Visby, Gotland, Sweden

Thanks for all the information. We wil be in Visby on the 3rd of augsut- so we willmiss the festival.

I wonder, if it is easy to rent a car and enjoy the island- it sounds like a lovely island. has anyone done this? We will be in port from 9 am to 6pm.

Thanks for all the information. We wil be in Visby on the 3rd of augsut- so we willmiss the festival.

I wonder, if it is easy to rent a car and enjoy the island- it sounds like a lovely island. has anyone done this? We will be in port from 9 am to 6pm.

You can find a place to rent your car in the harbour. Micke who has it has used car that he rents out. Very cheap if you don't have to have a new car to drive around in.

http://www.mickesbiluthyrning.se/

Gotland is easy to drive around on your own.

Thank you so much! I did not find this myself. I send an email right away. :)

Hi All -

We will be in Visby on a cruise in a few weeks. 2 in our party are avid mountain bicyclists. Is it practical or the terrain compatible for any biking If so, where are bike rentals available? Thanks.

Harry

Hi All -

 

We will be in Visby on a cruise in a few weeks. 2 in our party are avid mountain bicyclists. Is it practical or the terrain compatible for any biking If so, where are bike rentals available? Thanks.

 

Harry

It's possible to rent a Mountain Bike.

http://www.visbyhyrcykel.se/en/testcenter.php

Thank You!

I'll pass on the biking information.

Harry

Camilla, if you're still monitoring this thread, I have some questions. I'm really looking forward to coming to Visby in mid-August on a cruise (9 to 5). I found a pretty good map of Visby (planetware.com) and marked all the ruins, walls, possible places of interest to me, etc. I've made many notes, but now I'm not sure exactly what some of them mean. Here are my questions:

 

Is it true that you can exchange money at the Tourist Information office on Skeppsbron?

You can't exchange money at the Tourist information. And one other thing, you can't pay with Euros there. you can pay with Swedish Krona (SEK) or with card. The Tourist Information has moved to Donners Plats. In to the Donnerska Huset. It's the big yellow house on the square.

I copied the following, and was wondering if you knew anything about it - is it true? Worth doing? "Dalman Tower (Dalmansporten) is defensive tower built around original port of Ring Wall. Via stairs inside tower you can climb up several stories and look at view from tower openings. There is also a small screen display which tells of tower and Ring Wall history. Tower is often locked, but key that goes to Dalman tower and six church ruins and tower can be rented at Gotland Museum for a fee."

This was my tricky question. I've never heard about renting a key so a talked to the Tourist Information and the said YES!! you can do this. Thank you for learning me something about my hometown. I think most of us who lives here have no idea about this. This will be my thing to do this summer.

Wall where you can climb: "Väktargången the city wall is reconstruction of what it was like 700 years ago when ring wall was used as protection. Väktargången opened in May 2009. It is a fantastic vantage point with unobstructed views of Norder Graves, ocean in the west and inner city buildings. Latitude: 57.646715, or 57 ° 38 '48 174 "N Longitude:18.296292, or 18 ° 17 '46.6512 "E"

 

I'm trying to figure out just where this is. It looks to be right at Silverhatten outside the Botanical Gardens, at tower, when the street does its big turn to right. (Looks like it is next tower over from Norderport tower.)

Yes, you are right. Real close to the Botanical Garden in the corner of the wall.

I copied this info: "Visit Trappgatan near Österport If you want to get a good view over Visby. Jungfrutornet (Maiden’s Tower) can be climbed." Is this one of the places mentioned before, or a completely different tower?

http://www.gotland.se/tillganglighetsguiden/filer/kartan.pdf

the map is in swedish but I think you can find out where the viewing points are.

I don't think you can get in to Jungfrutornet. It's between Kärleksporten (Lovegate) and Väktargången. The piece of wall that is running along the sea.

If you wallk through Kärleksporten at the same time as another person you have to kiss her/him ;-)

When I was young (younger) and we walked around the Wall with my schoolclass we run through the gate as quickly as possible. You didn't wan't to go through at the same time with a boy that you didn't like ;-)

Do you think the booklet you mentioned on Gotland is partly in English? I didn't want to order it if it isn't! I really would just like something on Visby (although I'd LOVE to go to Faro - but no time on a cruise!) but perhaps I can pick that up when I get there.

If you are writing about the broschure, it's in swedish. couldn't find anyone in english on the net. But in the Tourist Information they have a great one about Visby in english.

I know the Galgenberg walk is long, with not a whole lot to see at the end unless you have a good imagination for those gallows or whatever they were. However, it still intriques me, so if I end up having much time after photographing all the walls, towers, roses (still in bloom mid-August, or gone?), church ruins and a light lunch (but little shopping - not a shopper) so if I have time, and that's a big if, I might take a walk there. How do you get there, though? That is one thing I wasn't able to determine.

you walk out through the Norderport and follow the street up to the roundabout. Take the road Lummelundsväg and walk about 4-500 m and turn to the left. It's just after you have passed the newly built apartment buildings.

I would not waste time on this. Just stroll around and enjoy our nice little town.

