Sights in Götaland
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Liseberg Funpark
The Liseberg fun park is dominated by its futuristic spaceportlike tower. The ride to the top, some 83m above the ground, climaxes in a spinning dance and a breathtaking view of the city. The other amusements and rides seem tame by comparison but there's no lack of variety. You can buy a pass that allows you to ride the attractions all day. There are often summer shows and concerts staged here.
Opening hours are complex but the season generally runs from late April to early October (and also in the weeks leading up to Christmas) - check the website. Tram No 5 takes you there.
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Haga District
The Haga District, south of the canal, is Göteborg's oldest suburb, dating back to 1648. In the 1980s and '90s, the area was thoroughly renovated and now includes shops and restaurants.
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Liseberg
Scream yourself silly at this mighty theme park, southeast of the city centre. Sweden’s largest, it draws over three million visitors every year, and sometimes it feels as though they’re all visiting at once! There’s a number of blockbuster rides, including the 90km/h wooden roller coaster Balder, and the stomach-churning Kanonen, where you’re blasted from 0 to 75km/h in under two seconds. For views of the city without losing your lunch, the ride to the top of the Liseberg Tower, 83m above the ground, climaxes in a slow spinning dance with a breathtaking panorama. Softer options include carousels and fairy-tale castles, as well as summertime shows and concerts. Each ride …
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Konstmuseet
Göteborg’s premier art collection awaits at Konstmuseet, with works by the French impressionists, Rubens, Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Picasso, as well as Scandinavian masters such as Bruno Liljefors, Edvard Munch, Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson. Other highlights include a superb sculpture hall, the Hasselblad Center photographic collection, and temporary exhibitions showcasing next-gen Nordic art. Outside, Götaplatsen is dominated by the bronze Poseidon fountain, infamous for scandalising locals upon its unveiling in 1931. This 7m-high colossus originally had private parts most men could only wish for. Alas it was all too much for Göteborg’s strait-laced citizens, who forced…
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Arbetets Museum
Industrilandskapet, Norrköping’s star turn, is the impeccably preserved industrial area near the river. Pedestrian walkways and bridges lead past magnificent former factory buildings and around the ingenious system of locks and canals. The most thunderous waterfall is Kungsfallet, near the islet Laxholmen. Within the area are several interesting museums, all with free admission. The innovative Arbetets Museum documents working life. There’s one permanent display about Alva Carlsson, a typical worker in the former cotton mill, and temporary exhibitions focusing mainly on gender issues, human rights or multiculturalism. The seven-sided building, completed in 1917 and dub…
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Maritiman
Near the opera house, the world’s largest floating ship museum is made up of 20 historical crafts, including fishing boats, a light vessel and a firefighter, all linked by walkways. Shinny down into the 69m-long submarine Nordkaparen for a throat-tightening glimpse into underwater warfare. Another highlight is the labyrinthine 121m-long destroyer Småland, which saw service from 1952 to 1979. Inside, hunched figures listen to crackling radio messages, and the bunks look just-slept-in – you half expect to meet uniformed sailors in the dim, twisting passages… Allow a couple of hours to explore.
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Universeum
The spectacular Universeum is a top spot for families and nature fiends. A funicular takes you to the top of an indoor mountain, from where you follow the course of a Scandinavian stream down through rivers and lakes to the sea – shark tunnel ahoy! Things take a tropical turn in the absorbing rainforest: birds and butterflies flitter, while more gruesome denizens dwell in Piranha River, Caiman Creek, Anaconda Swamp and Stingray Lagoon. When you’re done, go button crazy with the fantastically fun, hands-on science exhibitions, where themes range from nanotechnology and space travel to mixing music.
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Sjöfartsmuseet
The main museum of maritime history is Sjöfartsmuseet, by Stigberg-storget about 2km west of the city centre. Tram 3, 9 or 11 will get you there. The collection includes model ships, cannons, a ship’s medical room and a large collection of figureheads, such as the vicious-looking Vinthunden from the frigate with the same name. The attached aquarium (included in the entry fee) wriggles with Nordic marine life. Outside, the Sjömanstornet (Mariner’s Tower), topped by a statue of a grieving woman, commemorates Swedish sailors killed in WWI.
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Röda Sten
Occupying a defunct, graffitied power station beside the giant Älvsborgsbron, Röda Sten is one of Sweden’s coolest art centres. Its four gritty floors are home to any number of temporary exhibitions, ranging from edgy Swedish photography to New York sound installations. There’s an indie-style cafe with summertime riverside seating, weekly live music and club nights and offbeat one-offs like punk bike races, boxing matches and stand-up comedy. To get there, take tram 3 or 9 to Vagnhallen Majorna, walk towards Klippan, continue under Älvsborgsbron and look for the brown-brick building.
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Trädgårdsföreningen
Laid out in 1842 and recently restored to better reflect its original plan, the lush Trädgårdsföreningen is a large protected area off Nya Allén. Full of flowers and tiny cafes, it’s popular for lunchtime escapes and home to Europe’s largest rosarium, with around 2500 varieties. The gracious 19th-century Palmhuset is a bite-size version of Crystal Palace in London, with five differently heated halls: look out for the impressive camellia collection and the 2m-wide tropical lily pads.
