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hotel Salt ¡ Sill - a sophisticated place with

superb seafood and 'the world's fastest

sauna' on a motorised pontoon.

Back in the city, you'll �nd that Gothenburg

is small enough to navigate in a couple of

days, and o†ers a packed year-round events

schedule, several theatres and museums,

a noted opera house and some excellent

shopping districts. Don't spend all your

time on the main shopping drag, instead

focus on the streets around the city church

Domkyrkan for the best boutique �nds and

a plethora of small shops selling everything

from Moomin mugs through antique science

�ction books to hand-made clogs.

Fika to fine dining

An integral part of the Swedish daily routine

is �ka - co†ee and cake. You're never

more than a few metres away from a cup

of co†ee and it's normally served strong,

in large amounts. Recently, there's been a

move towards lighter, taste-centric brewing

methods and �ne £avours. Places such as

Kale'i, a tiny café with a focus on brew quality,

and Bar Centro, the city centre's most popular

espresso hole in the wall, are the coolest,

liveliest places to experience this. Cakes

include cinnamon buns, with the biggest

ones found at Café Husaren in Haga Nygata.

The area is famous for its �sh, so make

the Feskekörka, or �sh church, your �rst

port of call at lunchtime. The ecclesiasticallooking

building opened in 1874 and acts as a

covered market. Lunches from the numerous

restaurants here are eaten at shared tables or

deli-style along counters, are as fresh as you'll

�nd and not outrageously priced. If you're

after street food, try Strömmingsluckan, a

kiosk in one of the trendier parts of town

selling fried herring and mash. Try the fried

strömming (Baltic herring) with crème fraªche,

red onion and mashed

potato, with a light beer.

Another �ne tradition

is that of husmanskost - a

�lling and low-cost lunch.

These are a good way to

experience the best of

Gothenburg's restaurants,

as many establishments serve special set

menus. On the seafood theme, both of the

Sjöbaren restaurants (in Haga Nygata and

Lorensberg) o†er traditional �sh dishes -

including their oft-imitated sa†ron and

GOTHENBURG'S RESTAURANT SCENE AND

CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT ARE AS EXCITING

AS ANY YOU'LL FIND IN SCANDINAVIA

Clockwise from main image: Sweden's west coast archipelago;

Way Out West festival; dining at Koka; the futuristic Kuggen

(Cog), a college for innovation in Gothenburg; a dish at

Familjen; Gothenburg at night; Gothenburg harbour