Weekend in Gothenburg - Norwegian Hannah's top tips

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Guest writer: Hannah Lates

We had a fantastic weekend in Gothenburg in collaboration with Göteborg & Co! In this blog post I will tell you about what we did and give some good tips for what you can do on your next trip to Gothenburg.

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The train journey

The trip began with a train journey from Oslo S at 10 a.m., arriving in Gothenburg at 2 p.m. The train was a comfortable place to work.

Hotel Eggers

When we arrived in Gothenburg, we checked into Hôtel Eggers which is across the street from the train station. It was very convenient on a weekend trip to be so close to the station.

Hôtel Eggers has an excellent location for both business and leisure travellers. The hotel dates from 1859 and is one of Gothenburg's most traditional hotels. The venerable interior reflects the hotel's history. With real carpets on the floors and stucco and crystal chandeliers on the ceiling, Hôtel Eggers offers an environment that stands out.

Here you see the room and the lovely bath in our room at Hôtel Eggers. Below from the delicious breakfast buffet.

The hotel has around 70 different and individually decorated hotel rooms of a high standard. Some rooms are larger and more luxurious, others smaller and more intimate. The rooms face either the bustling crowd on Drottningtorget or the hotel's own courtyard, with a quiet atmosphere in the centre of the city.

Coffee at Bar Centro

After check-in, we had a coffee at Bar Centro, a five-minute walk from Hôtel Eggers. Bar Centro is a popular coffee bar in the centre of Gothenburg with fantastic espresso on Kyrkogatan. Here we sat outside in the sun and enjoyed a delicious lunch and coffee.

Let´s boat

At 16.00 we took a trip with the Let's Boat. This was a favourite activity in Gothenburg, and I highly recommend it. Here you can steer your own electric boat through beautiful Gothenburg's historic canals. With Let's Boat electric boats you discover beautiful Gothenburg from the water.

No driving licence is required to rent the boat and you can be as many as 12 people at a time. Go as a couple, family, friends or discover Gothenburg on your own. Drinks and snacks are allowed on the trip.

The Garden Association

After the boat trip, we visited the Trädgårdsföreningen. Just a two-minute walk from the Hôtel Eggers, the garden is one of Europe's best-preserved 19th century parks. There are thousands of roses, decorative tapestry groups and lush forests. The magnificent 1878 glass palace, the Palm House, houses exotic plants in a pleasant Mediterranean climate.

For over 170 years, Trädgårdsföreningen has been the heart of the city and a place to relax. Trädgårdsföreningen was the first park in Sweden to be declared a listed building under the Cultural Heritage Act in 1992 and it also has a star in the Michelin Green Guide. Entrance to Trädgårdsföreningen and Palmhuset is free.

Restaurant Vilda

At 18:30 we enjoyed a fantastic 7-course tasting menu at the newly opened sustainable Vilda Restaurant. The menu was composed of seasonal ingredients. It took inspiration from the forest and the Nordic nature with, among other things, good pinned bread, nettles, scallops, vendace roe, deer and rhubarb. We chose a non-alcoholic drink package with delicious homemade juices made from blueberries, nettles, rhubarb and roses.

It was a wonderful dining experience, both the flavour combinations and the way the food was presented. At the restaurant's wine bar, you can sit down and enjoy wine from small-scale producers and order small dishes. At Vilda, the wine bottles are mixed with flowers from the local area, picked by the restaurant's owner Camilla Simonsson. In winter, dried flowers are sold.

Gothenburg Art Museum

Saturday morning we took the tram to the Gothenburg Museum of Art. The art collection is one of the best in Northern Europe, with significant works of Nordic and international art.

The collection includes unique works by Albert Edelfelt, Ernst Josephson, Carl Larsson, Bruno Liljefors, Edvard Munch, Anders Zorn, Rembrandt, Rubens, Monet, Picasso and Chagall, among others. The museum also offers current exhibitions, family activities, lectures, workshops and guided tours.

The entrance area has a cosy museum shop and a restaurant. You can also access the offer from home through the museum's digital museum Digiseum. There you will find filmed introductions to exhibitions, reflections on the collection, interesting stories and other tips. The Gothenburg Museum of Art has three stars in the Michelin Green Guide.

