The Hanseatic city of Visby is arguably the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia, and, since 1995, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.
Sweden: Southern Oland
Just off the coast at Kalmar, separated by the Kalmar Strait, is the island of Öland the second largest of Sweden’s islands and its smallest traditional province. It used to be you had to take a ferry to get there but the opening of the 6 ½ kilometre Öland Bridge in 1972 means you can drive there.
Stora Alvaret, a limestone pavement is a long and thin island. It is 137 km (85.1 mi) and at its widest is only 16 km (9.9 mi). Also, things don’t get very high here, with a maximum altitude of 180ft (55m) – this makes it perfect for cycling (if you don’t like hills) and hiking.
The cities and towns are small and far-flung, so there is plenty of scenery to admire. Much of the landscape of Öland is agricultural but it also is home to the Stora Alvaret, a limestone pavement, where the soil layer is very thin and only ground-hugging plants and grasses can survive.
Whilst it was a great place to explore on foot and bike, we had limited time, so we were going to do our visit in the car.
Mörbylånga
Once over the Öland Bridge we turned south and headed for the coastal town of Mörbylånga. It was a beautiful sunny morning and life felt good as we meandered along the country roads passing small villages, tiny copses and fields laden with crops. Does life get any better? It didn’t take us long to reach Mörbylånga, which was very quiet and sleepy. Most of its inhabitants still appeared to be in bed on this Friday morning. We decided to park up and take a stroll around the town. Firstly, we walked down the harbour which is small and neat and from there to the coastal wall. There was not a lot of wind, so the sea was flat, and the tiny ripples barely formed the waves which gently lapped against the rocks that protected the town from the water. We continued along the beach where we encountered three older men repairing a windmill that sat on a grassy area right next to the beach. I was not sure why you would put a windmill here, apart from it would get a good amount of wind coming off the sea. Öland, particularly in its southern reaches, has a lot of windmills. At one time it is estimated that there were 2000 windmills on the island, but only 400 have survived to this day. The vast majority of today’s Öland windmills are stumb mills from the end of the 18th century or the beginning of the 19th century. These windmills are mostly small, which in the case of the one we found on the beach was good as one of the men was able to climb up a ladder to repair. He was busily bashing a block of wood into the windmill’s hub so that it couldn’t rotate, which obviously meant that this was not a working mill and was here mainly for decoration. I suspect this is the case for all the remaining windmills on Öland. We spent another 20 minutes taking a gentle stroll through the streets of Mörbylånga, which has some pretty buildings and gardens, before hopping into the car and carrying on with our road trip.
Stora Alvaret
From Mörbylånga, we drove across the island passing across the Stora Alvaret, we were heading to a rest stop called Möckelmossen, where we going to take a walk on the trails.
Stora Alvaret is an alvar, a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Stora Alvaret is dagger-shaped and is almost 40 kilometres (25 mi) long and about 10 kilometres (6 mi) at the widest north end. The area of this formation exceeds 260 square kilometres (100 sq mi), making it the largest such expanse in Europe. At Möckelmossen there is a limestone lake that holds water all year round, but its size varies greatly during the year.
We parked at the rest stop and took the trail toward the lake. A boardwalk had been built along some of the trail, we presume to protect the delicate ecosystem. There are some very small but rare plants that are only found here. The landscape here looks barren, but its thin soil layer does support a dazzling array of plants. It took us about 15 minutes at a gentle place to reach the lake, which was not full by any means but there was a good amount of water. This is not somewhere that you will find a lot of interesting geological features, but it does have a simple beauty.
Gråborg
There were a lot of things we still wanted to see on Öland, so it was back to the car and upwards and onwards.
Next up was Gråborg, the ruin of an ancient castle and the adjacent ruin of St. Knuts Kapell, a chapel from the 12th century. Both the ruins are free to visit. They are located in a wonderful setting, surrounded by a farm, farmland and woods. The car park is right next to the farm, which has created a little craft shop with some lovely things in it. They also sell ice cream. From the car park, there are trails that disappear off into the countryside. Gråborg and St. Knuts Kapell are only a couple hundred metres from the car park.
The remains of St. Knuts Kapell consist only of the incomplete western gable wall and a few foundations of the side walls.
