Gothenburg Historical Guided Tour
About this activity
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- This activity is available in your language
- This option includes FREE cancellation—book now, risk-free!




Experience Highlights
Discover Gothenburg's evolution from 17th-century merchant fortress to Nordic design capital on a 2-hour historical walking tour through cobbled squares, Dutch canals and art nouveau boulevards. The meeting point is the Poseidon Fountain at Götaplatsen and the tour ends at the Feskekôrka fish market, perfect for continuing the day with a fika or seafood platter.
- Book your place and enjoy the small group size, allowing you to ask questions at any time.
- Travel back in time: bastions, guild houses and the recent sustainable transformation of the waterfront.
- Take away local tips from restaurants and bars hidden among the canals.
What’s included
- Walking tour of approx. 2 hours through the historic centre.
- Guide specialised in local history and culture.
- Digital map with recommendations for restaurants, museums and nightlife.
- Entrance to museums or monuments requiring a ticket.
Select participants and date
Step by Step
The tour starts in front of the dramatic Poseidon of Götaplatsen, the cultural symbol of the city. The guide introduces the founding of "Götheborg" in 1621 and the Dutch influence that created its network of canals. Following the avenue Kungsportsavenyn, the wars with Denmark and the role of the fortifications, still visible in the turfed bastions surrounding the centre, are explained.
The walk leads into the old town, where the red brick and timber guild houses reveal the prosperity of the merchants of the Swedish East India Company. At Gustav Adolfs Torg you can relive the spice, tea and porcelain rush that landed in the harbour and turned Gothenburg into the "London of the Baltic".
After crossing the Stora Hamnkanalen canal, the route leads to the Haga district. Its cobbled streets are lined with 19th-century wooden houses that now house cafés and vintage shops. Here you sample (at your own expense) the famous giant kanelbullar, while your guide tells stories of sailors, workers and the industrial revolution that brought the shipyards to the banks of the Göta älv.
The final stretch skirts the river to Feskekôrka, the "fish church", a neo-Gothic market where fishermen have been selling Arctic prawns and smoked salmon since 1874. With the view of the modern harbour in the background and the historic sailboats moored at Maritiman, the guide bids the group farewell by sharing his favourite spots to dine on seafood, sample local craft beer or watch the sun set over the converted shipyards.