Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [163]
Greta’s (13 69 49; Drottninggatan 35; to 4am Fri & Sat) The nearest thing in Göteborg to a gay club, Schlager-happy Greta’s is kitsch-a-licious fun on Friday and Saturday nights. The minimum age is 20.
Concerts, Theatre & Cinema
Check the local events listings for movies and shows or with the tourist office for what’s on where.
Göteborgs Stadsteatern (City Theatre; 61 50 50; www.stadsteatern.goteborg.se; Götaplatsen; tickets from Skr220; closed summer) Stages theatre productions in Swedish.
Göteborgs Konserthuset (Concert Hall; 726 53 10; www.gso.se; Götaplatsen; tickets Skr80-300; closed summer) Home to the local symphony orchestra, with top international guests and some sterling performances.
GöteborgsOperan (13 13 00; www.opera.se, in Swedish; Christina Nilssons Gata; tickets Skr90-565) At Lilla Bommen harbour, this place stages classical and modern ballet and opera and assorted musical performances in a striking contemporary building.
Nya Ullevi (81 10 20; www.ullevi.se; Skånegatan) The city’s outdoor stadium hosts huge pop and rock concerts.
Scandinavium (81 10 20; www.scandinavium.se; Valhallagatan 1) An indoor concert venue near Nya Ullevi.
If you’re craving celluloid, the multiscreen Biopalatset (17 45 00; Kungstorget) is good central option for mainstream films. For independent and art-house offerings, try Folkets Bio (42 88 10; Linnégatan 21).
Sport
Göteborgers are avid sports fans. The city’s two biggest stadiums are the outdoor Nya Ullevi (above) for football matches, and the indoor Scandinavium (above) for ice hockey.
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SHOPPING
DesignTorget (774 00 17; Vallgatan 14) Cool, affordable design objects from both established and up-and-coming Scandi talent.
Prickig Katt (13 33 50; Magasinsgatan 17; Mon-Sat) The outrageous ‘Spotted Cat’ has retro-clad staff and idiosyncratic fashion from Dutch, Danish and home-grown labels, as well as kitschy wares and out-there handmade millinery and bling.
Prickig Katt Boudoir (13 90 50; Magasinsgatan 19; Mon-Sat) Nearby, this store panders to trendsetting guys, who come seeking non-conformist labels like Denmark’s Humor and Göteborg’s Gissy. Unisex extras include anything from hot-pink mock-rococo mirrors to street-art tomes. Sharing the same address, local label Velour (775 38 00; Mon-Sat) and Stockholm legend Acne Jeans (13 85 80) stock slick, stylish streetwear for guys and girls.
DEM Collective (12 38 84; Storgatan 11; Mon-Sat) Head to this bite-size boutique for Scandi-cool fair-trade threads. Completely organic, designs are minimalist, street smart and supremely comfortable. To learn about the founders, see the boxed text, above.
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ANNIKA AXELSSON & KARIN STENMAR
Fair-trade activists and founders of emerging fashion label DEM Collective, Annika Axelsson and Karin Stenmar are also passionate Göteborg locals.
What does Göteborg do better than Stockholm? Stockholmers love to discuss great ideas. In Göteborg, there’s less talk, more action. It probably reflects our working-class roots. We’ve always had a strong student and activist culture here. Göteborg opened its first fair-trade, organic shop in the late 1960s. Stockholm only recently opened its first.
Any shortcomings? Göteborg locals can get a little protective about what they do, especially in the art scene. It’s like: ‘This is our thing and we don’t really care what other places are doing.’ It’s quite ironic considering how much foreign influence has shaped this city over the centuries.
A perfect day in Göteborg? If it’s sunny, take the tram to Saltholmen and catch a ferry to Brännö Click here. It’s one of the archipelago’s most beautiful islands and a lot of artistic people have moved there. If it’s raining, head to Röhsska Museet. The curator is a progressive thinker, expanding the fashion collection to include recycled clothes and not just haute couture. Varldskulturmuseet is also fantastic.
Favourite places to eat? For lunch, head to Alexandras for delicious soups. For dinner, don’t miss Björns Bar. It’s a wine bar