WHERE TO STAY

Walking into the city's largest hotel, the Clarion Post, feels like stepping inside a giant glitter ball. To start with, the main revolving door is set in what appears to be an enormous gold nugget, complete with super-sized golden bubbles. The Clarion Post used to be a post office, and the hotel has managed to incorporate plenty of nods to the building's previous use. The deconstructed chasis of a post van hangs, like a piece of artwork, above the elevator, a red post box stands in reception and rows of pigeon holes line the walls. The hotel's Norda bar is one of the city's most popular hangouts, and where you'll find what is possibly the world's most extravagant sofa - a gold leather affair which stretches almost the entire length of the room. The bar feels achingly-cool yet attracts an incredibly diverse crowd, ranging from tattooed-punk rockers to glamorous model types dressed head-to-toe in Chanel. Most of Gothenburg is like this: tourism officials are keen to point out that the city doesn't have a gay quarter because there doesn't need to be. And it's true - you can literally step out of a grimy, Hells Angel-filled Irish pub and straight into another bar where the barmen all wear rainbow-striped headbands, tiny pink velour shorts and care bear-adorned tank tops. And there's a high chance one of the Hells Angels from the Irish pub next door has popped in for a pint.

FOOD AND DRINK

Destination guide: Gothenburg