Most pages about the Göta Canal stop at “190 km, 58 locks”. Here is what you need to plan it: how the canal company’s tickets and seasons work, the rules every skipper must follow, and how cyclists, paddlers and train travellers fit in.
When you need this
You’re planning a summer boat trip across Sweden and want to price a canal ticket. Or you’re weighing spring against July, a canoe against a bike, or trying to reach Motala, Berg or Söderköping by train and bus.
The canal in numbers
The Göta Canal (Göta kanal) was built between 1810 and 1832. It runs about 190 km from Sjötorp on Lake Vänern to Mem on the Baltic coast, with 58 locks and 83 bridges, and crosses Lake Vättern between Karlsborg and Motala.
The canal belongs to AB Göta kanalbolag, the company founded in 1810 when construction began. The Swedish government lists it among its state-owned companies. Besides the canal itself, it manages about 400 buildings and makes new lock gates in its own workshops.
| Fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| Length | About 190 km, Sjötorp to Mem |
| Locks | 58, plus 83 bridges |
| Built | 1810–1832 |
| Berg | 11 locks; the 7-chamber Carl Johan flight climbs 18.8 m |
| Largest boat | 30 m long, 7 m wide, 2.82 m draught, 22 m high |
| Speed limit | 5 knots on dug and blasted sections |
The best-known sight is Berg, outside Linköping. There, the Carl Johan flight and two double locks lift boats from Lake Roxen to the harbour. Borenshult near Motala has the steepest flight. A typical lockage takes 7–10 minutes, a whole flight about an hour. Each one moves around 750 m³ of water. At Borensberg and Tåtorp two locks are still cranked by hand.
Four ways to experience it
- Your own or a rented boat, on a canal ticket — the main subject of this page.
- A passenger boat, as a day trip or a longer cruise on a stretch of the canal. Several day-trip boats also take bikes.
- By bike on the Göta Canal trail, which follows the old towpath for much of its length.
- By canoe, on stretches between locks.
Your own boat: seasons and tickets
The season decides how you travel. The 2026 season had three parts:
| Period (2026) | How you travel |
|---|---|
| Pre-season, 5 May–15 June | In convoy on a fixed itinerary; express passage available |
| High season, 16 June–12 August | Locks open daily 09:00–18:00; your own pace; July priced higher |
| Post-season, 13 August–27 September | In convoy on a fixed itinerary; canal closes after 27 September |
A full passage takes about seven days in high season. In spring and autumn the convoy takes five days, and the express ticket takes three.
The ticket depends on boat length, distance and season. You buy the whole canal or one or two of three legs: Mem–Norsholm, Berg–Motala and Karlsborg–Sjötorp. It includes five nights per guest harbour on your stretch, toilets, showers, laundry, drinking water, septic emptying and electricity where available. A return ticket works as a season pass on that stretch for the same boat. Extra harbour nights cost extra.
Booking. You book and pay online. In spring and autumn you must book at least five days ahead. In high season you can also buy at a canal office. Everyone checks in at a canal office before starting, and the canal company says the boat must be insured. Cancel before the journey and SEK 500 is deducted from the refund; once you’ve started, nothing is refunded.
Trying it out. The canal company’s mini trip covers short high-season routes, such as Motala–Borensberg and Mem–Söderköping, with three harbour nights included.
The Trollhätte Canal, from Vänersborg to Gothenburg, is a separate waterway. The Swedish Maritime Administration runs it and sells its own tickets in Trollhättan.
Rules on the water
The canal has its own binding regulation, TSFS 2019:140, issued by Transportstyrelsen (the Swedish Transport Agency). It applies from Mem to Motala and from Karlsborg to Sjötorp:
- 5 knots over ground on dug and blasted sections, and always a safe speed.
- No overtaking on those sections unless the other boat agrees.
- Leisure boats give way to all other vessels there. Commercial boats with more than 12 passengers have priority.
- Lock keepers’ orders beat signals. Don’t pass the red-and-white passage pole, or moor between it and a lock or bridge, until you get the go-ahead.
- No anchoring or mooring in the dug canal except at jetties and harbours.
- No swimming next to bridges and locks.
- Report incidents such as grounding, collision or loss of steering to the canal company.
- Boats over 24 m must notify the company in advance. Boats over 15 m should carry AIS and VHF and monitor channel 16.
Transportstyrelsen also advises a life jacket in the right size for everyone aboard. Children and non-swimmers should wear a räddningsväst, a rescue vest with a collar. Licences and general boating rules are in our boating guide.
Canoeing: free, but not through the locks
Paddling the Göta Canal costs nothing — there is no canal fee for canoes. But the canal company does not allow canoes through the locks, for safety reasons. You carry the canoe past each one, up banks the company describes as often high and made of uneven rock, and there are no canoe facilities at the locks. Its advice is to choose a shorter stretch with few locks.
This is the opposite of the Dalsland Canal, where canoes pay per lock chamber — see canoeing in Sweden.
Cycling the towpath
The Göta Canal trail (Göta kanalleden) is national cycle route 7. It runs 220 km in seven stages from Sjötorp to Mem and is signed red and white in both directions. Only 87 km of it is car-free towpath (dragväg). Around the lakes and through towns, the route follows other roads and paths.
