Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [153]
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DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
Travellers (solo women especially) should take care around the Nordstan shopping complex late at night.
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SIGHTS
Lisebeg
Scream yourself silly at this mighty theme park (40 01 00; www.liseberg.se; adult/under 7yr Skr70/free; to 10pm or 11pm most days May-Aug, to 9pm or 10pm during Christmas period), 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 costs between one and four coupons (Skr20 each) per go, but it probably makes sense to buy a pass (one/two days Skr290/380). Opening hours are complex – check the website. To get there, take tram 4 or 5, and enter from Örgrytevägen or Getebergsled.
Museums
After Liseberg, museums are Göteborg’s strongest asset: admission to most is covered by the Göteborg Pass (above). All have good cafes attached and several have specialist shops.
STADSMUSEUM
You’ll find the remains of the Äskekärr Ship, Sweden’s only original Viking vessel, at Stadsmuseum (61 27 70; Östindiska huset, Norra Hamngatan 12; adult/under 25yr Skr40/free; 10am-5pm May-Aug, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun, to 8pm Wed Sep-Apr), 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).
UNIVERSEUM
The spectacular Universeum (335 64 50; www.universeum.se; Södra Vägen 50; adult/4-16yr/family low season Skr145/95/440, high season Skr165/135/540; 10am-7pm late Jun-Aug, 10am-6pm Sep-late Jun) 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.
RÖHSSKA MUSEET
Refreshing Röhsska Museet (61 38 50; www.designmuseum.se; Vasagatan 37; adult/under 20yr Skr40/free; noon-8pm Tue, noon-5pm Wed-Fri, 11am-5pm Sat & Sun) 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.
RÖDA STEN
Occupying a defunct, graffitied power station beside the giant Älvsborgsbron, Röda Sten (12 08 16; www.rodasten.com; Röda Sten 1; adult/under 21yr Skr40/20; noon-5pm Tue-Sun, to 7pm Wed) is one of Sweden’s coolest art centres. Its four gritty floors are home to any number of temporary exhibitions,