Exploring Gotland’s medieval town and history

Approaching Gotland, Sweden’s largest island in the Baltic Sea, by cruise ship, nothing looks promising.

As the Azamara Voyage glides towards the island over the silvery waters in the early morning hours, the low-lying view is clear. The place I thought was a castle on the cape turns into a huge concrete silo as we approach.

So where is Visby, a UNESCO World Heritage site with a dozen churches, 22 towers and fully intact medieval walls? Unlike many old cities, it does not stand on a hill. Ravensburger does not welcome jigsaw puzzles. It’s not on the South Korean tour group schedule either.

Gotland is a popular holiday destination for Swedes, but mostly in July and August. And since Gotland is in Sweden, that’s okay. Holidaying Swedes mingle with local Swedes in a yellow blur that looks fitting for a place settled by Vikings.

After all, it’s June. Roses are blooming, but holidaymakers are not. Azamara’s shuttle dropped me off at the east gate of the old city. An armored busker speeds by on a sad-looking horse, but he doesn’t seem to have many listeners.

One of my favorite things about cruising is that it takes me to places I wouldn’t otherwise be able to visit. On my way to Visby I won the jackpot. Or at least whatever you might call a jackpot if it creates a day of quiet pleasures and not excited screams.

Visby has everything you’d expect from a tidy Middle Ages. There are no manure heaps or plague-ridden villagers, just charming church ruins, Hansel and Gretel huts, and towers with conical hats and waving flags.

The natives of Visby were once Viking warriors, then Hanseatic League traders who dominated maritime trade in the North and Baltic seas between the late 12th and 17th centuries. They are now artists in small studios or waiters serving cream cakes. Have the mighty fallen? If there is, I don’t mind.

Small town Sweden is among the most civilized places in the world. Locals may paint their shutters blue and eat saffron pancakes for afternoon tea, but they still have a Viking side: Who else could jump off the shore into the cold Baltic waters?

Do they still have their Hanseatic instincts? Maybe not. This is an old town almost devoid of tourist tattoos, not hung with Harry Potter scarves or “I Love Visby” T-shirts. Gotland, I was told, has a name for sheepskin rugs and wool blankets.

Everything is free at Visby. For example, the beautiful botanical garden full of dense lilac flowers, exotic trees and changeable butterflies. The cathedral with stone angels peering from under the pulpit.

You won’t see this in the old cities of Italy or Croatia, or anywhere else on the continent below an imaginary line separating European gray from sunny blue. To enjoy your old cities for free and away from the crowds, you need to head north these days.

Yes, Visby is a little chilly even though it’s early summer. A jacket fixes that. What fixes the madness of Dubrovnik or Amalfi?

I don’t mind being disturbed by crowds as I wander through cobblestone streets and Gothic churches. I don’t have to queue to get into the Gotland Museum, filled with silver Viking treasures and wood carvings.

People go about their daily business in Visby: mothers pushing strollers on the beach, workers using laptops in cafes, shoppers at the supermarket. This town hasn’t been taken over by ice cream vendors and touts yet.

We are the only cruise ship in town and it is a small ship. The Azamara Voyage carries just under 700 passengers: modest like Visby, but with many nice rewards. A few more unexpected ports of call will pop up on this Baltic cruise to highlight a region still beyond public horizons.

For now, back on the ship, I fork out Lithuanian beef rolls stuffed with mushrooms and pickles at the Windows Cafe, satisfied with today’s old town exploration.

DETAIL

TO WANDER
Azamara’s 11-night “Baltic Intensive” cruise between Copenhagen and Stockholm visits Visby as well as Ronne, Gdansk, Klaipeda, Riga, Tallinn and Helsinki. It departs on August 6, 2027 and starts at $6,577 per twin share per person. Visby is also featured in July 2026 and many other itineraries from June to August 2027. azamara.com