Why go?
Gothenburg will be transformed into a Christmas wonderland from the middle of November, making it a perfect place for a short festive break. Whether it’s shopping in the Haga district, or wandering around one of the many Christmas markets, Gothenburg is the place to be to get into the Christmas spirit and finish up some last-minute shopping.
Activities
Check out Liseberg Amusement Park. Each year the park is transformed into Scandinavia’s largest Christmas market with 700 Christmas trees, decorated with over five million fairy lights. In this beautiful Swedish setting, there are over 70 market stalls and an ice skating rink, while children can meet Santa Claus and enjoy a sleigh ride with white reindeers from Sweden’s far north. This market is open each weekend from 15 November to 1 December and daily from 4 to 23 December and 26 to 29 December.
Other markets include the London-inspired Christmas Design Market and the more art and crafts market, Christmas at Röda Sten Art Centre.
Christmas attractions: The Lane of Light leads the way to Christmas with its 3km lane stretching from the central harbor, with an illuminated wheel, along the main boulevard Avenyn, to the Christmas market at Liseberg. The city will be lit up from 6 December to 5 January 2014.
Take the kids to the singing Christmas tree. While standing in the shape of a Christmas tree, local choirs dress in green and sing beautiful carols. Concerts take place on Dottningtorget in the centre of the city from 6 to 23 December and are free to the public.
Where to eat
At the Liseberg Christmas market make sure to eat traditional festive foods that include herring and roasted reindeer meat (or though perhaps best not to go into too much detail about that in front of the kids!) served by indigenous Sami people. For a more formal setting, try the traditional Swedish Christmas buffet with smoked fish, caviar and warming glögg. This buffet takes place at the Michelin star restaurant, Sjömagasinet, which provides a complete Swedish Christmas experience. A buffet lunch is put onand dinner is put on between 27 November and 22 December (lunch is £58 per person and dinner from £77).
The lowdown
Getting there: Gothenburg City airport is 20 minutes from Gothenburg by car and about 35 minutes by bus. British Airways flies from London Heathrow from £106 return.
Travel time: The flight is 2 hours from London to Gothenburg.
Accommodation: Book through Airbnb and live like a local in a centrally located apartment? Having your own space allows there to be room for the whole family as you can search for the specific amount of guests you will have and kitchen facilities make feeding times easier. Apartments range from £43 to £327 per night.
More information: For more information visit Gothenburg.com