Gothenburg is the perfect city for a weekend escape, with a lot of great things to see and do cosy cafes for fika, and a beautiful archipelago. If you are visiting Gothenburg for the first time, or a return visitor, there is always something new to enjoy. Having lived in Gothenburg for 2 years, I have put together this 2 to 4 day itinerary for all my friends and family who come to visit it really shows the best for the city! The first two days are set with activities and different areas to explore, while day 3 and 4 of this Gothenburg itinerary are optional! This is the perfect opportunity to take a day trip from Gothenburg and explore the west coast or head into the archipelago. So, without further ado, here is the perfect itinerary for a weekend in Gothenburg.
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About Gothenburg
Gothenburg is Sweden’s second-largest city. It is located on the South-West Coast of Sweden, with a large archipelago, filled with inhabited fishing villages and lovely swimming spots! In the summer, Gothenburg is a paradise for exploring the islands and getting a taste of the magic of Swedish summer. In the winter, you will find lots of super cosy cafes and Christmas markets to explore!
How to travel around Gothenburg
Gothenburg is a city with a great infrastructure. The city is easy to reach, with a private airport bus which takes you directly from Göteborg Landvetter Airport to Nils Eriksson Bus Terminal by Gothenburg Central Station. Alternatively, there are bus and train connections to most major cities, including Stockholm, Malmö, Copenhagen and Oslo.
While in Gothenburg, you can travel around using buses and trams. These run regularly and cover the entire city. You can buy this ticket from Västtrafik, either through the app or by purchasing a physical travel card. The app is the easiest and most cost-effective way to travel. You can either buy individual tickets or a day ticket. The day ticket is definitely worth it if you plan to take several trips. The individual tickets for inner-city travel (zone A) last 90 minutes and cost 35kr. This allows you to travel unlimited journeys within the city for 1 hour and a half.
A Weekend in Gothenburg – 2, 3 or 4 Day Itinerary
Gothenburg Itinerary: Day 1
This guide to Gothenburg doesn’t include breakfast or brunch ideas as this is often included in most hotels! But if you want to eat out in the morning then make sure to read this post for Gothenburg’s best brunch spots!
Trädgårdsföreningen and Palmhuset
Start the day with a walk through Trädgårdsföreningen. This is the Central Park of Gothenburg, a popular spot for a summer picnic, or a short walk through the winding pathways behind the cafe. Make sure to stop at Palmhuset for a wander around the tropical palms.
Lunch in Saluhallen
Saluhallen is the biggest food hall in Gothenburg, filled with delis, speciality cheese shops, fishmongers, boutiques cafes and bakeries. There is a great restaurant on the second floor called Kajutan. They serve traditional Swedish food with a bit of a twist, and it is a great experience to sit and watch the market below.
Saluhallen is closed on Sundays so make sure to visit on another day!
Kungsparken
Following Saluhall take a walk along the canal through Kungsparken. This is one of the best spots to hang out in the summer. Make sure to stop at Gelateria Göteborg for ice cream on the way past.
Magasinsgatan
Magasinsgatan is a long road that connects the two canals, lined with shops and cafes. The most popular spot on Magasinsgatan is the courtyard where you will find Da Matteo, probably the most popular Gothenburg coffee roasters and cafe. Here there are two cafes, Magasinsgatan, a great place to study with the coffee roasters on the upper level, and Vallgatan, a smaller, cosier cafe. In the summer you can sit outside and enjoy a coffee with a bao bun from Jinx Food Truck (the best in the city!)
Nearby are the restaurants Hello Monkey, Fiskebar 17, and Tavolo, three of Gothenburg’s best eateries! Make sure to visit Grandpa’s or Artilleriet if you fancy a bit of shopping, or head round to HUMANA Second Hand for one of Gothenburg’s best second-hand shops! Round the corner, you will find Floramor och Krukatös, an incredibly picturesque flower shop with an entrance to Da Matteo Magasinsgatan through the courtyard.
Make sure to read these posts if you want to know more about Gothenburg’s best fika places, the best restaurants, or the best second-hand shops in the city!
