Gothenburg, Sweden
Published by Asahi, Japan, 2026
I’ve passed through Gothenburg — Sweden’s second-largest city — countless times on my way to visit my Swedish relatives, though I’ve never lingered long enough to get a true feel for the place. My impression is of a city that is clean, organized and perfectly pleasant.
But on this trip I decide to dig a little deeper, and so I hopped on the train from my mother’s home, determined to see as much of the city as is possible within a single day.
One thing you can confidently say about Gothenburg is it has a strong reputation for sustainability. Frequently ranked as the world’s greenest city — though it slipped to second place behind Helsinki on the 2024 sustainability index — it offers renewable energy-powered public transport, plenty of cycle lanes and an exceptionally high number of eco-certified hotels.
The Paddan canal boat tour is a reliable and time-honored way to start things off, having been in operation for several decades — my mother can even remember taking it as a child. The boats, however, are diesel-powered: a forgivable blemish on the city’s green-friendly credentials.
“We’re trying to find a way to make the switch,” our guide, Harold, tells me. “But at present, the size of the battery needed to power the boat all day would cause it to sink.”
As the journey gets under way, Harold gives us a quick history lesson: how Gothenburg was founded in 1691 by King Gustavus Adolphus as a maritime trading center, designed by Dutch town planners. Hence the canals, which evoke both Amsterdam and Jakarta (once part of the Dutch East Indies). In the 18th century, the city became the headquarters of the Swedish East India Company — we pass the former offices, now the Gothenburg City Museum, on our right — transforming it into one of Europe’s major seaports.
There are some 20 bridges along the route, we’re told, including one nicknamed “the cheese slicer” because of its perilously low clearance. Other points of interest include a building with the number “17 ½” — the result of a planning error where there was only one house number left but two plots remaining. Then there’s the curious-looking Fish Church (Feskekorka), a seafood market and restaurant that resembles a Gothic chapel.
We motor through Lilla Bommen harbor, passing a four-masted sailing tall ship — built in 1906 and now a floating hotel — before entering the Gota Alv river. Here we loop past the Woman by the Sea statue atop its 49-meter column, before passing the newly completed Karlatornet tower on the opposite side of the river — at 286 meters, the tallest building in the Nordics.
According to our guide, it’s referred to locally as the Glennpire State Building — a play on Empire State Building — though the explanation takes some unpacking: In the 1982 UEFA Cup, four of the Swedish national soccer players were from Gothenburg. They all had the first name Glenn, which is a common name among Scottish immigrants to the area. Hence there is a long-running joke that everyone from the city is called Glenn.
We return to the starting point beside the Avenyn, the city’s main boulevard. Nearby is Stora Saluhallen — the central market — where I refuel on some typically Swedish fare: potato pancakes with bacon and lingonberry jam, before continuing my journey on foot.
I stroll along Magasingatan (Warehouse Street), the city’s main shopping street, where one can find vintage clothes stores and second-hand boutiques, another example of Gothenburg’s eco-conscious spirit.
Magasingatan takes me to Kungsparken (King’s Park), home to every species of tree in Scandinavia. Because it’s a hot summer’s afternoon, people are picnicking in the shade while a few opportunistic seagulls lurk nearby (the mew of gulls and the rumble of trams form an ever-present soundtrack to city life here).
From Kungsparken, I cross into the historic Haga neighborhood. Along with the nearby Majorna district, the area is known for its landshovdingehus: buildings made with a stone ground floor and wooden upper floors, which were designed to circumvent a 19th-century law limiting wooden homes to two stories for fire safety.
The main street of Haga Nygata is lined with cafes, making it a good spot to partake in the Swedish custom of fika. No travel piece about Sweden can fail to mention this sacred tradition of afternoon coffee and cake. The cafes here are known for their giant cinnamon buns, but eating one alone feels a touch tragic; I opt for a wienerbrod with my kaffe, the Swedish equivalent of a Danish pastry (itself an interpretation of an Austrian pastry).
Afterward, I climb up Risasberget hill, site of the early 18th-century fortress Skansen Kronan, to take in panoramic views of the city. From here I can see the harbor in the distance and the four-masted barque I passed earlier. The small, crown-shaped fortress was built to defend the city against Sweden’s age-old rival, Denmark, though the attack has, at least as of this writing, yet to materialize.
The day is running away from me, and I’m a little unsure what to do next. There’s the newly opened public sauna at Jubileumsparken, but that’s on the other side of the river; or there are the sprawling botanical gardens, a couple of kilometers to the south. However, my journalist’s nose leads me in another direction, and I decide to investigate Gothenburg’s craft beer scene instead.
As the nation’s beer capital, the city is home to some 40 microbreweries. Most are located outside the city center, but Poppel’s Brewery has a branch beside the harbor. True to the city’s green ethos, it incorporates wind power in its beer production, recycles the spent grain and the bottles are made from reused glass.
Tired after my explorations and slightly pink with sunburn, I cap off my day with a couple of environmentally friendly IPAs before hurrying to catch the train — leaving plenty to see and do for my next visit.