Gothenburg – The world’s most sustainable destination

For the sixth year in a row, Gothenburg ranks at the top as the most sustainable destination. On Wednesday, the results of the Global Destination Sustainability Index 2022 were revealed, in which 70 cities in the world participate. The Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDSI), a comparative ranking, was started in 2016 by the organization Global Destination Sustainability Movement. Since the start, Gothenburg has been placed at the top every time. Read more about Gothenburg – the world’s most sustainable destination.

The world’s most sustainable destination

Six times in a row, Gothenburg has ranked as the world’s most sustainable destination according to the Global Destination Sustainability Index. And in 2021, Lonely Planet named Gothenburg the world’s Best sustainable city stay.

Sustainable experiences in and outside Gothenburg

Sustainability is more important than ever, even (or perhaps especially) when you’re on vacation. Gothenburg has plenty of sustainable activities to offer in and around the city, and here are some of our favourites!

Walk: Sustainable shopping in Gothenburg

Discover vintage clothing, organic fashion and sustainable design in Gothenburg. This walk will take you from the cathedral Domkyrkan, through the city centre to Haga and Linnéstaden.

Credit: Quarry Fold Studio / Liseberg AB

2. Sweden’s Most Imaginative Family Hotel Opens in April: Liseberg Grand Curiosa

There’s a pony carousel in the restaurant, a slide right down into the lobby and a speakeasy cocktail bar at the new Liseberg Grand Curiosa hotel. This is a unique family hotel right next to Scandinavia’s biggest amusement park. At nine floors high and over 300,000 square feet in size, the star-shaped building has 457 rooms – all with at least five beds. Some rooms have six or seven beds, and there are connecting rooms for even larger groups. The theme park itself will also unveil a number of new features in 2023, when the park celebrates its 100th anniversary. Liseberg was originally a gift to the people of Gothenburg when the city turned 300.

Amusement park

Liseberg amusement park

3. Celebrate 400 Years of Gothenburg at the Jubilee Festival

Gothenburg’s birthday is on June 4, and a major festival will be held on June 2–5. What better place to celebrate the port city of Gothenburg than in the Frihamnen port district? Three stages, one of which has the same audience capacity as the Scandinavium arena, and lots of food, music and activities for all ages. The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra opens the festival together with famous music artists, and an evening is dedicated to the pop and rock that shaped Gothenburg. Several choirs take their place on stage, including Körcentrum Väst performing a musical by Sting with several hundred singers on stage. Look out for more program news and artist releases at goteborg2023.com!

With Gothenburg’s Anniversary Festival as the starting point, the 400 years celebrations continue all summer until September 3, culminating with the Gothenburg Culture Festival and the Göteborgsvarvet Marathon.

Frihamnen – a new neighbourhood on historic shipyard land

Frihamnen, the free-port, is both a new and an old part of the city, located right in the heart of Gothenburg. The old shipbuilding industry and port operations give the area its historical setting, while at the same time a new neighbourhood takes shape among hangars, piers and cranes.

Gothenburg’s Anniversary Celebration 2023

In the summer of 2023, June 2–September 3, we welcome people of Gothenburg and visitors from all over the world to Gothenburg’s 400th anniversary celebration.

3. The Maritime Museum and Aquarium

The Maritime Museum and Aquarium has been closed since 2018 to undergo its largest renovation and extension ever, and in December 2022 the gates were opened again to visitors. The museum opened with no less than six new exhibitions and a brand-new underground aquarium with ten times the volume of water than before, a living coral reef and the new exhibition The Ocean Planet. In the two children’s exhibitions Big blue and Knattegatt, children and their adults can discover and explore the sea together in imaginative environments. In addition, visitors are also welcomed by a new entrance, a museum park with larger green areas and a new bistro with outdoor seating.

