Experience in Gothenburg, Sweden by Nilay

What is it like to live in Gothenburg? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Gothenburg has many faces. In summer time, when you go to music festivals and enjoy a beer in the yard of a pub you feel that this is the best city to live in. In winter time though, the grey sky combined with industrial buildings and rain that blinds you while biking, makes you think that perhaps it is time to move somewhere else, somewhere warmer!

Nonetheless, Gothenburg has so much to offer. There are many culture and arts events going on, the Gothenburg and Chalmers Universities add up so much to the city and the beautiful streets with shops, cafes and bars make you feel you are not alone. It is a big city with a small city feeling. The transportation is good and well functioning most of the time and you can go anywhere by hoping on a train, tram or bus. The islands close to the city are the escape destinations. You can take a ferry and in half an hour you are in an entire different world, surrounded by nature... It's the city of hip people, you see people dressed fashionably but you also see many different sub-cultures.

All of this make the city diverse, thus it's nice to watch people from a cafe's window. It's also a mutli-cultural city, you can meet many ethnicities and this make the food culture quite rich. Thai restaurants and sushi are dominating the city.

Since the city has a working class background, as a fishermen town, it's a humble place. People are humble, the city itself is humble. It's a mix of old and new; historic buildings and post Industrial Revolution buildings with modern architecture make the city interesting.

What is the student lifestyle like in Gothenburg?

The university life is busy in Gothenburg. The students mostly live in their "student bubble", firstly because it's cheaper to hang out in university places and also it's the way they can hang out with other students.

Being a student here is different than being a student in other Swedish towns like Lund and Uppsala. Gothenburg is a big city where its inhabitants come from different backgrounds. Therefore the city is not solely based on students like in Lund and Uppsala. This brings advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages are that you are not stuck in the student life, you can have variety in anything you want. You can find a job easier and you can create a life of your own choice. If you are a more individualistic person, Gothenburg is good because you can always have other alternatives to your university life.

The main disadvantage is that, again it changes based on your character, you might feel a little alienated from the life outside of university or on the contrary you might feel that the big city life is distracting you from university life. Also, Gothenburg is way more expensive to live in compared to Lund and Uppsala because the prices are not necessarily set for students.

How much does it cost to live in Gothenburg?

Living in Gothenburg is not cheap. I would say that it costs around 7000 SEK including rent, but with a minimal lifestyle. However you can lower your costs. Here are some tips:

• Instead of renting a student accommodation, you can rent a room in a shared flat, preferably in a flat with at least 3-4 rooms. In this way, the rent will cost less than a student house.
• It might be difficult to bike in winter time but at least in Spring and Summer you can bike instead of using public transportation. A monthly pass in town is 380 SEK, so it can be a good idea not to pay it throughout the whole year.
• Always prepare a lunchbox for yourself and take it with you to the university. The university canteens have microwave ovens. It's expensive to eat out in Gothenburg, at least if you wish to eat something decent.
• Choose local fruit and veggie markets, they are cheaper than big supermarkets. Prepare a weekly shopping plan and fill your fridge accordingly. Otherwise food shopping will also cost a lot.
• Drinking out is expensive. Going to a night club is expensive, especially in the regions such as Avenyn (Some clubs have an entrance fee of 150 SEK). The best way to deal with this is basically going to a pre-party (förfest) at some friends' house before going out and drink the booze you got from System Bolaget or from another place. Try not to go to clubs with high entrance fee. Actually you have to lower your club/bar expenses if you don't want to risk your budget.
• Get a thermos! We students love drinking coffee and tea. In university canteens, a cup of coffee is around 15 SEK, well it is not so expensive but imagine that you drink 2-3 cups a day, you already gave 45 SEK on coffee... Get a thermos instead, fill it with your hot drink of your choice and stop paying for coffee/tea.
• Second hand stores are good for your budget. Instead of shopping from malls, check out the second hand stores in town. You can get quality stuff on good price.
• Practice Swedish all the time. This is the best way to get a part time /full time job next to your studies. Extra income is never bad!

