Sweden's second city has the manners of a harbour town and the weather to match. Gothenburg sits where the Göta älv river reaches the Kattegat, and the old canals, the cranes of the shipyards and the trams that clatter along the avenues all point to a place built on trade. Founded in the early seventeenth century by King Gustav II Adolf, who invited Dutch engineers to lay out the canals, it has always faced west, toward the sea and the rest of the world rather than toward Stockholm. It is also the home of Volvo, which is why the roads leading out of town are some of the best maintained in the country.
Start the day with coffee and a cinnamon bun, because fika is a serious matter here. Haga, with its wooden houses and cafes, is the usual choice, and the fish church, Feskekôrka, which is a fish market in a building that looks like a Gothic cathedral, is a short walk. Seafood is the thing to try, especially the prawns, the mussels and the shrimp sandwiches. In the evening the Götaplatsen square near the art museum fills with people, and the harbour front has plenty of places to eat.
Leaving town, the riding changes quickly. Within half an hour the E6 and the smaller coastal roads cut through granite outcrops, pine woods and flat farmland, with glimpses of the sea. South of the city the roads run through the Halland coast, past fishing villages and beaches, with gentle bends and a lot of long straights. Speed cameras are common, fines are heavy, and Swedish drivers stick to limits, so you should too. In summer the evenings last until almost midnight, and the light on the water is something you remember.
For practical purposes, Gothenburg has everything: fuel on every ring road, bike shops, hotels in every price range, and ferries to the car-free islands of the southern archipelago. Rain is possible in any month and wind off the sea can be strong, so pack a waterproof layer. The best season is late May to September, with June and early July the finest.