Things to do in West Sweden

2. 'Be seen' at Marstrand

An hour's drive north of Gothenburg takes you to the glamorous town of Marstrand, on the Bohuslän coast. Famous in Sweden for being a playground for royals, grab a shrimp sandwich in a harbour-side restaurant and watch the ever-so-chic world go by.

A tour of Marstrand's imposing Carlsten Fortress is a fun - if a little unsettling - diversion. Your tour guide, clad in fetching 17th century get-up, takes you through the various instruments of torture and methods of punishment used when the fortress was used as a prison for Nordic reprobates.

If the dark cells and claustrophobic passages leave you gasping for air, make your way to the top of the fortress with nice views over the town.

3. Relax on Käringön island

A short bus and boat trip from Gothenburg delivers you to the tranquil Käringön island. Step off the boat, take a deep breath of the crisp clean Nordic air, and prepare yourself for a couple of days of unadulterated unashamed escapism.

Part of the Fjällbacka archipelago, this quaint rocky island is pepped with small and pleasing red bungalows and colourful flora. The odd craft shop and a few good quality seafood restaurants constitute all there is 'to do' on the island, but doing things is not really the point here.

Book yourself into a bungalow, and if you're lucky enough to get one with a water view, gaze out over the North Sea as you sip on a warming cuppa and pour over a good book.

4. Eat, eat, and eat more

Clean coastlines, an abundance of ports and a lucrative fishing industry make West Sweden a seafood lover's heaven, not least for its infamous oyster industry.

Oysters are precious little creatures that require just the right balance of salinity combined with the right water temperature to thrive in. The West Swedish coast is their dwelling of choice, and here, oyster munching is as common a site as a side of bread with your dinner.

Try Karingo, a family-run oyster bar on Käringön island, which serves oysters plucked fresh from the sea right in front of you. Be sure to wash them down with Karingo's delicious home-branded champagne, a beautiful pairing that really would be sacrilegious to resist.

5. Witness the oyster opening championships

No, you didn't read wrong. Once a year Grebbestad, the pretty harbour side town north of Gothenburg and home of the Oyster Academy, plays proud host to the annual 'Nordic Championships in Oyster Opening', and this is a serious, fiercely competitive, business attracting excitable spectators and region-wide press.

Oyster specialists from around Scandinavia compete to open the shells of a set amount of oysters in the quickest possible time. Sharp knives are wielded by nimble-fingered chefs and restaurateurs, sweat pours and sometimes even blood is shed for the honourable title of 'fastest oyster shell opener in all of Scandinavia'. Put that on your CV and smoke it.