Gothenburg zonal ticket system

[MK Tom]

I'm planning a day trip to Gothenburg and I'm having a nightmare of a time trying to figure out the Vasttrafik website. Is there a single day ticket I can get that will cover travel to/from the airport and trams around the city? Basically all I really want to do is go into the city, ride some trams, have a look around and come back! I'd like to know what tickets I need for that and what it'll cost.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide. They don't seem to have a simple zonal fares map anywhere on their site!

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

I believe not, when I was last there in Oct 14 the airport bus (in britspeak) is a 'premium' product and is outside the local bus/tram tariff structure. But you can get a day card covering the centre of Gothenburg once you are there from the local newsagents (Pressbyran). Be warned that, like London, buses don't sell tickets: most locals get tickets via SMSs sent to their phones but this doesn't work for non Swedish phones. So you have to use the Pressbyran.

 

[Blillpers]

The airport coach is run by a separate company so it isn't included in the Västtrafik travel cards. I'm not sure, but it's likely that you could catch a "normal" bus from the airport to the nearest rail station and go into Göteborg (proper Swedish spelling!) that way.

Otherwise my suggestion would be to take the airport coach to the central station and then go to the Västtrafik ticket office (located in the bus terminal next ot the rail station, not the main ticket office in the station) and buy your day travel card there.

There are three different day travel cards, Göteborg, Göteborg+, ++, +++ and the "region travel card". The basic one is only valid within the city. If you are only going to travel on the trams and buses one of the cheaper ones should be enough. I'm not sure about the zones, but I think the tramway extends beyound the central zone. They are priced at between 85 and 250 swedish kronor for one day (7-20 £). The "region travel card" covers the entire region and is good if you are planning to do a rail trip, as it's valid on all trains except the high speed services towards Malmö and Stockholm. That one is 315 sek (26£).

 

[Groningen]

Warning:
Public transport in Gothenburg isn’t too expensive. A typical city centre journey will cost you around 25 SEK. It’s not worth trying to avoid paying – the fine is a hefty 1200 SEK and checks are conducted randomly by packs of security guards.

The Göteborg City Card
The Göteborg City Card is available for 24-, 48- and 72-hours during high season and you activate it by filling in date and time on the card. During the period October 1 - April 30, the Göteborg City Card is only available as a 48 hour card. Price: adult SEK 335.

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Gothenburg Tourist Centre +46 31 368 42 00 [email protected]

 

[MK Tom]

The airport coach is run by a separate company so it isn't included in the Västtrafik travel cards. I'm not sure, but it's likely that you could catch a "normal" bus from the airport to the nearest rail station and go into Göteborg (proper Swedish spelling!) that way.

Otherwise my suggestion would be to take the airport coach to the central station and then go to the Västtrafik ticket office (located in the bus terminal next ot the rail station, not the main ticket office in the station) and buy your day travel card there.

There are three different day travel cards, Göteborg, Göteborg+, ++, +++ and the "region travel card". The basic one is only valid within the city. If you are only going to travel on the trams and buses one of the cheaper ones should be enough. I'm not sure about the zones, but I think the tramway extends beyound the central zone. They are priced at between 85 and 250 swedish kronor for one day (7-20 £). The "region travel card" covers the entire region and is good if you are planning to do a rail trip, as it's valid on all trains except the high speed services towards Malmö and Stockholm. That one is 315 sek (26£).

Yeah the airport website showed the coach service and a Vasttrafik local bus - I was wondering if I could get the regional ticket from the airport and use that? The coach seems to require advance booking which troubles me as you never know if your flight might arrive late.

What I'm looking to do is ride the trams in the city centre and possibly take a boat trip if there's time, as I understand the boats form part of the same ticketing system much like the ones I rode in Olso did.

 

[Blillpers]

That's correct. If I remember it correctly you take tram line 11 to Saltholmen and a boat from there. That will take you a few miles out to sea and offer some nice views of the many small islands. Otherwise you also have the "Älvsnabben" which is a local ferry that goes up and down the Göta älv river in the city centre. You get some nice views of the city, but I would go for the longer-distance ferries from Saltholmen if I were you.

