Gothenburg, or Göteborg, is Sweden’s second biggest city. And as such, it’s not one of my favorite stops because of the traffic. Don’t get me wrong – Göteborg is definitely worth a visit! It has many attractions and acivities to offer. I also just found out that Göteborg is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. There’ll be arrangements and activities throughout June-August 2023. How interesting! We spent a long weekend in the city, getting to know its charm and history. And that’s what I’ll share on this entry.

This visit happened way back in July 2017 (so, sorry for the photo quality). We didn’t have a car back then, so we took the bus from Oslo, which took approximately 3.5 hours (plus 35 minutes from Drammen to Oslo). You can book your bus tickets here: https://www.bus4you.se/#!/. One can choose more comfortable seats located on the upper deck.

When we arrived in Göteborg, it was already dusky. We checked in at Hotel Poseidon, which received a fair review from us after the stay: “My husband and I stayed at Hotel Poseidon for 2 nights. It was very easy to communicate with the staff, I booked on the same day and they replied to my message promptly about confirmation. The location was great, most sights within walking distance. If you choose not to walk, Vasa Platsen station was near as well. Loved the fresh breakfast selection and the free maps & brochures! And also, it was very peaceful & quiet, so you really get a good night’s rest.”

I was awed by the beautiful buildings lining the streets! We grabbed some dinner and called it a day, excited to explore the city early in the morning.

One of the things I like when traveling with my husband is that we are both A-menneske (90% of the time), meaning, we wake up early in the morning, enjoy the fresh breakfast, and are on the way to the sights/attractions by around 8-9 am.

We started the next day by taking a stroll along Vasagatan, a 900+ meter street named after King Gustav Vasa (one of the most celebrated Swedish kings). The architecture was very admirable. It reminded me a bit of Copenhagen, although I’m not quite sure which one is bigger.

Did you know that Volvo cars was born in this west coast city? It was founded there in 1927.

Anyway, we continued our walk and found ourselves in Haga Kyrkoplan, the park surrounding the Hagakyrkan (Haga church), which was built in the 1800s.

Then, we traversed the Haga District. The shops were barely opening. I really enjoyed walking on cobbled streets.

One of the highlights of the walk was Skansen Kronan, or “the Crown Sconce”, a thick-walled fortress sitting on top of a hill overlooking the city. It was built in the 1600s, equipped with 23 cannons. However, it was never subjected to war. Through the years, it served as a prison house, a refuge, a military museum, and at present, a gathering venue which can be rented for ca 8000 SEK (price negotiable, according to: https://www.skansenkronan.se/om-oss/faq/.

It has amazing panoramic views of Göteborg – a refreshing place to visit in the midst of the bustling city!

And here are some views from up there. Oh, those pretty buildings..

A few moments later, we went back to the city center. You see, Göteborg is situated by the Göta river. It is a major port and thus, has bridges and canals. A popular spot is the Feskekörka (literally “fishing church”). It’s not a church though, but an indoor fishing market resembling a neo-Gothic church. We visited the place and the surrounding area:

Then, we enthered the Göteborg cathedral, built in the 1800s in neo-Classical style:

To cap the day, we joined the Paddan tour, and continued our sightseeing from an open boat. It was very exciting and refreshing to see the city from the waters. We crossed under several bridges along the canal. Super cool! They even had a frog mascot! 😀 We passed by people canoeing, stand-up paddling, bathing.. and was amazed by some big boats docked in the port.

I really enjoyed the boat tour. It’s one of the most memorable things we did in Göteborg at that time.

The next day, we checked out Saluhallen, an indoor market selling both fresh and processed produced. That hall smelled so goood!

Afterwards, we visited Universeum, a huge.. I don’t know what to call it. It’s a mix of everything – an aquarium, a zoo, a science lab, a visualization dome.. It’s amazing! The entrance fee for adults was around 300 SEK, but it’s worth it. Here’s why:

There were other stuff we missed in Universeum, I guess. And there were areas where photography was restricted. Just across from the Universeum is the Liseberg amusement park, one of the most popular attractions in the city (and maybe all of Sweden). It’s much bigger than Tivoli in Copenhagen, and I guess, Tusenfryd in Oslo? Never been to Tusenfryd (yet). Well, Liseberg has about 40 attractions, Tusenfryd has 34 and Tivoli Gardens has about 25. Liseberg opened in 1923, making this year its 100th anniversary. Cool!

Also within walking distance is the Botanical Garden. We love visiting these gardens, just learning more about plants and appreciating them.

At present, there are about 16,000 species in the garden. Summer is a perfect time to visit, so as to get a glimpse of the outdoor plants as well. More information about the Botanical Garden here: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6teborgs_botaniska_tr%C3%A4dg%C3%A5rd.

And of course, Göteborg also has its beautiful coasts and islets. It has a beautiful promenade, or the little archipelago can also be explored by boat. This was the last activity we did during our first visit in the city. For tours like this, many tourists make the mistake of not taking the local ferries, which is cheaper and less crowded. The same is true in the Oslofjord. But I do understand that local navigation can be a challenge when one doesn’t speak the language. 🙂

The rest of the evening was spent in the city. I love summer and the many extra hours of daylight!

Then, we took the bus back home. It was a very good and memorable weekend, and I miss how young we were. So much energy to cover so many activities. Lols 🙂

Here’s the old Svinesund Bridge, which borders Sweden from Norway (and vice versa).

This entry is long overdue (and literally long, hehe), but I’m decluttering and found many trips that still remain undocumented. 🙂 We visited Göteborg again in 2022, with Missy. It was a different experience though.

Until next trip!

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ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ON THIS BLOG ENTRY ARE MINE. 🙂 Cheers!