Christmas in Gothenburg

Gothenburg (Göteborg in Swedish) feels very festive at Christmas time. The streets are decorated with white lights and many of the houses have Advent stars and candles in the windows.

When I arrived some of the canals were frozen

but not this canal near the main plaza.

Liseberg in Gothenburg is the biggest Christmas market in Scandinavia. It felt more like a mini Disneyland as it is an amusement park with rides and there are relatively few market stalls, but it was beautifully decorated and Christmas music enhanced the winter wonderland effect.

There is also an ice skating rink and at Tomtebyen (the elf village) you can see elves packing gifts and even the little beds where they sleep.

There is a more traditional Christmas market at weekends in Haga, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Gothenburg.