With a bewildering array of over 8,000 islands, endless meadows of wild flowers and the lively and cosmopolitan coastal city of Gothenburg, west Sweden perfectly encapsulates both the rugged beauty and urban delights Scandinavia has to offer. In the first guidebook dedicated to the area, Bradt's West Sweden reveals the staggering variety of the area's experiences, includes a section on the region's history and culture and offers detailed maps of both the coastline and the cities. Centrally located within Scandinavia, west Sweden is quickly developing as a vibrant tourist location, and in 2012 there were over 3.5 million guest nights in Gothenburg. The author, James Proctor, has written Bradt guides to Lapland and the Faroe Islands and has visited Scandinavia annually since 1986.