The Insider: What to do when exploring the Gothenburg vibe
- Jan Johannessen
- Aug 24
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
For nearly four decades, Norwegian-born Erik Nissen Johansen has been living and working in Sweden's second biggest city, Gothenburg. Here he is designing hotels, restaurants and more for the hospitality industry. If he had to choose one last project to do before retiring, it would be designing a hotel at the South Pole. Until then, he loves to live and work in his Swedish west coast city.
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In the late 80s and early 90s, Erik Nissen Johansen decided to open a studio in Gothenburg. Erik had returned to northern Europe after he had recently graduated from studies within art, design and advertising in Florence, Italy. Norway was hard hit by a financial downturn, and Erik ended up in Sweden.
-I opened the studio with my friend Peter Apelgren, Christine Apelgren, Linda Falk and Andie Cowie in the spirit of the Renaissance, Erik says.
The studio was a combination of advertising bureau, art gallery, design firm, clothing shop, and more.
Gothenburg was at the time a very creative and innovative city, heavily influenced, as today, by its young student population and driven by a strong desire to thrive.Â
In the seventies, Gothenburg was severely affected by the closure of one of the city's biggest employers, the shipyard, and people were desperate to find work, make some money, and put food on the table. This created a sense of creativity among the locals that should help them survive the hard times.Â
The creativity lasted way longer than the hard times. Today, Gothenburg is thriving, with massive construction and urban redevelopment, shifting from a working-class image to a hospitality and convention-friendly, urban and hip hub.
-Gothenburg has always been under the influence of international trade, Erik explains.
Back in the days, when Gothenburg and Sweden were doing business with the Far East, families that are still setting their mark on the city created fortunes. The Chalmers family, Sahlgren family and more. The first has given its name to the city's University, the latter to the city's hospital. Â
-Cities that are based on international trade, like Gothenburg, have a very open mind to foreigners, putting on a big smile when meeting new people, Erik says.Â
-So is the case with Gothenburg, too, he continues.
-Where Stockholm's vibe is a more formal and to some extent intimidating, Gothenburg is relaxed and down to earth, he says.
-There is a car hire company that has a slogan «We try harder». Gothenburg's could be «We are more relaxed», he says with a laugh.
More people have had an encounter with Erik Nissen Johansen than they realise. His company, Stylt Trampoli, has been at the forefront of designing the interior of numerous hotels around the globe. The work has brought the Norwegian to every corner of Mother Earth, or at least to many of them. He loves stories, and each of the projects he has been involved in has its narrative.
Designend by Erik and his team: 25 hours Paper Island, Copenhagen (L) and The Home Hotel, Zurich. Photo by Stylt
-We have four sorts of base questions we need to find an answer to, Erik explains, talking about his company's methodology when taking on a new project.
What is the story of the building, the area or the people behind the project?
What is our client's ability? Are they a large player with unlimited resources or a smaller
company with maybe more creativity?
What is the competition?
What are the current trends? How will the customers for the concept we are creating see this in five years?
Erik and his team most often find the answers, create great stories and experiences, and are frequently awarded for the work by the industry itself.Â
The Lighthouse
Despite many of the bigger projects Erik takes on, one of his absolute favourites is a few miles up the coast from Gothenburg; Pater Noster - A home on the horizon. The small boutique hotel is set in a repurposed lighthouse keeper's home off the Swedish west coast.
Erik has, of course, been involved in creating the concept and design, but also has a part of the ownership. Launched during the pandemic, Eriks' combined skills as a designer, artist and marketer came in handy.Â
With the help of a few strategic PR releases, the world got to know the newly opened hotel on the outskirts of the North Atlantic Ocean. Media, and more importantly, hotel guests are travelling from far away to stay here, and some are paying big bucks for sleeping in a luxurious bed, placed out on the cliff, under the open stars. (A room comes with the bed if there is bad weather). Erik is often seen here himself, out riding his boat hunting for lobster or other culinary delights of the sea.
48 hours in Gothenburg
If you don´t have the chance to stay at the lighthouse, Gothenburg is offering excellent experiences with its nearby archipelago, with its islets reachable by tram. Matter in fact, Erik recommends you to spend some time there, more on that after his other tips for what to do when in Gothenburg for 48 hours.
When waking up in Gothenburg, preferably at a hotel that Erik has designed, he recommends getting to the city's botanical garden.Â
Founded in 1923 and partly inspired by London's Kew Gardens, Botaniska is a living library of the world's flora, home to around 16,000 species. One moment you might be wandering through the tranquil Japanese Glade, the next the vibrant hues of the Rhododendron Valley, which erupts in a riot of colour each spring.
The prize-winning Rock Garden is a masterpiece, a meticulously crafted landscape of waterfalls, crevices, and ledges. The journey continues within the garden's impressive greenhouses.
Closely linked to Gothenburg University, the garden is a hub of research and education. For the visitor, it is first and foremost a place of immense peace and beauty.
-Have your morning coffee at the cafe in the middle of the garden, Erik advises.
After exploring the garden, walk over to Linnégatan, a rather posh street, located on the edge of the more touristy part of the city. Check out the local stores, restaurants or just suck up the architecture. Then, head north to the Jerntorget.Â
Gothenburg has a strong craft beer scene, and Jerntorget is a popular area for beer lovers. If you are more of a cocktail-type, climb to the top of the nearby Draken Hotel and its rooftop bar for refreshments and a fab view of Gothenburg from above. So, is Draken designed by Erik, you may ask? Indeed.
The Draken is not the only high-rise in town. Across the river, Karlatornet is stretching towards the sky. With its 246 meters, it is the tallest building in Northern Europe.
-If the weather is good, get up early, go to the viewing deck on the 69th floor, and take in the fantastic view, Erik says. He has, of course, been involved in the design and the creation of the Viewpoint Experience.
-Here we have gathered samples from all museums in western Sweden, he explains.Â
Hungry? The restaurant EXO is opening its doors at the top floors of the tower soon, taking its name from the exosphere, the outermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere.
The rest of the day Erik recommends spending out in the archipelago or at the New Älvsborg Fortress. Head to the Saltholmen ferry terminal to access the southern islands and the archipelago, which offers connections to islands like Styrsö, Donsö, and VrÃ¥ngö. To reach New Älvsborg Fortress, take a boat trip from Lilla Bommen, which also provides stunning views of the city and archipelago.Â
Erik could talk about Gothenburg for hours, and no one can miss Erik's love for his hometown and the city's vibe. A vibe that revealed itself this summer, when Gothenburg native, Swedish singer Håkan Hällström and his band filled the city's stadium with 70,000 people, not just one night, but for four nights in a row, making the whole stadium sing along with him about their city, Gothenburg, night after night.
Our Insider
Erik is widely regarded as a visionary in the hospitality industry, a storyteller who uses design as his medium. Born in Norway, educated in Italy and has lived in Gothenburg for nearly 40 years. His company, Stylt Trampoli, is a multi-award-winning design and architecture studio based in Gothenburg. The agency specialises in creating immersive, narrative-driven concepts for hotels, resorts, restaurants, and destinations worldwide. You can read more about Stylt and book Erik as a speaker at www.stylt.se
