Gothenburg Holidays

Gothenburg holidays are all about the good life: Sweden's laid-back second city has a theme park in the middle of town, seafood straight off the boats and car-free islands a tram and ferry ride away. Add hipster cafés, cinnamon buns the size of your head and enough Scandi cool to fill your camera roll twice over and you're getting a holiday you'll remember for years.

Highlights of your holidays to Gothenburg 2026 and 2027

• Liseberg - Gothenburg's much-loved amusement park, with Helix and AtmosFear for thrill-seekers, gentle rides for little ones, and big Halloween and Christmas seasons.

• The southern archipelago - Car-free islands like Styrsö and Vrångö, a tram and ferry ride away on an ordinary city ticket, with rocky swimming spots and harbour cafés.

• The Botanical Garden - One of Europe's great botanical gardens, free to wander, with a rock garden and waterfall.

• Haga - Cobbled lanes of 19th-century wooden houses, indie shops and the famous giant cinnamon bun at Café Husaren.

• Slottsskogen - A huge city park with a free zoo of seals, penguins and elk, next door to a museum with the world's only stuffed blue whale.

• Feskekörka - The 1874 "fish church", beautifully restored with fish counters, an oyster bar and restaurants.

Good to Know for your Gothenburg holidays

• ☀️ Summers are mild and bright, with highs around 22-23°C in July and long light evenings. Winters hover around 3-4°C, and the city goes all out on Christmas lights.

• 💰 Sweden uses the Swedish krona (SEK), not the euro. A pint is around 75-100 SEK (€7-€9) and a main in a mid-range restaurant 180-280 SEK (€16-€25). Almost everywhere takes card.

• 🎉 Liseberg's mascot is a giant green rabbit, and at Christmas a whole corner of the park becomes Kaninlandet, Rabbit Land.

A holiday in Gothenburg is perfect for you if...

• You want holidays to Gothenburg that feel relaxed, with a proper city break on the side.

• You'd happily plan a day around a roller coaster and a cinnamon bun.

• You like your seafood so fresh it was in the sea that morning.

• You fancy a day hopping between car-free islands.

• You prefer a city you can walk across without a map.

Where to Stay in Gothenburg

Gothenburg is compact, so wherever you stay you're never more than a tram ride from the action.

💑 Where should couples stay in Gothenburg?

Around Haga and Linné, with cobbled streets, cosy cafés and wine bars on every corner.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Where should families stay in Gothenburg?

Near Liseberg and Korsvägen, so the theme park and Universeum science centre are a short walk away.

🎉 Where should groups stay in Gothenburg?

Around Avenyn and Kungsportsplatsen, the city's main strip of bars, restaurants and clubs.

💰 Where should I stay in Gothenburg on a budget?

Majorna, a friendly neighbourhood a few tram stops west of the centre, or around Central Station for easy airport buses.

🏨 Best Hotels for Gothenburg Holidays

Every hotel below can be booked as part of a Gothenburg package with flights included, and we've picked our favourites for every kind of trip.

💑 What are the best hotels for a couples' city break in Gothenburg?

• PIGALLE - Belle Époque Paris in the middle of Gothenburg, with a rooftop terrace and a piano bar. Five minutes' walk from Central Station.

• Dorsia Hotel & Restaurant - All velvet and art, with its own bakery and afternoon tea every day. Grown-ups and older children only.

• Hotel Royal - Gothenburg's oldest hotel, welcoming guests since 1852.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Which Gothenburg hotels are best for a family city break?

• Gothia Towers - Directly across the street from Liseberg's gates, with the city's highest spa for the grown-ups.

• Hotel Lorensberg - Family-run, a short walk from Liseberg and Avenyn, with a breakfast buffet and a summer courtyard.

• Hotel Vanilla - Central and good value, with breakfast included and a family apartment that sleeps four.

🎉 Which Gothenburg hotels are best for a group trip?

