By air
Visby (VBY), ~3 km
Europe · Sweden
Gotland, Sweden
Visby's medieval walls on a sunny island
Getting there
Best time to visit
June to August — summer
Don't miss
Visby's town wall
Visby Cathedral
Fårö's sea stacks
The old town
Things to do
Visby's walls
Cycling
The beaches
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Żeglarz · Public domain
What to pack
Swimwear, cycling gear
A quieter corner
The Lummelunda cave
Questions travellers ask
When is the season on Gotland?
June to August, in the summer. Pack swimwear and cycling gear.
What is there to see on Gotland?
Visby's medieval town wall, Visby Cathedral and the old town, plus Fårö's sea stacks.
Is Gotland good for cycling?
Yes — cycling is one of the things to do on the island, along with the beaches and Visby's walls.
Is there a hidden gem on Gotland?
The Lummelunda cave. And do not leave without trying saffron pancakes.
About Gotland
- Island
- Coastal
Where it is
Gotland is Sweden's largest island, in the Baltic Sea about 90 km east of the Swedish mainland, a low limestone island whose main town, Visby, lies on its west coast.
History
Gotland was a Viking-age trading hub, and huge quantities of Viking silver, including Arab coins, have been dug up on the island. In the Middle Ages Visby became one of the most important Hanseatic towns on the Baltic, building a stone wall and many churches; Denmark invaded in 1361, and the island has been Swedish since 1645.
People
Gotlanders speak Swedish, and many still speak Gutnish, the island's own old tongue. Sheep farming is a traditional livelihood, and the Gotland breed of sheep and the island's small native ponies are known well beyond the island.
Known for
- Visby's medieval town wall
- Church ruins and Visby Cathedral
- The sea stacks (raukar) of Fårö
- Medieval Week each August
- Saffron pancakes with dewberry jam
Did you know?
Visby's town wall, built mainly in the late 13th century and raised higher in the 14th, still stands for about 3.4 km of its original 3.6 km around the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.