Slow luxury on the Göta Canal – that's why we fell in love with the Little Canal Trip

Text and photo: Helena Bergström

Taking the Little Canal Cruise on the Göta Canal has long been on our bucket list. The classic cruise between Söderköping and Motala aboard the M/S Wilhelm Tham offers a unique combination of history, nature experiences, lock-walking and gastronomy. And after experiencing the trip ourselves, we really understand why the Göta Canal attracts so many people every year.

The Little Canal Journey – Göta Canal's most beautiful highlights in two days

If you want to cruise along the entire Göta Canal, the journey between Stockholm and Gothenburg takes 4-6 days. The ”Little Canal Trip” is a two-day option, where you get to experience the highlights along the canal, and we did this trip in collaboration with Göta Kanal Rederiaktiebolaget.

The start in Söderköping – where our Göta Canal journey began

We started our journey in Söderköping, which in itself is a nice and charming destination, with cozy alleys, popular ice cream and locks with an active boating life.

Here the ship, M/S Wilhelm Tham, was waiting for us to take us on the ”Little Canal Journey”. Seeing the historic and beautiful ship at the quay was a special feeling. Soon we would set sail and slowly begin the journey through locks, lakes and some of the Göta Canal’s most classic environments.

On board the M/S Wilhelm Tham – a floating journey through time

When we boarded, we found our cabin straight away, and it felt a bit like stepping straight into a turn-of-the-century luxury cruise. The cabins are small, but beautiful and cozy, full of nice little details.

On the deck there are wicker chairs and other furniture, so you can enjoy the beautiful views.

The food on board – an unexpected highlight

The meals quickly became one of the big surprises of the trip. As soon as we stepped on board, coffee was waiting, along with delicious fruits and pastries.

The meals were served in the fine dining room, where we constantly felt like luxurious turn-of-the-century guests.

Lunch includes starter + main course and dinner includes starter + main course + dessert. All meals were really, really good.

The same food is served to everyone, but of course you can order vegetarian or allergy-friendly food in advance if you wish.

The breakfast, served as a buffet, was also fantastic. We enjoyed fresh bread, delicious cheeses and fresh fruits.

The trip's major highlights – Bergs sluissar, Borensberg and an exclusive guided tour

You could say that the ”Little Canal Trip” is a compressed version of the entire Göta Canal trip. You don’t get the whole trip, but you get the highlights.

Berg's locks

Bergs Slussar is undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights along the Göta Canal — and also the canal's most visited spot. Here is the famous Carl Johan's Lock Staircase, with seven interconnected locks that raise or lower boats almost 19 meters.

The area consists of eleven locks in total, making it one of the Göta Canal's most impressive engineering feats. Watching the classic canal boats slowly make their way through the locks, while the masses of water fill and empty the chambers, is almost hypnotic – and one of the most iconic experiences along the entire canal.

Borensberg

Borensberg is one of the most charming towns along the Göta Canal and a classic stop for canal travelers. The small community grew up thanks to the construction of the canal and is still characterized by its close connection to the water.

Here you will encounter picturesque environments, old locks, the well-known hand-operated drawbridge and a quiet small-town idyll that feels like it was made for strolling around. For many, Borensberg becomes one of the most genuine stops on the trip — a place where the pace slows down even further and the Göta Canal shows its most idyllic side.

An exclusive guided tour

One of the most unique experiences of the trip was the exclusive stop at Runstorp Manor. The cruise took us to Runstorp Manor, which is generally not open to tourists, but which welcomes guests from M/S Wilhelm Tham for an exclusive guided tour.

Since Runstorp Manor is a private home, you can't take photos here, but we can say that it was a very interesting visit. In addition to seeing a lot of unique objects, the owner is a fantastic storyteller.

Through lock after lock – the journey's great reward

One of the great experiences during the ”Little Canal Journey” on the Göta Canal is of course the locks. You go through many locks and even though we have seen locks before, from the hill, it is special to experience the ship's journey up or down from this perspective.

At each lock it gets intense. The captain scouts and shouts out orders – the staff measures distances with their hands and runs with ropes and tackles. There is no rest and no peace.

Those of us on board glide peacefully forward – or we can choose to jump off at the beginning of the locks and board a little later.

By the way, did you know that Borensberg has one of the Göta Canal's two remaining hand-operated locks? Here, the lock gates are still opened and closed by hand, just like in the past. Next to the lock is also the classic hand-operated drawbridge, which makes the stop extra special.

The landscape along the Göta Canal – tranquility, summer and Swedish idyll

The lock steps and special stops may be highlights of the journey, but another highlight is everything that happens in between – the silence. This is where you understand the charm of slow travel – that the journey itself is the destination.

During a large part of the cruise you glide past greenery and beautiful landscapes. Sometimes you meet another boat, and sometimes you pass sheep or cows. The calm is palpable, and perhaps the greatest reward.

One of the most iconic places you pass by may be the Göta Hotel, known from the Göta Canal films.

Ending in Motala

Our journey ended in Motala, and the drive there, from Borensberg, is perhaps one of the most beautiful stretches along the canal. Here you also pass Baltzar von Platen's grave, which commemorates the man behind the creation of the canal.

Driving into Motala was nice, but also a little sad because the cruise was coming to an end.

From the quay we got one last view of the M/S Wilhelm Tham, before it was time to leave and continue life in a different direction.

This is what we thought about the Little Canal Trip

The small canal trip offered peace, beautiful views and that classic, slightly exclusive feeling on board – just as we had hoped. What we perhaps hadn’t really thought about was how social the trip would be as well. With only a limited number of passengers on board, many natural encounters occur, and the conversations around the dinner table quickly became a nice part of the experience.

We were also pleasantly surprised by the food. Being able to serve such elaborate meals in a ship's kitchen with limited space is impressive in itself – and was actually one of the great highlights of the trip.

The little canal trip was exactly the kind of experience that reminds us that travel doesn't always have to be about getting there – sometimes it's the journey itself that is the greatest adventure.