Swede as can be

Beautiful people, an incredible vibe and authentic cuisine – Gothenburg has it all. After a long weekend, Ramsay Short decides Sweden’s capital could learn a thing or two from its second city

It’s midnight on a chilly Saturday in October, and I’m standing 30 bodies deep in a queue waiting to get into Nefertiti, the hippest nightclub in Gothenburg. Next to me are some students, a couple of advertising execs and a suave middle-aged businessman and his wife. “I have just sent my daughters off to language camp in Germany for a week,” he says winking, while his flawlessly dressed, extremely attractive wife checks out the ad men.

IFK Göteborg have won the football league championship earlier this evening, and the diverse crowd are up for a party. As we wait, the 6ft 5in bouncer, Rashid, comes up the line with a Thermos of coffee and paper cups, offering me some in impeccable English. While sipping the tasty, albeit instant, pick me up, the hot cup warming my hands, a DJ on the terrace entertains the slow-moving queue with the jazz-funk that is Nef ’s trademark. When was the last time a bouncer in London brought you coffee, or looked at you with anything other than a scowl? For that matter, when was the last time a club provided a DJ for the cold people waiting to get in?

Where the Swedish capital has a styleconscious, ordered beauty to it, Gothenburg has a tough, creative edge inspired by the city’s history of heavy industry (world-famous Swedish brands Volvo and Hasselblad are still based here), its history of leftist activism (there’s always been a popular anarchist movement), and its cheaper cost of living than Stockholm (providing a natural hub for artists of all sorts). Call it the Swedish San Francisco and you’d be close to the truth. You can also sense the heavy aspirational vibe sparking from the city’s inhabitants, especially the young and creative-minded.

Earlier that day, Ali Davoodi offers me some snus. We are in one of the trendiest stores in town – Victoria Arena, a boutique design and clothing emporium housed in a magnificent former art-house cinema. Iranian-born, Swedish-bred Ali, 31, is manager of and buyer for the store, which stocks everything from Björn Borg underwear to locally designed knick-knacks. I pick up Pipi & Popo, two stuffed toys for toddlers that are modelled on poo and pee – it’s a Swedish thing! “What do I do with this snus?” I ask Ali, taking what looks like a mini-teabag filled with brown leaf.

“It’s tobacco very popular in Sweden. Put it between your upper lip and your gum, and let it roll,” he replies. Twenty minutes later, light-headed and wondering why I’m spending €500 on a new Filippa K suit, I understand why snus is illegal practically everywhere else in Europe. It’s a nicotine-high stronger than any cigarette but a cultural norm in Gothenburg. Nearly everyone else I meet offers me some, although my advice to anyone would be to “take with caution”!

Ali chuckles as I spit the snus out. One of a large number of Iranian Swedes – there is a large first- and second-generation fully integrated Iranian and Iraqi population in Sweden – Ali is spearheading a fashion revolution in Gothenburg, with his start-up company Fresh Fish (www.freshfish.se). He coordinates fashion shows, and creates connections for young Gothenburg designers and people in the fashion industry, giving them space and an opportunity to grow.

“There is something big happening in this city. We have one of the most important design universities in the country, and lots of talent who either come from Gothenburg or have moved here because it is a city where they can make things happen,” he says. “Which makes it a great place to live.” I know it’s not just the effects of the snus that lead me to agree.

As a European city, Gothenburg is attractive – full of wide avenues criss-crossed with tramlines, the river, the old town’s protective moat and many parks. The oldest area is the Haga district, with traditional Swedish wooden/stone houses, cobbled streets and antique shops crowned by a hill, on which stands the Skansen Crown, one of the original defensive towers and a great place to take in views of the city. East of Haga is the main boulevard, known as Avenyn, which houses many of Gothenburg’s shops, restaurants, theatres and clubs

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