Fårösund
Gateway to Fårö at Gotland's northern tip
Fårösund is the gateway to Fårö, with a free ferry, Bunge Museum, Bungenäs and practical tips for a stop in northern Gotland.
By gotland.de editorial team · Travel editors · Last updated: August 2026
Contents
The island's northernmost town
Fårösund sits at Gotland's northern tip, where only a narrow strait separates the main island from Fårö. The town itself is small and unassuming, but it has been strategically important for a long time: the British-French Baltic fleet anchored here during the Crimean War, the Fårösund fortress was built at the end of the 19th century, and the military shaped the town as a garrison right up into the 2000s. The former barracks have since become a civilian quarter with a hotel and a film set, thanks partly to Ingmar Bergman's legacy on Fårö, the area sees itself as a film region.
What to expect
The main reason to stop here is the ferry to Fårö: free, no booking needed, a crossing of six to eight minutes, and running at short intervals in summer. If you're not just passing through, there are two worthwhile destinations right on the spot. The Bunge Museum on the southern edge of town is one of Sweden's largest open-air museums, with around 70 historic buildings showing Gotlandic farmsteads from three centuries, alongside picture stones and an old windmill.
South-east of the town lies the Bungenäs peninsula: a former limestone quarry, once the largest on Gotland, later decades of restricted military land. Today the bare terrain is freely accessible and makes for an unusual excursion, old bunkers have been converted into architecturally striking summer houses, with gravel paths running between them through an almost lunar limestone landscape. On the way from Visby, it's also worth stopping at the medieval church of Lärbro with its octagonal tower.
Getting there and practicalities
Road 148 runs from Visby to Fårösund; there are also regional buses, though their frequency changes with the season. Fårösund is the last sizeable town in the island's north: a supermarket, petrol station and restaurants make it a natural stop before the crossing to Fårö. As a base, the town suits anyone who wants to explore the north - its raukar, beaches and Fårö, at a relaxed pace, with accommodation ranging from a hotel on the former barracks site to a campsite. For more on touring the island, see the Raukar on Gotland guide.
The Gotland map shows ferry landings, raukar fields and beaches in the north. For what comes next after the crossing, continue with the Fårö guide.
