Travelling to Gothenburg and West Sweden
There are many ways of getting to Gothenburg and West Sweden. To make it as easy as possible we have gathered some useful information to help you get here from wherever you are.
Train
SJ, Öresundståget, VY, Tågåkeriet and MTR Express all run regular services to and from Central Station in Gothenburg city centre, and the Scandinavian capitals Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen. Journey times to Gothenburg are just under 4 hours from Oslo, about 3.5 hours from Stockholm and 3.5 hours from Copenhagen. Trains in and out of Denmark stop at Copenhagen International Airport, which makes it a convenient destination for travelling to Gothenburg.
From Berlin to Gothenburg, the train journey takes approximately 12 hours and includes 2 or 3 changes. A train journey between Paris and Stockholm takes about 24 hours, with the option of sleeping cars for parts of the journey. Travelling by train between Amsterdam and Malmö takes approximately 13.5 hours with 3-4 changes on the way. There are frequent direct trains from Malmö to Gothenburg.
• SJ (booking for Sweden and abroad)
• MTR Express – (Stockholm–Gothenburg)
• Vy (Oslo - Gothenburg)
• Tågåkeriet (Stockholm – Gothenburg)
• Västtrafik (In West Sweden)
• Öresundståg (from Denmark and southern Sweden)
• FLIXTRAIN (Stockholm – Gothenburg)
Photographer: Viggo Lundberg
Busses and bus tickets
The Gothenburg bus terminal, Nils Ericson Terminalen, is connected to Central Station and is served by comfortable long distance and express bus companies like Flixbus and Bus4you. It is easy to travel to Gothenburg from major cities all over Scandinavia. Journey times to Gothenburg are about 3.5 hours from Oslo, 6.5 hours from Stockholm, 3.5 hours from Malmö and 5 hours from Copenhagen.
How to buy bus tickets in West Sweden
The West Sweden region is served by Västtrafik and you can easily buy your bus tickets in the Västtrafik To Go app, at Västtrafik stores and agents, or by tapping your payment card on trams, buses, and boats in zone A.
• Flixbus
• Vy Bus4you
• Västtrafik (In West Sweden)
Photographer: Jonas Ingman
Ferry
Stena Line runs direct ferry routes Fredrikshavn – Gothenburg and Kiel – Gothenburg. The terminal for ferries to Fredrikshavn in Denmark is located at Masthuggstorget, near Gothenburg city centre. Ferries to Kiel in Germany leave from the terminal at Klippan, further out in the harbour and easily reached by public transport.
Colorline runs ferry services between Sandefjord in Norway and Strömstad in the north of West Sweden, and between Kiel and Oslo. From Oslo it is easy to travel to West Sweden and Gothenburg by train, bus or car.
Arriving by car
European highway routes E6, E20, and E45 all pass through Gothenburg and apart from a congestion charge in Gothenburg and Stockholm Swedish roads are toll free. The charge is applied to all cars driving through Gothenburg Mon - Fri and the car owner is invoiced automatically.
Find charging stations here.
Traffic information
For current information about events, roadworks or other disruption, please see Trafikgoteborg.se and Trafiken.nu (both in Swedish). You can also download the traffic app.
Good to know when driving in Sweden
• Swedish roads are toll free (except congestion charges in Gothenburg and Stockholm)
• Drive on the right-hand side of the road
• The speed limit is indicated in kilometres per hour
• Headlights should be on at all times
• Winter tyres must be used on wintry roads (snow, ice, slush or frost) and are required by law between December and March.
• Avoid alcohol completely if you’re driving – Sweden has low blood alcohol limits and strict laws against drunk-driving
• When driving outside urban areas at dusk and dawn, be alert for elk, deer and other game, they are most active at these times of day.
Plane
Landvetter International Airport (GOT) is 20 kilometres east of the city centre with routes to major destinations in Europe and the rest of the World.
• Swedavia – Airlines flying to Landvetter
• Landvetter airport
Airport transfer
Getting to and from the airport is easy with the shuttle bus, Flygbussarna, which leaves from right outside the terminal building. Journey times to the main bus station, Nils Ericson Terminalen in central Gothenburg, are about 30 minutes. Taxis or rental cars are also available at the airport.
• Flygbussarna – time table and tickets to the airport shuttle.
• Swedavia – Taxi from the airport
Information about travelling in Gothenburg and West Sweden is available here.