Fiskekyrkan
Fiskekyrkan is Gothenburg’s fish market, where fishermen bring their catch of the day to sell at the fish counters. Here you will also find some great prepped food perfect to take on a little day trip from Gothenburg, and two restaurants with great Swedish fish dishes.
Haga
Make sure to add a visit to Haga to your itinerary during your three days in Gothenburg! This is one of the oldest parts of Gothenburg and is known for its cosy cafes and boutiques.
Haga is where you will find Cafe Husaren, serving the famous giant cinnamon buns. Make sure to visit early if you want a fresh one as they often sell out fast!
If you’re not a fan of cinnamon buns you will still find some of the best Swedish fika in Gothenburg on this street – make sure to try a Chokladboll or Dammsugare if you want something really traditional!
Skansen Kronan
Skansen Kronan is one of the two towers built to defend Gothenburg from invasion back in the 17th century. Today it is more of a museum and function centre located on top of a hill that looks out over Haga. The view here is one of the best in Gothenburg, especially at sunset! Make sure to stop off at the cosy little Waffle Cafe on one side of the tower!
Dinner
There are a lot of great places for dinner in this area of Gothenburg! You can find all my recommendations in this post on Gothenburg’s best restaurants.
For now, I will mention Taco’s and Tequila, a really lovely taco restaurant located on Tredje Långgatan. This is a personal favourite and somewhere we visit regularly! Make sure to try the surf and turf taco and their frozen margaritas! If you are eating early, it’s always nice to sit out in the courtyard with a drink from Cafe Magasinet before heading in for dinner! Another great taco restaurant is Mucho Macho located on Övrehusargatan. Here they have great drinks and it is possible to book.
If you are on a budget then one of the best restaurants for dinner is Benne Pasta! Here they serve delicious fresh pasta and have a good selection of sauces! The dishes range from 50-100kr each and are really tasty!
Find the rest of my Gothenburg restaurant recommendations here!
Gothenburg Itinerary: Day 2
Lindholmen
Day 2 of this Gothenburg itinerary takes you to the other side of the city, Lindholmen. There are a few ways to get to Lindholmen, but the best is definitely by ferry! The ferry leaves from Stenpiren and takes around 10 minutes to reach Lindholmspiren. From the ferry, you get a great view of Gothenburg from the water. The other way to get to Lindholmen is to take the bus. You can catch the 52, 16 or X1 from the central station over the bridge. This trip takes around 10 minutes.
When you reach Lindholmen, take a walk around the harbour and across Lindholmsbron. If you want a bit of a walk then head over to Ramberget. It is only a short walk up to Keillers Park, the top of the mountain, where you get a great view of the city and the river.
Lunch
Lunch at Lindholmen Street Food Market
If it’s a Saturday then head to Lindholmen Street Food Market. Located inside an old ship hanger, Lindholmen Street Food Market is a themed market experience of sorts, often with a live band playing, a tattoo artist upstairs and a arts and crafts market.
Every week they have different local restaurants come and prepare 2-3 dishes. At the door, you can buy tickets (around 70kr each) which are then swapped out for food at the different counters! They often have a different theme, so check the website before heading over to know what to expect!
Lunch at Dirty Dough
If you are exploring Lindholmen on any other day of the week then the best lunch spot on this side of the river is definitely Dirty Dough. This is a very cosy Italian restaurant, located on the edge of the harbour with great views back across to the city. On a sunny day, you can sit outside and enjoy the sun. They serve fresh-made pasta, salads and really delicious pizzas!
Slottskogen
After lunch, take the ferry back into the city centre and head over to Slottskogen. You can either walk or catch the tram from Stenpiren. Slottskogen is the biggest park in Gothenburg and a popular place for locals to meet in the summertime.
At one edge, with Linneplatsen, there is a mini-golf course with a small kiosk, and at the other the barn zoo, a children’s animal park. Here you can find all sorts of animals spread out amongst the parkland, including seals, moose, goats and penguins.
