Ferry to Gothenburg: which lines, and is Sweden the way?
Gothenburg is the big port of the Swedish west coast, and a quiet back door into Norway: two international lines land here, one from Germany and one from Denmark, and Oslo is only three hours of motorway away.
It is never the shortest way to Norway — but it is often the cheapest, and it is the only one that puts a proper city on the route. Here are the two lines, then the reckoning against the Danish ferries.
The two lines serving Gothenburg
Frederikshavn to Gothenburg, the short crossing (Stena Line)
Three hours forty-five, three sailings a day in summer — 08:00, 13:45 and 20:20 from Frederikshavn — at 110 to 175 euros. One of the cheapest international crossings on this site, and it runs by day, with no cabin.
Frederikshavn is an hour from Hirtshals: the two ports share the same flow of cars, one towards Sweden, the other towards Norway. Landing at Gothenburg costs less, but leaves three hundred kilometres to cover.
Today's sailing times, the fare scale by vehicle length and frequently asked questions on the route page. See the route page →
Compare prices and book →Kiel to Gothenburg, overnight from Germany (Stena Line)
Fifteen and a half hours, one sailing a day: 17:45 from Kiel, arriving 09:15 the next morning, at 255 to 420 euros. You board in late afternoon, sleep, and have the whole day ahead of you on landing.
For anyone coming up from southern Germany, this line erases the whole of Denmark and both of its paying crossings. It costs about half the direct Kiel to Oslo ferry, against three extra hours of driving at the other end.
Today's sailing times, the fare scale by vehicle length and frequently asked questions on the route page. See the route page →
Compare prices and book →Into Norway through Sweden, or through Denmark?
The question arises above all at Frederikshavn, where you choose between a ferry to Sweden and another, an hour further on, to Norway. The figures, for a journey that ends in Oslo.
Three routes to Oslo, two countries of arrival
| Route | Driving after landing | Time at sea | Cost of the crossing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frederikshavn to Gothenburg, then the E6 | about 300 km, 3h15 | 3h45 | 110 to 175 euros |
| Kiel to Gothenburg, then the E6 | about 300 km, 3h15 | 15h30, one night on board | 255 to 420 euros |
| Hirtshals to Larvik, then the E18 | about 130 km, 1h45 | 3h45 | from 163 euros |
Landing at Gothenburg does not bring Oslo as close as people imagine: three hours of E6 remain, a straight fast road, but three hours all the same. What Sweden buys is the ticket price and the flexibility — three sailings a day in summer from Frederikshavn, where most Norwegian lines have one departure a day.
The real argument for Gothenburg lies elsewhere: it is a city you want to stop in. If the trip needs a stage, better here than on a Jutland service area. And if you are still hesitating between the Danish ports, the four lines from Hirtshals are set out here.
Today's prices on Frederikshavn to Gothenburg · Kiel to Gothenburg · Hirtshals to Larvik
Getting on the water in Gothenburg
The city is built on a delta and opens onto an archipelago of some twenty islands: the boat here is ordinary transport as much as an excursion.
The amphibious bus, the city by land then by water
EXCURSION 🚌➡️🚤 Bus + boat · 1 hr · English-speaking guide on board A 1-hr loop on a 10-tonne bus that drives into the river and becomes a boat, passing Avenyn, Poseidon, Liseberg, Ullevi and Feskekörka, the fish church. The driver-guide mixes anecdotes and music; the splashdown, big splash included, remains the highlight.
- 1-hr format ideal at the start of a stay or with children from age 3
- Guides known for being funny and musical · unapologetically showy
- ⚠️ English-speaking guide only · not wheelchair accessible · no food on board
And with nothing to book
The southern archipelago ferries are plain public transport: they leave from Saltholmen, the end of tram line 11, and the ticket costs what a tram ticket costs. Styrso, Branno, Vrango — the islands allow no cars, which settles the parking question and makes the charm of the half-day.
Where to stay in Gothenburg
The Kiel ship docks at 09:15, the Frederikshavn one three times a day: either way the room will not be ready, but the bags can be left. Two well-rated addresses, and the rest of the choice just below.
FOR FAMILIESOpened in 2023 at the entrance to Liseberg park, with an unapologetic theme-park decor and rooms built to sleep six.
- Family rooms: bunk beds and a double
- Roof terrace, three restaurants, gym
- One tram stop from the centre, 1.2 km from the station
FACING THE STATION250 m from the central station, beside the canals, built around the large indoor atrium it is known for.
- Location rated 9.6 — the best placed in town
- Spa with pool and sauna, yoga studio
- Private parking, useful before taking the road again
What to do in Gothenburg
- The southern archipelago by public ferry, from Saltholmen: pink rock, red cabins, no cars, and a ticket at tram price.
- Haga, the nineteenth-century wooden quarter, now a run of cafes — where the cinnamon bun comes the size of a plate.
- Maritiman, the floating museum in the harbour: some fifteen moored ships you can go aboard, including a destroyer and the submarine Nordkaparen.
- Liseberg, the big Scandinavian amusement park, open from spring to autumn and then for the Christmas market.
- Slottsskogen, the city park, with its moose enclosure — free, and twenty minutes on foot from Haga.
For the rest of the journey on to Norway, every line compared in a single article: Taking the ferry to Norway: lines, prices, booking
