A guide by Sixpointfour
Good place to admire the Swedish light.
Incredibly good value transport card from the Tidpunkten: 100 SEK for trains, trams, buses and ferries throughout Goteborg and Bohuslan. Buys a number of kupong (currently 18). Insert the card in the machine on board and press the required number of kupong (minimum 2). Permits onward travel in the next hour, longer for areas outside Goteborg City. Long journeys (3 hours or more) are 8-10 kupong (£4-5), even on the express coaches.
Combined prices for multi-mode journeys are a lot cheaper than paying for individual elements; generally the extra cost of local onward travel from a ferry by bus is one kupong.
Use it to wander round the coastal islands. If you are there for the weekend, one ticket can be used for several people including travel on the much cheaper bus from/to the airport if you are using Ryanair; the bus stop is at the end of the Airport road about 300 metres from the departure lounge.
www.vasttrafik.se/eng/internet.aspx?desktop=177&menu=1&language=1053
It is beautiful and easy to get to. You reach car-free islands on cheap public transport, getting a nice boat trip into the bargain. Bathing waters are very clean and often very shallow and calm due to virtually no tides, waves or currents, making them ideal for families with babies and toddlers. Water temperatures often reach 21C in July.
The northern archipelago can be reached by car ferry from Hjuvik and Hisingen. For the southern archipelago take the ferry from Saltholmen. With the Gothenburg Pass it is free, or without one it costs the same as a tram ride.
www.goteborg.com/templates/Page.aspx?id=653
In the spring, summer or autumn, go to Liseberg - Sweden's largest amusement park which is unusually tasteful and un-tacky. Make sure you try 'Balder', Scandinavia's biggest wooden rollercoaster. In the winter go to the Christmas markets at Liseberg.
Haga is an older part of town with wooden houses, once for the poorer inhabitants of Gothenburg and now an uber-fashionable place to live. With many trendy shops there is one particular cafe along Haga Nygata (the main street). The cafe is called Cafeva and serves home-made food and soups, excellent coffees, teas and hot chocolates. The decor is homely and it has a very friendly atmosphere. A must for any visitor to Gothenburg.
Haga Nygata, tram stop Jarntorget or Hagakyrkan.
Whatever you do, remember that Sweden operates a state-run alcohol retail outlet - Systembolaget. This has very precise opening times so make sure you know them, otherwise you will be very frustrated. The good news is that booze bought at the Systembolaget is far cheaper than at bars. There is also a fantastic choice of wine.
Systembolagets are in most towns and have a very distinctive logo.
www.systembolaget.se
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