48 Hours In: Gothenburg, Sweden

WHY GO NOW?

With its cafés spilling out on to pavements and its lovely parks, Gothenburg is ideal for a short break in August. Sweden's second city has a laid-back atmosphere and a sense of small-town charm. But if you want action, you'll find it here as well: Gothenburg is a major venue for sports and entertainment and this year it will be hosting the European Athletics Championships from 6-13 August.

BEAM DOWN

Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com) flies from Prestwick and Stansted to the smaller Gothenburg City airport, at Hisingen Island about 15km north of the city centre. The 30-minute bus trip to the Nils Ericson Terminal beside the Central station (1) costs 50 kronor (£3.75). The Swedish low-cost airline FlyMe (00 46 770 790 790; www.flyme.com) flies from Stansted to Gothenburg's Landvetter airport; SAS (0870 60 727 727; www.fly sas.co.uk) flies from Heathrow to Landvetter; and City Airline (0870 220 6835; www.cityairline.com) flies to Landvetter from Manchester and Birmingham. Landvetter airport is 25km east of the city. Airport buses take about 20 minutes to reach the Central station (1) and cost Skr70 (£5.25).

An eco-friendly option is to sail from Newcastle to Gothenburg with DFDS Seaways (08702 520 524; www.dfdsseaways.co.uk). The ferry journey takes about 26 hours.

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Gothenburg developed around its harbour, which is today the biggest and busiest in Scandinavia. The oldest part of the city lies on the south bank and is contained by a moat and canal defences built in the 17th century. This compact heart is ringed by parks, beyond which lie 18th- and 19th-century streets, the most imposing of which is Kungsportsavenyn, known simply as Avenyn.

A short distance to the south of this boulevard is Sweden's most popular tourist attraction, Liseberg Amusement Park (2), which is visited by more than three million people each year (open over Easter and from May to September, times vary but during July and until 20 August it is open daily 11am-11pm; admission Skr60/£4.48).

Much of the city is easy to navigate on foot. An efficient tram network stretches south to Saltholmen ferry terminal, the gateway to the outlying archipelago, and is covered in the Gothenburg Pass (Skr210/ £16 for one day). This also gives entry to the city's main attractions, as well as sightseeing by bus and boat. You can buy it at the Central Tourist Office (3) at Kungsportsplatsen 2 (00 46 31 61 25 00; www.goteborg.com). Until 1 September it opens 9.30am-6pm daily (8pm in July and August); then it is open Monday to Friday 9.30am-5pm and Saturday 10am-2pm.

CHECK IN

Situated opposite the Liseberg Amusement Park, Gothia Towers (4) at Massans Gata 24 (00 46 31 750 88 00; www.gothiatowers.com) looks on the exterior like any number of tower-block hotels around the world. But its clever, sleek interior reflects Sweden's reputation for design. Doubles start from Skr1,095 (£82), including breakfast. More unusual accommodation is offered on board Hotell Barken Viking (5), an elegant four-masted ship moored in the harbour in central Gothenburg (00 46 31 63 58 00; www.liseberg.se). You can opt to stay in style in an officer's cabin, or sleep in more cramped conditions in the former crew's quarters; doubles start from Skr850 (£63) including breakfast. For a more peaceful alternative, head south to Annes Hus (6) at Hjulmakaregatan 35 (00 46 31 20 94 00; www.annes-hus.o.se). This charming hotel, in a traditional wooden house, has just four bedrooms and a pretty patio garden where guests are welcome to cook their own barbecue dinners. Doubles from Skr1,390 (£105) including breakfast.

TAKE A HIKE

Pick up a free map at the tourist office (3) and take a few paces down to Vallgraven canal, part of the city's old moat. Turn left along Stora Nygatan looking over to Tradgardsforeningen Park (7), across the water. When you reach Drottninggatan, turn sharp left for around 400m, then right up Ostra Hamngatan and cross over Hamn canal to reach Gustav Adolfs Torg (8). The statue in the centre of this square commemorates King Gustavus Adolphus who devised much of Gothenburg's layout in the 17th century. On the north side of the square is the City Hall, dating from 1746, and to the east are the law courts, designed in 1672. Continue north and turn left into Postgatan; half way along is Kronhuset (9), the city's oldest building, dating from the 1640s. It sits in a glorious courtyard, which also houses workshops for hand-blown glass and jewellery. Continue along Postgatan and turn right into Smedjeg, which will take you up to the waterfront. Amble up to the splendid Opera House (10) and then make your way back down Ostra Hamngatan to the tourist office.

