Visby - The Capital Of Sweden's Biggest Island

Sweden is a land of islands, counting thousands of islands and islets in Stockholm's archipelago alone. On the West Coast there are also many islands which are extremely popular amongst swedes and international tourists. Gotland, though, is Sweden's largest island, including several small islands surrounding it. Located in the Baltic Sea and taking around 3.30 hours to reach by ferry from swedish mainland, it is an extremely popular destination especially during the high summer season.

I had been meaning to visit Gotland's capital, Visby, ever since I moved to Sweden. When it finally happened, I could barely contain the excitement of getting on that ferry and heading towards that unknown territory that famously had so much to offer.

Ferry ride to Gotland

After several hours on a relaxing ferry ride from Nynäshamn to Visby, we arrived at the beautiful island of Gotland and couldn't wait to start exploring. We quickly made our way to our cozy little Hotel at the city center, dropped off our bags and out we went to start discovering the streets of Visby.

Visiting Visby and exploring its Historical value means admiring the many ruins that still exist in the city. Some examples are the medieval Church of Saint Catherine and St. Nicholas' Church. Such ruins are sometimes used for different events nowadays, allowing visitors to enjoy their historical surroundings while taking part of the events they went for.

Several church ruins mark the skyline of Visby

Apart from the Church ruins, Visby's "Sankta Maria" Cathedral is also a popular attraction to visit. It is a remarkable white building that stands tall at the center of the city, which makes it quite emblematic of the skyline of Visby. To get a privileged view of it you will have to make the effort of climbing the stairs all the way to the top of the hill, where you will be compensated with unique photo opportunities of the city with the Baltic Sea in the background.

Visby's Cathedral standing tall at the center of Visby

Heading back to the town, look for one of the most famous streets in the whole city: Fiskargränd. With its beautiful houses adorned with colorful flowers and the beautiful Cathedral standing in the background, this street is a tourist attraction in itself. It might very well be the prettiest street in the whole island, which is why a visit to Visby can never be complete without admiring this beauty.

You feel like this street is somehow familiar even though you have never been there, it is probably because you recognize it from Pippi Longstocking's TV-series: the famous sweet shop that appears in the movies is located at Fiskargränd. If you're a fan of the famous Astrid Lindgren's character, head to St. Hansgatan and look for the dress shop that was filmed there for the TV-series.

A mandatory stop at Fiskargränd

Another nice thing to do in Visby is to take a relaxing stroll at the Botanical Garden. Established in 1855, it is a beautiful and peaceful place where people can enjoy Nature, get married, take part of different events or simply take a break to breathe in the fresh air. There is also a beautiful gazebo at the garden where visitors can sit and enjoy the green surroundings, if it is not being used as a venue for the many weddings that take place there.

A visit to the Botanical Garden in Visby

Right next to the Botanical Garden, visitors can start exploring the Visby City Wall. It is considered the biggest and best preserved medieval city wall in Scandinavia. Dating back to the 13th century, it is remarkably almost entirely still standing.

There are several towers still standing at Visby's Medieval Wall. The oldest one is "Kruttornet" (The Gunpowder Tower), which is a defensive tower built in 1160 with the purpose of protecting the harbor during the Medieval Ages.

Another well preserved Tower in Visby is "Snäckgärdsporten", which is among the oldest gate towers of Visby's Wall. In the 1800s it was used as a coffeeshop where visitors could enjoy beautiful views of the city and the Baltic Sea. Now there is no such establishment there but visitors can still climb to the top to get the privileged view that it has to offer. If you would like to do so, head to another part of the Wall, called Silverhättan, which is the most recent Tower of Visby's Wall. The Silver Cap was strategically built in its location in order to serve as a fortification and secure the beach that is located straight next to the wall. On this Tower, you will find a path and a ladder that you can use to go up to Snäckgärdsporten.

Around the City Walls there are other interesting Towers, such as Tranhustornet (The Fish Oil Tower), Sankt Göransporten (The Saint George Gate), Norderport (The North Gate) and Österport (The East Gate), so make sure you follow Visby's Medieval Walls around the city and explore the impressive historical value still left for visitors to admire. If you would like to see the tallest point of the Walls, head to what is called Långa Lisa in Swedish (Tall Lisa) - at 6 storeys high, it is the tallest of all the Towers in Visby's Medieval Wall.

If you (understandably) feel overwhelmed by the amount of Historical sights in the city of Visby and want to understand better what you are looking at, there plenty of guided tours available during summer months, including free tours here.

Some of the many Historical sights around Visby's City Walls

If the countless ruins in Visby have caught your attention while you are planning your visit to the city and you are looking for the absolute coziest place to stay, there is one secret you will want to know about. Right at the city center, there is a lovely family Hotel that is built straight next to the beautiful ruins of St Clemens Church. For the ultimate breakfast with a view, book your stay at this picturesque place that will leave you at loss for words. Another plus is that when staying at Hotell St Clemens you will be able to access the ruins straight from the Hotel and, if you allow yourself to explore the surroundings, you will find unique views of the city of Visby from there.

After such a wonderful visit to Visby, we left feeling fascinated by the beauty of the city and its surroundings, while at the same time craving for other opportunities to head back to the island and explore the many other places waiting to be discovered. Gotland is, no doubt, one of the most beautiful places in Sweden and it deserves to be explored from top to bottom. I hope you take the chance to visit it if you are ever in Sweden.