This trip was our first international travel since Covid. The decision to go to Sweden was based mainly around the fact that they have a reciprocal health care arrangement with Australia, good to know in case everything went to poo again. I also have some Swedish heritage and have always been a little curious about the country.
Stockholm was a definite, but where to from there? We didn’t have a car, so we were relying mainly on trains. Initial thoughts were to head north and experience the midnight sun, but the transit there and back would take up too much of our precious time. An Island then…. but which one? Sweden’s archipelagos are made up of nearly 30 000 islands! In the end we decided to go to one of the larger islands, in the Stockholm Archipelago, and where a lot of locals go to holiday…..Gotland.
How to Get to Gotland
On a recommendation, we decided to catch the ferry over to Gotland from Stockholm and fly back. The ferry trip takes approximately 3 hours, but I was told it is quite scenic. The flight back is only half an hour with the added benefit of landing at the airport we needed to be at for our long flight home. When you purchase your ferry ticket there is an option for bus transfer to the port – perfect! I chose ferry seats up the front of the boat to maximize views through the large windows – mistake. The seat free area at the front is pretty much the location of the onboard Creche – kids everywhere! I work with kids, I don’t want to holiday with them! How long are we trapped in this zoo?? I am being a little dramatic, it was ok, but I preferred the flight.
I can’t say what the other islands have to offer, but I loved Gotland! Good choice by me!
Visby
The capital city of Gotland is Visby, a medieval walled city nicknamed the city of roses and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our accommodation was the beautiful and quaint Hotel St Clemens within the city walls.
First order of business was to wander around, check out the city and find a good place to eat ….. tried my first Swedish meatballs here…..it had to be done, and they were delicious!
My first impression of Visby is that it is quaint, well preserved and easy to explore in a day or two. It is dotted with Church ruins throughout. I think there are 10 church ruins in quite a small area geographically, and well-preserved medieval fortresses – not surprising considering its military defence history.
Visby has a nickname as the city of Roses, and it’s not hard to see why. Wandering around, there are pretty lanes around every corner, with roses featuring heavily.
The Botanical gardens in Visby are also lovely to wander through, which we did on our way to exploring beyond the city walls.
Medieval Gotland
The Visby City Wall, complete with towers and gates, was built between 1250 and 1288 and stretches across 3.5 kilometres. You can climb some of the towers and walk sections of the wall. Every year, Visby hosts a popular medieval festival that runs for a week. While we were there, they were busy preparing for the upcoming festival, which includes a jousting tournament! Gotland also has quite a significant Viking history, with a Viking Museum, and a reconstructed Viking village, if that interests you.
Come sunset, the thing to do is head down to the waterfront, find your spot, spread out your blanket with a little picnic and glass of wine and watch the sunset. You won’t be alone; half of the town will be joining you down there…. it is beautiful.
Exploring the Island’s South
We only had 3 days in Gotland, It was decided one day we would explore to the South of Visby and one day head North. The buses were very easy to navigate, with a big interchange just outside the city walls. On our southside journey we headed to the Lummelunda Caves with a stop off at Krusmyntagarden for lunch. The caves were ok, not as spectacular as I had hoped, but the lunch stop was lovely. Alfresco dining by the sea, with a beautiful garden to explore. They also have a cute little shop where you can buy locally produced goods such as spices, foodstuffs and soaps etc.
We walked from the caves back up the road to catch our bus back to Visby. I loved all the pretty wildflowers that grow along the roadside here. A little wildflower spam for you….
Swedish Beach Day!
The following day, we made the most of the beautiful summer weather and headed to the beach. Back on the bus, this time we headed north to the popular Tofta Beach. When we got there it wasn’t too packed with people, it was a bit too windy down on the sand, so we decided to bite the bullet and pay for a sunbed at the Tofta Beachclub. Luckily, because the place soon filled up and a sunbed quickly became prime real estate! Even though it was warm, it was still too cold for me to go in for a swim. As much as I wanted to say I had a swim in the Baltic Sea, I was happy enough just lying in the sun reading my book. Soon enough, our stomachs demanded to be fed. Luckily again, we nabbed the last table at the Tofta Beach House restaurant. Our table was outside, so lost a few salad leaves to the wind, but the meal was delicious, and the mojito went down a treat!
Our time on Gotland was coming to an end, I wish we had spent longer here with a car at our disposal. I would love to have explored further afield, discovered outer islands like Faro, learnt more about the Viking history, and perhaps timed our stay to coincide with the medieval festival….. I don’t mind me a knight in shining armour!