The chapel was dedicated to the holy Knut, patron of the Danish trade union Knut Guild and its presence is an indication of the importance of the Gråborg as a medieval trading centre.
The chapel was in use for almost 400 years and was probably surrounded by a small cemetery. At some point in the 16th century, the chapel was abandoned, and the Swedish krona recovered the bell in 1560. The old altarpiece, one of the largest in Öland, is now in the church of Algutsrum. It was a wonderful place to take some creative photographs.
Gråborg is the ruin of the largest prehistoric castle on Öland and one of the largest of its kind in Sweden. Unlike other prehistoric castles on Öland, Gråborg is not circular, but rather elliptical. Gråborg was expanded in several stages. It was created around the year 500 CE and had its greatest expansion in the 12th century. It is unknown when Gråborg was finally abandoned. Because local farmers used the inner area of Gråborg for a very long time, the ground consists only of a green meadow. There are no signs of the walls of the buildings that would have existed inside these walls.
It was about lunchtime, so this seemed a perfect place for lunch.
The Linear Villages
One of the things that attracted me to Öland, was the listing of the southern part of the island as a UNESCO World Heritage site, covering its agricultural landscape, sea pastures and the Alvar. Part of the landscape is the island’s linear villages, and a great place to experience one of these is the Himmelsberga Ölands Museum. There are 200 linear villages in Öland. In a linear village, all the farm buildings are situated close to each other along the road.
The Himmelsberga Museum has restored a complete linear village complex. Many of the buildings have been furnished and equipped with period artefacts. As we as family homes the farmyard sheds are full of period farming equipment. It was very interesting to walk around, and lucky for us most of the signage also had translation into English, so we didn’t have to keep reaching for our phones to use Google Translate.
Without a doubt, our favourite building was the windmill. We’d seen quite a number already during our road trip around Öland, but this was larger and better maintained than the majority we’d seen so far.
There was a very nice-looking café and other buildings that had been converted to art studios, but we didn’t have time to check these out as we had a date with a Princess’ birthday celebration.
Solliden’s Castle
Near to the small town of Borgholm in central Öland is a Solliden’s Castle. The castle was built as a summer residence for Sweden’s future Queen Victoria and was completed in 1906. She suffered from poor and was looking for a retreat from the city, and she found the perfect climate for her in Öland.
When Victoria died in 1930, she had bequeathed Solliden to her husband Gustaf V, who had not visited it many times. He decided to open the castle to the public. Gustaf V bequeathed Solliden to Crown Prince Carl Gustaf, the current King of Sweden, who along with his family have adopted Solliden as their private summer paradise and developed the public part of the castle park.
The current heir to the throne is Crown Princess Victoria. Victoria Day is an annual celebration held at Solliden on July 14 to celebrate her birthday. This birthday tradition started in 1979, with Crown Princess Victoria’s 2nd birthday. On this day the Crown Princess and her Family, the King and Queen greet waiting crowds who sing “Happy Birthday to You” to Victoria, followed by cheers led by King Carl XVI Gustaf. This is followed by a walkabout to greet the crowds after which the Royal Family travel the short distance to the ruin of Borgholm Castle where there is a concert given in the Princess’ honour by famous personalities.
Having learned of this on the day we were visiting Öland we simply had to go along and join in. We arrived at Solliden in good time, paid our entry fee and headed down to the castle where the Royal Family would be making their appearance. Hundreds of people had turned out for the celebration, which was lovely to see. We found a great vantage point to watch from and waited patiently along with everyone else. Before the Royal Family appeared a choir of young people sang a couple of songs. Then it was the big moment with the appearance of the Royal Family. The King stepped forward and gave a speech which of course was in Swedish, so we did not have a clue as to what he said and then he led a ‘three cheers’ to Princess Victoria. The crowd then sang the Swedish version of ‘Happy Birthday’ – which is not even the same tune as the one we know and love. After this she came forward said a few words, and the whole Royal Family posed for some photos before walking around and waving to the crowds. The finale was the arrival of a horse-drawn carriage which whisked the Crown Princess, her husband and their children away to Borgholm Castle for the concert. It was all over.
