Where is that you might well ask… Sweden?!  Spot-on! I think we pigeonhole Sweden with the reliably-popular Stockholm as the other cities are perceived as largely un-touristy. But I have to admit – Gothenburg turned out to be somewhat of an undiscovered jewel.
Just a short, fairly cheap flight away, I can honestly say that Gothenburg stands out as a must see, must visit European city. As great for a quick city getaway as it is a proper family holiday. Simply because it has the best of both worlds – city buzz (museums, boutique hotels, shops, fine dining) and 30 minutes on the ferry will take you to the lovely country side on all the small islands. Amazing!
Here is a collection of basic and entirely reliable facts about Gothenburg:
- Founded – 1621
- Population of the city – 526,089
- Sunrise and Sunset, June 21st – Rise 04:11 Set 22:16
- Largest Private Companies – Volvo, Ericsson
- Number of Roses in the Rose Garden – 2,500 (1,300 varieties)
- Museums – 20
- Typical weight of fish and shellfish sold at the weekly fish auction – 86 tons
- Public transport ferries – 9
I visited Gothenburg in December, when the Christmas feel was in the air. A small group of us stayed in centrally located hotels and we soon realised how compact the city is; indeed, everything is within walking distance.
Breakfast in the morning was a happy reunion with my Baltic roots – rye bread, smoked herring, pickled herring, beetroot salad, smoked salmon, the list goes on: very tasty and very Scandinavian. It was a great discovery for one of my English colleagues that having rye bread for breakfast keeps you fuller for longer: which is true!
Hanging Christmas trees at Clarion Hotel Post
On the first day of our 3 day stay, we left the city and after a 30 min drive south of Gothenburg reached our first stop – Gunnebo Mansion – a beautiful neo-classical country estate. The house, still with its original furniture, boasts three styles of gardens: kitchen garden, formal garden and landscape garden. All the gardens are managed organically and are certified organic. Products from the gardens are served at the café. I chose parsnip soup that was absolutely delicious.
Then we went back to the city and the next stop was the Art Museum. I can thoroughly recommend the guided tour where you will discover the different elements in Scandinavian art.  The Fashion museum was the next stop. If you are interested in fashion, design or decorative arts, there are temporary exhibitions of work by Scandinavian designers, which are fascinating.
In the evening we took the winter City tour by Paddan boat in order to see the beauty of Gothenburg from water. The trip in the open –topped boat, with hot mulled wine being served, took us through the Old Moat on 17th century canals to the Christmas market at Lisberg where millions of lights twinkle in the dark. I have to say that LisbergPark would have to be a very close rival to Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland. There are so many things to do for adults and children of all ages and my favourite had to be Father Christmas’s entire house with a factory line inside where we saw his little helpers sort our letters and pack our presents ready to dispatch them.
The second day in Gothenburg, it’s middle of December and it’s raining. But we are from England where we are used to rain so we don’t complain! We took a tram and a boat ride to visit a beautiful island in the southern archipelago – Styrso island. This is located just 30 minutes from the city by boat. The island offers inspiring walks on the rocks at the edge of the sea or you can have a luxurious afternoon tea at the Styrso Skaret guest house restaurant.
Back to the city and lunch at the Fish Market Hall. Known as Feskekorka, it offers top quality fresh fish and seafood in a distinctive church-like building dating back from 1873. The restaurant is award winning and serves the best fish soup I have ever eaten.
In the evening we wandered around the city, taking in the district of Haga with its 19th century cobblestone streets and outdoor markets with home-made and locally-produced products. The Christmas feeling was definitely there!
For dinner, we headed to a Michelin star restaurant called Aveqia where you cook your dinner yourself with guidance from your own chef. It was a unique experience and we all managed to cook something special: quite unforgettable.
Our third and last day in Gothenburg gave us enough time to visit another small and cosy Christmas market in the Crown-house. Dating from the 1600s, the Crown House building is a genuine step back in time and its Christmas market follows this theme.
As it’s our last day in Gothenburg, we treat ourselves to a mouth-watering Christmas buffet lunch on another small island in the archipelago – Alvasborgs Fortress. The restaurant serves typical Swedish food in a unique setting of an historical site. Boats operate from Lilla Bommen according to lunch or dinner times.
Eventually our three wonderful days came to the end and it was time to make our way to the airport and fly back home. What a wonderful experience this was!
Would I recommend Gothenburg to you? Yes, definitely! There are wonderful restaurants, the archipelago is fascinating, the hotels are comfortable and the people are friendly and welcoming.
Antra Lumb
Travel Consultant at Baltic Travel Company
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2014 at 10:06 am; on the subject of Nordics, Scandinavia, Sweden.