We will be on a Scandinavia and Baltics cruise this summer. One of our ports of call is Visby and, while I've heard/read that it's beautiful, I'm not really sure what to do there or the best way to visit it in just one day. We are active 50 somethings going with our 22 yo daughter (this is her grad trip from University). To give some context, we are biking in a few ports, kayaking in a port, visiting a few museums, eating lots of local foods, general wandering to see what we stumble upon. And we are planning our own activities in each port--no ship excursions. We have considered renting bikes in Visby. What I'd really like to know, what are the top things to see, do, eat in Visby if you only have one day? Thank you for any suggestions you may have!
Posted by
Puyallup, WA
143 posts
We visited Visby on a cruise about 10 years ago. We will be there again this year on July 12th. We took a ship tour which walked us around a lot of picturesque ruins of middle age churches. The town is small and quite walkable. I remember it was very hilly so I don't know about biking. We went to the museum on our own and found it fascinating. Lots of Viking relics. This trip we plan to hike up to the wall and also the gardens. We may visit the museum again. You might find some more current info on cruisecritic.com or whatsinport.com.
Posted by
Gothenburg, Scandinavia
220 posts
You won't regret having had a day in the capital of the otherworldly and magical island province of Gotland. Here is what to do; Walk all over town for at least an hour, taking care to pass by any ruined cathedral. Walk outside of the medieval encircling town wall until you have encircled the town. Have ice cream/Gelato. Try several pastries. Go to a museum and a beach. Eat at a restaurant. Wait, you won't have time to do all this as it is just for one day. A perfect day.
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7760 posts
Visby is in many ways an amazing town. It is a world heritage site, and it's not hard to understand why. I do not recommend renting bikes in Visby, the town is pretty hilly. And if you arrive on a cruise is going to be full of cruise passengers so a bike will be of limited use. In general, just walking around and seeing the town is a pretty good idea. And you should not miss the local museum, it's a great way to get to know a bit more about the island's very interesting history. https://www.gotlandsmuseum.se And make sure you visit the wall. A bit of a hidden gem is the botanical garden in the north, within the wall.
If you want to try a local speciality, saffranspannkaka can be found in many local restaurants and cafés. And make sure you stop by Glassmagasinet in the port for some ice cream, with 356 different flavours you won't be able to try them all, but they have some really great ones.
There is a beach in town, but going swimming is not the best way to spend time in Visby.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA & Bordeaux, France
530 posts
This is exactly the information I need. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts! No bikes, definitely ice cream, a bit of history in the museum, botanical garden and wandering about town. Tack!
Posted by
90 posts
We have been there for a couple of days in 2022. The town itself is so compact you do not need anything but walk. Important question: How long is your stop going to be?
If you want to go out of the city, bikes do actually work quite well - cycle along the Baltic coast, and you are good. I am not an enthusiastic cycler, and even I managed to do it.
There is a nice restaurant that serves quite authentic medieval food. Beyond that, the local specialty is „saffranspannkokur“ - literally saffron pancakes, but actually a kind of rice pudding with saffron. I like saffron, so I also had saffron ice cream at a local cafe in the center - again something more unusual. Apparently, saffron is in Sweden a bit like cinnamon is in the US :)
Edit - my bad, you were already. I still leave it as an information for future travelers…