Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gothenburg
Of all the cities in southern Sweden, the grandest is the western port of
Gothenburg. Designed by the Dutch in 1621, the country's second largest
city boasts splendid Neoclassical architecture, masses of sculpture-strewn
parkland and a welcoming and relaxed spirit. The cityscape of broad
avenues, elegant squares, trams and canals is not only one of the prettiest in
Sweden, but also the backdrop to Scandinavia's biggest seaport, making the
city a truly cosmopolitan destination. There is a certain resentment on the
west coast that Stockholm wins out in the national glory stakes, but
Gothenburg's easier-going atmosphere - and its closer proximity to western
Europe - makes it first choice as a place to live for many Swedes. Talk to any
Gothenburger and they will soon disparage the more frenetic lives of the
“08-ers” - 08 being the telephone code for Stockholm.
At the heart of the city is the historic
old town
: this is the best place to start your
sightseeing, although Gothenburg's attractions are by no means restricted to this area.
Tucked between the Göta River to the north and the zigzagging Rosenlundkanalen to the
south, the old town's tightly gridded streets are lined with impressive facades, interesting
food markets and a couple of worthwhile museums, most notably the
Stadsmuseum
and,
up by the harbour, the
Maritiman
, a repository of all things nautical. Just across the canal
that skirts the southern edges of the old town is
Trädgårdsföreningen
park, in summer
full of colourful flowers and picnicking city dwellers.
Heading further south into the modern centre,
Avenyn
is Gothenburg's showcase
boulevard, alive with flashy restaurants and bars. However, it's the roads off Avenyn
that are the area's most interesting, with alternative-style café-bars and some of
Gothenburg's best museums, including the
Konstmuseum
(Art Museum) further south
in
Götaplatsen
. For family entertainment day or night, the classic
Liseberg Amusement
Park
, just to the southeast of the Avenyn district, has been a meeting place for
Gothenburgers since the 1920s.
In Vasastan, a small district to the west of Avenyn, crammed with intricately
decorated late nineteenth-century apartment buildings and peppered with appealing
little cafés, you'll find the
Röhsska Museum
of applied arts. Vasastan stretches west to
Haga
, the old working-class district, now a haven for the trendy and moneyed. Haga
Nygatan, the main thoroughfare, leads on to Linnégatan, the arterial road through
Linné
. Fast establishing itself as the most vibrant part of the city, it's home to the most
interesting evening haunts, with new cafés, bars and restaurants opening up alongside
long-established antique emporiums and sex shops. Further out, the rolling
Slottskogsparken
park holds the
Naturhistoriska Museet
(Natural History Museum), as
well as being an alluringly pretty place to sunbathe.
3
Brief history
Founded on its present site in the seventeenth century by Gustav II Adolf,
Gothenburg was the Swedes' fifth attempt to create a centre free from Danish
The Gothenburg City Card
p.119
The Gothenburg Package
p.120
Self-catering
p.122
