Visby: Inside the Medieval Walls of Gotland, Sweden's Forgotten Jewel

The City of Roses and Ruins

On the island of Gotland, in the middle of the Baltic Sea, stands a city that seems to have stepped out of a Norse fairy tale. Visby is encircled by more than three kilometres of perfectly preserved medieval walls — the most complete in Scandinavia — with forty-four towers rising above a labyrinth of cobbled lanes, timber-framed houses painted rose and yellow, and Gothic ruins draped in ivy. UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage List in 1995, calling it the finest example of a Hanseatic merchant city in northern Europe.

And yet Visby remains surprisingly little known outside Scandinavia. Italians who visit Stockholm rarely think to take the ferry to Gotland, and that is a mistake: Visby is one of the most enchanting medieval cities in Europe, with a mild microclimate that has earned it the nickname City of Roses — rosebushes bloom everywhere, climbing the limestone walls and the facades of the houses.

What to See

The Walls and Towers

The ring of walls around Visby dates to the thirteenth century and can be walked almost in its entirety. The forty-four towers, each with its own shape and history, punctuate the perimeter like stone sentinels. The most famous is the Kruttornet (Gunpowder Tower), the oldest defensive tower in Scandinavia. Walk the walls at sunset, when the golden Baltic light sets Gotland's limestone aglow with a warm pink blush.

The Ruined Churches

Visby once had seventeen churches — a remarkable number for a city of its size, a testament to the wealth brought by Hanseatic trade. Eleven of these are now romantic ruins: roofless naves open to the sky, Gothic arches through which trees and wildflowers grow. The most evocative is St Catherine's (Sankta Karin), whose open-air nave hosts summer classical music concerts with extraordinary natural acoustics. The cathedral of St Mary (Domkyrkan), the only church still in use, is a magnificent Romanesque-Gothic building from the twelfth century.

The Gotland Museum (Gotlands Museum)

One of the most fascinating museums in Scandinavia, it houses Sweden's largest collection of rune stones, Viking hoards of silver and gold, and a reconstruction of daily life in medieval Visby. The Spillings Hoard — the largest Viking silver deposit ever found — is on display here.

The Botanical Garden

Thanks to Gotland's mild microclimate, Visby's botanical garden hosts plants that would not normally survive at these latitudes: figs, mulberries and walnuts thrive alongside the roses that gave the city its nickname.

What to Eat

• Saffranspannkaka — Gotland's signature dessert: a saffron rice pancake served with whipped cream and blackberry jam. Saffron arrived here on Hanseatic ships and has become an ingredient of identity.
• Gotland Lamb — the island's sheep, an ancient and hardy breed, produce intensely flavoured meat with a slight gaminess that evokes Gotland's own terroir.
• Strömming — Baltic herring, served fried, smoked, or pickled.
• Gotland Craft Beer — the island's microbreweries produce excellent beers, often with local ingredients such as honey and wild herbs.

Getting There

From Stockholm, the Destination Gotland ferry departs from Nynäshamn (one hour by train from Stockholm Central) and reaches Visby in around 3 hours 15 minutes. In summer there are also ferries from Oskarshamn on the east coast. Gotland has an airport (VBY) with daily flights from Stockholm Arlanda and Bromma — roughly 35 minutes. The ferry is more scenic and allows you to bring a car, useful for exploring the rest of the island.

When to Go

June to August is the best period: temperatures between 18°C and 25°C, very long days, and the roses in full bloom. Medieval Week (Medeltidsveckan) in August is Scandinavia's largest medieval festival, with thousands of costumed participants. May and September offer tranquillity and good weather. Winter is atmospheric but cold and windy, with many activities closed. Visby is where the Nordic Middle Ages can be touched — a place that Italian travellers, accustomed to their own medieval wonders, will find surprisingly familiar and utterly unlike anything they have seen before.