Gotland Explorer

Like going back in time to the Middle Ages, the UNESCO World Heritage City of Visby attracts attention with its many sights and impressive city wall with towers and gates for the first introduction. The 'city of roses' with its quaint streets lined with fragrant rose bushes is also known as a foodie hotspot and offers a choice of excellent restaurants where the cuisine takes advantage of the wonderful local produce available on the island. Try a delicious lamb dish, fresh fish or the Saffranspannkaka, a typical Gotland saffron pancake with red berries and whipped cream.

Tip! A meal at Tuppens Krog is a unique experience, an 18th-century wooden worker's house in the centre with a historic appearance, serving local specialities prepared with products from Gotland. The extensive menu with wines and locally brewed beer ensures you do not dry out.

Discover all the highlights of Gotland by bike! The 400 million-year-old stalactite cave Lummelunda Grotto can be visited during a guided tour (not included). Shortly afterwards you will cycle through the pine forests of the Jungfruklint Nature Reserve and the 'Jungfrun', the 27-meter-high limestone pillar, awaits you. Legend has it that Gotland's highest stack is named after a tragic love drama in Lickershamn nearly 1,000 years ago.

You reach the northern coast, this area is characterized by limestone so you can find active and abandoned quarries everywhere. From the small and lively town of Kappelshamn, a transfer (approx. 35 km) follows to today's destination, Fårösund.

Until 2000 Fårösund functioned as a military town, but today you will find several marinas and a rich boating life. The open-air museum Bungemuseet shows how the Gotland farmers of the past lived.

By ferry, you sail in about 6 minutes to the island of Fårö, the favourite island of director Ingmar Bergman. Once you cross the strait between the islands, you will notice how the nature of Fårö differs from the Swedish mainland. The sand is finer and the landscape is less vegetated, with high rock piles. In the Fårö Museum, you can learn more about the 4,000-year-old history of Vikings and the Middle Ages.

You cycle to the Langhammars Nature Reserve, where some of the most impressive limestone pillars, Rauken (limestone sea stacks in Swedish) are located. They are more than 10 meters high and dominate the arid landscape around them. There is no place to buy food or drinks, so bring your own in advance. A fantastic dip in the water at the fine powder sand beach of Sudersand should not be missed.

Also visit the Bergman Center, a cultural centre dedicated to the world-famous and legendary Swedish film director and writer Ingmar Bergman, who lived and worked on the island for over 40 years. The centre offers seminars, films, shows and tours such as the "great Bergman safari" and every year on week 26 they host Bergman week.

Tip! Crêperie Tati and Kutens Bensin, at this old gas station, between old vehicles, rusty fridges and oil barrels, you can sit down and enjoy delicious and generous portions of crispy crêpes and savoury galettes (buckwheat pancakes). The motto of Crêperie Tati is "Fuel for the soul".

Back on the "mainland" you cycle to today's final destination, the former trading town of Slite.

Extensive sandy beaches, rock areas and small, picturesque towns characterize eastern Gotland. A short detour takes you to Grynge, one of the most beautiful and best-preserved fishing villages. 20 beach houses from the 18th and 19th centuries are lined up close together.

Llugarn is a lively tourist town with wooden stugas, typical Swedish wooden holiday homes. The beautiful white sandy beaches invite you for a moment of rest and in the evening you can enjoy a delicious meal in one of the many restaurants on the beach.

The south of the island is the most densely vegetated and fertile area, the landscape is varied and beautiful with many blooming flowers. You cycle on quiet country roads between meadows and through forests. You will not come across many places along the way, so if you come across a village, buy something to eat and drink for the road.

Continue cycling to the southern tip of Hoburgen (approx. 45 km), and then you will meet the Hoburgsgubben, one of the most famous sea stacks on Gotland, in the Husrygg nature reserve. When you stand in the marked corner, the stack resembles a man's head, hence the name. In addition, you will be rewarded with a beautiful sea view.

From Burgsvik, the cycle route takes you to the west coast. The small coastal road along the Ekstakusten nature reserve winds past endless pebble beaches to Djupvik, past pine-clad dunes, a windswept pine forest with anemones and orchids and stunning views of the magical offshore Charles Islands. Keep an eye out today, you might spot seals off the coast or the rare blue-grey and spiky coastal plant Martorn.

If you still have time, only half an hour by boat from Klintehamn are these islands with the most significant bird mountain in the Baltic Sea. The rich bird life, the blooming alpine meadows and various exciting caves from the Stone Age visit an unforgettable nature experience.

Start your last cycling day with a refreshing swim in the sea, and perhaps like the people of Gotland, completely naked. You cycle alternately through forests with fragrant coniferous trees, past meadows with beautiful flowers, and the coast where you are accompanied by the sound of the sea and the main road.

Tofta Strand is considered the best sandy beach in West Gotland and was even voted the best beach in the Scandinavian region in 2019! At Toftagården you can treat yourself to one of the best Gotland delicacies. 

Shortly before Visby, a stop in the nature reserve Högklint is worthwhile, with a breathtaking view of the Baltic Sea and Visby, your final destination. It is a beautiful place with small caves and a green plateau from where you cannot find a better place to watch the sunset.

After breakfast, this impressive and varied cycling holiday ends, or start your extension if you have not had enough of this beautiful city and surroundings.