Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [165]
Svenska Buss (0771-67 67 67; www.svenskabuss.se) has daily departures for Stockholm (Skr410, 7½ hours) via Jönköping (Skr130, 2¼ hours).
Prices can be considerably lower than those quoted here for advanced bookings, especially for Swebus Express.
Car & Motorcycle
The E6 motorway runs north–south from Oslo to Malmö just east of the city centre and there’s also a complex junction where the E20 motorway diverges east for Stockholm.
International car-hire companies Avis, Europcar and Hertz have desks at Göteborg Landvetter and City Airports. For car hire in town, contact one of the petrol stations – for example, Statoil (41 11 62; Marklandsgatan 2) in southwestern Göteborg.
Train
Centralstationen is Sweden’s oldest railway station and now a listed building. It serves SJ and regional trains, with direct trains to Copenhagen (Skr387, four hours) and Malmö (Skr329, 3¼ hours), as well as numerous other destinations in the southern half of Sweden.
Intercity trains to Stockholm depart approximately every one to two hours (Skr490, five hours), with quicker but more expensive X2000 trains (Skr1110, three hours) also approximately every one to two hours.
Overnight trains to the far north of Sweden (via Stockholm) are operated by Tågkompaniet, though tickets can be purchased directly at www.sj.se.
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GETTING AROUND
To/From the Airport
Göteborg Landvetter Airport, 25km east of the city, has a frequent Flygbuss service to/from Nils Ericson Terminalen (one way Skr75, 30 minutes). A taxi from the city centre to the airport will cost Skr345.
Buses from Göteborg City Airport to Nils Ericson Terminalen leave 50 minutes after flight arrivals. For the return journey, they leave the bus terminal around 2½ hours before flight departures (one way Skr60, 30 minutes). A taxi should cost around Skr305.
Bicycle
For bicycle hire try Cykelkungen (18 43 00; Chalmersgatan 19; per day/week Skr120/500).
Public transport
Buses, trams and ferries run by Västtrafik (0771-41 43 00; www.vasttrafik.se) make up the city’s public transport system; there are Västtrafik information booths selling tickets and giving out timetables inside Nils Ericson Terminalen (6am-10pm Mon-Fri, 9am-10pm Sat, 9am-7pm Sun), in front of the train station on Drottningtorget (6am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm Sat & Sun) and at Brunnsparken (7am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat).
Holders of the Göteborg Pass travel free, including on late-night transport. Otherwise a city transport ticket costs adult/child Skr25/12 (Skr40 on late-night transport). Easy-to-use Maxirabatt 100 ‘value cards’ cost Skr100 (from Västtrafik information booths or Pressbyrån newsagencies) and work out much cheaper than buying tickets each time you travel. A 24-hour Dagkort (day pass) for the whole city area costs Skr65.
The easiest way to cover lengthy distances in Göteborg is by tram. Lines, numbered 1 to 13, converge near Brunnsparken (a block from the train station).
Västtrafik has regional passes for 24 hours/30 days (adult Skr240/1350, under 26 years Skr240/1150) that give unlimited travel on all länstrafik (regional) buses, trains and boats within the Göteborg, Bohuslän and Västergötland area.
Taxi
One of the larger companies is Taxi Göteborg (65 00 00). Taxis can be picked up outside Centralstationen, at Kungsportsplatsen and on Kungsportsavenyn. Women travelling alone at night can expect a fare discount.
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AROUND GÖTEBORG
SOUTHERN ARCHIPELAGO
031 / pop 4300
A car-free paradise, the southern archipelago is a short hop from Göteborg’s hustle. Despite the summer crowds, you’ll always find a quiet bathing spot or serene pocket of green.
There are nine major islands and numerous smaller ones. The largest island, Styrsö, is less than 3km long. Military restrictions saw most of the area closed to foreigners until 1997; it’s now a residential hot spot for cashed-up commuters.
Take tram