Gothenburg

Gothenburg
Time:: GMT+1
Currency:: kr

Overview
Guide
Reviews
Attractions
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Events

Situated on the southwest coast of Sweden, where the Göta River (Göta älv) meets the North Sea, Gothenburg has the largest harbour in Scandinavia and longstanding trade, industry and seafaring traditions. Accordingly the city has an open, outward-looking mentality and maintains extensive contacts with other cities, countries and continents.

Home to Volvo, Ericsson and several other Swedish industry giants, Gothenburg is an affluent city with a high standard of living, and increasingly over the last decade or so it has developed a new urban and metropolitan feel, with plenty of hip bars, cafes and clubs lining the streets. At the same time it has managed to retain a strong local character and a down-to-earth cultural robustness that is both authentic and attractive.

Gothenburg comes alive in spring and summer. Big crowds flock to Liseberg Amusement Park, Sweden’s most popular tourist attraction, and in the evenings and weekends the city’s main streets are full of people out enjoying themselves in the warm weather. Many restaurants put tables outside, so that punters can enjoy the city’s culinary riches in the bright summer sun, which keeps shining until late in the evening.

Gothenburg’s restaurant scene has long been something of a local secret, but increasingly the outside world is waking up to the many gastronomic pleasures it has to offer. The city is particularly famous for its fish and seafood restaurants, but it also sports a great number of excellent eateries specialising in other kinds of cuisine.

Like many Swedish cities, Gothenburg is very well laid out, and visitors will immediately notice its spaciousness. The sea air blowing in from the harbour and the city’s wide streets and many open spaces combine to create a feeling of openness, lightness and freshness.

What also helps make the cityscape pleasant is the great number of parks and green spaces. The Horticultural Society Garden (Trädgårdsföreningen) is particularly attractive, a green oasis in the city centre with a lovely rose garden and open-air concerts in summer.

As if the beauty and vibrancy of the city itself wasn’t enough, however, there is also the archipelago with its lively and charming islands and islets offering great opportunities for swimming, sunbathing and sailing. It is a true summer paradise.

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Feature

Public Transport

The public transport network in Gothenburg is excellent. Västtrafik (tel: 0771 414 300; website: www.vasttrafik.se) is responsible for running the trams and buses. The Gothenburg tram network is the largest in Scandinavia with a total track length of 80km (50 miles). There are 200 trams serving 12 day-time and five night-time lines. The bus network is equally impressive, and there are plenty of ferries as well. The Älvsnabben Ferry (tel: 07771 414 300) runs every hour or half hour between Lilla Bommen, Rosenlund, Lindholmspiren, Slottsberget, Eriksberg and Klippan from early morning until late in the evening. The Gothenburg Pass(Göteborgspasset), which can be bought at the city’s tourist information centres, hotels and youth hostels (or in advance at www.goteborg.com), entitles the holder to free use of city’s public transport.

Taxis

There are many taxi ranks throughout the city, but taxis can also be hailed anywhere on the street. To book one, contact Taxi Göteborg (tel: (031) 650 000), Taxi Kurir (tel: (031) 272 727) or Taxi 020 (tel: 0200 939 300).

Car Hire

Car hire companies represented in Gothenburg include Avis (tel: 020 788 200; website: www.avis.se), Hertz (tel: 020 211 211; website: www.hertz.se) and Europcar (tel: 020 781 180; website: www.europcar.se).

Introduction

Music, Dance and Theatre:Gothenburg Concert Hall (Konserthuset), Götaplatsen, opened in 1935 and is a famous monument of Nordic architectural functionalism, well known also for its brilliant acoustics. It is home to the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (tel: (031) 726 5300; website: www.gso.se), Sweden’s national symphony orchestra.

Gothenburg Opera House, Lilla Bommen (tel: (031) 108 000; website: www.opera.se), situated by the waterfront in the central harbour, opened in 1994 and is a modern opera house with two stages, a restaurant, café and bars. Opera, ballet and musicals are performed here.

The Crown House (Kronhuset), Kronhusgatan 1D (tel: (031) 611 491), Gothenburg’s oldest building, is a great music venue and the home of local professional brassband Göteborgsmusiken (website: www.goteborgsmusiken.se).

Pustervik, Järntorgsgatan 12 (tel: (031) 130 680; website: www.pustervik.goteborg.se) is Gothenburg’s special guest stage for theatre, dance, performance art, music and film, and it also includes a café, bar and a number of clubs that keep open until 0300.

The City Theatre (Stadsteatern), Götaplatsen (tel: (031) 615 050) and Folkteatern, Olof Palmes Plats, Järntorget (tel: (031) 607 575; website: www.folkteatern.se) are both popular theatres (Swedish language only), attracting large audiences. The repertoire of the latter often has a slightly more contemporary and political edge. The city also has several other free theatre companies.

Film: For quieter nights, there are several good cinemas in the city. For mainstream films, Biopalatset, Kungstorget 2 (tel: (031) 174 500; website: www.astoriacinemas.se) and Filmstaden Bergakungen, Skånegatan 16B (tel: 0856 260 000; website: www.sf.se), the most modern cinema in Scandinavia with two 18m-wide screens and several smaller ones, are very good. Filmstaden Downtown, Kungsgatan (tel: 0856 260 000; website: www.sf.se) with its 16 screens and 1,800 seats is also recommended. Hagabion, Linnegatan 21 (tel: (031) 428 810; website: www.hagabion.nu) and Bio Svea (tel: (031) 774 1440; website: www.biosvea.se) are smaller cinemas screening more alternative and international films.