Gotland: This Swedish island offers tourists a leisurely peep into some ancient history

Around 7,00,000 people annually flock to Gotland, an island of around 60,000 residents, a 45-minute flight from the capital Stockholm or an hour from the second largest city Gothenburg. Most cram their holidays into the peak season between early July and mid-August every year, making this onetime Viking stronghold a preferred place for visitors to enjoy the Swedish summer.

Vacationers like to soak in the sun and unwind at bars and cafés that dot this island or take a car or bike ride around Gotland. Once the holidaying hordes disappear, Gotland goes back to being a quiet island. Noisy vacationers make their way back home, sun tans in place and souvenirs packed away, cafés and other attractions shut for the winter and local residents welcome the silence again. For some, this lean period makes Gotland a great place to take a break from everyday urban chaos.



We landed in Visby, the capital city of Gotland (with a population of over 23,000 it would qualify as a small neighbourhood in India), on a small plane from Gothenburg. The flight from Gothenburg (Sweden’s second largest city and home to Volvo, with 60 company offices scattered across town) was half empty and most of those aboard seemed to be headed home or for a conference of some sort. For sure, we were the only Indians aboard, and seemingly the only ‘serious’ tourists headed to an island normally sought a month or two earlier.

Walks to Remember

For city slickers, the ride from the tiny airport to the hotel is the first pleasant surprise — it takes barely 10 minutes (it perhaps took longer to find a cab large enough to transport the family) to get to our hotel. One of the advantages of holidaying in the off season is that good places are 15-50% cheaper (according to the local tourist information office), and walking around the undulating stone cobbled streets of old Visby is a breeze.
If you’re someone who lives for the rush of a holiday throng, Gotland and Visby aren’t for you. Instead, be prepared for long walks, lovely views and a generous helping of history at every turn — especially around the 3.5-km wall that yet stands in Visby. While Visby itself can be seen in a day (or two if you’re really particular), consider a threeday trip to really enjoy the solitude.

Indian tourists are belatedly discovering Sweden and indeed much of Scandinavia. Used to a regular staple of western Europe (think Big Ben in London, Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Alps in Switzerland and Tulips in Amsterdam), this region offers plenty of alternatives to the adventurous tourist. Indian tourists appear to be looking beyond the usual. According to data from the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, the number of overnight stays by Indian tourists increased by 24.6% in 2014 compared to the previous year. However, almost all these tourists visited in summer, when temperature was more comfortable, crowds of tourists packed popular places and the usual list of sights could be ticked off.

Gotland, in mid to late September isn’t usually on those lists. Instead, in September, you can expect temperatures between 5o and 15o Celsius, decent odds of the odd shower anytime in the day and a noticeably sharp wind to go with it. What you do get, however, are crisp air, cheap hotels and the chance to look around an island that isn’t just pretty, but for history buffs dates back thousands of years. Despite being off season, locals continue to be friendly and approachable, with most of them being English conversant. As a small city Visby is easy to get around and Gotland too can be comfortably navigated.



Treats to Savour

In September, it mostly feels like you have the island to yourself — a café serving a locally made icecream brand is tragically shut for the year — but that setback is compensated by having a restaurant to yourself for lunch. While the seafood is an obvious choice if you’re on an island (thin pickings for vegetarians), it is actually bacon that’s the local specialty in Gotland. Pair that with a house white wine or a locally brewed beer to round off your meal. And, if you’ve space for dessert try saffranspannkaka, a saffron pancake layered with red berries and a generous serving of cream.

Food coma, here you come. In the off season, there are fewer restaurants and cafés open, but the ones that are, welcome you warmly. While lunch can be had in bright sunshine (weather Gods permitting) it does get rather chilly in the evenings. We chanced upon a little restaurant just off the main square for dinner when we were there, which served an excellent lamb burger, along with a cosy atmosphere and the company of friendly owners. In Visby itself, there is plenty of time and space to look around. For the past two decades, the city has been a Unesco World Heritage site, thanks to the wall around the old city and buildings dating back to the 1400s from the Hanseatic period (around 1300-1500), within its confines.



For example, from the centre of town, amble over to look at the St. Mary’s Cathedral (locally called Visby Domkyrka) from the 13th century, the St. Nicolai Ruin and St. Karin Cathedral Ruins (the largest church ruin in Visby).

The centre of the old town is also filled with houses dating back to the 1400s, most prominently Burmeister House, perhaps the prettiest (and one of the oldest) of the lot. Also take some time to walk around the length of the old city walls, since you can look at the old towers, which give you different views of Visby and Gotland itself. For a city that was kicked about between multiple kingdoms and rulers, the local Fornsalen Museum, packed with many heritage finds, is a must see.

However, for those looking to really break away from it all, the countryside urgently beckons. If you’re the type who drives, then head out of the Visby (the island is big enough for the likes of Avis to house a small self-drive business and Indian licenses work) and hit the countryside. Barely 10 minutes or 4 km from Visby is Hogklint, a region of sheer limestone cliffs and caves.



Drive over to enjoy the panoramic views (the island’s harbour and old Visby can be sighted on most days) and clamber down a wooden ladder to look around the area. Visually, even more stunning is Nar Gyr, a pebbled beach with rolling meadows adjoining and a quite splendid lighthouse for company. Located in the south east of the island, this is a couple of hours drive away, but with little traffic — motorised or human — you can enjoy the views along the way. Food can be a bit of a challenge on the way (we chanced on the tail end of a lunch service at a small hotel), so it helps to carry food when you’re on the road.

Unwinding at its Best



Going from Mumbai, a city plagued by unending jams and cacophonous traffic, Gotland’s traffic-less and noiseless roads are a welcome change. While there are a few vehicles in the newer part of town, for most part we had the roads to ourselves. For the more adventurous, try to drive further out of town and go to Lärbro, nearly 40 km to the north east, which has one of the island’s most interesting churches — an octagonal shaped one.

This is one of just two in Scadinavia (the other in Trondheim in Norway) and St Olav is thought to have bought Christianity to Gotland. Even further ahead (60 km from Visby) is Fårösund, starkly different from the rest of Gotland. While it takes barely seven minutes to cross the strait to reach Fårösund, the landscape is more barren and stark. The seastacks at Langhammers are unique and worth the longish drive. And yes, the Hollywood filmmaker, Ingmar Bergman lived on the island and there’s even an eponymous estate there, which is worth a look around for those inclined.

However, in the off season, the best agenda is not having one at all. Part of the challenge of going on holiday is the urge to pack in your time with things to do — even hitting a beach has to be pencilled into an already packed itinerary. In the off season then, Gotland goes against all these compulsions.

While there are a couple of museums, it is also the time to do a lot of nothing. Long walks to look around an ancient city, leisurely drives around a beautiful, if empty countryside to recharge yourself, with the serious goal of less being more. One sunny afternoon in Visby, we sat on the terrace of our hotel, drinking a hot cup of coffee and soaking up Gotland’s easy vibe. With no tourist coach to catch and no monuments to rush to before closing time, this was perhaps the best way to spend our vacation.

(Photos by: Bhavna Satyanarayan)