- Lake crossings: the trail crosses Vättern and Asplången by bike boat. Book a seat in advance. Bike transport across Lake Roxen can also be booked.
- Pace: the canal company reckons 15–20 km/h for an average rider, and points families to the car-free stretches.
- Cycle ticket: it bundles the trail map with a service card for the canal’s toilet and shower buildings.
- Boat back: cycle one way and take a passenger boat back.
Ordinary cycling law applies: helmets are compulsory under 15, and after dark you need a white front light and a red rear light. More in cycling in Sweden.
Getting there without a car
Motala is on Östgötapendeln, the regional train from Norrköping and Linköping. Östgötatrafiken, the regional transport authority, carries bikes free on it when there is room. Regional buses run Linköping–Borensberg–Motala and Linköping–Ljungsbro past Berg, and from Norrköping to Söderköping. Plan connections in the national journey planner, Resrobot. The trains themselves are covered in train travel in Sweden.
One catch: when track work closes the line, replacement buses take no bikes. In June 2026, bikes were banned on Östgötapendeln for a whole week. Check traffic notices before you travel with a bike, and see bikes on trains.
Mistakes to avoid
- Arriving outside the boat season — there is no locking from October to early May.
- Planning a tight schedule; the canal company warns of waits at locks and bridges.
- Assuming a canoe can join the boats in a lock.
- Trying to buy a Trollhätte Canal passage from the Göta Canal company.
- Expecting towpath all the way, or planning to cycle round Vättern.
- Booking July late — it is the dearest month.
Practical information
| Item | Detail (checked 2026-09-25, 2026 price list) |
|---|---|
| Whole canal one way, under 6 m | SEK 2,338 pre/post · 3,409 high · 3,750 July |
| Whole canal one way, 6–8.99 m | SEK 4,661 pre/post · 6,762 high · 7,438 July |
| Whole canal one way, 9–11.99 m | SEK 6,273 pre/post · 9,085 high · 9,993 July |
| Larger boats, single legs, returns, express | On the canal company’s price list |
| Mini trip (3 harbour nights) | SEK 1,025; SEK 1,130 in July |
| Extra harbour nights | SEK 280 per night or 1,470 per week |
| Cancellation | SEK 500 deducted before the journey |
| Canoe or kayak | No canal fee; no lock passage |
| Cycling the trail | Free; bike boats and cycle ticket extra |
| Bike on Östgötapendeln | Free if there is room |
“High” means 16–30 June and 1–12 August. The 2027 list was not out when we checked.
FAQ
How long is the Göta Canal and how many locks does it have?
The canal is about 190 km long and has 58 locks and 83 bridges, from Sjötorp on Lake Vänern to Mem on the Baltic. It was built between 1810 and 1832. The best-known locks are at Berg near Linköping: eleven in all, including the seven-chamber Carl Johan flight, the longest on the canal.
How much does it cost to take your own boat through the Göta Canal?
It depends on boat length, distance and season. On the 2026 list a one-way ticket for the whole canal cost SEK 2,338–3,750 for a boat under 6 m and SEK 6,273–9,993 for 9–11.99 m, July being dearest. Harbour nights, toilets, showers and electricity where available are included.
How long does it take to go through the Göta Canal by boat?
About seven days from Sjötorp to Mem, or the reverse, in the high season, when the locks open 09:00–18:00 and you set your own pace. In spring and autumn you travel in convoy on a five-day itinerary, or book a three-day express passage. Allow extra time for waits at locks and bridges.
Can you canoe or kayak on the Göta Canal?
Yes, and there is no canal fee, but canoes are not allowed through the locks. You carry the canoe past each one, up banks that are often high and made of uneven rock, and there are no special facilities at the locks. The canal company suggests choosing a shorter stretch with few locks.
Can you cycle along the Göta Canal?
Yes. The Göta Canal trail, national cycle route 7, runs 220 km from Sjötorp to Mem in seven stages, signed red and white both ways. About 87 km is car-free towpath. The trail crosses Lake Vättern and Asplången by bike boat, where booking a seat ahead is recommended.
When is the Göta Canal open for boats?
In 2026 the canal opened on 5 May and closed on 27 September. The high season, 16 June to 12 August, has daily locking 09:00–18:00 at your own pace; before and after it boats travel in convoy on a fixed itinerary. There is no boat traffic in winter, and 2027 dates are set by the canal company.
How do I get to the Göta Canal without a car?
Motala is on Östgötapendeln, the regional train from Norrköping and Linköping, which carries bikes free when there is room — except during track work, when replacement buses take no bikes. Regional buses run Linköping–Borensberg–Motala, Linköping–Ljungsbro past Berg, and Norrköping–Söderköping; plan the connection in the national journey planner.
Related guides
- Boating in Sweden — licences, safety and rules for your own boat
- Guest harbours — how gästhamnar work beyond the canal
- Canoeing in Sweden — the Dalsland Canal, where canoes do lock through
- Bikes on trains — which trains take your bike to the trail
- Linköping and Norrköping — the cities at the canal’s eastern end
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: AB Göta kanalbolag, Transportstyrelsen, Regeringskansliet, Trafikverket, Polisen and Östgötatrafiken — full register in this topic’s source file. We publish no cruise-line names or fares, rental prices or bus line numbers. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.