Göteborg by the numbers: 481,410 inhabitants; one opera house; 25 theaters; 37 cinemas; 50,000 trees; 207 trams; 570 restaurants; two universities; 175 square meters of green space per citizen; one Poseidon statue; two market halls plus one fish market; 18 museums; one national orchestra; 5,000 roses in one rose garden; 157 cafés; 10,940 yearly ship moorings; 19 golf courses; more than 1 million departing from Göteborg at the turn of the 20th century, most bound for America —one-quarter of Sweden’s population at the time.

“Göteborg by the Numbers,” as the informational sheet I picked up from the tourist office was called, contained enough “gee whizzes” to pique my interest in Sweden’s second largest city (with a population of 485,000), located on the country’s west coast.

Who would not find immediately endearing a city that proudly boasts 207 trams? Such a civilized way to get about, and the ideal transport for those wanting to become acquainted with a city. And, ah, Göteborg’s green space–to–person ratio. A major city devoted to giving everyone plenty of elbow room — what a concept.

Götaplatsen, with the Poseidon Fountain and the Konstmuseet, is at the heart of the city.

I began my explorations on foot on Kungsportsavenyn, commonly known as the “Avenyn” (The Avenue), Göteborg’s answer to Paris’ Champs Elysées. This long avenue with shops, numerous restaurants, cafés and pubs is the place to break for afternoon fika — coffee and cake — while taking in the passing parade.

On its southern end, Avenyn is anchored by Götasplatsen, the city’s cultural center, where the Konstmuseet (art museum), with its extensive collection of Scandinavian art, keeps company with the Konserthuset (concert hall), home to the city’s acclaimed symphony orchestra; the Stadsteatern (municipal theater) and the Stadsbiblioteket (municipal library).

In the center of Götasplatsen, the Poseidon Fountain is a work of art that caused much uproar at its installation over the god of the sea’s “manliness.” Whether the controversy was settled by enhancement or downsizing is today left up to viewers’ imaginations. Poseiden’s view of the city is magnificent, straight down Avenyn into the tangle of the old city with the wide sweep of Göteborg’s harbor beyond.

At the turn of the 20th century, those 1 million–plus Swedes walked down the cobbled streets of old town, carrying bundles of their worldly belongings as they made their way to the harbor to board ships bound for America. They would have walked past Kronhuset, Göteborg’s oldest preserved secular building, built as the town’s armory, in 1643. Today it anchors various craftsmen’s workshops, including a goldsmith and a glass blower.

At the harbor, cute-as-a-button, vintage passenger ships of the Göta Canal Steamship Company caught my eye. The vessel was among the 14 floating ships at the Sjöfartsmuseum (maritime museum). For more than 137 years these small boats have traversed the Göta Canal between Göteborg and Stockholm.

To my right, the opera house soared over the harbor, its bold, ship-like, contemporary architecture as much a draw as the world-class performances inside. Both the museum and the opera house emphasize that Göteborg is, and has always been, a city of the sea.

By the mid-1700s, Göteborg was a city to be reckoned with, an economic force made rich by traders and great merchant fleets, most notably the Swedish East India Company. The harbor then was filled with ships bound and returning from the four corners of the world. Even today, the name “East India Company” evokes images of exotic ports, holds laden with tea, spices, silk and porcelain.