You can walk around Slottskogen all afternoon, exploring different areas such as Azaleadalen, Lilla Dammen, and the beautiful August Kobb Pond Waterfall. If you fancy a fika stop or a drink then head to Villa Belparc. They have a lovely outdoor seating area with a great view over the park and the small lake.
Botaniska Trädgården
Botaniska Trädgården is Gothenburg’s Botanical Gardens. It is a lovely place for a walk, with different themed gardens which are constantly in bloom throughout the spring and summer. For a good view over the park head up to the top of the little mountain, Klippträdgården, or alternatively, extend you walk to Änggårdsbergen nature reserve behind the park.
Drinks
End the day enjoying a drink in one of Gothenburg’s cosy bars. A few recommendations are Björns Bar or Wolfgang Vincafé for good wine and charcuterie or The Bishops Arms on Avenyn for a cosy English pub feeling. If you like cocktails then head to Grumman Elvira or Stranger Bar.
If it’s a warm sunny day and you want somewhere you can sit outside then make sure to try Skansenhof or Tyska Bron Havsbar. For cheap drinks head to any of the bars along Andra Långgatan!
Gothenburg Itinerary: Days 3 and 4
Spend days 3 and/or 4 doing an activity of some sort! Here are a few different things to do in Gothenburg but if you want more make sure to read this post with 70 things to see and do in Gothenburg! Another option is to take a day trip; out to an island, up the coast, or to a small nearby town. You can find all Gothenburg day trips here!
Gothenburg Archipelago
In the summer one of the best things you can do in Gothenburg is to take a ferry out to one of the islands in the Gothenburg archipelago. The ferries go from Saltholmen, the small harbour and swimming spot at the end of tram line 11. The ferries are a great way to island-hop if you want to explore a few islands, or spend the day on one walking through nature, eating at a restaurant, enjoying the Swedish summer feeling and taking a swim!
If you’re spending three days in Gothenburg in the summer then this is something you have to add to your itinerary! The islands are still lovely at other times of the year, however many of the shops and restaurants are only seasonally open, often from the end of May to the middle of September.
Two of the more popular islands are Styrsö and Vrångö! Both are known for their beautiful beaches and small cafes.
Paddan
Another fun thing to do is take the paddan around the canal. This is an open-air canal boat which does a round-trip guided tour through the canal and into the river. The tour takes 50 minutes and is a lovely way to spend the morning exploring the city in a different way. Tickets cost 220kr per person.
Gothenburg City Museum (Göteborg Stadsmuseet)
One of Gothenburg’s best museums is the Gothenburg City Museum (Göteborg Stadsmuseet). This is located on Norra Hamngatan, just by the canal. The museum is a great way to learn about the history of Gothenburg, from the Vikings, its early time as a harbour town, to now. The museum is open every day except Mondays, from 11-18 and adult tickets cost 60kr. People under the age of 20 and students have free entry!
Visit the island of Vinga
Vinga island is the most westerly island in the archipelago. The island itself is very unique, with a lighthouse that has played a massive role in the protection over the Gothenburg harbour throughout history. The ferry here leaves from Lilla Bommen, meaning you get a very unique tour through the harbour and out into the archipelago.
If you want to know more about this trip – make sure to read my Vinga Lighthouse guide.
Liseberg
If you want a bit of fun then head to Liseberg for the day. This is Gothenburg’s amusement park, filled with rides both for adults and children. The park is always themed, with a reputation for having some of the best Halloween and Christmas festivities. Their Christmas market is known all over Sweden and visitors often come for a weekend in Gothenburg just to experience this magic.
Make sure to read this post if you want to know more about Christmas markets in Gothenburg!
A weekend in Gothenburg – The perfect 3-day itinerary overview
There are so many places to visit and things to do while spending the weekend in Gothenburg that three days is almost never enough! However, what makes this city so special is its slow pace and the cosy cafes, restaurants and bars which populate the streets. So make sure to take it slow and enjoy the city at the pace the locals do, making time to take a fika in the afternoon.
Spending longer in Gothenburg? You might also enjoy these posts!
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