What to do in Gothenburg and how to get around by tram

Twelve tram lines and no metro

There is no metro here and none is needed: the tram has run since 1879, has twelve lines, 132 stops and 161 kilometres of track, and it is the largest tram network in the Nordic countries.

Everything passes through the centre — Brunnsparken is the hub — and fans out from there: to Angered and Bergsjön in the north-east, to Frölunda and Tynnered in the south-west, and to Saltholmen, where the archipelago ferries start.

The city is flat, compact and cut through by canals; the centre is a twenty-minute walk end to end. The tram is for the hops: Liseberg, Slottsskogen, Saltholmen, Volvo.

And one thing worth knowing: since 1 July 2026 the 30-day passes halved in price. It is a local political decision and it changes the maths quite a bit if you are staying more than a week.

Part of the team of GoRandom in Gothenburg, in January 2024 — **Part of the team in Gothenburg**, January 2024.

Seven things to do, and how to reach each one

Gothenburg does badly out of three-item lists. These seven are the ones we think explain it.

The southern archipelago, no cars

From Saltholmen the ferries leave for Styrsö, Vrångö, Brännö and the rest: islands where cars are not allowed, with wooden houses and smooth rocks to swim off. It is the best plan in the city and a lot of people never find out it exists.

Saltholmen — End of line 11. The Västtrafik ticket covers the ferry too: nothing extra to buy.

Haga, the wooden-house district

Cobbled streets, landshövdingehus houses — stone ground floor and two of timber — and cafés where the cinnamon bun is the size of a face. It is the prettiest district and also the most touristy; first thing in the morning it is another place.

Hagakyrkan — Several lines stop here. You come out and you are on Haga Nygata.

Up to Skansen Kronan and Masthugget

Two viewpoints over the city: a seventeenth-century fortress on a mound in Haga and, further west, the terrace of Masthugget church, with the harbour and the shipyards below. Both free, both worth the climb.

Masthuggstorget — Ten minutes uphill from the stop to the church.

Liseberg, even if theme parks are not your thing

The largest amusement park in Scandinavia, with wooden roller coasters and, at Christmas, a market that fills the city. It is a local institution: people from Gothenburg go several times a year, not once in a lifetime.

Korsvägen — A hub for several lines. The entrance is opposite the stop.

Slottsskogen and the botanical garden

An enormous park with elk, seals and penguins in semi-freedom, and right beside it the botanical garden, one of the best in Europe. Both free, and together they fill a morning.

Linnéplatsen — The stop is at the north gate of the park.

The fish market, the Feskekôrka

A fish market inside a neo-gothic building that looks like a church — hence the nickname — beside the canal. It reopened after years of restoration and is still the best place in the city to eat seafood without ceremony.

Grönsakstorget — Five minutes on foot along the canal.

Eating on a boat: the coast to the north

Heading out to Marstrand, an hour and a half north, the Bohuslän coast appears: pink granite, white houses and cold water. It is the Sweden of the photographs and it is much closer than it looks.

sin metro

By Västtrafik bus, on the same ticketing system.

And the adventure we run here

Everything above you can do on your own with this page open. This other thing we build for you: the same idea as always — you do not know what you got until the day before — applied to Gothenburg.

GO YELLOW

Among granite islands, with no idea which one you end on

The Go Yellow version of Gothenburg heads for the archipelago. We give you a meeting point with its tram stop and from there we open the plan: it could be kayaking between car-free islands, it could be a sauna with a dip in the North Sea, it could be a sailing trip along Bohuslän. You find out the day before.

The activity, booked and set up
Kit and insurance
A local instructor
A meeting point with a tram stop

Flights and accommodation are not included — you book those. When you pick your departure city we send you a rough estimate of what they cost. We are not a travel agency. How the process works, step by step.

You choose where you fly from and where you are going, and we tell you what the adventure costs and roughly what getting there would cost. Flights and accommodation you book yourself: we are not a travel agency and we do not want to be.

How the transport works, in four numbers

Västtrafik runs it and the ticket covers tram, bus and the archipelago ferries. Almost everything you want is in zone A.

Single ticket

38 kr

Zone A, transfers included while it is valid. Bought in the Västtrafik To Go app.

Day ticket

125 kr

Pays for itself from the fourth journey, which a day in the archipelago reaches without effort.

30-day pass

445 kr

Half what it was: down from 890 to 445 kr on 1 July 2026. For young people it is 335 kr, and 305 kr for registered residents.

Hours

from 04:30–05:00 to about 00:30

First trams between 04:30 and 05:00 on weekdays, around 05:30 on Saturday and 06:00 on Sunday. At night buses take over.

Source: Västtrafik, via our Gothenburg tram guide. Checked on 01 September 2026.

If you are going to the archipelago, the day ticket is the best buy of the trip: it covers the tram to Saltholmen, the ferry out, island hopping and the way back.

If you want it line by line — which stations each one has, what is around every stop and how to work out a specific journey — we have all of it at our guide to the Gothenburg tram. It is one of the sites we publish ourselves, and it is free.

From the airport to the centre

Landvetter is about twenty-five kilometres out and has no train: the link is by road and it works well.

Flygbussarna coach

own fare

30 min

Direct to Gothenburg central station, with frequent departures timed to the flights.

Taxi or ride-hailing

variable

25–30 min

Only worth it in a group or with flights at odd hours, when the coach thins out.

The airport coach is the default and it drops you at the tram hub, so the connection to your hotel is immediate.

Source: Västtrafik and Swedavia. Checked on 01 September 2026.

Four things you will be glad you knew

The tram ticket covers the boat

The southern archipelago ferries are inside the Västtrafik system. It is what turns a day of islands into an almost free plan.

In January there is very little daylight

Late sunrise and dark by half past three. Outdoor things go in the morning and the afternoons fill with museums, cafés and saunas.

The cinnamon bun is not a cliché

Fika is a daily habit and in Gothenburg the kanelbulle is enormous and everywhere. It is also the cheapest way to sit indoors for two hours.

Almost nobody takes cash

As in the rest of Sweden, everything is paid by card or phone, ferries and markets included.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for Gothenburg?

Two full days cover the centre, Haga, Slottsskogen and a museum. The third goes entirely to the archipelago, and it is the one you will remember most.

How much does the tram cost in Gothenburg?

A single zone A ticket is 38 kr and the day ticket 125 kr. The 30-day pass dropped to 445 kr on 1 July 2026, half what it used to be.

Does the transport ticket reach the archipelago?

Yes. The southern archipelago ferries, which leave from Saltholmen, are inside the Västtrafik system: the same ticket covers the tram and the boat.

Gothenburg or Stockholm?

Stockholm is grander and more expensive; Gothenburg is smaller, more relaxed and has better access to open sea. If it is your first trip to Sweden, Stockholm; if you want coast and fewer people, Gothenburg.

When is the best time to go?

May to September, with the archipelago open and light until late. In winter the city works just as well but with very few hours of sun, and the ferries run less often.