Have an icecream in the habour. There are two big places that sell icecream just beside each other. One is making all their icecream in the store. The other one has I think about 120 different flavors. Some of them are they making themselves.

My english is not the best but I hope you will understand most of it.

Don't hesitate to ask more questions.

Thank you so much; this is fantastic and helps me a lot. One other question: I have seen pictures and references to Klinten. Is that the area along Nygatan, or Nordreklint, or both, on the map from the link you sent (http://www.gotland.se)? I have seen a picture of the tiny fire house that is up there somewhere - do you know where that is?

That is amazing about being able to rent the key to Dalmansporten and stumble around! If you happen to make it there in the next month, could you post back and tell me how it was??? I'm glad I found something you weren't aware of!

I will be careful who I walk through the Love Gate with!

Thanks again for the information, and please let me know when you can where the old, tiny firehouse in Klinten is!

Thank you so much; this is fantastic and helps me a lot. One other question: I have seen pictures and references to Klinten. Is that the area along Nygatan, or Nordreklint, or both, on the map from the link you sent (http://www.gotland.se)? I have seen a picture of the tiny fire house that is up there somewhere - do you know where that is?

 

That is amazing about being able to rent the key to Dalmansporten and stumble around! If you happen to make it there in the next month, could you post back and tell me how it was??? I'm glad I found something you weren't aware of!

 

I will be careful who I walk through the Love Gate with!

 

Thanks again for the information, and please let me know when you can where the old, tiny firehouse in Klinten is!

The old firehouse is on Klinttorget, very close to Österport. When ju walk through Österport just take right and after about 100 meters you will be on Klinttorget. "Klinten" is all the houses between Norra Murgatan, the street closest to the wall from Klinttorget, and the limestone edge. You have Nygatan and Trappgatan included in "Klinten". This is the most expensive part of Visby to by a house.

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=94&artikel=2816775

a picture of the smallest house in Visby, 14 squaremeters. I think the price last time it was sold was about 3 million Swedish Krona (SEK). This would be like 440 000 dollars!!!

This is the most expensive part of Visby to by a house.

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=94&artikel=2816775

a picture of the smallest house in Visby, 14 squaremeters. I think the price last time it was sold was about 3 million Swedish Krona (SEK). This would be like 440 000 dollars!!!

Well, Google Translate translated the current selling price as 1.5 million, which I assume is U.S. dollars. Not bad (if you can actually sell the "house" of course!) for one room plus a kitchen!

I've scanned the broschure "Visby on your own".

If you email me, I can send it to you.

camilla dot leveau at home dot se

I've scanned the broschure "Visby on your own".

 

If you email me, I can send it to you.

 

camilla dot leveau at home dot se

Wow! That is so nice of you! I just emailed you! (At first I type "athome" and then realized it was supposed to be @home.se)

Ruth

Wow! That is so nice of you! I just emailed you! (At first I type "athome" and then realized it was supposed to be @home.se)

Ruth

Thanks again for this. Really enjoyed the brochure. Just wanted to make quite sure, since all maps I see have the TI on Skeppsbron, that the TI is now on Donners Plats, correct?

Thanks again for this. Really enjoyed the brochure. Just wanted to make quite sure, since all maps I see have the TI on Skeppsbron, that the TI is now on Donners Plats, correct?

You are right, TI is on Donners Plats.

The broschur is not updated.

Hi Camlev! Got back from our cruise a few days ago, and wanted to thank you for your information. It was great. I also used the brochure. I absolutely LOVED Visby - and took a ton of pictures. Now, I'm afraid, I can't remember where I took many of them, or what ruined church I photographed, and I like to put all that in the photo site I use (pbase.com/roothy123). You wouldn't happen to know of any web site that has pictures of each of the ruined churches, would you? Also, the two very distinctive buildings that you can see from the park and pond, with ziz-zag shapes - do they have names? I never really stopped to figure out where the old apothecary was - maybe that is one of them?

I loved my early morning trek right straight up to Klinten - and the view of St. Mary's, and also my cruise ship out in the water, were terrific from the lower part of Klinten. I never had time to rent a key and go up into a tower, and never walked on a wall (never saw where that was) but had an absolutely fabulous time while there! I used my netbook with the free wifi in the museum, and drooled over the nice stuff in the stores as I passed, and found Visby's smallest house. I stopped counting rams after about 8 of them, and then later saw a truck carrying 4 of them somewhere! The weather was perfect, and I visited quite a few church ruins. St. Mary's was stunning, although I didn't go inside.

Thanks for your help in making Visby one of my favorite stops!

Hi Camlev! Got back from our cruise a few days ago, and wanted to thank you for your information. It was great. I also used the brochure. I absolutely LOVED Visby - and took a ton of pictures. Now, I'm afraid, I can't remember where I took many of them, or what ruined church I photographed, and I like to put all that in the photo site I use (pbase.com/roothy123). You wouldn't happen to know of any web site that has pictures of each of the ruined churches, would you? Also, the two very distinctive buildings that you can see from the park and pond, with ziz-zag shapes - do they have names? I never really stopped to figure out where the old apothecary was - maybe that is one of them?

