Volvo, Göteborg

Volvo was born in Göteborg in 1927, and this excellent museum is dedicated to all things Volvo; cars, trucks, buses, and engines for airplanes and rockets. The museum takes you through the history of Volvo, from the joint desk of Volvo's founders, Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson, to brand new concept cars, with lots of spectacular cars and trucks from every decade in between. There is a section devoted to Volvo race cars, and a section about Volvo’s incredibly high safety standards, and the environment. The Volvo museum is a great place for any car enthusiast to visit, and even if you’re not an enthusiast, it’s a great museum. The building is spacious inside and interesting looking from the outside. There is a small gift shop with souvenirs, books and shirts as well as a café.

The museum is quite far from the city centre, so make sure you know the route that you’re taking well ahead of time. I went on a Sunday and it wasn’t until I got to the bus station after taking the tram there that I realized the bus out there only ran every 2 hours, as the museum is in an industrial area. I had to time myself in the museum so I would get back to the bus stop in time, which, thankfully, I did. I would imagine the bus service would be more regular during the week, though.

Hours:

Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays: 10 am - 5 pm

Wednesdays: 10 am - 8 pm

Saturdays–Sundays 11 am - 4 pm

Public holidays closed

Adults: 50 SEK

Children up to 12 years: 20 SEK
Family: 100 SEK

If you are interested in cars, especially in the history of Volvo and you are around the Gothenburg area, do visit the Volvo Museum. The facilities are quite large. They offer a lineup of (almost) all the models through time with complete history, description and also future / concept vehicles. You can easily spend some time here. Did you know that it was a swede who invented the seat belt? Well, you will learn this when visiting here. Also Volvo has made a real large American Truck. There are many fascinating models, and it is for all ages. Then, get a Volvo t shirt on your way back.

We picked up our car in July, which is when the factory shuts down for vacation. We were greeted by a skeleton crew and given a tour of the safety center instead of the usual factory tour. It was still well worth the trip, and we learned so much from that tour.

These are some Volvo people presenting the new S40 in downtown Göteborg on 09-10-2003 . I didn't make it to the factory though!