ES Lifestyle newsletter The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive trends and interviews from fashion, lifestyle to travel every week, by email Update newsletter preferences

Opulent hotels with rooftop bars, leafy green spaces, and fried herring that’ll have you queueing, are just some of the reasons to visit Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-largest city...

Delectable street food

There’s no doubt Scandinavia is expensive but when it comes to getting good grub on the cheap, Gothenburg has a better offering than Stockholm with a handful of great street food trucks. People flock from far and wide to Strömmingsluckan (strommingsluckan.se), a truck - with a guaranteed queue - in Magsinsgatan that serves the most delecatable fried herring with mash and lingonberries. In the same courtyard you can pick up some great Korean-inspired pork buns; there’s also Feskekôrka (goteborg.com/en/feskekorka), a brilliant indoor fish market built in 1874 where you can pick up all sorts of raw and ready-to-eat dishes.

Stock up on Scandi labels

In no other city does a straight up t-shirt look so good. Okay, that might be somewhat of a sweeping generalisation but Gothenburgers’ minimalist style is on point. Whilst there, stock up on Scandi basics from Weekday and H&M, and splurge on more luxe pieces from Acne, Carin Wester, Norse Projects, YMC and Minimarket. Grandpa (grandpa.se) is a great place to start looking, as is Whyred (whyred.com) for his and hers tailoring, then course, you’ll need to pick up jeans from Nudie Jeans Co. (nudiejeans.com). Once you’re home, you’ll be adamant on throwing out everything that’s not black as colour doesn’t seem to feature in the Scandi style book.

Oldy-worldy charm and proper coffee stops

Haga, Gothenburg’s quaintest neighbourhood with county-governor style houses, is the perfect place for a leisurely afternoon stroll. Wander up and down Haga Nygata — a pedestrian street that’s peppered with confectionery stores and gift shops — before stopping for fika (the Swedes’ term for coffee break) at one of the many independent cafes. Café Husaren (cafehusaren.se) is known to plate up some of the best cinnamon buns in Gothenburg.

Big green parks

Along with picturesque waterways and elegant architecture, Gothenburg is awash with luscious leafy green spaces that are part of the reason Gothenburg is so beautiful in summer. Slottsskogen is the city’s main park, which is located in south-west Gothenburg and complete with a petting zoo. Gothenburg Botanical Garden (goteborg.com) is an equally fine place to take a wander; the 170 hectares are home to over 16,000 species of flora. Although it’s a pretty compact city, the brightly coloured trams are not only fun to hop on but a great way to get around too.

Great homeware shops

When it comes to homeware, Gothenburg is less about IKEA and more about independent boutiques stocking covetable pieces for compact city-living spaces. Check out Artilleriet (artilleriet.se) and follow them on Instagram @artillerietstore for artisan throws, elegant terrariums, copper everything, and beautiful bedside-table trinkets. Let this be your warning to leave space in your suitcase.

Characterful hotels with rooftop bars

An 18th century gem, Hotel Pigalle (hotelpigalle.se/en) is simply stunning. The opulent boutique hotel has one of the best locations in town, a stone’s throw from the city’s main boulevard, Kungsportsavenyen. Moody Moulin Rouge-esque corridors contrast to opulent, airy guest rooms (each with a different colour scheme) with Princess and the Pea-style beds, pretty Chinoiserie wallpapers, and immaculate tiled bathrooms with rainfall showers. The highlight though has to be the rooftop bar. Up here you can happily while away a few hours, soaking up the sun with a book and refreshing Hendrick’s Gin Fizz. You won’t want to leave — ever.

Beautiful (and lovely) people, everywhere

It’s pretty common knowledge that Swedish people are beautiful and no city does this factoid any more justice than Gothenburg. Come summer time, it’s all blond hair, tanned skin, chic, understated effortless ensembles, and long willowy limbs. But not just that, they’re all lovely. It’s all "Hej Hej!” and helpfulness from the moment you arrive to the minute you leave. Prepare to leave this city with a broken heart.

Way Out West

Possibly the most civilised inner-city music festival of all time, Gothenburg’s Way Out West (wayoutwest.se) is just a happy place to be. It’s good vibes, good music and if you’re lucky, sunshine too. The crowd is pretty mixed, although it generally hovers around the twenty-something mark. The music really kicks off around mid-afternoon and runs until 11pm; well-dressed locals kick back on the grassy edges of Slottsskogen Park beforehand with artisan picnics, Aperol Spritzes and Mikkeller. Last year’s eclectic line-up featured the likes of alt-j, Beck, Lianne La Havas, Patti Smith, Florence and the Machine, Years and Years, Caribou, Lapsley and Todd Terje. If you’re more of a night owl, keep the party vibes going with the Stay Out West after-parties.

More flights than ever

If there’s one clear reason to go to Gothenburg this year, it’s that getting there has never been easier. Norwegian and BA are doubling their flight volumes from the UK for 2016 meaning a quick weekend trip just became far easier to organise. Various low-cost carriers jet there too, including Ryanair which has flights from as little as 20 quid a pop.

A Volvo Museum

Whilst this one might not be as much of a general crowd-pleaser as the rest, it deserves a mention all the same. The Volvo Museum (volvomuseum.com) follows the development of Volvo cars, trucks, buses and and marine engines, from the first ÖV 4 in the ‘20s right up to the models of today, and is one of Gothenburg’s most visited museums. It’s a must-visit for Volvo owners and motor heads alike.

Alice Tate is a travel, food and fitness blogger. Follow her on Twitter @ALICETATE_ and Instagram @alice_tate