 

I'm so happy that you found our little town nice. We how are living here doesn't pay attention to everything you tourist see. We are so used to it.

http://www.slottsguiden.info/slottvisby.asp (in swedish)

http://www.gotlandsmuseum.se/hyra-boka/visby-kyrkoruiner (swedish)

http://www.guteinfo.com/index.asp?avd=1078 (Swedish)

About the zig-zag houses Trappgavelhus in swedish, stepped gable house if you use Google translate:

The one to the left is the old apothecary (http://www.gotland.net/sv/platser/gamla-apoteket) and the other one is called Llljehornska huset (http://www.guteinfo.com/?id=1269)

The old apothecary is the oldest apartment building in Visby.

Hope this solves some of your questions.

Hi. I've finally posted my pictures from my trip, including Visby, and they're located here:

http://www.pbase.com/roothy123 There are 2 separate galleries. Visby is in the middle of each gallery. Let me know if I screwed up a caption! After a while all those churches and gates started to blur, since I was rushing to see everything and didn't have time to take notes!

Old Town Visby is one beautiful place!

Hi. I've finally posted my pictures from my trip, including Visby, and they're located here:

http://www.pbase.com/roothy123 There are 2 separate galleries. Visby is in the middle of each gallery. Let me know if I screwed up a caption! After a while all those churches and gates started to blur, since I was rushing to see everything and didn't have time to take notes!

 

Old Town Visby is one beautiful place!

Nice pictures.

I saw that you have miss understod something. You wrote this: I looked at the many church ruins (this is St. Gertrudes, I think). There are 92 churches on this small island, many in ruins.

This is not right, Gotland has 92 medieval churches still in use. In addition there is a number of medieval chapels and a number of church ruins.

That's why the call Gotland - the island of 100 churches.

Nice pictures.

I saw that you have miss understod something. You wrote this: I looked at the many church ruins (this is St. Gertrudes, I think). There are 92 churches on this small island, many in ruins.

This is not right, Gotland has 92 medieval churches still in use. In addition there is a number of medieval chapels and a number of church ruins.

That's why the call Gotland - the island of 100 churches.

Thank you! I will change the caption!

Camilla,

I hope you are still watching this thread, it has provided wonderful information. I sent you an email hoping you still had your brochure available to share with me.

This town looks like the perfect day for me; walking, shopping, and eating!

Ruth, I'm looking for your Visby photos on your website you provided. Can you tell me which album? Thanks!

Camilla,

 

I hope you are still watching this thread, it has provided wonderful information. I sent you an email hoping you still had your brochure available to share with me.

 

This town looks like the perfect day for me; walking, shopping, and eating!

Ruth, I'm looking for your Visby photos on your website you provided. Can you tell me which album? Thanks!

Here they are:

http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/baltic_treasures__more&page=6

http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/baltic_cruise_&page=5

Here they are:

 

http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/baltic_treasures__more&page=6

http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/baltic_cruise_&page=5

Thanks, Desdichado! Those are the two galleries. I believe each one has multiple pages for Visby. I take a lot of pictures!

Nice pix of Visby. We were there on the 7/22/12 Marina cruise.

While strolling around, we passed a store with a cat sleeping outside. I started talking to it, then realized it was a plush toy. The storekeeper said that cats are very popular on the island. We did buy the toy, and it was one of our favorite ports. We got a Persian kitten last year and named him Visby.

We became acquainted with Ruth on last summer's British Isles and Fjords cruise. She gave us great port advice, a wealth of information.

Harry and Carol

Nice pix of Visby. We were there on the 7/22/12 Marina cruise.

 

While strolling around, we passed a store with a cat sleeping outside. I started talking to it, then realized it was a plush toy. The storekeeper said that cats are very popular on the island. We did buy the toy, and it was one of our favorite ports. We got a Persian kitten last year and named him Visby.

 

We became acquainted with Ruth on last summer's British Isles and Fjords cruise. She gave us great port advice, a wealth of information.

 

Harry and Carol

Hi Harry and Carol! Sorry I didn't see you much after our initial get together on the British Isles/Fjords cruise. I get really obsessed with seeing everything and staying out in each port as long as possible, and then come back exhausted, so I don't mingle much unless it's on a sea day. We are going on another cruise this summer (Iberian Sojourn to ports in Portugal, Spain, and Gibraltar, including Spain's Canary Islands). Once again, I had the travel agent book a G cabin guarantee on Oceania (though it's Insignia this time) and am hoping for an upgrade!

3dogmom, I just looked to see if I still had an emailed or printed version of the brochure you are looking for, but I don't. Sorry. However, if you need a good map, I vaguely remember using one I found by Planetware on the internet.

Sorry, I didn't shop or eat much, so can't give you more info on those things. However, it was certainly easy to find the shops in Visby, and there also was a market near the main church there. (I forget the name now, but you'll find it.)

Ruth

Camilla & Ruth,

Thank you so much for all the Visby information and pics! Cannot wait until I see and experience it for myself.