Nordstan is one of the best places to start a shopping trip around Gothenburg. This big and sometimes crowded mall is slap-bang in the middle of the city centre and has more than 160 shops spread over two floors, making it a handy choice for clothes, shoes, electronics and cosmetics.
Nearly all of the big Swedish clothing brands have a presence here, including H&M, where prices are similar to what you’d pay in the UK or other parts of northern Europe. For Swedish fashion that’s harder to track down back home, try Weekday, which is great for jeans, or Monki (girls only), which sells cool dresses and tops from a kooky shop decorated with neon greens and pinks.
Other shops worth taking a look at within the shopping mall are Åhlens – a high-end department store – and Lagerhaus, where you’ll find cheap-ish, design-focused stuff for the home: from notepads and kitchen gizmos to lampshades and candles.
Nordstan is located right in the middle of the city and rents for shopkeepers are high, which means international chains take up the lion’s share of the plots. If you want smaller, independent stores, you’re better off taking a walk to one of the shopping streets outside the mall, such as Kungsgatan or Magasinsgatan.
Food options within the mall are mostly limited to places like McDonald’s and Pizza Hut but there are also a few smaller cafés dotted around if you feel like refuelling with a coffee and some lunch. There’s also a supermarket – Hemköp – just beside Åhlens (take the escalator down). It’s fairly big but the food is pricey.
Other useful places within Nordstan
Right at the centre of the shopping mall on the ground floor sits one of the city’s official tourist offices. Staff inside the big glass kiosk, which is marked out with a green sign, can provide you with a map of town and help you out with directions.
You’ll also find a branch of the Pressbyrån convenience store within Nordstan, where you can buy (or top up) a pay-as-you-go card for travelling on Gothenburg’s trams and buses. If you need a pharmacist, try Apotek Hjärtat on the ground floor, just off Östra Hamngatan.
Driving? There’s a multi-storey car park attached to the main building. It’s chargeable by the hour, but free on weekday evenings between 6pm–9pm.
Nordstan (Gothenburg shopping mall)
Just west of the Central Station
Gothenburg
Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat & Sun 10am–6pm
+46 317 008 660 (tourist office within Nordstan)
nordstan.se
Getting there
Take the tram to Brunnsparken or Nordstan
Last updated: September 2014