Maritime museum

The Maritime Museum and Aquarium

5. Exciting space experiences at the new Wisdome

A large wooden sphere has already become a new Gothenburg landmark. Wisdome is a spherical building that is being built on the roof of Universeum, Sweden’s national science center and one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations. When Wisdome opens in spring 2023, it will showcase space travel, dramatic film effects and the smallest building blocks of the human body on a 360° screen, using advanced visualization technology. In addition to Wisdome, Universeum also features aquariums, a large indoor rainforest, and experiment rooms.

Science museum

Universeum

6. New open-air public pools in the harbour

The long-awaited public swimming area in the popular park Jubileumsparken will open in June 2023. The three pools floating in the river Göta älvare all bottomless and the water is purified using technical solutions that will allow visitors to swim in both fresh and salt water year-round. The pools are free of charge and have a capacity of 500 persons. The iconic public sauna is currently being renovated and will be open to the public, as well as the newly built large playground that opened in 2022.

Swimming pool

The Public Pool in Frihamnen

Sauna (temporarily closed)

The Sauna in Frihamnen

Creative playground

Excursion playground in the Jubilee Park

7. Gothenburg’s highest located sky bar opens at the new Clarion Hotel Draken

The movie theatre that hosted Göteborg Film Festival for many years, The Draken Cinema, is not only being restored but will also feature a brand-new hotel. The 33-storey landmark will be topped with a sky bar and a rooftop terrace boasting views that stretch for miles and will be completed in fall 2023. Clarion Hotel Draken will be Gothenburg’s tallest hotel building, with 474 hotel rooms, 13 meeting rooms, a gym, spa and two restaurants. Read more at nordicchoicehotels.com.

The location of the hotel—the square Järntorget—is a hub for concerts, nightlife, culture and restaurants. The theatre Folkteatern with its popular bar Folk is in the same building as Clarion Hotel Draken. Nearby is also the live music stage Pustervik, the theatre Hagateatern, Hagabion which houses both an independent cinema as well as a café, restaurant, and bar Kino. In the area you’ll also find the streets “Långgatorna”, where bars, cafes, restaurants and small-scale shops create a lively and popular district.

Järntorget & Långgatorna – trendy and relaxed nightlife hub

The area around the square Järntorget, and especially the four parallell streets Långgatorna, is a hub for the alternative and relaxed nightlife. Enjoy a drink with friends, grab a bite to eat or go for theatre or a gig.

8. Exciting new exhibitions

It isn’t only Liseberg that celebrates 100 years in 2023, many more of the city’s most famous museums and attractions were inaugurated when the city celebrated its anniversary in 1923 and thus turns 100 this year. At the Gothenburg Museum of Art, you can see a collection of works by the famous Gothenburg Colourists and the museum Göteborgs Konsthall exhibits the highly topical artist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas. The Gothenburg Botanical Garden is celebrating with a new garden, and the Natural History Museum, together with the Hasselblad Foundation, is creating an anniversary exhibition where photography is used to learn new things about nature.

Visual art

Gothenburg Museum of Art

Contemporary art

Göteborgs konsthall

Park

Gothenburg Botanical Garden

Museum

Göteborg Natural History Museum

9, Run the first Göteborgsvarvet Marathon in 2023

On September 3, the world’s biggest half marathon will become twice as long. The Göteborgsvarvet Marathon will be a unique and historic running event as Gothenburg’s anniversary celebrations come to an end. For those who are up for the challenge, the marathon will offer fantastic views of Gothenburg, taking in both sides of the river Göta älv.

Marathon

Göteborgsvarvet Marathon

Slottsskogen City Park

3Sep

10. Summer concert nights

In 2023, Gothenburg once again offers an unforgettable line-up of big shows. At Scandinavia’s largest out-door stadium Ullevi, there will be concerts with international artists all summer: Metallica, June 16 and 18, Bruce Springsteen June 24, 26 and 28 and Coldplay July 8–9, 11–12.

The music festival Way Out West is held in the city park Slottsskogen, August 10-12. The programme includes the biggest music stars, the hottest newcomers, film premieres, challenging conversations, great vegetarian food and a robust club programme called “Stay Out West”.

