Lysekil

The town on the Skagerrak, on Sweden’s west coast, lies at the mouth of the Gullmarsfjord, Sweden’s only true fjord, with the characteristic sill at its entrance. Lysekil can be reached from Gothenburg via Uddevalla and the E6, or by taking a particularly scenic secondary route across the fairly large skerry islands of Tjörn and Orust. The shortest route from the south, meanwhile, is by free car ferry across the Gullmarsfjord.
Founded in the 16th century, Lysekil quickly developed into a centre of the fishing industry and remains one of Sweden’s most important fishing ports. The maritime economy still dominates the town, with its large commercial harbour, fishing industry, oil refineries and Swedish marine research centre. Tourism is naturally maritime in character too; it began to develop in Lysekil in the mid-19th century and has since made the town a tourism hub on Sweden’s rocky west coast. Its attractions include the Societetshus, dating from the early days of tourism and rebuilt after a fire in 1985, as well as the Curman villas, named after a 19th-century spa physician.
The main attraction for Lysekil’s many visitors is the seawater aquarium Havets Hus (House of the Sea). Close to the harbour, a 140,000-litre tunnel aquarium offers views of shoals of herring, cod, lobster and catshark. With its extensive collection of ship models, Vikarvet Museum tells visitors chiefly about Lysekil’s past as a fishing port and the region’s granite quarrying.
Excursions to the beautiful surrounding skerries should definitely include Fiskebäckskil and Grundsund. Fiskebäckskil, directly opposite Lysekil, can be reached by ferry. Many historic fishermen’s and shipmasters’ houses have been preserved there and are now used mainly as holiday accommodation. A boat trip a few kilometres south through the skerries takes you to Grundsund, a former fishing village picturesquely nestled among the rocky coastline. The return journey along the edge of the outer coast, where the waves are considerably higher, almost always offers a chance to spot seals, which are common along Sweden’s west coast.