Gothenburg and West Sweden with The Curious Pear

The Curious Pear describes Sweden as relaxed, happy and stylish. Find out what they loved about Gothenburg and West Sweden as well as their top tips for foodies… 

Sweden is cool, colorful and cosy and we want to go back as soon as possible! We were surprised to fall so madly in love with Gothenburg. We’d been to Stockholm before, and really liked it. But we’d barely heard anything about Gothenburg, and had no idea how incredible it was. 

We loved every minute of Gothenburg, but walking around the park at 10pm in the golden sunlight was magical. Everyone was lying on the riverbank drinking beer, and we could hear live music being played somewhere nearby. It’s the perfect summer city. 

We were both constantly surprised by the locals in West Sweden. Everyone was so sociable, friendly and positive. We met people every day, whether it was in a café, shop, local bar or even on the tram. There is a really unique attitude there; it’s incredibly unpretentious and open. When we visited Lackö Slott, we lay on the jetty on Lake Vänern for hours as the sun set. It was completely silent and the sky was blue, but the moon was full and orange. You could just hear flocks of geese and a few ripples in the water. The air there was so clean. It should be bottled! We felt so restored after a week there. We want to get to know Gothenburg more, and spend some more time on the beaches in West Sweden, as they look like some of the cleanest and most serene on earth! 

Top three food experiences: 

1. Dinner at Natur in Gothenburg: the interior is absolutely dreamy, and the three-course dinner was one of the best meals we’ve had. It’s all seasonal (which is something that is just natural to Sweden), and presented so beautifully. And there was natural wine, which always makes us very happy… 
2. Meeting Lars, a local mussel farmer who took us out on his 1950s fishing boat, was an extraordinary experience. He took us from Lysekil to a tiny private red granite island, where his wife cooked us mussels and he shucked a few oysters fresh from the water. We ate it all with beer and sat on the rocks with them, talking about travel and food. They were so creamy and salty, and the taste lingered for hours. We always think oysters taste best with beer, and Lars had planned ahead for that! They were such a kind, genuine couple. And I don’t think we’ll ever eat oysters that fresh again! We couldn’t have felt further away from the stress of London at that moment. Find out more.
3. The Fika culture in Sweden is just one more reason to love the country. We ‘fika-ed’ every day, and had some heavenly cinnamon buns. The best one was probably at Cum Pane, a tiny bakery in Gothenburg run by a lovely guy called Robin. They were perfectly spiced, sticky and dense. He told us that the simplest things in life should be done to perfection. It pretty much sums Sweden up.