Gothenburg

The 2nd largest city in Sweden and located on the west coast, Gothenburg is a relaxed, university town that maintains the Swedish standard of preserving its green space & heritage.  Like Stockholm, there are several bike paths and treed avenues throughout the city – which not only makes for a scenic stroll, but ensures an accessible path of travel for all things wheeled! 🙂 

Unfortunately, both of my visits were short (but sweet!), so there are a few things that I missed and won’t be able to comment on (e.g. Natural History Museum, Slottsskogen, Skansen Kronan, etc.). 

Suggested duration of stay:  At least 2 days…3-4 would allow you to check out museums and venture further out from the city center – towards the ocean.

Getting around:  

Air: Gothenburg (Landvetter) Airport doesn’t have a rail connection, so your options are either taking a taxi or bus (Flygbuss airport coaches can make the trip to the city center in 20 mins). I’ve only flown out of G’burg once and took a taxi to get there (it’s not a long trip).

Rail: The SJ intercity, high-speed train (X2000) pulls right into centrally-located (and appropriately named! 😉 Gothenburg Central station.  The ride from Stockholm is only 3 hrs and there are 2 wheelchair spots (“rullstolsplats”) on these trains, located in 2nd class. There are also designated seats (close to the washrooms) for those with mobility impairments, who are ambulatory. If you require assistance boarding the train, let the SJ ticketing agent know in advance, so they can make the necessary arrangements.    

Public transit within Gothenburg consists of buses, trams, or boats.  Again, I’m a big fan of getting my exercise and exploring the city ‘on foot’, so I can’t speak to the accessibility of the vehicles.  But according to the transit company (Västtraffik), all of their buses and the majority of their trams are good!     

What I saw:  

Lilla Bommen – The Opera House, Viking barque, and the Lilla Bommen building are the main features of this harbourfront section of the city, on Göta älv.

Nordstan – The largest shopping center & business complex in Sweden.  It is next door to the central train station.

 

 

Liseberg – A large amusement park with a concert stage, gardens, a theatre, and a sculpture park.

 

Universeum – A science centre, with animals, nature and technology.  Very accessible! The elevator will take you to the top floor and you can work your way down through the exhibits – back to the main level (though I’m pretty sure you can only duck into the rainforest exhibit on certain levels, to take a look). 

 

 

Skånegatan – Most of the large-scale attractions are along this street: Ullevi (75,000 seat stadium), Scandinavium (sports & entertainment arena), the convention centre (Svenska Mässan), movie theatres, Universeum and Liseberg.

 

Nya Allén – a beautifully-green avenue, with pedestrian & bike paths that go through Kungsparken and Bältespännarparken (home to Trädgårdsföreningen – which has exotic plants and palm trees in greenhouses).  A great way to cut across the city & enjoy nature simultaneously! 🙂

 

Kungsportsavenyen (aka “Avenyn“) – The city’s main boulevard with restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and the picturesque surroundings of Götaplatsen (i.e. Royal Theatre, Concert House, Art Museum, and library).  Heads up for fellow wheelchair-users: It’s an uphill climb to get to Götaplatsen and take a selfie with Poseidon, but at least the return trip is easy! 😉

Haga – The bohemian section of G’burg has cobblestone streets, vintage shops, and also noticed some cheaper prices in the convenience stores too! 

 

Hot dog with mashed potatoes (“Halv Special“) – I can’t remember the location of the hot dog stand (“Korvkiosk”) that we hit, but we heard about this seemingly-weird combination in a guide book and learned that it was a local ‘delicacy’ (crazy university kids!! ;). Seeing them fully garnish a hot dog and bun, then bury them in mashed potatoes was a bit strange.  But I gotta say, it was actually quite good!  North Americans often have fries with their burger or dog, so varying the style of potato really isn’t that much of a departure.   

 

Koka (formerly “Kock & Vin”) – My first Michelin star restaurant and multi-course with wine-paring experience!  It was pricey and the portions were small (understandable, given that there were 5 or 6 of them), but they definitely knew what they were doing and fully deserved their accolades.  The restaurant wasn’t wheelchair accessible, but thankfully we called ahead and the friendly staff were more than willing to help bump me & my ass cart up the outside stairs (7 or 8?).  Once inside, the dining area was one level. 

 

 

 

Where I stayed (year): 

Scandic Crown (2008) – Close to the central train station and the city’s main attractions, this Scandinavian hotel chain always includes a breakfast buffet(!!).  The single room was a bit small, but the bathroom was good & accessible (the Swedes definitely know what they’re doing, when they design an adapted bathroom ;)!  Had to bring my trusty shower bench with me, but everything else was open concept, if I’m not mistaken. Rating: 4/5

Scandic Europa (2010) – 100 meters from Gothenburg Central station and right next door to Nordstan shopping centre, you’re about as central as you can get.  Their accessible room was good and (as with all Scandic hotels) a breakfast buffet was included.  Again, the bathroom was the same as Scandic Crown – open, with grab bars and curtains to separate the roll-in shower from the rest…  Rating: 4.25/5  

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