Lunch at Kafé Magasinet

We liked the delicious pizza, freshly squeezed orange juice and oatmeal lattes served at Kafé Magasinet. Kafé Magasinet in the former premises of Auktionsverket serves everything from coffee and breakfast to pizza and wine during its generous opening hours. Kafé Magasinet is KRAV-certified, their espresso coffee is fair trade and organic, as is much of the café's food offering.

Discover Haga

After lunch we strolled around the cosy old district of Haga with its small charming cafés and shops. Haga is one of Gothenburg's oldest neighbourhoods and the name comes from the pastures that existed here in the 17th century.

Today Haga's car-free streets are surrounded by small cafés and shops in the typical Gothenburg landshövdinge houses. Haga is within easy walking distance of the city centre, but if you come by tram you can get off at either Haga Church or Järntorget. The main street is called Haga Nygata.

Shopping and coffee go hand in hand, and Haga is the perfect place to do so. The shopping offer is varied, with everything from the soap shop Tvåla & Tvaga to the toy shop Liten Karin and the marzipan manufacturer Bräutigams, among others.

There are several cosy interior design shops along Haga Nygata, but you can also buy clothes, antiques, tea, spices and olive oil. In short, you'll find a bit of everything, but the shops are small and unique.

Exploring the Botanical Garden

After Haga, we took the tram to the Botanical Garden, which is one of Europe's largest and foremost botanical gardens. Enjoy wonderful plants, herbs, flowers and natural areas. There are around 16,000 species in areas such as the Rock Garden, the Herb Garden and the Japan Valley.

Here you can enjoy world-class plants and plantations, but also just sit back and relax. More than half a million people visit the botanical garden every year, making it one of the most popular destinations in western Sweden. The garden also has a café, shop and exhibitions.

Download the Botanical Garden's app and let yourself be guided around plants and plantings. In the app there are three different guided tours to take part in - Botaniskt runt, Vandring i naturen and Hälsostigen. Between 2021 and 2026, the Botanical Garden will build new greenhouses with a visitor centre.

Before leaving the botanical garden, it is a good idea to visit the garden's shop and visitor centre. Here you will find accessories, books and more with plants, but also seeds, bulbs and plants to take home to your own garden. Here you can also sit down with a cup of coffee and relax.

Dinner at Ilse Grön restaurant

We had dinner at the newly opened Ilse Grön krog, a vegetarian bistro with influences from cuisines all over the world. We were offered bread and a delicious Chévre salad for starters. For the main course we ordered mushroom risotto and a lovely twist on mac'n'cheese.

The restaurant's motto is to serve "moffy" food, certified natural wines and cocktails in a cosy environment. The two founders of Artilleriet, one of Gothenburg's most famous and exclusive interior design stores, have been given a free hand to create the restaurant's interior design, which gives it a completely unique look.

After dinner, you can visit the O/O bar which is about 5 minutes away from Ilse. Alternatively, you can take the tram and visit the rooftop bar at Hotel Comfort.

Brunch at da Matteo & shopping

On Sunday, we first went into the NK shopping centre to see the shops. Afterwards, we visited the hip neighbourhood and café da Matteo on Magas Street. Da Matteo is about a 10-minute walk from Hôtel Eggers. At da Matteo we ordered very good coffee, a brunch plate and a typical Swedish cinnamon bun. It was such good food and coffee there!

For many Gothenburgers, Da Matteo is synonymous with good coffee, delicious pizzas, good coffee and sunshine. The local café chain has several locations in the city in addition to the popular square on Magasinsgatan.

After brunch, we browsed the Artillery interior design store, vintage shops and cool independent clothing stores in the da Matteo neighbourhood.

All in all, we were extremely happy with our stay in Gothenburg, and will gladly return to explore new places and Liseberg. At 14:00 we took the train back to Oslo on Sunday afternoon.

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Hannah Lates

Hannah runs the travel Instagram account @hannahlates. Hannah loves travelling to new, exotic countries and trying new foods in her spare time. So far, the 30-year-old has been to 60 countries. As well as working on her own travel Instagram, Hannah works in marketing, social brands and retail newsletters. Hannah enjoys getting in touch with new people and cultures, and is inspired by all the impressions she gets from travelling and experiencing new places.

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