hipster vibes, Haga is a must-go when you come to Gothenburg. I recommend stopping by Café Husaren for their famous Hagabullen, a ginormous cinnamon bun.
DELSJÖN
Sweden has more than 90,000 lakes and Delsjön is one of them, well two of them. If you are looking for a more authentic Swedish experience I recommend packing a packed lunch of sandwiches, Singoalla biscuits, and a thermos of coffee and heading out into the wilderness that is Delsjön. During the summer the lakes offer perfect swimming opportunities but the rest of the year it's the perfect place for walking. You can rent a kayak, walk around the lakes, or if you fancy go deeper into the woods and find yourself enjoying the peaceful nature.
SKANSEN KRONAN
Once you've enjoyed your giant cinnamon bun and you've relaxed for a bit I recommend you get your heart pumping as you climb the stairs to Skansen Kronan, a fortress in Haga. While you can't go inside the fortress offers some of the best views of Gothenburg which is always a feast for the eyes!
LISEBERG
As I mentioned earlier Gothenburg has the biggest amusement park in all the Nordics. With a wide range of rides for all ages, Liseberg is the perfect way to spend a full day. Buy an all-you-can-ride pass and enjoy the unlimited amount of rollercoasters, log flumes, and merry-go-rounds. The park is open most of the year with its main seasons being summer and winter but is also open for Halloween with some spooky decorations and ghost rides. In winter the park turns into a winter wonderland and is the most festive place, perfect to find handmade gifts and trying new foods, like reindeer sausages.
THE BLUE WHALE
My favourite fun fact about Gothenburg is located in the Natural History Museum on the edge of Slottskogen. With a wide collection of animals, the most impressive of them all is the world's only preserved blue whale. While that is a fun fact worthy of telling it gets better! When it was first placed in the museum in 1918 the mouth was kept opened for people to wander in and people would have dinner parties inside the whale.
However, in 1930 a couple was found 'making love' inside the whale and the museum decided to close the mouth. Now the mouth is only opened on national election days which in Swedish is 'valdag' which also means whale day.
(Unfortunately, the whale room is closed for construction until April 2021 so I couldn't get to it when I visited)
ARCHIPELAGO
Gothenburg is located on the west coast, not too far from a beautiful archipelago filled with stunning islands only a boat ride away. These ferries are included in the regular public transport system so getting a ticket couldn't be easier. Take a day exploring the rocky west coast islands and enjoy a shrimp sandwich to really get that authentic Swedish summer experience.
Hop on the ferries from Saltholmen and make your way to Donsö, Styrsö, and Vrångö among others. If the weather allows bring your swimsuit and a towel and navigate the salty waters avoiding the jellyfish.
KÖTTBULLEKÄLLAREN
I am all for gourmet dinners and Michelin recommended restaurants, but to truly get to know a place you need to try their local gems. If there is one thing us Swedes eat a lot it's meatballs. Köttbullekällaren offers the best meatball experience I've ever had with their mahoosive balls of joy at a really reasonable price.
You have the option of 3 or 4 meatballs and as someone who always orders the large portion at IKEA, I was more than full up with the three I ordered. If you get there at lunchtime on a weekday the meatballs with a side salad are 100kr but outside of lunch hours, you won't be paying more than 120kr.
UNIQUE BOAT TOUR
Where many cities offer hop-on-hop-off busses Gothenburg has Paddan. Paddan is a tour company which will take you on a guided tour of Gothenburg by boat. Book on to one of their guided tours and you'll explore the city from the narrow canals to the open river in the harbour. I took this tour a few years ago and was truly impressed, I learned a lot of things I never knew having lived there for all my life. It's a unique way of exploring the city and getting to know a little bit about its history and architecture.
SLOTTSKOGEN
Sweden is known for its moose population and while it's not too rare to spot a wild moose in Gothenburg you're better going to Slottskogen to see them. Slottskogen is one of many parks in Gothenburg and is the perfect spot for a picnic or a round of the traditional Swedish game Kubb. It also inhabits one of Sweden's oldest zoos with a purpose to educate, research, and preserve wild species. Here you can see all sorts of animals from seals, ponies, goats, and moose. If you are travelling with children this is also a great spot as you can pet goats and pigs as well as ride ponies.
If you're in town during August you should get tickets to the music festival Way Out West which is held in Slottskogen. It's a plant-based festival with great line-ups of musicians.
PALMHUSET
Inside Trädgårdsföreningen (The Garden Society) you will find the Palm House, a greenhouse environment filled with tropical plants. It's one of the many peaceful oases in Gothenburg and a must-see! It's free to enter both Trädgårdsförening and the Palm House and there are cafés dotted throughout.
KRONHUSBODARNA
If you are looking to experience an older version of Gothenburg I highly recommend Kronhusbodarna which you will find tucked behind Gustav Adolfs Torg. The larger building is one of the oldest in the city and dates back to the 1700s. The buildings were built for storing ammunition back in the day when Sweden was going to war against Denmark, a time before our rivalry was settled on the football field. There are a number of cafés, shops, and even a chocolatier so there's plenty to do!
There we have it. A local's guide to the top 12 must-see and must-do things in Gothenburg. While this is only a handful of things I do recommend you spend a few days on the West Coast outside of Gothenburg as there are some incredible islands and coastal towns in Bohuslän that I recommend checking out, Lysekil and Smögen to name a few.
I always recommend visiting Sweden in the summer or winter. While spring can be beautiful Autumn is often rainy and horrible, especially on the West Coast. Summer offers really long days with the sun never truly setting beyond the horizon and in winter Gothenburg looks amazing all decorated for Christmas.
I hope enjoyed my guide for what to do in Gothenburg and hope you enjoy your stay in my beautiful hometown.
Ha de gött!
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