Go on a cozy road trip together

It is not always the biggest or most advanced adventures that are remembered. Sometimes the most important thing is as simple as getting away from everyday life and spend time together. The cozy atmosphere along the Göta Canal makes it a perfect destination for those who want to go away on their own.

Mem 

Kanalmagasiet in Mem is a cosy place that offers boarding house accommodation, glamping and food. They also organise fantastic weddings and large parties! Here you can sit on the lovely outdoor terrace and dream away about all the things you would like to celebrate together.

Söderköping

Another suggestion is to spend a few hours enjoying the spa at Söderköping's Brunn , where you can also stay overnight. If you would rather do something more active; climb Ramunderberget and take a packed lunch.

If you would like to stay somewhere smaller, we recommend checking in at Slussen Rum, next to the lock in Söderköping. Then you can walk slowly, hand in hand through the canal harbour and enjoy the bustle. Stop at one of the restaurants Å-Caféet or HÅLL Bar & Kök , or sample a beer at the Lock, Hop and Barrel microbrewery. 

Borensberg

In Borensberg, you can rent bicycles at Kaffeteriet and cycle a little along the car-free towpath. A few kilometres away is the Glasbruket summer cafe and after a few more kilometres you will reach Brunneby Musteri . Here you will find both a farm shop and an estate church, right by the Göta Canal, and adjacent to the farm shop is Restaurang Bettina. This section of the road trip has two aqueducts, a beautiful agricultural landscape and grazing canal sheep.

Stay overnight at the homely Göta Hotel, and enjoy a glass of bubbly and a three-course dinner in the evening sun on the terrace. The next day, you can sleep in before continuing your journey towards Karlsborg.

Karlsborg

In the picturesque summer village of Karlsborg, you can stroll around the harbour and have lunch. Further on down the road, there are many things to see and do, and the goal is to catch the sunset in Sjötorp, where the Göta Canal meets Lake Vänern.

Visit Hajstorp's Slusscafé , situated among the leafy trees next to the Hajstorp lock. Here, the aroma of coffee and freshly baked pastries permeates all the way to the outdoor seating, where guests sit under large parasols and chat in the sunshine. A few boats have docked just outside the cafe, waiting to get through the locks in Hajstorp. This is literally the very image of summer. 

Travel on to Norrqvarns Hotell och konferens . The large, yellow building by the Norrkvarn locks was originally one of the Göta Canal's mills. It is now home to a unique establishment with accommodation and a restaurant with lovely outdoor seating by the jetty. Have a coffee or something refreshing to drink. If you are interested in history, you can walk across the bridge to the old lime-making shed, which is now an exhibition , where there is an exhibition about the construction of the canal. A 500 m long culture trail also starts here, with information about the area. 

Sjötorp

Sjötorp is the Göta Canal's gateway to, or from, Lake Vänern. In summer, it is a lively community with many visitors and boats that pass the first, or final, eight locks of their journey through the Göta Canal. Here, there are many options for both overnight stays and dining.

Café Baltzar offers rustic and cosy interiors. A friendly place where you can sit and watch people and boats at the lock. On the other side of the shipyard basin, clothes and interior design items are sold from the small stalls by the jetty.

At the marina on Lake Vänern's shore by the Göta Canal's first lock in Sjötorp lies Kanalkrogen . The restaurant serves classic Swedish dishes, pizza, hamburgers and à la carte, and has pub evenings with live entertainment. At the café you can get sandwiches, ice cream and pastries. And in one of the small red sheds you will also find Perssons i backen, serving fish 'n' chips made with perch, zander and cod. The small restaurant is run by father and son Persson, and the fish are caught by the father, who is a commercial fisherman on Lake Vänern. 

If you have a mobile home and wish to stay overnight, one option is the campground Sjötorp Norra with 23 spaces, 20 of which have electricity. Access to an amenities building with a toilet, shower, laundry room and recycling station is included in the fee. If you would rather sleep in a real bed, Pensionat Kajutan is located right by the canal bridge.