Visiting Gothenburg City Museum

About Gothenburg City Museum

The city museum occupies the East India House, built in the 1750s for the Swedish East India Company on Norra Hamngatan, and tells the city's story from prehistory to the present. Its highlight is the Äskekärr ship, the only original Viking ship found in Sweden.

Tip: Go straight to the Viking galleries for the Äskekärr ship, then look at the East India Company's porcelain trade rooms.

Plan your visit

• Time needed: 1.5 hours.
• Cost: Low cost.
• Book ahead: not usually needed; buy on arrival.
• Where: Inom Vallgraven, the old city inside the 17th-century moat, with canals, shops and the main squares.

Best time to visit Gothenburg City Museum

Gothenburg City Museum is indoors, which makes it a good plan for the wettest months:

• January: 2°C (36°F) highs, about 16 rainy days, quiet crowds.
• November: 7°C (45°F) highs, about 16 rainy days, moderate crowds.
• December: 3°C (37°F) highs, about 16 rainy days, busy crowds.

When to visit Gothenburg has the full month-by-month picture.

Fit it into your trip

Our 3-day Gothenburg itinerary visits Gothenburg City Museum on day 3, together with Paddan canal boat tour and Trädgårdsföreningen and the Palm House.

• No. 13 of the 20 sights in our Gothenburg things-to-do list.
• One of the picks in museums in Gothenburg.
• One of the picks in gothenburg on a rainy day.

Near Gothenburg City Museum

Also in Inom Vallgraven, so you can walk between them:

• Paddan canal boat tour — 50 minutes, mid-priced
• Maritiman — 1.5–2 hours, mid-priced
• Trädgårdsföreningen and the Palm House — 1 hour, free

If you like Gothenburg City Museum

• Gothenburg Natural History Museum — Slottsskogen, 1–1.5 hours
• Feskekôrka — Haga, 45 minutes
• Röhsska Museum — Vasastan, 1–1.5 hours

Staying near Gothenburg City Museum

Stay in Inom Vallgraven ($$$) to walk here: the old city inside the 17th-century moat, with canals, shops and the main squares. All areas to stay in Gothenburg.

Questions travellers ask