Rainy day in Gothenburg? 10 things to do indoors

How much does it rain in Gothenburg?

Quite a lot, but Gothenburg is not Sweden's wettest city. According to the Swedish weather service SMHI's climate normals for 1991–2020, the city gets an average of 912 millimetres of precipitation a year, with at least a millimetre of rain roughly every third day. October is the wettest month. Sweden's real shower cubicle is the neighbouring town of Borås, which gets almost 1,100 millimetres a year by the same measure. What makes Gothenburg rain special is the wind: low-pressure systems roll in from the Atlantic, and gusts make the rain come in sideways.

The good news: most of what you want to see is close together and a few minutes apart by tram. Here are ten things to do when the sky opens.

1. Universeum: a rainforest in the middle of town

Sweden's national science centre is at Korsvägen, right next to Liseberg. It has ten floors, including a tropical rainforest where birds fly freely, an aquarium hall with sharks, reptiles and a space exhibition. It is open every day, and the rainforest is probably the warmest place in Gothenburg on a November afternoon. Allow half a day, especially with children.

2. Museum of World Culture: the world in an afternoon

Across Korsvägen, at Södra vägen 54, the Museum of World Culture (Världskulturmuseet) has exhibitions about culture, people and today's world. Everyone under 19 gets in free. Universeum and the Museum of World Culture are easy to combine on the same day, with nothing more than a street crossing in the rain.

3. The Natural History Museum and the blue whale

The Gothenburg Natural History Museum in Slottsskogen park is home to the world's only mounted blue whale, known as the Malm Whale. It stranded in Askimsviken bay south of Gothenburg on 29 October 1865 and is more than 16 metres long. Visitors used to climb inside by opening its jaw. Today it only opens on special occasions, such as Swedish election days. Around the whale you'll find animals from all over the world, dinosaurs and fossils.

4. The City Museum and the Viking ship

The Gothenburg City Museum is housed in the East India House from the 1750s, at Norra Hamngatan 12, a few minutes' walk from Kungsgatan. Here you'll find the Äskekärr ship, Sweden's only displayed Viking ship, and exhibitions on the city's history from the Viking Age to today. Free for everyone under 20 and for students.

5. The Museum of Art at Götaplatsen

At the top of Avenyn, behind the Poseidon statue, the Gothenburg Museum of Art holds one of northern Europe's finest art collections: Rembrandt, Picasso and van Gogh, Nordic art, and the Hasselblad Center for photography. Go while you can: the museum plans to close in 2028 for a major rebuild and extension and reopen only in 2032. Free for under-20s.

6. Röhsska: design and craft

Röhsska is Sweden's museum of design and craft, with furniture, fashion, ceramics and objects spanning several centuries. A good choice if you like looking at things people actually use. Here too, entry is free for everyone under 20.

7. The Maritime Museum & Aquarium

At Stigbergstorget in the Majorna district, the Maritime Museum & Aquarium (Sjöfartsmuseet Akvariet) tells the story of Gothenburg as a port city and has a living aquarium with fish and animals from around the world. It is easy to reach by tram, and everyone under 20 gets in free.

8. Stora Saluhallen and Feskekôrka

Two of the city's most beautiful buildings are also two of the best places to eat indoors. Stora Saluhallen on Kungstorget opened in 1889 and is full of delicatessen counters and small eateries. It is closed on Sundays. Feskekôrka, the "fish church" by the Rosenlund canal, opened in 1874. It looks like a church but sells fish and seafood. After a major renovation it reopened in 2024 with fish counters and restaurants. Both are a few minutes' walk from Kungsgatan.

9. Fika in Haga

Rain is an excellent reason to sit in a café for a long time. In the Haga district, with its old wooden houses and distinctive stone-and-wood tenements, Café Husaren at Haga Nygata 28 bakes the Hagabullen, a cinnamon bun the size of a dinner plate. The first one was baked in 1985, and the bun has become a symbol of Haga. Go early: the queue can get long.

10. Shop under a roof, and a bag of sweets on the way

Nordstan, next to the Central Station, is an indoor shopping centre with shops and more than 40 places to eat. Nordstan itself invites you to escape the rain and the wind there. From here it is about a five-minute walk to Kungsgatan, the city's long pedestrian street.

In the middle of Kungsgatan, at number 26, you'll find us: Kungs Gotter. Look for the blue sign and the striped awning. Inside there's a whole wall of pick-and-mix, Swedish chocolate such as Marabou, Kexchoklad and Daim, and souvenirs such as Dala horses, moose, magnets and mugs. We are open every day, even when it pours. Would you rather stay in? Order to your door chocolate, bagged sweets, crisps and drinks via Wolt.

And while you wait for the rain to stop, read our guide to the Gothenburg dialect. You'll hear the word "gôtt" more often than you think, even in the rain.

Sources

• It rains sideways in Gothenburg, Gothenburg City Museum (Swedish)
• Precipitation normals 1991–2020, SMHI (Swedish)
• Universeum, Sweden's national science centre
• Tickets and annual pass, Museum of World Culture
• The Malm Whale, Gothenburg Natural History Museum (Swedish)
• Visit, Gothenburg City Museum (Swedish)
• Museum card, City of Gothenburg (Swedish)
• Gothenburg Museum of Art to close for four years, SVT (Swedish)
• Visit, Maritime Museum & Aquarium (Swedish)
• Feskekôrka
• Café Husaren, Home of Hagabullen

Updated 1 October 2026 · Kungs Gotter, Kungsgatan 26, Gothenburg