• Avalon Hotel - A rooftop pool with a glass-bottomed edge that juts out over Kungsportsplatsen, right at the start of Avenyn.

• Clarion Hotel The Pier - A waterfront hotel with a rooftop bar over the river in summer and a 10th-floor restaurant.

• Hotel Riverton - Home to View Skybar, with panoramic views over the harbour.

💰 Which hotels are best for a cheap Gothenburg holiday?

• Spar Hotel Majorna - Breakfast buffet included, a free gym and sauna, and a tram stop a couple of minutes away.

• Home Hotel Odin - Right by Central Station, with afternoon fika and an evening buffet included, and kitchenettes in the studios.

👉 See all Gothenburg hotels

Local Lingo

Almost everyone in Gothenburg speaks brilliant English, but a hej and a tack go a long way.

• Hej (hey) - hello

• Tack (tahk) - thank you

• Snälla (SNEL-ah) - please

• Skål! (skoal) - cheers!

• Ursäkta (oor-SHEK-tah) - excuse me

• Var är...? (var air) - where is...?

• Räkmacka (REK-mah-kah) - an open prawn sandwich, the west coast's favourite lunch

• Göteborg (YUH-teh-borry) - Gothenburg, as the locals say it

Gothenburg Things to Do: Travel Guide

Here's our pick of the best things to do in Gothenburg, whoever you're travelling with, and plenty of them are free. It's a city break that works for every age.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are the best things to do on a family city break in Gothenburg?

• Liseberg - Roller coasters and gentle rides from April to September, then Halloween in October and a huge Christmas market from mid-November.

• Universeum - A science centre with an indoor rainforest full of sloths and monkeys, an aquarium tunnel and a 360-degree dome cinema.

• Slottsskogen and the Natural History Museum - A free zoo with seals and penguins, pony rides in summer, and the blue whale next door.

• An island day - Hop on the ferry to a car-free island, where kids can run free between the rock pools.

• World of Volvo - Cars, design and plenty of hands-on bits, a good plan for a rainy day.

💑 What are the best things to do on a couples' city break in Gothenburg?

• Archipelago seafood cruise - Three hours through the islands with prawns and salmon on board, running from April to mid-December.

• Hagabadet - A beautiful 1876 bathhouse, now a spa, for a slow afternoon.

• A Haga fika crawl - The Hagabullen at Café Husaren, then a cake at Ahlströms Konditori, open since 1901.

• The Botanical Garden - A free wander through rock gardens and woodland, best on a crisp autumn morning.

• Konstmuseum - Nordic art at the top of Avenyn, then dinner on the boulevard below.

🎉 What are the best things to do on a city break to Gothenburg with friends?

• Paddan boat tour - Fifty minutes through the canals and under low bridges you'll have to duck for, from April to early November.

• Escape rooms - Escape GBG has English-language games, and Prison Island has 36 Fort Boyard-style challenge cells.

• Craft beer - Brewers Beer Bar for craft brews and sourdough pizza, and Ölhallen 7:an, the city's oldest beer hall, open since 1900.

• Yaki-Da - A bar and club across four floors, open until 4am at weekends.

🍽️ What's the food like on a Gothenburg city break?

• Feskekörka - Smoked fish from Lilla Åstols Rökeri, oysters and seafood lunches under one soaring roof.

• Familjen - A West Swedish brasserie with a Michelin Bib Gourmand for great food at fair prices.

• Fiskekrogen - A seafood institution since 1972, famous for its lobster soup and seafood platters.

• Strömmingsluckan - Fried herring from a hatch, cheap and very Gothenburg.

More Destinations

• Stockholm - Sweden's capital, spread across 14 islands with a medieval old town at its heart.

• Copenhagen - Colourful harbours, Tivoli Gardens and a bike-everywhere lifestyle.

• Oslo - A fjord-side capital of striking architecture and outdoor saunas.

• Bergen - Wooden harbour houses and the gateway to Norway's fjords.

• Helsinki - Design shops, island fortresses and a sauna culture to match.