Year Abroad: A Trip to Gotland

Of the many Swedish islands I’ve visited while on my year abroad, none have quite captured the charm of Gotland, Sweden’s largest island located in the centre of the Baltic Sea. I signed up to this trip with ESN (Erasmus Student Network) and just spent the entire weekend exploring the island’s stunning landscapes and historic sites along with many other exchange students. Here’s how it went…

This fairy-tale-looking place is a national treasure of Gotland, being one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Scandinavia.

Our journey started in Stockholm where ESN students from the Universities of Gothenburg (me), Linköping, and Stockholm all met to begin our adventure. After filling up the 50-seater coach with our luggage and ourselves, we set off towards Nynäshamn to catch the ferry. Pulling into the harbour, we were met with a giant herd of children, all of whom were taking our ferry to Gotland to compete in a gymnastics competition. This meant our three-hour journey to the island was very loud and full of energetic chatter with the occasional gymnastics demonstration in the aisles.

Upon arrival, we were met by Jan, a local tour guide of the town of Visby. This fairy-tale-looking place is a national treasure of Gotland, being one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Scandinavia. During the tour, I was able to capture many pictures of the cobblestone streets, colourful houses, and impressive medieval city walls. The town’s walls were built in the 13^th century and are about 3.4km long – Visby is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you’ll find ruins of medieval churches and beautiful rose gardens. During the summer, the town hosts ‘Medieval Week,’ where you are expected to dress up in period costumes and engage in jousting tournaments, markets, and other events that celebrate the town’s medieval heritage. However, we were lucky enough to experience the town in its peaceful, autumn period, so were very appreciative of the quiet streets and beautiful sunsets. Surrounded by green hills and the Baltic Sea, a tour of Visby was a great start to our trip.

We were all allocated cabins and spent the evening cooking our group meals.

Next up, we drove to our accommodation located right next to the coast. We were all allocated cabins and spent the evening cooking our group meals. My cabin went with a classic pizza-making night where we all introduced ourselves to each other before wandering down to the beach-front and finishing the day with some stargazing.

We were up bright and early the next morning to set off on a daytrip to Fårö, a much smaller island just north of Gotland. The island is separated from Gotland by the narrow Fårö-strait, and connected by two car ferries, one of which we had to cross on our coach. Our first stop was the English Cemetery, a grave in Ryssnäs which contains the remains of 20 British sailors of the Royal Navy – Fårö served as a British navy base during the Crimean War. Our next stop was the medieval Fårö Church, parts of which were built in the 14^th century. Almost the entire nave and tower are medieval, but the church has lost much of its original look through subsequent reconstructions. In the church cemetery, we were pointed in the direction of the grave of film-maker Ingmar Bergman who lived and died on Fårö with several of his films being filmed on the island. Next up, we hiked 5km along the island’s northeastern beach with our end destination being Fårö lighthouse, a 30-metre-high building built between 1846 and 1847. Our final stop of the trip was the Blå Lagunen (the Blue Lagoon), where the bravest of our group decided to have a brief swim. The coach ride back to the cabins was completely silent, with everyone fast asleep, exhausted from the day’s adventures.

It truly felt like we had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere, almost like the middle of an apocalypse.

It was yet again a very early start the next morning for our final day of the trip. We started the day with a peaceful walk along Ekstakusten, located on the Western coast of Gotland, one of the island’s most scenic coastal stretches. It’s known for its rugged, windswept beauty and offers stunning views of the Baltic Sea and nearby Karlsö Islands (Lilla and Stora Karlsö). With its rocky beaches and sparse vegetation, it truly felt like we had been dropped off in the middle of nowhere, almost like the middle of an apocalypse. Our hour walk along the coastline was accompanied by the sounds of crashing waves, birds, cows and sheep – much more peaceful than the cities we had all come from. The area was also dotted with a few fishing huts and remnants of old coastal villages which added a historical element to our relaxing nature walk. Next up, was Högklint, one of Gotland’s most stunning viewpoints. Perched about 48 meters above sea level, Högklint offers sweeping panoramic views of the Baltic Sea, with the rugged coastline and medieval town of Visby in the distance.

Our day ended where it all began, back in the town of Visby where we were given three hours free time to explore. My group stopped by a cosy café for a break, wandered through the charming shops, snapped photos of the picturesque streets, and finally made our way down to the coast to catch the ferry back. To our delight, we were once again sharing our journey with the kids from the gymnastics competition, all of whom had medals slung round their necks and energy levels ten times higher than when we’d last seen them. Despite the lively chatter and excitement, it felt as though everyone eventually succumbed to sleep after a long weekend of walking and adventuring.

Gotland had shown us its incredible blend of natural beauty and rich history.

From exploring the medieval streets of Visby to hiking along rugged coastlines and visiting historic landmarks, Gotland had shown us its incredible blend of natural beauty and rich history. This trip with ESN was not just about seeing a new place, but about sharing unforgettable experiences with fellow exchange students from all over the world—an adventure that left us all eager for what the rest of our year abroad might hold.