TAKE A VIEW

Known locally as Lappstiftet (Lipstick), the red-and-white Skanska skyscraper (11) towers 86m over the harbour. From the top-floor café, it offers glorious panoramas over the city.

TAKE A RIDE

Excellent guided boat trips on the Paddan line leave frequently from Kungsportsbron (12) daily between April and September. A 50-minute tour costs Skr95 (£7) and takes you down canals and around the harbour. There's a slightly wacky edge to the boat rides: passengers need to bend double when passing beneath low bridges.

LUNCH ON THE RUN

Make for Feskekorka (13), the indoor fish market that not only looks like a church but also functions as a wedding venue. Here you can buy a smoked salmon or prawn salad to take away (around Skr55/£4) and eat it on the benches outside.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

Gothenburg's absorbing City Museum (14) is housed in the former headquarters of the Swedish East India Company at Norra Hamngatan 12 (00 46 31 61 27 70; www.stadsmuseum.goteborg.se), built in the 1750s. Here you'll learn about the city's trading history with China and you can visit the beautifully restored auction room where tea, spices and silks were sold. It opens daily in the summer 10am-5pm; admission Skr40 (£3)

WINDOW SHOPPING

Nordstan (15) is the country's biggest shopping mall - check out Ahlens department store for good-value Swedish designer wares. For local colour wander over to the indoor food market, Saluhallen, on Kungstorget (16) where you'll find spices, cheeses, fruit and more.

AN APERITIF

Avenyn is packed with bars and restaurants, and buzzes on Friday and Saturday nights. The hip crowd gathers for cocktails at the bar of Lounge (17) at Avenyn 5 (00 46 31 711 1541) - and returns later to dance the night away.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS

Smaka (18) in the university district at Vasaplatsen 3 (00 46 31 13 22 47) is a charming little restaurant serving traditional Swedish cuisine. Dishes include a smoked salmon and lobster tail starter at Skr89 (£6.60) and mains such as meatballs with mashed potato and lingonberries at Skr119 (£8.90).

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

Gothenburg's Gustav Cathedral (19) on Vastra Hamngatan is an elegant neo-classical building, consecrated in 1815. It is open 8am-6pm weekdays, 9am-4pm Saturday, and 10am-3pm Sunday. Lunchtime concerts are held here on most Fridays. Sunday Holy Communion is at 11am.

OUT TO BRUNCH

Immediately south of Rosenlunds canal and the fish market (13) is the pretty Haga district, built as a suburb in the late 17th century and redeveloped in stone and timber in the 19th century. Since renovation in the Eighties it has become gently hip, its streets filled with galleries and cafés. Café Husaren (20) at Haga Nygata 26 (00 46 31 13 63 78) serves large plates of prawn and salad open sandwiches, quiches and cinnamon buns so huge they're almost a meal in themselves.

A WALK IN THE PARK

South of Haga is the Botanical Gardens, which are so vast that much of it has been left as a nature reserve. In the formal garden is a peaceful Japanese glade with azaleas, ponds and cherry trees; a lovely rock garden; and an ever-popular kitchen garden. From the city centre you can reach the park on trams No 1, 7, 8 or 13. The gardens are open daily, 9am until sunset; admission free.

ICING ON THE CAKE

Gothenburg's Maritime Centre (21) at Packhuskajen on the harbour front is a bit like an adventure playground for grown-ups as well as children. Just south of the Opera House, 19 ships and boats are moored together with walkways snaking between them. This is no formal museum: you clamber on board most of the exhibits, which range from an 1875 armoured ship to a 1931 fire-fighting vessel in use until 1977. Perhaps best of all is the submarine, Nordkaperen, which you enter by climbing down a steep ladder - and as you clamber out again with much relief you wonder how anyone ever survived living there for weeks at a time. The museum is open daily 10am-6pm (from September until 4pm); adults Skr40 (£3).

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