Travel to Gothenburg

Gothenburg is a city that always will be close to my heart. When I was little I always dreamt about living there, I loved going there and the day we graduated high school me and a bunch of friends decided that one day all of us would live in Gothenburg. We managed quite well and there were people from our old group of friends all around the city for studies or work. It was year 2009 and I was writing my master thesis at the School of Business and Economics at Gothenburg university. It was actually in Gothenburg  I started to blog aswell. During my last semester at the uni I applied for a lot of jobs there but the financial crisis just hit the world and it wasn’t that easy as a fresh business graduate to get a job in Gothenburg so when I got an exciting job at Lufthansa in Hamburg I decided to go for that. But I remember how sad I was when I moved my stuff from Gothenburg to store it at my parents garage in Västerås. I didn’t wanted to leave and saw it as a temporary move. The coming two years I spent a lot of time in Gothenburg and I also did when I was a kid and teenager. It was to Gothenburg I went on my first vacation on my own with two friends when we were 15, we went to a bunch of concerts there, to parties and of course I played the soccer tournament Gothia cup a couple of times. The amusement park Liseberg was one of my favorite attractions and I still love it. Unfortunately I could not fit a visit to my tight schedule this time but I managed to get the best out of the city quite well anyway. I have summarized what I did the 24 hours I spent in the city.

Ground transportation

I have never been the one taking public transport when there are other options and this time the weather was brilliant. I stayed at a hotel at Linnéplatsen so I got of the Airport bus from Landvetter at Korsvägen and walked there. It took like 45 minutes but was worth it. Gothenburg city center is perfect for walking and if you wanna try the tram, take it to the seaside beach Saltholmen. It is fabulous there. Are you a walker or a rider when you explore cities?

Beautiful buildings

Stockholm is twice the size of Gothenburg and that feels. Gothenburg does though have a lot of nice buildings relative to its size. One place I like both inside and outside (and where I spent some time studding) is the library across the street from the business school. It isn’t that big but charming.

Waters of Gothenburg

Gothenburg is a seaside city. The port and shipyard was some centuries ago a huge driver of the economy. Nowadays almost nothing is left but the city is still highly influenced by water attractions. Both for tourists and for business. If you haven’t been there before and are not planning on sailing a trip with the tourist boat Paddan that takes you under the many bridges is a must.

Saluhallen

Eating shrimp in Gothenburg is a must. I prefer to do it outside at the waters instead of at a restaurant and you can always grab some at Fiskekyrka or Saluhallen. Could be pricy but when on vacation…

Haga

This is my favorite neighborhood if you want to have a coffee. There are a lot of cozy cafes and you can have huge cinnamon buns here at cafe Husaren. You can’t leave Gothenburg without seeing this neighborhood. If you like SPA visits Hagabadet is a must see place.

Skansen kronan

Walk up to Skansen kronan and have a look at the view. The old monument is located near Slottsskogen, Haga and Linnéplatsen. I promise you will a butiful view of the city. Near by it you find nice bars if you are thirsty.

Avenyn

Yet another must do is to walk along Avenyn. During my visit I Gothenburg I met up a friend for dinner and drinks at Hard Rock. The restaurants are quite touristy but many and for people watching it is a good place. On this street you can also find nightclubs if you are in clubbing mode.

Slottsskogen

Slottsskogen is an oasis in the city. Not really in the city center but a few kilometers away. Here you can see penguins and seals which is the landscape symbol of Bohuslän. There are some cafés if you don’t bring your own snack and you can do training here. It is the central park of Gothenburg.

What else can you do?

I would say everything as you can do in a big city. I love the ocean and also nature stuff as well as going to bars and Liseberg so for me places like the coast, running at Ängsgårdbergen, Slottsskogen or Skatås, beachin at Askim or playing mini golf at Linnéplatsen are on my favorite things to do list. If you have a car or wanna take the boat you can also easily go to the picturesque island of Marsstrand, Hönö and Öckerö. And Gothenburg is an event city so don’t be surprised if your favorite band will go there or if there will be a good sports event to watch or take part in. Have you been running Göteborgsvarvet? if not you should do. It is the worlds largest half marathon and a race worth training for. If you want the official tourist guide for Gothenburg, check out THIS place.

And yes, I managed to work while being there aswell. Sleep was the activity I did less of. Have you been to Gothenburg? what is your impression of the city?

/ Pernilla that already miss Gothenburg vibe