The classic Göta canal tour

Do you have a lot of time to spend, and want to do something really special? Experience the entire channel! Here are tips on places to stop at:

Mem

Charming Mem is the gateway to the Göta canal from the Baltic Sea. Here the canal adventure begins and the boater meets his first lock on the canal journey. The beautiful harbor warehouse, the Kanalmagasinet, has been preserved and restored and today houses a fully licensed restaurant, café and rustic and cozy hostel. Kanalmagasinet was originally built as a party venue for the opening of the Göta Canal in 1832, and the opening meal was also held here with none other than the guest of honor, King Karl XIV Johan.

Söderköping 

The medieval city of Söderköping is a charming small-town idyll with the Göta canal running through the city, surrounded by a lively countryside and the beautiful Sankt Anna archipelago. The city is also a filming location for the popular Madicken films and the German hit series Inga Lindström. Have coffee at one of the cafes, eat ice cream at the nationally renowned Smultron stand, try a beer at the Lock, Hop and barrel microbrewery or shop and eat well in the bustling guest harbor at Göta canal.

Brådtom

Brådtom slusscafé is a small farm with a cafe and cottages in a cozy environment right next to one of the canal's locks. At this little donut place, you get to experience the quiet life in the country among chickens, cats and rabbits. You can enjoy a good coffee, a hearty sandwich or perhaps an ice cream.

Bergs slussar 

The lock staircase in Berg is one of Sweden's most spectacular constructions. The boats are raised or lowered almost 30 meters via a total of 11 locks. Lunch gourmet burgers at the Delimo canal cart, try adventure golf and see the spectacle that the lock gate exhibition offers. Allow time to rent bikes and pedal along the canal to Borensberg and back. It is about 2 miles one-way and you pass, among other things, Cloetta's factory outlet in Ljungsbro, 5 km from Berg. If you then want to stay in Berg, it is fine to spend the night at the hostel or in cottages right by the canal.

Borensberg 

Stop at Brunneby Musteri on the way. The monastery is very beautifully located right next to the Göta canal before Borensberg and has both a farm shop and a medieval farm church. Next to the farm shop is Restaurang Bettina. The stretch offers two aqueducts and a beautiful agricultural landscape up to Borensberg. Here, the lock is opened by hand, as in the old days. You are welcome to help crank!

In the middle of Borensberg is Börslycke Gård's shop, where we produce artisanal kola, caramel sauce, marmalade, spice oil, dressing, and fruit vinegar on a small scale and without additives. Have a coffee at Kaffeteriet, which also has parking spaces and minigolf, have dinner and spend the night at the classic Göta Hotell in Borensberg where scenes from the first film about Göta kanal were recorded and the entire film crew and actors lived during the filming.

Motala 

Borenshult's locks in Motala are the canal's second largest lock staircase with five locks. Stop and have lunch/waffles at Mallboden's Café & hostel at G:a Motala Verkstad. Also here is one of our canal exhibitions. In Motala gästhamn, it is close to the city's range of shops. A visit to the Motala Motor Museum with one of Sweden's largest collections of old cars is recommended!

Karlsborg 

In the summer idyll of Karlsborg, you can experience gunpowder smoke, underground passages and rumbling floors... At Karlsborg Fortress and the Fortress Museum, you can experience exciting guided tours, for both young and old. Within the walls of the mighty fortress from the 19th century, almost a small community has grown up - enjoy good food and coffee, an exciting museum and the beat of history.

Forsvik

Just 8 km from Karlsborg, the idyllic Forsvik awaits. The glistening water from Göta Canal and the Bothnian Sea, the old mill buildings and the smell of coffee from Forsvik's café & mat together form a destination with a real genuine charm. Take the best company with you and pay a visit to Forsvik's mill and take in the industrial history, shop for clothes, jewellery, bags and interior design at 5 knots or have an ice cream and watch the boats make their way through the Göta Canal's oldest lock.

Töreboda 

In Töreboda, in addition to cafés and canal life, there is Sweden's smallest regular ferry, Lina, which runs across the Göta canal. The short journey takes only 20-25 seconds. The ferry is pulled by hand across the canal, you can try pulling yourself across.

Hajstorp

Just 5 kilometers from central Töreboda lies the idyllic Hajstorp. Having a coffee next to Göta Canal's sparkling water is one of the most summery things there is. Inside the leafy trees lies it, a yellow former bridge keeper's cabin that now houses Hajstorp Slusscafé & Hostel. Here, the aroma of coffee and freshly baked coffee bread spreads all the way to the outdoor dining area, 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 a summer idyll in the true sense of the word.

Norrqvarn 

If you travel another 5 km from Hajstorp, you will reach Norrqvarn. At Norrqvarn Hotell & Konferens, the chainsaw artist Sören Niklasson has created two absolutely fantastic mushrooms, a fly agaric and a Karl-Johans mushroom. Here you can book accommodation for the whole family. The sponges are made of wood, concrete and plywood. Many fun and exciting details that make this an unforgettable experience for both young and old. Beds are found both in the foot and in the hat. You check in at the reception inside Norrqvarn, after a short walk of about 100 meters you come to the mushrooms standing on a hill together with pine trees and Trollstubbar.

At Norrqvarn Hotell & Konferens there is also the Children's mini canal, Göta Canal built in miniature! Here you can see the path of the canal between lakes Vänern and Vättern. You see where the water supply comes from, bridges, locks and communities. The children are happy to discover the mini canal in more detail than that, and can rent a toy boat and splash and play in the shallow water.

Sjötorp 

Sjötorp is 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 eight, or last, locks on their journey through the Göta Canal. At Varvsbassängen, Café Baltzar offers a rustic and cozy interior, coffee bread, sandwiches, waffles, ice cream and good lunch dishes, plus friendly staff and a great location next to the Göta Canal! Just sitting here and watching folk life and boats at the lock is a pleasure. On top of Café Baltzar, there is a Canal and Maritime Museum. Here you can take part in the history of the Göta Canal and the exciting history that recalls the shipping of the past on the Göta Canal, Vänern and Lake Vättern.

Kanalkrogen is located at the marina in Vänern beach and the Göta canal's first lock in Sjötorp. The restaurant serves home cooking, pizza, hamburgers and à la carte, and has pub evenings with live entertainment. In the café, you can get sandwiches, ice cream and coffee bread. If you have a mobile home and want to stay over, there is Ställplats Sjötorp Norra with 23 spaces, 20 of which have electricity. Access to a service house with toilet, shower, laundry room and environmental station is included in the pitch fee.

Feel free to add time for a wonderful family adventure by bike along the Göta canal! The bikes are picked up at Sjötorp's bike rental. The cycle tour then goes all the way along the Göta canal on the car-free, old towpath where oxen and horses used to pull the boats. You get the packed lunch with you from the start and can be enjoyed at any of the locks you pass. During the day, there is also the opportunity to take a break at a cozy cafe and taste the delicious ice creams or enjoy a cup of coffee.