Go was very much designed with the intent of being a better C-replacement than C++[1]. As to whether it's an actual viable replacement or not, well, that really depends on how dependent you are on libraries.

Back when I was getting into 'serious' coding, anybody with experience in both C and C++, whether they liked one or the other better, could have told me enough to make me realize I was better off learning C first.

[1] http://www.drdobbs.com/open-source/interview-with-ken-thomps...