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The town wall and towers of the Hanseatic town of Visby on Gotland
Travel guide

Gotland

Gotland is Sweden's largest island and a destination for medieval Visby, rugged limestone coastlines, bright sandy beaches and quiet country roads. Here you'll find the right starting point for getting there, where to stay and planning your days on the island.

The island at a glance

What you need to know for your Gotland trip

Gotland lies in the Baltic Sea off the Swedish coast. Almost every trip starts in Visby, the UNESCO Hanseatic town in the west. For nature and quiet, head on to the raukar in the north, to Fårö, or to the beaches on the west and east coasts.

Getting there

Getting to Gotland

Compare ferry, flight and car options and pick the route that suits your trip.
Exploring

Group the highlights sensibly

Visby, raukar, Fårö and destinations for half or full days.
Orientation

Gotland on the map

Discover places, beaches and attractions by region.

Highlights

Bizarre limestone formations (raukar) in shallow water off the island of Fårö.

Digerhuvud

Digerhuvud on Fårö's west coast is Sweden's largest raukar field at about 3.5 kilometres, a long stretch of limestone stacks along the sea.

Dramatic limestone formations (raukar) on Fårö's coast at sunset.

Langhammars

The Langhammars nature reserve on northern Fårö holds around 50 raukar at the pebble beach of Klajvika - Gotland's most photographed limestone stacks.

12th-century Cistercian abbey: surviving outer walls and arches of the basilica.

Roma Abbey Ruins

Roma Abbey, the Cistercian monastery founded in 1164 in the geographic centre of Gotland, is now a freely accessible ruin with parkland and a café.

Idyllic sandy beach with dunes and a calm sea bay under a blue sky.

Sudersand

Sudersand in northeast Fårö is a wide, white sand beach with shallow, clear water and dunes, repeatedly voted Sweden's most beautiful beach.

View from Visby harbour of the old town skyline, with the distinctive black spires of the Domkyrka (Sankta Maria) rising above the rooftops.

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (Sankta Maria) is the only medieval church in Visby still in use, seat of Gotland's bishop, once the church of the German Hanseatic merchants.

The Visby city wall with a round section and the Dalmanstornet tower in the background.

Visby City Wall

The Visby ring wall encloses almost the entire old town and is regarded as Northern Europe's best-preserved medieval town wall, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Discover Gotland

The Visby city wall with its defensive towers in warm evening light

Attractions

Gotland's attractions by region and time needed: Visby, Fårö, raukar, cave, churches and beaches, with a map and suggestions for day routes.

Places

The key places and attractions on Gotland at a glance, from the UNESCO World Heritage town of Visby to the raukar on Fårö, beaches, churches and museums.

Beaches

Tofta, Sudersand on Fårö, quiet coves in the south and raukar beaches - Gotland's best beaches at a glance, with length, directions, water quality and facilities.

View from the ferry deck of Oskarshamn harbour at sunset before departure to Gotland

Getting There

Ferry, flight or car: compare the ways to reach Gotland and find the route that suits your trip, via Nynäshamn, Oskarshamn or Stockholm.

Where to Stay

Hotel in Visby, holiday home, camping or B&B: find the right place to stay on Gotland based on location, trip type, mobility and season.

Activities

Cycling the Gotlandsleden, hiking, swimming, sea stacks and Lummelunda Cave, the best activities on Gotland at a glance, with prices in SEK and everything that costs nothing.

Travel Tips

The twelve most important places to see on Gotland at a glance, from the UNESCO town wall in Visby to the raukar and the cave to the beaches, with an honest breakdown of admission costs and free access.

Trip Planning

Tools for planning your trip to Gotland, with an interactive island map from Visby to Fårö and down to the south.