Outdoor arena

Ullevi stadium

Music festival

Way Out West 2023

Slottsskogen City Park

10Aug

11. Three World Championships

Championships at home ground create unforgettable moments for both the players and the crowd. In 2023, no less than three world championships will be played in Gothenburg. 11–29 January 2023, the Men’s Handball World Championship will be played, with Gothenburg hosting Sweden’s group and main round between 12-22 January.

November 30–December 17, 2023, the Women’s Handball World Championship will be played at the same arena, Scandinavium in Gothenburg. The Swedish national team will play group games and the main round in Gothenburg with matches in Gothenburg between December 1–11.

2023 ends with the world’s future ice hockey stars. During the Christmas holidays 2023/2024, World Junior Ice Hockey Championships 2024 will be played in Gothenburg. Expect a big hockey party in town when the stars of tomorrow meet to fight for the gold!

World-class women’s handball

Women’s Handball World Championship 2023

Scandinavium

1Dec

Junior World Cup

World Junior Ice Hockey Championships 2024

Scandinavium

26Dec

12. Brew news in the beer city

A lot is happening in the craft beer scene in Gothenburg! The city hosts plenty of breweries, tap rooms and pubs with local beer. In the spring of 2023, Stigberget’s brewery will open a new tap room at Ringön, with room for concerts as well as food and beer directly from the tap. In addition, the small-scale brewery Barlind Beer on the island Björkö in the Gothenburg archipelago, will open its first tap room in an old ice warehouse during the spring.

Tap Rooms in Gothenburg

Brewing, and drinking beer in Gothenburg is not a new thing. It’s been done ever since the city was founded in 1621. Gothenburg is often called the beer capital of Sweden and that’s not without a very good reason. The craft breweries here are among the best in the world, according to international rankings. And beer is, of course, at its best when fresh – so, let us guide you to the tap rooms of Gothenburg.

Craft beer and breweries in Gothenburg

Ever heard of Stigbergets, Poppels, All in Brewing or Dugges? You should. Gothenburg is one of Europe’s hottest hubs for craft beer and several of the city’s breweries are among the best in the world. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the Lafite Rothschilds and Romanée-Contis of West Sweden.

Beer pubs in Gothenburg

Gothenburg has a flourishing beer scene with plenty of top class craft breweries in and around the city. You will find everything from lagers and ale to porter and the names are often connected to the city or west coast.

13. The King of Sweden celebrates 50 years as monarch and visits Gothenburg on June 4.

There will be more than one significant anniversary in 2023—Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustav also celebrates 50 years as monarch. This anniversary will be marked in Gothenburg as the city celebrates its own anniversary. On Gothenburg’s birthday, June 4, the King will give a public address and then walk in procession through the city center together with the Queen. Read more at goteborg2023.com.

14. Prototyping Gothenburg: The city as an exhibition

When Gothenburg celebrates 400 years this summer, parts of the city will become an exhibition that is open to everyone. Prototyping Gothenburg is a unique opportunity to learn more about how we change and build a modern and sustainable city. Experience new solutions, be inspired by the innovations of the future and take part in construction workshops, talks and discussions. Or go on a guided tour and test one of the many prototypes. For example, bake your own seaweed bread and taste the food of the future at the marine allotment! Prototyping Gothenburg runs June 2 June–September 3.

Urban development

Prototyping Gothenburg

Gjutjärnsgatan 16, Göteborg, Sweden

9Jun

Bergsjön

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Restaurang Brödernas

Upzone Adventure Park

Excursion playground in the Jubilee Park

Related guides & articles

Major events in Gothenburg 2023

100 years in Gothenburg

14 reasons to visit Gothenburg in 2023

5 highlights for the Gothenburg International Science Festival 2023

Winter Break in Gothenburg

Christmas break in Gothenburg

Guide to the music aid Musikhjälpen and Kungstorget area

5 Anniversary Initiatives You Have to Check Out

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