Enjoy life right Next to Gothenburg

Here are some of our tips for how you can put together a great roadtrip, with a couple of nights in lovely accommodation, in the area just next to Gothenburg. Remember, it's perfectly fine to stay several days at each stop.

Stop 1:

Start at Gunnebo House

This guide assumes that you’re starting around Gothenburg and travelling towards Alingsås, but you can of course also do the journey in the opposite direction.

Gunnebo House and Gardens in Mölndal is open every day all year round. Here, in the setting of one of Sweden’s foremost 18^th century stately home restorations, there’s an experience around every corner. Ingredients from Gunnebo’s own kitchen garden are always present in the cakes, pastries and dishes served in the estate’s organic café and restaurant. Explore the formal garden with its different green rooms, and the English park which winds the whole way up to the viewpoint at Flora’s hill. If you want a longer walk we recommend Gunnebo’s cultural reserve with its deciduous woodland, lakes and dramatic rocky outcrops.

Make sure you have a look at Gunnebo’s shop before you leave. You can buy heritage seeds from Impecta, wholegrain flour from Wästgötarna and lovely craftwork from local producers in Gothenburg.

Nearest stop: Gunnebo Park

 

 Travel on to Poppels Öl & Mat  

If anyone’s a bit of a beer connoisseur we recommend stopping for lunch in Jonsered, just to the east of Gothenburg.  Local producers of artisan beers have been popping up like mushrooms around here in the last decade. A jewel in the West Swedish crown is Poppels. Right next door to the brewery is Poppels Öl & Mat – a restaurant where the whole menu is based on finding the best match between beer and food as possible. Food is made that pairs well with specific beers – and beers are also brewed to complement specific foods.

Blooming gardens and locally produced fika at Jonsered Gardens and café

If you feel that you can never have enough of beautiful gardens or cosy café visits then just over a kilometre away from Poppels Öl & Mat is Jonsered Gardens where you can get both needs met!

Jonsered Gardens is a restored 19^th century manor house garden with four areas, all grown organically. You can stroll round the formal garden, the kitchen garden, the English rose garden, the show garden and the ruins.  

 Jonsereds Trädgårdscafé is a great place to enjoy afternoon tea. Most of what they serve is locally produced and organic, and the menu is seasonal. Top up your energy levels with coffee or tea (organic of course), cakes and buns (if you’ve got a sweet tooth) or mouth watering salads and sandwiches.

Nearest stop: Jonsereds Station

 

11 gardens over 3.6 kilometres – welcome to  Växtrum in Lerum

Are you ready for some more garden experiences? Then head a few kilometres north to Växtrum in Lerum, a fascinating venue with eleven different gardens designed by a range of well known Swedish gardeners. You can explore all the gardens along a 3.6 km trail.

Nearest stop: Lerum Station

 

Check in at Nääs Fabriker

After a day full of experiences and impressions you’ll find it a real treat to check in to Nääs Fabriker in Tollered. In the 19^th century the building housed a cotton mill, and the sympathetic modern refurbishment still reflects the former industrial site. Enjoy the view of Lake Sävelången, or have a swim in it and warm up in the sauna or hot tub. And if you’re still not ready to relax completely then you can train in Nääs Fabrikers own gym.

And don’t forget to have a look around the shops in the building, where you can find all sorts of goodies including fashion and home décor, jewellery and deli products. We promise you won’t leave empty handed!

End the day in the hotel’s own restaurant, Fabriksköket, where you’ll dine with Lake Sävelången as your nearest neighbour.

Nearest stop: Nääs fabriker

Stop 2:

 Onwards to Nääs Castle

After a lovely breakfast at Nääs Fabriker get on the road again to its neighbour Nääs Castle, where you can admire Scandinavia’s best preserved late 19^th century estate in all its glory. People have gathered here from time immemorial and created life long memories together. We recommend booking a guided tour of the castle.

Nääs Slott is also one of the foremost craft schools in the country, with courses in crafts and building conservation among other things, and an excellent craft gallery and building conservation shop. 

Nearest stop: Lilla Nääs

 

Fika and shop in Alingsås

Alingsås has been known for its cafés and bakeries since as far back as the 1700s. The café culture is very much alive in Alingsås, which is often called Sweden’s fika capital. Nolbygårds Ekobageri, Ekstedts Bageri & Café and Nygrens Café are listed in the Nordic White Guide as some of Sweden’s best cafes, serving bread, cakes, patisserie and pastries of the highest quality.

Nolhaga Park is within comfortable walking distance of Alingsås town centre. If you like pretty trees, bushes, flower beds, ponds and bridges then you should definitely pay it a visit. Don’t miss the Kongo swamp forest, with a boardwalk through a Swedish style rain forest down to Lake Mjörn.

Another park in the area worth a vist is Gräfsnäs Castle ruins, where you can sunbathe, swim and picnic, weather permitting. If you’re travelling in spring make sure you don’t miss the beautiful sea of wood anemones which covers large parts of the area.  

Check in to Grand Hotel Alingsås

At the end of the day, check in to Grand Hotel Alingsås. The hotel, built in 1911, has been renovated with care and many original details have been kept. Naturally it also has all the modern amenities you could wish for, like a sauna, yoga classes, training facilities and a restaurant where you can have a proper feast.

Nearest stop: Alingsås Station

Stop 3:

 On to Öijared Resort

If anyone has a golf bag in the car boot we recommend a visit to Öijared Resort in Floda. Here, on a pretty peninsula between lakes Mjörn and Sävelången, lies Sweden’s largest golf centre, with three  18 hole courses and a 9 hole multicourse for golf, frisbee and football golf.  The courses have different styles, layouts and characters and are an absolute must for anyone who loves golf.

The hotel buildings, designed by celebrated Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh, are in typical West Swedish natural surroundings, which apart from contributing to the fantastically beautiful setting also influence the hotel’s unique appearance and furnishings.

You can treat yourself, after a long day on the golf course, to a delicious dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, which serves memorable dishes made from seasonal and locally produced ingredients.  

Stop 4:

End the trip with a luxurious long breakfast

The perfect end to an intense road trip? A long lazy breakfast, of course. The
the classic breakfast buffet at Öijared is a delicious delight. When you
think back to all the places you visited in the last few days, is there a
favourite that you want to go back to?