Getting to Gothenburg

For a city of its size, Gothenburg is extremely well connected. Here are some of the options for getting to the city from abroad, and from other parts of Sweden.

 

By air

Until recently the city had two functioning international airports, but now all commercial air traffic is being routed through Gothenburg Landvetter. It’s within easy reach of the city.

Gothenburg Landvetter (GOT)

Landvetter is located around 25km east of the city centre. This airport now handles all passenger flights to Gothenburg, including services from the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Getting to Gothenburg from Landvetter is easy: airport buses depart from outside the terminal at least twice per hour throughout the day (roughly 5am–11.30pm). You can buy tickets here.

The buses are easy to spot – just look for the rainbow flag and the word Flygbussarna. One-way tickets cost 105 SEK; open returns are valid for up to three months and cost 195 SEK.

You cannot pay for your bus ticket using cash. You can however book online or buy from one of the machines beside the bus stop. Alternatively you can pay the driver with a credit or debit card.

The journey to Nils Ericsonsterminalen, right beside the main train station in the centre of Gothenburg, takes around 30 minutes. Buses stop at a couple of handy downtown locations en route, including Kungsportsplatsen, Park Aveny and Korsvägen.

A tip if you’re planning to continue your journey by public transport: when you pull up at your stop, ask the driver for a tram ticket (spårvagnsbiljett in Swedish). It’s not advertised anywhere but usually they’ll print one out for you there and then, giving you free use of the city’s trams and buses for the next 90 minutes.

A cheaper option for getting from the airport to Gothenburg city centre is to travel with Swebus. There are fewer departures per day but the journey takes a similar amount of time and one-way tickets usually cost between 59–79 SEK each. Book ahead online through the Swebus website.

Taxis to Gothenburg from Landvetter are safe and reliable. Expect to pay upwards of 300 SEK for a one-way journey to the Central Station – Mini Taxi is reliable and relatively cheap. Uber is also available in Gothenburg. Departing from Gothenburg Landvetter, there are several (expensive) shops and restaurants to look around, and wifi is free for the first three hours.

Göteborg Landvetter Airport
Landvetter
+46 101 093 100
landvetterairport.se

Gothenburg City Airport (GSE)

Gothenburg’s other hub, Gothenburg City Airport (sometimes referred to as Säve) was closed indefinitely in early 2015 after problems were discovered with its runway. It’s not clear whether the airport will ever re-open for commercial traffic, given the high cost of the repairs needed.

By train

Local trains and intercity services from places like Stockholm and Malmö call at Göteborgs Centralstation (the Central Station) on the northern edge of Drottningtorget. Long-distance sleeper trains travelling to the middle and far north of Sweden also use this busy station, as do international trains from Oslo, Copenhagen and beyond.

The train station has everything you might need before or after your journey: cafés, a ticket counter, bookshops, internet access (Burger King has free wifi), luggage lockers (chargeable) and toilets (also chargeable).

For train times in English and to book online, check the ACP Rail website (for national and international services) and Västtrafik (regional services only).

Göteborgs Centralstation
Drottningtorget
Gothenburg
+46 317 613 179
centralengoteborg.se

By bus

Regardless of whether you arrive in Gothenburg from Norway, Denmark or another part of Sweden, you’ll almost certainly be dropped at the bus station called Nils Ericsonterminalen.

This mall-like glass building adjoins the main train station, and has numbered ‘gates’ providing access to and from the buses. Here you’ll find a machine selling tickets for the airport buses and a helpful Västtrafik desk giving information on local bus and tram routes. Take a ticket and wait for your number to be called, as per Swedish tradition – lest you incur the wrath of the locals.

By ferry

Gothenburg is served by a couple of useful Stena Line ferry routes. There are daily arrivals from Kiel in Germany (14hr 30min) and around five arrivals per day from Frederikshavn in Denmark (3hr 15min). There are two different terminals – both are marked on the map above.

Stena Line ferries to/from Denmark

Emigrantvägen 20
Gothenburg

Stena Line ferries to/from Germany

Elof Lindälvs Gata
Gothenburg

 

Last updated: August 2017