Car hire Gothenburg

Introduction

As a tourist destination Gothenburg has stood in the shadow of the Swedish capital Stockholm for a long time. But, more and more people discover the charms of Sweden's second city. Gothenburg's center is the Kungsportsavenyn (usually simply called Avenyn). You will find many shops, cafes, restaurants and many museums near this street. The archipelago of Gothenburg consists of rocky islands, which are easily accessible from the city by ferry. Furthermore, Gothenburg has Scandinavia's largest amusement park, Liseberg.

Population

The city has a population of half a million, but the entire urban area of Gothenburg and its surroundings have a population of more than a million.

Location

Gothenburg is in the southwest of Sweden, at the mouth of the river Göta älv. That river flows into the Kattegat. Across the water lies Danish Jutland.

Economy

Gothenburg has played an important role in sea trade for centuries. The city's port is the largest of Scandinavia. Also, there is a lot of heavy industry with plants from ball bearing manufacturer SKF, Volvo and telecoms company Ericsson for instance. Recently, Gothenburg focuses more and more on high-tech companies. Tourism is becoming more important, partly because Gothenburg is regarded increasingly as a city for conventions and exhibitions.

Airports

The city's most important airport is located twenty kilometers east of Gothenburg. Göteborg-Landvetter Airport is easily accessible by rental car: from the center, first take the E20 (Kungsbäckaleden) and after that, take the exit onto highway 40 (Boråsleden). The exit to the airport is clearly indicated.

Smaller Gothenburg City Airport is closer to the city (a little more than nine kilometers north of the center), but is only used by budget airlines. This airport is accessible from the E6 motorway.

Public Transport

Gothenburg has an excellent public transport system, consisting of trams, buses and ferries. For tourists, the tram is the easiest means of transport. Almost all trams stop at the main stop Brunnsparken, near Central Station. If you use the bus, you should pay attention to what it says on the front: when it's a so-called Stombuss you can – just like the tram – use every door to get on, for any other bus you should get in at the front. Furthermore there are two ferry services on the river.

Traffic and Parking

Gothenburg is a busy working city and to explore it you should park your car in one of its many parking garages in and around the center. There are electronic signs that show you the way to a garage with spaces available. Furthermore, the city council wants - just like Stockholm - to levy taxes on cars entering or leaving the city center, to prevent congestion.

Hotels

There are plenty of hotels in Gothenburg, in all categories. Outside the high season there is no need to book your accommodation, but in summer we suggest you do. You will find the most popular hotels are around Botaniska Trädgården.

External Sources

For more information about Gothenburg we recommend Google and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, Gothenburg
• Official website Gothenburg (multilingual)
• Tourist Information Gothenburg (multilingual)