Lysekil in Bohuslan Coast

This 200-year-old town, with its wooden houses and narrow alleyways, is another good base for exploring the coast. Today it also contains a number of workshops for artisans, artists, and craftspeople who find the area a perfect retreat from the world.

Lysekil lies directly on the seashore, set against a backdrop of pink granite rocks. Fishing areas, as well as some of the best waters for diving in northern Europe, are found here. In summer, there are occasional seal-watching trips, as well as sailing trips.

If you're driving, take Route E6 north from Gothenburg to Uddevalla, then head west along Route 161. An express bus from Gothenburg (no. 840 or 848) runs every 2 hours during the day.

The best sight in town is Havets Hus, Rosvikstorg (tel. 0523/66-81-61; www.havetshus.lysekil.se), a sea aquarium with a collection of animal and plant life from the Gullmaren and North Sea. The main attraction here is a tunnel aquarium showing a variety of different species such as cod, ray, halibut, lobster, shark, and much more. At this tunnel, massive fish swim over and around you. At a special pool, children can feel spiky starfish and slimy algae. Wave machines make some biotopes especially realistic. From February 9 to June 13 and August 23 to October 31, it is open daily 10am to 4pm. From June 14 to August 22, hours are daily 10am to 6pm. Admission is 90SEK ($18/£9) for adults and 45SEK ($9/£4.50) for children 5 to 15 years old. The aquarium is a 10-minute walk from the tourist office, heading down toward the water.

The entire shoreline around Lysekil is a nature reserve, with some 275 varieties of plant life. Guided "marine walks" and botanical tours are at times offered in the summer (ask at the tourist office; Sodra Hamngatan 6; tel. 0523/130-50; Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 11am-3pm).

On the way north to Tanumshede , we always continue north along the E6, but cut west near Rabbalshede to follow Route 163 to Fjällbacka, which, in our view, is one of the most perfect, picture-postcard little fishing villages in Sweden. Houses are painted in bright shades with a wealth of gingerbread. Swedes call this snickargladje, although Americans are more familiar with the term "Carpenter's Gothic."

We once traveled here to interview screen legend Ingrid Bergman, star of the classic Casablanca and other films. She'd invited us for lunch, which consisted of a loaf of freshly baked bread and a great big red beet. (Such a lunch isn't uncommon in Sweden in the summertime.) Ms. Bergman's summer house was on one of the islands off the coast. In town, Swedes remember her fondly, and the main square is called Ingrid Bergman Square, with a statue of the screen goddess looking out over the water to her former home. Following her death from cancer in 1982, her ashes were scattered over the sea nearby.