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Palmhuset
Laid out in 1842 and recently restored to better reflect its original plan, the lush Trädgårdsföreningen is a large protected area off Nya Allén. Full of flowers and tiny cafes, it’s popular for lunchtime escapes and home to Europe’s largest rosarium, with around 2500 varieties. The gracious 19th-century Palmhuset is a bite-size version of Crystal Palace in London, with five differently heated halls: look out for the impressive camellia collection and the 2m-wide tropical lily pads.
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Röhsska Museet
Refreshing Röhsska Museet is Sweden’s only art and design museum. Exhibitions cleverly contrast the classic and the cutting-edge, whether it’s Josef Frank and Bruno Mathsson furniture or 18th-century porcelain and Scandi-cool coat-stands. Eastern treasures include Chinese sculptures and Japanese theatre masks, while the museum’s burgeoning fashion collection spans haute couture to ’80s politicised T-shirts. Temporary exhibitions often favour the offbeat – think skateboard art and denim.
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Kolmården Zoo
Kolmården Zoo is Scandinavia’s largest, with some 750 residents from all climates and continents. It’s divided into two areas: the main Djurparken with a dolphin show, and Safariparken, complete with a safari park bus tour for the carless. A combined ticket for the zoo and safari park costs Skr295/185. The cable car (Skr80/40) around the park gives a better view of the forest than of the animals.
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Volvo Museum
Pay homage to one of Sweden’s enduring icons at the Volvo Museum, which contains everything from the company’s debut vehicle to the most cutting-edge experimental designs – including the first jet engine used by the Swedish Air Force. The museum is about 8km west of the city centre at Arendal. Fittingly, it’s tricky to get to without a car. Take tram 5 or 10 to Eketrägatan, then bus 32 to Arendal Skans.
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Gamla Linköping
The town’s best attractions lie just outside the centre. Gamla Linköping, 2km west of the city, is one of the biggest living-museum villages in Sweden. It’s a gorgeous combo of cobbled streets, picket-fenced gardens and around 90 19th-century houses. There are about a dozen themed museums (all free, with various opening times), artisan shops and a small chocolate factory. Take bus 202 or 214 (Skr20).
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Vadstena Slott
Overlooking the lake, the mighty Renaissance castle Vadstena Slott was the family project of the early Vasa kings. The lower floors contain a small historical display. The furnished upper floors are more interesting, but only open during guided tours (in English mid-May to mid-September; call ahead for times); it’s worth going on one if only to visit the chapel, with its incredible 17-second echo!
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Stadsmuseum
You’ll find the remains of the Äskekärr Ship, Sweden’s only original Viking vessel, at Stadsmuseum, alongside silver treasure troves, weaponry and bling from the same period. Other highlights include exhibits on Göteborg’s history and an impressive booty of East Indian porcelain (the museum is located in the 18th-century former HQ of the Swedish East India Company).
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Slottsskogsparken
Just across Dag Hammarskjöldsleden, Slottsskogsparken is superb for a stroll. The Naturhistoriska Museet is perched on a hill in the park, with other attractions including Barnens Zoo (Children's Zoo) and Djurgårdarna, an animal park with farm animals, elk, deer and other furry and feathered Swedish creatures. Feeding time at the seal pond is 2pm daily.
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Barnens Zoo
Just across Dag Hammarskjöldsleden, Slottsskogsparken is superb for a stroll. The Naturhistoriska Museet is perched on a hill in the park, with other attractions including Barnens Zoo and Djurgårdarna, an animal park with farm animals, elk, deer and other furry and feathered Swedish creatures. Feeding time at the seal pond is 2pm daily.
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Djurgårdarna
Just across Dag Hammarskjöldsleden, Slottsskogsparken is superb for a stroll. The Naturhistoriska Museet is perched on a hill in the park, with other attractions including Barnens Zoo and Djurgårdarna, an animal park with farm animals, elk, deer and other furry and feathered Swedish creatures. Feeding time at the seal pond is 2pm daily.
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Naturhistoriska Museet
The Natural History Museum contains the world’s only stuffed blue whale. In the lead-up to Christmas, visitors are occasionally allowed to step inside its mouth for that Jonah feeling. As natural history museums go, this is an impressive one, with an overall collection spanning 10 million specimens of wildlife from around the world. To get there, take tram 1 or 6.
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Galleri Mors Mössa
The Haga district is Göteborg’s oldest suburb, dating back to 1648. A hardcore hippy hang-out in the 1960s and ’70s, its cobbled streets and vintage buildings are now a gentrified blend of cafes, op shops and boutiques. It’s also home to Galleri Mors Mössa, one of Göteborg’s better private art galleries.
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Hagakyrkan
The park behind the beautiful 19th-century Hagakyrkan is home to a simple yet moving monument to Swedish hero Raoul Wallenberg. A Nordic Schindler of sorts, Wallenberg is credited with saving the lives of around 15,000 Hungarian Jews during WWII. Wallenberg himself was arrested by the Russian government in 1945 and executed two years later.
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Göteborgs Choklad & Karamellfabrik
Kronhusbodarna houses several workshops making and selling pottery, silverware, glass and textiles. It’s also home to the wicked Göteborgs Choklad & Karamellfabrik, a candy factory-cum-shop where the sticky treats include skumklubba (marshmallows on a stick, dipped in dark chocolate and desiccated coconut).
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Elfsborgs Fortress
At the mouth of the Göta älv, squat red Elfsborgs Fortress has had an interesting history. It was built in the 17th century to defend the young city from Danish attack, and saw action again in the early 18th century during the Great Nordic War. Visitors can see the church built for Karl XII's troops, and the dungeons for when they stepped out-of-line.
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