Ljugarn

A seaside resort with history

Ljugarn on the east coast is Gotland's oldest seaside resort. What began as a harbour, fishing hamlet and pilot station drew its first summer visitors from Stockholm in the late 19th century, guesthouses, a bathhouse and handsome timber villas followed along Strandvägen, which still gives the place its character as a classic Swedish seaside resort today. In summer the restaurants, cafés and small harbour fill up; the rest of the year it's very quiet.

What to expect

The heart of the resort is a roughly one-and-a-half-kilometre, gently shelving sandy beach, one of the longest on the island and, thanks to its shallow water, well suited to families. More in the guide Beaches on Gotland. Just north of the village begins the Folhammar nature reserve: an around 500-metre stretch of raukar right on the water, their limestone stacks rising up to six metres. The coastal path there is one of the finest short walks on the east coast, especially in the early morning or evening light.

South of the beach lies Vitvär, an old fishing station with around twenty small boathouses spanning three centuries, a well-preserved example of a Gotland "fiskeläge". In the village itself, the small local history museum in the former customs station is worth a look, and anyone wanting to see more rock formations will find the island's other fields in the guide Raukar on Gotland.

Practicalities & getting there

Ljugarn lies about 48 kilometres south-east of Visby, just under three-quarters of an hour by car via Roma. Buses connect Visby with the east coast via Roma, more frequently in summer than in the off season. Locally there's a grocery shop, restaurants, guesthouses and a campsite - Ljugarn works well as a base for anyone combining a beach holiday with day trips into the quieter east and south of the island.