Cycling holiday along Sweden's most beautiful car-free road
One of the easiest ways to enjoy canal life is to follow the boats and cycle along the old towpath. This flat, and car-free, part of the cycle route is particularly suitable for those who want to cycle with children and family. Regardless of whether you bring your own bicycles, rent a bicycle from one of our bicycle rental companies or book a bicycle package where everything is included, you are equally welcome to Göta kanal!
Rent a bike - or bring your own
If you don't want to bring your own bike with you, you can easily book a rental bike at one of our bike rental companies. They can be found in several different places along the canal so that it should be easy for you to plan your cycling holiday based on the place you want to visit. If you want to stay longer than the day, there are a variety of cycling packages that include accommodation, food and in some cases even a boat trip on the canal.
Have a fika or watch boats
As you roll along the towpaths, you pass attractions as well as cozy cafes and eateries. We recommend that you also take the opportunity to observe the lockage of boats, pet the canal sheep and treat yourself to a picnic on the canal bank while the boats slowly pass by.
The full trail map Sections & distances
The Göta Canal trail
The cycle path along the Göta Canal, the Göta Canal trail, is excellent as one of Sweden's national cycle routes. This means that it maintains high quality and traffic safety, and that it has a wide range of experiences and services along the route. For you to easily find your way, it is signposted with red and white signs from both sides all the way between Mem and Sjötorp.
In total, the Göta Canal trail is 220 km, and divided into 7 stages, of which 87 km is car-free towpath. You can therefore easily choose to cycle a shorter cycling trip or take a longer cycling holiday.
Rent a bike!
To facilitate your cycling holiday along the Göta canal, there are a number of bicycle rental companies that offer both adult and children's bicycles. You avoid the work of lugging bicycles on the car, bus or train, and can easily pick up a freshly serviced bicycle with accessories such as a child's saddle and helmet if you wish. At several of the rental companies, you can also pick up and leave the bikes at different locations. Can it get any better?
Cycle transport across lakes
In two places, the Göta Canal trail crosses the lakes Vättern and Asplången, instead of going around them. There you may bring your bike on bicycle boats to get cross. To be sure of getting a seat, we recommend that you book your ticket in advance and you can do so easily online. It is also possible to book bicycle transport across Lake Roxen for those who do not want to cycle around the lake between Berg and Norsholm.
If you also want to try riding a passenger boat, it's fine to bring the bike on board on several of the day trips on the canal. We'd say that cycling one way and then taking one of the passenger boats back is a near-perfect setup for your cycling holiday. You can find and book tickets for the day trips here.
Easiest way to visit the Göta Canal
Book one of our bike packages
Cycling along the Göta Canal is a fantastic way to experience both nature and culture up close. The car-free towpaths offer peace and quiet, with beautiful views, lock stations, cafés, and charming surroundings along the way. When you combine cycling with comfortable accommodation and good food, you get an experience that’s perfect for both a weekend getaway and a longer adventure. Below, we list some of our most popular cycling packages along the canal.
Annika Myhre, resfredag.se
On a roll with the family
They had actually intended to wait until the children got older – but the longing to cycle along Göta Canal got too strong. Their solution was to take a shorter trip.
Grynet´s tips
Cycling holidays with family and children
The flat towpaths along the Göta Canal make the cycling route particularly suitable for families with children who enjoy cycling. Many parts of the route are completely car-free too!
In addition to the cycling itself, there are plenty of adventures to discover. Stay in a mushroom-shaped house and play in the children’s mini canal in Norrkvarn, or try carving bark boats in Hajstorp. Challenge your family to a game of mini-golf in Berg, pet the canal sheep outside Borensberg, or take a day trip on M/S Kung Sverker from Motala. And of course, it’s almost mandatory to enjoy plenty of ice cream and waffles when you're on a family holiday along the Göta Canal.
Cycling holiday with children!
Everything you need for the trip
Plan your cycling holiday
Even if you want to be spontaneous during your cycling holiday, it can be good to plan some things in advance. The first thing is to plan approximately which way you will cycle and how far you expect to be able to go per day. Don't count on too long day stages, because you want to have time to enjoy and have time for spontaneous stops!
A cyclist who is not very used to it usually cycles 15-20 km/hour and most people do not want to sit for too many hours on the bike. If you have children in the party, it is also good to avoid stretches with a lot of traffic. Along the Göta Kanalleden there are many stretches that are completely car-free, and they are particularly suitable for families with children.
Don’t feel like cycling back? Some of our bike rental providers offer the option to rent a bike in one place and return it in another. Need a smooth way to get back?
You can also order a cycle map or a cycle kit home in advance. The bicycle ticket includes a map + service card that gives free use of our service houses with toilet, shower, washing machine and so on along the canal.
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Bicycles public transport
If you wish to go by public transport back to the starting point instead of cycling, it is usually possible, but there are certain limits to bringing bicycles on buses and trains. Contact SJ , Västtrafik or Östgötatrafiken for current information.