Exploring Gothenburg In One Day With Kids

Mondays, we discovered, are not the best day to be a tourist in Gothenburg. The Swedish city runs as normal with shops open, students attending university and people going to work. But very few tourist attractions are open.

Many of Gothenburg’s museums were closed when we set out to explore. My husband no doubt breathed a sigh of relief. He isn’t big on museums. He prefers to ‘mooch’ around and get a feel for a city rather than cram in as many attractions in as possible. I like a mixture of both. Thankfully, there is a lot more to Gothenburg than museums.

Not to be confused with Gotham, the fictional city in Batman, Gothenburg is quieter, has less crime and is decidedly cleaner too. But sadly no superheroes. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, it is the second largest city and a major port.

Far more relaxed than the capital Stockholm, Gothenburg is made up of a series of districts and is very green with plenty of parks and is bike-friendly too. The university city is fairly compact with a good tram network. As such I found it a great city to visit as a family. Known for its music scene, a random incident in the city brought back a memory from my work as a showbiz reporter (more on that later).

We travelled to Gothenburg from Oslo via coach with our two daughters, a four-year-old and three-month-old baby. Our day in Gothenburg also happened to be our wedding anniversary! So what did we do together on a rather blustery August day?

First of all, we headed to one of Sweden’s most famous retailers, H&M. That’s cultural, right? We hadn’t brought many warm clothes with us. In fact, my husband took the one hoody I’d packed out of my suitcase just before we left the UK, insisting I ‘wouldn’t need it’. He, on the other hand, thought it necessary to bring ten pairs of trousers – a different one for each day we were away. The mind boggles.

Once we were suitably kitted out in our new hoodies and cardies, we ventured to the harbour area. The opera house which stood before us isn’t quite the architectural sight we had experienced earlier when visiting Oslo.

Outside there was bouncy trampolines Mrs T enjoyed playing on and a more advanced climbing wall too.

From the opera house, we could view the floating ship museum, the Martiman. Although this museum was open, with a pram in tow, it would prove tricky so gave it a miss.

With the wind biting I urged my husband to navigate us inland. We had a wander by the canal and walked past the City Museum (which was closed, of course).

Walking south from the City museum, we came to a large square with a rather strange looking statue guarding the gate. Inside was Gothenburg’s cathedral, the second largest in Sweden. Built in the 1800s, the current building is the third cathedral in Gothenburg after the first two burned down.

After looking around the simple, classical interior, we hopped on a tram to the Haga District. On the way we passed the famous indoor fish market which is shaped like a church.

We had bought an all day travel ticket for the tram (from a newsagent) and it was a great way to get around the city.

Gothenburg’s oldest area, the Haga district, is filled with wooden houses and boutique shops, restaurants and cafes.

It is a great place to wander around as a family, especially when you happen upon a toy shop with a giant teddy outside.

We stopped off at a cafe for lunch, Cafe Husaren, which we later discovered is THE place for cinnamon buns.

For some reason, Mrs T got an injection of energy after the giant bun, smoothie and whatever else my husband had purchased for lunch. She was going to need. In our sights was the nearby fortress, Skansen Kronen at the top of a steep hill. Mrs T bounded up while Paul got a decent bit of exercise pushing up the pram.

It was worth it. You can see for miles across Gothenburg at the top while the cannons and grassy area held my daughter’s attention.

Battling against the wind, we attempted a selfie and were rewarded with one of our funniest family selfies. It makes me giggle every time I look at it.

On the way down, we passed by a restaurant with some very distinct sculptures displayed in the window. I immediately recognised one in particular, a multi-coloured knotted gun.

Five years ago, in my work as an entertainment reporter, I interviewed Ringo Starr. He was unveiling his design of the sculpture in London – on the 31st anniversary of John Lennon’s death. Despite three decades since the musician’s death, it was still very raw for Ringo, his eyes welling up as he talked about it. A touching moment. Here I was stood face to face with the artwork once more.

The original Knotted Gun stands outside the UN headquarters in New York and is a memorial to Lennon who was shot in 1980. It was created by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd which goes some way to explaining why I was suddenly reacquainted with it on a quiet side street in Gothenburg.

After reflecting on this memory for a few moments we headed back to the hotel to freshen up. We stayed at the Gothia Towers which are a bit of a destination in their own right and are particularly handy if you are intending to visit the nearby Liseberg Amusement Park.

The sun appeared as evening came and we wandered a few blocks for dinner. We had an excellent meal of Swedish cuisine at Familjen and on the way home these colourful fountains attracted Mrs T’s attention although I successfully managed to stop her from running through them.

It was a whistle stop tour of Gothenburg and if we had had longer, we could have done more on my 10 things to do with kids in Gothenburg list. But we got a feel for the city and really liked the vibe and relative quiet of the city, particularly compared to busy Stockholm. If we return, I shall definitely visit for longer (and not just on a Monday)!

Have you been to Gothenburg? How do you like to view a city? Are you a planner that like to cram lots in or do you prefer walking and getting a feel for the city?