One Night in Gothenburg: Giant Cinnamon Buns and Letting My Feet Decide.

Some trips involve a carefully planned route and a list of things I want to squeeze in. This one wasn’t one of them and Gothenburg ended up being one of the most relaxing trips I’ve been on.

I’d researched a few things beforehand so I wouldn’t have to spend my time there looking everything up, but once I arrived, I decided to leave the planning alone and just let my feet take me wherever.

They took me to an enormous cinnamon bun quite quickly, to be fair 😂

The trip: Solo from Manchester, arriving on Sunday 4 October 2026 at 15:25 and departing on Monday 5 October at 16:45. One night away and just over 25 hours between landing and take-off.

Getting into Gothenburg and checking into Bellora

The airport shuttle was really easy to find, and it didn’t take long to reach the city centre. A straightforward start, which is always welcome when you’ve only got one night somewhere.

I was staying at Hotel Bellora. I’d booked their smallest room because I was only there for the night, but it had everything I needed. Once I’d got my stuff sorted, I headed out for a little wander.

A cinnamon bun with its own meal plan

I’d read about Café Husaren and its giant cinnamon buns, called Hagabullen, so I wanted to have a look.

The queue was out the door. I’d been going to get a coffee there as well, but luckily they had a separate table outside just selling the buns. That made things easy: get the bun now, find coffee somewhere else.

And when they say giant, they mean it. This thing was about the size of a dinner plate 🤣

It cost around £9, so it wasn’t exactly a cheap little snack, but there was enough of it to cover several meals. It was really nice, although I’m ashamed to say I only managed about a quarter.

The rest came with me for tea, supper and breakfast. Most of the catering for my overnight stay sorted with one purchase 😂

I’d heard Sweden was expensive, but the Hagabullen and the coffee I had later were around what I’d expect to pay for something similar back home. Admittedly, I don’t usually buy a dinner-plate-sized cinnamon bun in Liverpool.

Up the hill to Skansen Kronan

After Café Husaren, I walked all the way up the hill to Skansen Kronan, the little fortress overlooking the city.

There was building work going on when I visited, so I couldn’t go inside, but the views across Gothenburg were good and made the walk up worthwhile.

It was also a chance to get a few steps in after being defeated by a cinnamon bun.

Coffee and wooden houses in Haga

Back down in Haga, I fancied that coffee. With it being Sunday, I found there weren’t loads of places to choose from, so I was really happy when I came across Le Petit Café.

It was a proper cosy place, with scrubbed wooden tables and benches, and rugs on the seats to make them comfortable. It had a really good vibe—the sort of place you’re glad you’ve stumbled across.

I just had a coffee. Even a quarter of the Hagabullen had left me with no room for anything else.

Afterwards, I carried on strolling around Haga, looking at the wooden houses. There was no schedule to stick to and nothing I needed to rush off to. I could just enjoy being there, which was exactly what made this trip so relaxing.

Swedish meatballs… or pizza

After my wander, I headed back to Bellora for something to eat. The hotel also has a restaurant, which was handy.

I fancied trying Swedish meatballs, but it turned out to be an Italian restaurant, so I ended up having pizza instead 😂

To be fair, it was very good. I couldn’t face any more cinnamon bun so soon, so the leftovers were saved for later.

Bellora turned out to be a really good hotel. The room had everything I needed, the food was good, and it’s somewhere I’d happily stay again.

The breakfast brain fart

Breakfast was included, and the following morning I spotted Swedish meatballs on the buffet.

Finally, I was going to get to try them.

I got myself a tea, loaded my plate with sausage and egg, ate breakfast and went back to my room.

Only then did I remember the meatballs.

I’d actually seen them, thought about trying them, and then completely forgotten to put any on my plate. Proper brain fart 🤣🤣

Another wander and a free zoo

After checking out, I headed back out for another look around, taking in the Poseidon statue and the knotted gun sculpture.

I’d also read there was a free zoo in Slottsskogen park, so I thought I might as well go and have a look. It was only about an hour’s walk away 😂

I hadn’t quite got my head around the layout or the names. I thought the children’s section, Barnens zoo, was the whole zoo, so I wasn’t entirely sure which bits I was looking around.

There weren’t many animals to be seen during my visit, although I did manage to see the seals.

One thing I noticed was that the information boards and leaflets I came across in the zoo area were all in Swedish. I couldn’t find anything in English, which surprised me, as you often find information in a few different languages at attractions.

Between that and the animals keeping a low profile, I wasn’t getting many clues 😂

A last walk before heading home

By then, I’d reached the point where I needed to start heading back towards the bus station.

I could have caught a tram or used public transport, but I still had enough time to walk. There wasn’t anything else I was particularly desperate to see, so I thought I might as well get my steps in and enjoy the journey back.

On the way, I stopped at Le Petit Café for another coffee. I’d enjoyed it the day before, so I was happy to go back. Two days in Gothenburg and I already had a regular coffee spot 😂

As I got towards the centre, I had a stroll along the waterfront for a bit before heading to the Nils Ericson Terminal for the airport shuttle.

The terminal was easy enough to find, and the bus had charging ports and free Wi-Fi. Always a bonus—I take any opportunity I can get to charge my phone 😂

A night away without rushing around

What I enjoyed most about Gothenburg was how little pressure I felt to do anything in particular.

It was surprisingly quiet while I was there. There didn’t seem to be many tourists about, and the city had a very friendly feel to it, which made wandering around on my own even more enjoyable.

I’d arrived with a few ideas, but I was happy to change direction, stop for coffee or walk an hour to have a look at a free zoo. Even with just one night there, it never felt like I was racing against the clock.

A good hotel, a very good pizza, a cosy café worth going back to and plenty of wandering made it one of the most relaxing trips I’ve been on.

And if nothing else, I learned that one cinnamon bun can last an entire overnight trip—and that apparently I can’t be trusted to remember Swedish meatballs even when they’re right in front of me 🤣

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