Grand Explorer Blog: 07 September

This morning our ship docked in Visby, Sweden.

Gotland's capital, Visby, is a delightful hilly town of about 22,000 people. Medieval houses, ruined fortifications, churches, and cottage-lined cobbled lanes make Visby look like it's from a fairy tale. Thanks to a very gentle climate, the roses that grow along many of the town's facades bloom even in November.

In its heyday Visby was protected by a wall, of which 3 km (2 mi) survive today, along with 44 towers and numerous gateways. It is considered the best-preserved medieval city wall in Europe after that of Carcassonne, in southern France.

The first thing that catches the eye when arriving at Port of Visby, is the impressive cathedral and all the rooftops of the stone buildings in the town, surrounded by the mighty medieval town wall with its towers.

Centrally placed, Visby was for a long time the natural meeting point for sailors and merchants from all over the Baltic region. Still today, you can enjoy the majestic merchants houses from 17th and 18th century along with almost 200 stone buildings – some of them dating back from the 12th century. Still, the town is not a museum. More than 2,000 people inhabit the old town that offers a great variety of shops, cafés and restaurants. Here you can enjoy a promenade among picturesque ruins and charming rose gardens in some of the most idyllic streets imaginable.

Visby, The Hanseatic Town with its Town wall

The town has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1995. The 3.4 km long, well preserved stonewall is surrounding the old town with almost 200 stone buildings that have survived since the 12th and 13th centuries. There are also many church ruins in the town, as well as majestic merchants' houses from the 17th and 18th century. Still, the town is not a museum, because 2,000 people live inside the Town Wall, and there are also many shops, restaurants and offices.

Since this is a small town I decided to visit on my own.