 

[MK Tom]

I only have 6 hours or so though. It'd be really helpful to see a map of where the various ticket zones actually are, so I can see which trams/boats/buses/trains I can ride with each one!

 

[Blillpers]

Here is the map of trams and ferries: https://www.vasttrafik.se/Global/Dokument/Linjenätskartor dec_2015/Spårvagns- och båtlinjer.pdf

 

[MK Tom]

That's brilliant, thank you!

Now I just need to figure out if I can travel to/from the airport on Vasttrafik buses and use the same ticket to ride the trams and boats!

 

[sheff1]

The coach seems to require advance booking which troubles me as you never know if your flight might arrive late.

If you coming into Landvetter airport there is no need to book the coach in advance. There is a ticket machine at the stop.

Don't know about City airport as I have never used it.

 

[WestCoast]

If you coming into Landvetter airport there is no need to book the coach in advance. There is a ticket machine at the stop.

Don't know about City airport as I have never used it.

Gothenburg City Airport recently closed to commercial flights, all flights depart now from Landvetter.

 

[MK Tom]

Thanks all.

So is everything on this map covered by the city-only basic Göteborg day ticket? https://www.vasttrafik.se/Global/Dokument/Linjen%C3%A4tskartor%20dec_2015/Sp%C3%A5rvagns-%20och%20b%C3%A5tlinjer.pdf

 

[TheEscapist_]

I used the express coach from city airport (Flygbus(?)) I think it was. Did advance book but didn't have to select a time, just a date. You print your ticket and scan the qr code on board. The driver was also selling tickets. That was two years ago though.

 

[MK Tom]

Can anyone confirm for me how far the basic city zone day ticket is valid on the trams/boats/trains? A zonal map would be really helpful! Thanks.

 

[dutchflyer]

In SE these are nearly always identical to the official boundaries of the cities''kommuner'' (local council for you). This also to have them pay for travel inside those areas. They are often much larger as the neat built-up city-limits where special traffic rules may apply. However, from what I remember for the trams some lines go to M"olndal and that is another council.
Note that what groningen copies here is a CITY TOURIST pass, which includes more as just local transport-for transport only visit the Vasttrafik and buy on the spot. THis may explain the different prices. Its should in principle be possible to buy somewhere at airprot-most likely also the Pressbyran- (thats the svenska WHSMith) BUT then you would also need the local Oyster-lookalike smartcard first.

 

[Oscar]

Yes, it's not based on zones, it's based on local authority areas.

Göteborg (i.e. local authority area)
28 SEK single
85 SEK day ticket

Source single: https://www.vasttrafik.se/#!/biljetter-priser/enkelbiljett/enkelbiljett-forsaljningsstalle/

Source day ticket: https://www.vasttrafik.se/#!/biljetter-priser/turist---besokskort/endygnsbiljett/

Göteborg + 1 (Ale Södra, Göteborg, Helenedal, Härryda Väst [West], Kungälv, Mölndal, Partille and Öckerö local authority areas)

40 SEK single
125 SEK day ticket

Source single: journey planner on Västtrafik website

Source day ticket: https://www.vasttrafik.se/#!/biljetter-priser/turist---besokskort/endygnsbiljett/

You can use this ticket to/from Härryda, 3 km from the airport, but there don't appear to be any local buses to/from the airport itself. From Härryda you can reach Göteborg by bus to Landsvetter (a town, not the airport), then by train, it takes about 40 minutes.

Airport bus (every 15 minutes, takes 30 minutes)

95 SEK one-way
185 SEK return

Source: http://www.flygbussarna.se/Landvetter

Swebus (every 2 hours or so, runs between Göteborg and Stockholm via airport)

59 SEK one-way, non-amendable, non-refundable
69 SEK one-way, amendable, non-refundable
89 SEK one-way, amendable, refundable

Source: swebus.se

The airport website states that these are the two bus lines which serve the airport: http://www.swedavia.se/landvetter/till-fran/buss/