Sweden
Gothenburg
Away-day guide
unverified draftGothenburg is Sweden's second city and a much easier away day than Stockholm: everything is within walking distance, the ground sits in the middle of town, and the bars along Andra Långgatan are as close to cheap as Sweden gets. Two of the city's clubs are in Europe this season and both play at Gamla Ullevi.
🚺 To Gamla Ullevi
The ground is in the centre on Skånegatan, a ten-minute walk from Central Station and five from Brunnsparken — head east past the canal towards the big Ullevi arena; Gamla Ullevi is the smaller ground beside it. Any tram to Ullevi Norra or Centralstationen puts you next to it.
- Nearest stop
- Ullevi Norra / Centralstationen tram stops
- Lines
- Trams via Brunnsparken and Ullevi Norra; all central bus routes
- Walk from centre
- 10 min
- Parking
- Central multi-storeys only and they cost; with the ground this central there is no reason to drive.
Public transport
Västtrafik runs the biggest tram network in the Nordics along with buses and the river ferries, and the trams go everywhere a visitor needs. Buy tickets in the Västtrafik To Go app before you board — you cannot pay cash on board — with a single around 34 kr and a 24-hour ticket about three times that. The centre is small enough that you can walk from the station to the ground, the Avenyn and Haga in fifteen minutes each. The Älvsnabben ferry across the river to Hisingen is covered by a normal ticket and is a free river cruise in all but name.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- SEK 80
- Coffee
- SEK 40
- Meal, mid-range
- SEK 220
- Taxi from airport
- SEK 550
- Single transit ticket
- SEK 34
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Göteborg Landvetter Airport GOT primary 25 km The Flygbussarna coach runs from outside arrivals to Nils Ericson Terminalen beside Central Station in about 30 minutes for roughly 139 kr; a taxi is 500–600 kr on a fixed fare. The obvious way in, with UK routes from Ryanair, Norwegian and others. The coach meets every flight.
- Copenhagen Airport CPH alternative 300 km Trains run from the airport station through Malmö to Gothenburg in about 3 hours 30 minutes; book ahead for the cheaper fares. Far more flights and often much cheaper from the UK. The train is comfortable and direct-ish, but it is most of a day each way — only worth it for a big fare gap or a longer trip.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
IFK Göteborg
Home fans: Blåvitt's support gathers in the middle of town before kick-off — the bars around Kungstorget, Nordstan and the streets between the station and Gamla Ullevi — and marches to the ground together from the centre. Ölhallen 7:an at Kungstorget is the old-school beer hall many of them start in.
Away fans: Everything in the centre is walkable and neutral; Andra Långgatan and Järntorget are the cheaper, more relaxed option and a fifteen-minute walk from the ground. There is no hostility to away fans in Gothenburg, but the standing ends are for home support only.
Sweden's most successful club and 1982 and 1987 UEFA Cup winners; still the best-supported side in the city.
GAIS Göteborg
Home fans: GAIS — the Mackerels — are the smaller, older, more cultish of the city clubs, and their fans drink around Gårda and the central bars before walking to the same ground.
Away fans: As for IFK: the centre, Kungstorget or the Långgatorna. Crowds for GAIS games are smaller and the whole thing is very low-key.
Groundsharing at Gamla Ullevi with IFK (and Örgryte), so the venue is the same — check which club is at home before you book.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
Långgatorna — the long streets running west from Järntorget, especially Andra Långgatan — are the city's drinking district and much less polished than Stockholm: dive bars, rock bars, cheap kitchens and a proper local crowd. Ölrepubliken by Järntorget is the beer bar of choice, with a big Swedish and Belgian list. Linnégatan just up the hill is the smarter version. Avenyn is the main boulevard and where the mainstream clubs and expensive terraces are; Magasinsgatan in the middle of town is the design-led, cocktail end. Everything shuts at 03:00 at the latest.
Food & drink
This is a seafood city — shrimp sandwiches (räkmacka), fish soup, oysters, and pickled herring at breakfast. The Feskekörka, the 'fish church' on the canal, is the landmark fishmonger and restaurant hall; Sjöbaren in Haga does the classic sit-down version; Saluhallen at Kungstorget and Saluhall Briggen in Linné are the market halls for cheaper plates. Haga is the café district — a Saturday-afternoon fika with a hagabulle, a cinnamon bun the size of a plate, is a local ritual. Beer-wise, Gothenburg has a strong craft scene alongside the big Swedish lagers.
Cheap eats & beer
As everywhere in Sweden, lunch is the value meal: dagens lunch runs 110–140 kr on weekdays and includes salad, bread and coffee. In the evening, the market halls, the kebab and falafel places around Järntorget and the pizzerias along the Långgatorna will feed you for 100–150 kr. Beer is 65–90 kr a glass, cheaper along Andra Långgatan than on the Avenyn, and there is usually an after-work happy hour between about 4 and 7pm. Anything above 3.5% for taking away comes from Systembolaget, which shuts at 15:00 on Saturday and all day Sunday — plan for it.
Staying safe
Gothenburg is a safe and relaxed city and football here carries no menace for visitors. Practical points: it is effectively cashless, so bring a card and not krona notes; taxis are unregulated and the price is on the sticker in the window, so use Taxi Göteborg, Uber or Bolt rather than an unbranded car at the rank; and the weather is wetter than you think, even in August — bring a coat. Late at night the area around Järntorget and Nordstan gets boisterous but rarely worse than that.
On matchday
Gamla Ullevi is right in the centre, ten minutes' walk from Central Station and next to the much larger Ullevi arena — do not confuse the two when you are looking for the entrance. IFK Göteborg and GAIS both use it, so check which club you are actually visiting. Swedish grounds sell only 3.5% beer inside and have safe standing behind the goals; IFK's Kamratgården end is the loud one. The away section has its own entrance and a modest allocation, with a police escort from the station when numbers require it. Pyro is heavily punished here. Being central, the ground empties straight into the bars of the city — no transport worries afterwards.
This city guide is still being fact-checked — some details may be inaccurate.