Season guide · Gothenburg · Sweden
Gothenburg in summer
June–August: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Albin Olsson, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Close to 18 hours of daylight in June, swimming off the archipelago rocks, outdoor festivals and the busiest, highest-priced hotel period. Expect highs up to 21°C (70°F) and lows around 11°C (52°F), with about 36 rainy days across June–August. June–August are among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- June–August
- Temperatures
- 11°C (52°F) to 21°C (70°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 36
- Sea
- 15°C (59°F) to 18°C (64°F)
- Crowds
- Very busy
- Hotel prices
- High
Weather in summer
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 19°C (66°F) | 11°C (52°F) | 11 | 18 h | 4/5 |
| July | 21°C (70°F) | 13°C (55°F) | 12 | 17.4 h | 5/5 |
| August | 21°C (70°F) | 13°C (55°F) | 13 | 15.3 h | 5/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 20°C (68°F) against a yearly 11°C (52°F), and 36 of the year's roughly 155 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 5/5 and hotel prices 4/5 on average.
What's on in summer
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- June: Midsummer — maypoles, herring and dancing, especially on the islands (Friday between 19 and 25 June)
- June: West Pride (usually June)
- July: Gothia Cup — a huge international youth football tournament (usually July)
- August: Way Out West — music festival in Slottsskogen (usually August)
- August: Göteborgs Kulturkalas — free culture festival (usually August)
- August: Crayfish parties (kräftskivor) in late summer
Good choices for summer
Garden · Inom Vallgraven
Trädgårdsföreningen and the Palm House
Use it as a green short cut between Central Station and Avenyn, and come in July when the rosarium is in full bloom.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Couples
- Rainy day
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Market · Haga
Feskekôrka
Gothenburg's fish market hall, opened in 1874 on the Rosenlundskanalen, looks like a Gothic church, which gave it the dialect name 'fish church'.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Inom Vallgraven
Gothenburg City Museum
Go straight to the Viking galleries for the Äskekärr ship, then look at the East India Company's porcelain trade rooms.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Vasastan
Röhsska Museum
Sweden's museum of design and craft has collections of Swedish furniture, glass, fashion and East Asian applied art, housed in a red-brick building on Vasagatan from 1916.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Inom Vallgraven
Maritiman
Wear flat shoes and leave bulky bags behind; the ladders inside the submarine and destroyer are narrow and steep.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Active
Day trips in summer
- Bohus Fortress in Kungälv (About 30 minutes by bus) — The ruins of a medieval border fortress on a rock above the Nordre älv river, once a frontier stronghold between Norway and Sweden.
- Varberg (About 45–60 minutes by train) — A seaside town south of Gothenburg with a medieval fortress on the shore, the Bocksten Man bog body in the fortress museum and a Moorish-style cold-bath house on stilts over the sea.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is summer a good time to visit Gothenburg?
Yes: June–August are among the best months. Close to 18 hours of daylight in June, swimming off the archipelago rocks, outdoor festivals and the busiest, highest-priced hotel period.
+What is the weather like in Gothenburg in summer?
Highs of up to 21°C (70°F) and lows around 11°C (52°F), with about 36 rainy days over the season.