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Gothenburg Port's landscape

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Gothenburg? Is there any advice you can give?

It can be hard to find accommodation in Gothenburg, especially if you are going to stay for a short period of time. Sometimes the university might arrange it for you or you can get a student accommodation faster than usual if you are lucky. Otherwise you can find a flat through blocket.se. Most of the time many people apply to the options there so you might need to compete with others to get a place. The best way is to use Facebook groups (University groups, city groups, study groups etc. in Gothenburg). If you have local friends, ask them to spread the word.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

I think sushi and Thai is the local food of Gothenburg. You can eat sushi at a good price in town. For example in south of Sweden falafel is the local food, you can get a falafel roll around 20 SEK in Lund and Malmö. But in Gothenburg falafel is expensive, (73 SEK at Vasa Grill) so instead go for Sushi. Super Sushi (supersushi.se) is close to Brunnsparken and they have very good prices. If you pay 60 SEK you can get a very satisfying plate of sushi and soup. Another local food is of course pizza (surprise surprise); Kelly's Bar has a wide variety of yummy pizzas. And they have cheap beer, you can have a pint of Carlsberg or Prips B. for 33 SEK (kellysbar.se). On the same street of Kelly's there's Publik and they have a good menu. Their Ceaser Sallad (with salmon) and Tortellini are quite yummy and filling.

For Vegans, the best is Kino. It's by the Folkets Bio and they have a good selection of IPA beers, wine and vegetarian food. My favourite is the red Thai curry tofu. The prices are around 110 SEK, so you wouldn't go there every day but perhaps once a month (vegetarian bars).

When in Sweden, be Swedish and get fika! There are many great fika places in Gothenburg but I will give you a short list:

• Dirty Records and Cafe Santo Domingo is a cosy cafe where you can read magazines (Galago mostly) and check out vinyls. They have a good selection of tea and coffee. They actually have coffee plants in the cafe. The prices are very reasonable. I usually get Chai Latte with apple almond crumble pie with vanilla and pay 50 SEK in total.
• Le Petit Cafe is at Haga Nygata. They have French pastry. My favourite is the nutella caramel mix cake with vanilla. They don't have soy milk, so it's a bit annoying. But you can get a good cup of espresso or latte. It's nice to sit by the window or outside and watch people passing by the street.
• Biscotti is in the hip town called Majorna. You can have a good cup of coffee or go there for breakfast. Then you can take a walk around the town.
• Cafe Husaren make huge kanelbullar (cinnamon rolls)! It's a cute little cafe on Haga Nygata and it's nice to go there when it's not so crowded, because usually that cafe is always full.

What places would you recommend visiting in Gothenburg?

There are of course many places one must see in Gothenburg. As a start I recommend you the following:

• Gothenburg Museum or Art is a museum you must definitely pay a visit. The museum presents the finest pieces and exhibitions. It's free entrance if you are younger than 25! (Gothenburg Museum)
• Göteborgs Konsthall is free for every one, even the guided tours. If you would like to explore contemporary art that is the place to be!
• The City Museum is for those who would like to learn the history of Gothenburg. It is an exquisite building that is worth capturing on camera.
• Liseberg is an amusement park that everyone probably already recommended you to visit. It's a really expensive experience but is really worth it. Perhaps go there at Christmas time, there are many events happening.

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Gothenburg's bridge

Is the nightlife good in Gothenburg? Where is good to go?

Gothenburg has a decent nightlife. It offers different alternatives to people with different interests. My typical night out is as follow:

On Andra Långgatan, that starts at Järntorget, you can find King's Head, Publik and Kelly's which are great for pre drinking. On Järntorget by the corner there is Pustervik, my favourite venue. There are many events going on in Pustervik so you can check their calendar. Otherwise they have a big dance floor that you can jump around on Saturdays!

What advice would you give future students headed to Gothenburg?

Take a raincoat with you! Enjoy the free arts and culture museums, take long walks and get lost in the city, eat sushi, listen to Hellström, learn at least a few Broder Daniel songs and enjoy the Gothenburg dialect.