Inside the walls
First-timersThe medieval town: the lanes, the church ruins, the squares and the most atmospheric beds.
Visby city guide
Things To Do In Visby
A walled medieval Hanseatic town on the island of Gotland, with more than three kilometres of intact wall, the ruins of a dozen churches, and a summer that fills the whole island.
3.4 km
Of medieval ring wall, almost complete
~3 hours
By ferry from Nynäshamn, near Stockholm
1995
UNESCO World Heritage listing
The best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, on an island
Visby was one of the great Hanseatic trading towns of the Baltic, and it grew rich enough in the Middle Ages to build a ring wall around itself — three and a half kilometres long, with dozens of towers, and still almost complete. It is the best-preserved walled town in Scandinavia and is UNESCO-listed.
Inside the walls are cobbled lanes, rose-covered houses and the ruins of around a dozen medieval churches, left roofless after the town's decline.
Gotland, the island it sits on, is the largest in the Baltic. It has a mild climate by Swedish standards, long beaches, and on its northern tip at Fårö, a landscape of limestone sea stacks called raukar, where the film director Ingmar Bergman lived and is buried.
In summer the island is where much of Sweden goes on holiday. Medieval Week in August turns the town into a costumed fair, and Almedalen Week, a politics festival, fills it with Swedish politicians and journalists.
Outside summer it is very quiet, and many places close. Two or three days in season.
Where to stay
A walled town on a slope above the harbour, and an island beyond it.
Outside the walls
Value and spaceJust beyond the ring wall: cheaper rooms, the harbour and a short walk in.
Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Visby
Walk the ring wall. It runs three and a half kilometres around the town, almost complete, and walking its outside or along its inside is free. The views from the gates and towers over the rooftops and the sea are the image of Gotland.
Explore the church ruins. Around a dozen medieval churches stand roofless inside the walls, left after the town's decline, and St Karin's on the main square and St Nicolai are the most striking. Most are free to walk into.
The cathedral of St Mary, the one medieval church still in use, is free.
The Gotland Museum, Fornsalen, holds picture stones, Viking silver hoards and the history of the island.
The Botanical Garden, inside the walls, is free and full of roses.
Then hire a bike or a car and go north to Fårö, to see the raukar — limestone sea stacks shaped by the waves — and the landscape Ingmar Bergman made his home.
Free things
Free things to do in Visby
The ring wall is free to walk, inside and out.
Most of the church ruins are free to enter, and so is the cathedral.
The Botanical Garden is free.
The lanes, the rose-covered houses and the squares inside the walls cost nothing.
The beaches around the island are free, and the right of public access lets you walk the coast freely.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Visby
Expensive in summer, as holiday towns are. A main is 200 to 320 SEK (€18–29).
Saffranspannkaka, a saffron pancake baked with rice, served with dewberry jam and cream, is the Gotland speciality.
Gotland lamb is highly regarded, and the island's truffles have a following.
Gotlandsdricka, a traditional home-brewed juniper-smoked beer, is the historic local drink, though rarely found commercially.
A beer is 80 to 110 SEK (€7–10).
Many restaurants close outside the summer season.
Nightlife
Going out in Visby
In summer, Visby is one of the liveliest places in Sweden, with bars and clubs around Stora torget and the harbour busy late into the long light evenings.
A beer is 80 to 110 SEK (€7–10) and cocktails 150 to 190 SEK (€14–17).
Medieval Week in August brings feasting, music and costume.
Outside the summer season the town is very quiet, and most of the nightlife closes.
Getting around
Getting around Visby
Visby itself is walkable.
Ferries run from Nynäshamn, south of Stockholm, and from Oskarshamn on the mainland, taking about three hours. In summer they sell out, so book well ahead. Short flights also connect Visby with Stockholm.
To see the rest of Gotland, hire a bike — the island is fairly flat — or a car. Buses exist but are limited.
Fårö, in the north, is reached by a short free car ferry from the main island.
Costs
What Visby costs
Expensive in summer and much cheaper out of season, when a lot of it closes. Beds are 350 to 750 SEK (€32–68) in summer, a main 200 to 320 SEK (€18–29), and a beer 80 to 110 SEK (€7–10).
A day is €70 to €120 in season.
The wall, the ruins, the Botanical Garden and the beaches are free.
The ferry is a significant cost, and it sells out in July and August.
Card only, almost everywhere.
Safety
Staying safe in Visby
Visby is very safe and crime against visitors is minimal.
The cobbles inside the walls are steep and uneven, and slippery in rain.
The church ruins have uneven ground and unfenced walls — take care, especially with children.
The sea around Gotland is cold for much of the year, and some beaches have currents; swim where others are swimming.
During Almedalen Week and Medieval Week the town is extremely crowded.
Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Visby
Limestone sea stacks, sandy beaches and Bergman's island.
Fårö
Limestone raukar sea stacks, empty beaches and the island where Ingmar Bergman lived and is buried.
What's on
What is on while you are there
A medieval fair in August, and a politics festival in late June.
August
Medieval Week
Inside the walls
A week of costume, markets, jousting and feasting across the medieval town. Beds and ferries sell out.
Late June or early July
Almedalen Week
Almedalen park
A political festival where Swedish parties, journalists and organisations gather. The town fills.
June to August
Summer season
Gotland
When the island fills with Swedish holidaymakers.
December
Christmas market
Old town
A small market inside the walls.
October to May
Off-season
Gotland
When many places close and the island is very quiet.
When to go
June to August for the full island. Late May and September are quieter but still open.
Jan
Cold and closed
Feb
Very quiet
Mar
Still quiet
Apr
Some places reopening
May
Good and quiet
Jun
Excellent. Almedalen Week late in the month
Jul
Peak season. Book ahead
Aug
Medieval Week. Still busy
Sep
Quieter and pleasant
Oct
Closing down
Nov
Dark and quiet
Dec
Christmas market in the old town
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Gotland is sunnier than most of Sweden, but the season is short — outside roughly June to August, many restaurants and hotels close.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros, in summer — you will pay in kronor, at roughly 11 to the euro.
Shown in euros for comparison; these are summer figures. The ferry is a separate and significant cost, and it sells out in July and August.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Visby travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
How do I get to Visby?
By ferry from Nynäshamn, south of Stockholm, or from Oskarshamn, about three hours either way. There are also short flights from Stockholm. Book ferries well ahead in summer, as they sell out.
Is it worth going out of season?
Only if you want quiet. Outside roughly June to August, many restaurants and hotels close and the town is very still. Late May and September are a good compromise — open, and far less busy.
What is Medieval Week?
A week in August when Visby becomes a costumed medieval fair, with markets, jousting and feasting across the old town. It is hugely popular, and beds and ferries sell out.
What is Almedalen Week?
A political festival in late June or early July, when Sweden's parties, journalists and organisations gather in Visby for speeches and seminars. The town fills completely.
What are the raukar?
Limestone sea stacks shaped by the waves, found around Gotland's coast and most dramatically on Fårö in the north, where Ingmar Bergman lived.
How much does it cost?
Expensive in summer. Beds 350 to 750 SEK (€32–68), a main 200 to 320 SEK (€18–29), and a day around €70 to €120. The ferry is a significant extra.
Do I need a car?
Not for Visby, which is walkable. To see the rest of Gotland, a bike or a car is best — the island is fairly flat and buses are limited.
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