Most of the crowd started to leave. We assumed they had tickets for the concert. It was a lovely evening and Solliden’s ground did not close for another hour, so we decided to go around and have a look at the gardens. The formal gardens close to the castle were stunning. Better than others we had seen at the Royal Palaces in Sweden. Beyond the formal gardens were the parkland gardens. One area was enclosed with trees and inside there were some incredible sculptures. Within the tree line were some ‘musical instruments’ which were a great hit with the children. We headed deeper into the parkland garden, where we found an exhibition of contemporary photographs on large panels, many of which had some disturbing imagery. I wonder how these might be interpreted by children.
Planning your visit to Öland
Travelling to and from Gotland is easy and there are many companies who are ready to make your trip a comfortable and memorable moment. When travelling by ferry you will be taken straight to the heart of Visby, only a a few steps from the impressive World Heritage.
From the airport, it is also not very far. It is even quite possible to walk the 4 kilometres to central Visby.
Most people travel to Gotland by ferry and Destination Gotland operates two mainland ports, Nynashamn south of Stockholm and Oskarshamn in Småland.
The best time to visit Sweden
Sweden, positioned in Northern Europe, reaches from the Baltic Sea in the southeast up to the Arctic Circle in the north. Its geography ranges from coastal plains to highlands and mountainous areas, all contributing to its distinct weather patterns that significantly differ throughout the year. The Köppen climate classification indicates that the majority of Sweden experiences a temperate climate. This indicates varying weather conditions that cycle with the changing seasons.
The south coastal areas, classified as humid continental or oceanic using the -3°C (26.6°F) isotherm, benefit from milder winters and relatively cooler summers in contrast to other regions of the country. Conversely, central Sweden falls under a humid continental climate, leading to warm summers and cold winters. The further north one travels, a subarctic climate is encountered, where long, icy winters and brief, cool to mild summers are the norm. These varying climatic conditions bring a unique diversity to the nation’s weather, making Sweden a land of climatic contrasts.
The best time to visit Sweden
The optimal time to explore Sweden greatly depends on the individual’s interests. The months between June and August present the most clement weather, where average temperatures typically hover from 15°C (59°F) to 25°C (77°F). It is a particularly attractive time for outdoor enthusiasts who may wish to indulge in hiking, camping, or simply absorbing the picturesque Swedish landscapes. Additionally, this period also ushers in the renowned Midnight Sun phenomenon in the northern areas of the country.
The worst time to visit Sweden
The period least recommended for visiting Sweden, particularly for outdoor activities, is the winter season that spans from December to February. The nation undergoes extreme cold during this time, with temperatures frequently dropping below -20°C (-4°F) in the north. The days are short, particularly pronounced in the northern areas, where the Polar Night phenomenon results in a 24-hour darkness.
Where to stay in Gotland
1. Clarion Hotel Wisby
This charming hotel is in Visby’s medieval town centre, 400 metres from the Destination Gotland Ferry Terminal. It features 13th-century vaulted ceilings, an on-site restaurant and free WiFi.
Air conditioning, multi-channel TVs and minibars are in each room at Clarion Hotel Wisby. The rooms offer street, courtyard or sea views. All have bright, traditional décor.
Our restaurant The Social, the perfect bistro and bar, offers a combination of international bistro classics with a modern twist. They say that food is the closest way to our hearts, and we could not agree more. Whether you are looking for a light bite or a hearty meal, we have something for everyone.
Housed in the same building, Selma City Spa Wisby offers sauna and pool facilities as well as various bookable treatments.
2. Hotell Breda Blick
Set in the medieval and historic town of Visby on the island of Gotland, Hotell Breda Blick offers guest rooms and apartments near the Botanical Gardens. WiFi is free in public areas.
All rooms have a TV, fridge and a bathroom with a shower and hairdryer. Some also have a balcony or a private outdoor seating area.
Other facilities at Breda Blick include a garden to relax in and an on-site café during summer.
3. Fridhems Pensionat
Dating to 1861, this site includes a former royal summer residence and overlooks the Baltic Sea. Fridhem is just 6.5 km south of Visby and guests can enjoy landscaped gardens as well as a private beach.
Each room at Fridhem Pensionat comes with its own individual décor. Rooms are located in different buildings and vary in style, some with a balcony and some with sea views. All rooms have free WiFi access and many rooms feature a private bathroom.
Breakfasts are served daily in the main building, with views out over the sea from the breakfast room.
More to Explore
