Gothenburg, Sweden

Rail Guide to Gothenburg

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Introduction

Founded in 1621, Gothenburg is Scandinavia's most important port and is also the country’s second largest city after the capital Stockholm with around half a million inhabitants. It's waterside location, the green open spaces and fine architecture make it a strikingly beautiful city whilst also offering all the cultural experience and amenities you'd expect of a city of that size including theatres, museums, restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels and shops. Despite it's size and the fact that it has hosted major international events over the years, it still has a kind of a small-town charm about it.

Things to do

The Elfsborg Fortress, located on a small island at the mouth of the Göta River, is a wonderfully preserved 17th century fortress. It gives visitors a fascinating insight into the history of conflicts and battles between the Swedish and the Danes. The fortress used to be the greatest citadel in Sweden in terms of coastal defence and nowadays has proven to be a really popular drawer of visitors. A guided tour is included in the admission fee.

The Göteborg Botanical Garden is one of the largest such gardens in Europe. With herb gardens, a bamboo grove, a Japanese garden, an arboretum with woodland plants from all over the world, a rock garden and greenhouses with orchids and other exotic plants, this really is a gardener's dream! It covers an area of 175 hectares (432 acres), most of which is a nature reserve including an arboretum.

Sweden’s most popular tourist attraction, the Liseberg Amusement Park

has been welcoming huge numbers of visitors for almost 80 years. There are over 30 different rides, a theatre and its very own musical shows. The summer season lasts from late April until early October, but even over the winter months the park remains open to visitors with seasonal attractions such as the enchanting Christamas market, which is the biggest market of that kind in Scandinavia; you’ll find food specialties of the season, an ice bar and Christmas entertainment.

Local transport

It’s probably best to discover this lovely city on foot, but there’s also an efficient bus and tram network . The Älvsnabben ferry provides services along the harbour while on the canals, there are Padden boats which you can use for a tour. The Göteborg Pass offers free travel on public buses, trams, trains and archipelago boats and it also includes special discounts and free entry to many museums and parks of the city.