Our premium cruise on the Göta Canal with M/S Diana. Experience the whole route in daylight!
From SEK 28 550
Grand Sweden Cruise »This classic route with M/S Juno has been maintained since the company was founded in 1869.
From SEK 19 315
Classic Canal Cruise »Experience the best of Göta Canal during three days onboard M/S Wilhelm Tham.
From SEK 11 730
Göta Canal Highlights »A cruise through the beautiful Östgöta section of the canal and overnight stay at the locks of Berg.
From SEK 6235
Mini Canal Cruise »Your pleasure is key for all our cruises on the Göta Canal. Switch off your phone and enjoy the beauty of the Swedish nature, the company of your fellow passengers, and delicious food.
Find out more »Your cruise on the Göta Canal takes you across lakes, through locks, over aqueducts, and to such famous sights as the Abbey in Vadstena, the Canal Museum in Trollhättan, and Läckö Castle.
Take me there »All the information you need before you start your cruise, including maps, quays and embarkation instructions to suggested clothing and excursions.
Read before you go »The Göta Canal ranks among the biggest construction projects ever completed in Sweden. The canal is a total of 190 km long, 87 km of which were dug by hand.
Read more »Mariestad – Norsholm:
Day 1: Vassbacken
Day 2: Borensberg
See the itinerary for the opposite direction
Departure by bus from Gothenburg (by the Clarion Hotel Post, Drottningtorget Square). Please note that the bus transfer from Gothenburg to Mariestad must be booked in advance. For information on other train and bus connections to Mariestad, please visit www.sj.se
At Sjötorp there is a set of eight locks, and also the remains of some old shipyards. On the Grand Sweden Cruise and the Classic Canal Cruise (from Stockholm) and Göta Canal Highlights (from Norsholm) we visit the old warehouse, where you can find a shop selling, among other things, clothes and home décor, a café and the Sjötorp Canal Museum. In the museum you can see old pictures of Sjötorp, the interiors of several old ships, and also learn more about the building of the canal. There is also a map of all the sunken ships in the Lake Vänern. Enjoy a lovely walk along the locks.
We pass a lock system consisting of four locks in beautiful surroundings. In 1822 the western section of the Göta Canal was inaugurated at Hajstorp. Here is the Canal Engineer’s home, now privately owned and the old smithy. On our cruise Göta Canal Highlights (from Mariestad) you will have the opportunity to join the tour guide on a guided walk along the locks.
On the Grand Sweden Cruise from Stockholm we dock for the night in Hajstorp.
The beautiful spellbinding Lake Viken (91.8 metres above sea level) serves as a water reservoir for the western section of the Göta Canal. We steer through two of the canal´s narrowest passages - the Spetsnäs Canal and Billströmmen. Both wood-lined and surround with small lakes full of water lilies.
Forsvik is one of Sweden’s most interesting industrial communities. For six hundred years, iron has been worked, boards have been sawn and flour has been milled here. Historical buildings used for fine metalwork, a foundry and a wood pulp mill are found in this beautiful and unique environment. Exciting and informative displays tell about metalworking, engineering and life in this industrial community.
On the cruise Göta Canal Highlights with M/S Wilhelm Tham we get to enjoy an interesting guided tour. If we are lucky the paddle steamer Eric Nordevall II will be moored in the harbour. The paddle steamer is a full-scale replica of the Eric Nordevall, one of Sweden’s first power-driven ships. The paddle steamer was built in 1836, but sunk 20 years later in Lake Vättern. It was rediscovered in 1980 at a depth of 45 metres. The Eric Nordevall II was launched in 2009 and made its first trip in 2011.
We pass Karlsborg, which is located by the western shore of Lake Vättern. On the Classic Canal Cruise we visit the Karlsborg Fortress, which was initiated by Baltzar von Platen and built in 1819-1909. The fortress was intended to be used as the reserve capital of Sweden and house the royal family, the government, the gold reserves and the crown jewels in the event of war. Here you can enjoy an interesting guided tour of the fortress and the beautiful Garrison Church.
It was Baltzar von Platen who drew up the plans for Motala, and today it is called “the Capital of the Göta Canal”. In 1822 an engineering works, Motala Werkstad, was established here to serve the Göta Canal and is today considered to be the cradle of Swedish industry. Here you also find the head office of the Gota Canal Company, responsible for operation and maintenance. We visit the Motor Museum, with its large exhibition of antique cars and motorcycles in authentic surroundings, collection of radios, toys, household appliances and more. You can also walk to see Baltzar von Platen’s grave, about 1 km along the left side of the canal.
On the cruises Grand Sweden Cruise and Göta Canal Highlights you have the chance to visit the Motala Motor Museum, with its large exhibition of antique cars and motorcycles in authentic surroundings.
On the Grand Sweden Cruise and the Classic Canal Cruise we dock for the night in Motala. The Mini Canal Cruise starts or ends in Motala.
Our ship berths for the night at the jetty by the west bridge at Ljung. From here we have a fine view of Ljung Manor, which is regarded as one of the most important buildings of the Gustavian age. The Manor was built by Count Axel von Fersen the Elder, one of Sweden’s most influential men in the 18th century.
We start our descent in the lock system of Berg (15 locks) towards Lake Roxen. The tour guide will take us on a walk (app. 3 km) to see the Vreta Kloster church and the remains of the convent. As an alternative you can walk along the canal or take a refreshing swim in Lake Roxen.
The convent of Vreta dates from about 1100 and was the first nunnery in Sweden. Its importance was later superseded by the convent founded by Saint Bridget (St. Birgitta) at Vadstena. The old convent church at Vreta is one of Sweden’s most interesting, offering many medieval treasures. Today, it is used as a parish church and is therefore not always open to visitors.
The bus arrives in Stockholm, by the Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel, Vasagatan 1 (next to the Central Station and the City Terminal). Please notice that this optional bus transfer to Stockholm has to be booked in advance. For information on other train and bus connections from Norsholm, please visit www.sj.se