See The Treasure Hoards of Visby, Sweden

I’m not sure what motivated me to decide to journey to Visby when I was travelling through Scandinavia in 2014. I was going to be heading from Stockholm to Gothenburg and Visby is most certainly not on the way. Not in the slightest. If you look at a map of Sweden you’ll see it’s a city on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, roughly south of Stockholm. But I do like to look at maps and have random places jump out at me, so maybe that’s why.

Before visiting Visby, I think the only thing I knew about the city going in was one bit of history trivia. At some point, I learned that a lot of Viking burial sites had been uncovered near Visby with hoards of treasure recovered. So maybe that’s it. I mean, who doesn’t like treasure? Regardless of why I wanted to go, I hopped on a ferry and spent a quick two-day visit that was over all too soon and made me keen to return to see more of Gotland on a future trip.

Get to know Visby

Regardless of the reason, I made my way to Visby for a couple of nights, staying at this inviting B&B. Visby is the “big city” on the island of Gotland and home to an old town with medieval walls considered to be one of the best medieval sites in Scandinavia. The old town of Visby is actually on the UNESCO heritage list.

While Visby is fairly popular with Swedes in summer, it’s a tad cold in April and as such was reasonably quiet during my stay. Apparently, during August, the town hosts a Medieval Week complete with period costumes and jousting. More than a little disappointed I missed that.

Sightseeing in Visby

Walking the streets of Visby, you’ll soon come to realise the city has a thing for churches. Around every corner, you’ll find a church, many of them in ruins. dating back to the Middle Ages.

Visby had more churches than any other city in Sweden during the medieval period, owing to the various denominations followed by the swathe of international traders that lived there. Eventually, the need for so many churches disappeared and many fell into a state of disrepair.

The Gotlands Museum

A real highlight of my visit was exploring the Gotlands Museum, which takes you through the island’s fascinating and checkered past. The museum will explain how this merchant island switched hands over and over again throughout the centuries, from Swedes to Danes to pirates to knights.

Seriously, Visby was the scene of a battle between pirates and knights in the 14th century. Lest things get boring, the island was also struck with plagues and great fires. All was done by outside forces wanting to control this strategic island when the locals simply wanted to trade.

On display in the museum, you’ll also find plenty of ornately carved Viking rune stones and piles of Viking treasures excavated from the island. I found the museum’s treasury section to be fascinating and was amazed at the size of the treasure piles that they’ve found on this island.

A great example is the Spillings Hoard – the world’s largest Viking silver treasure – on display in the museum. Discovered in 1999, this treasure of silver and bronze found on a small farm was immense. The silver hoard alone weighed 67 kilograms – that’s more than the weight of an average adult female!

Among this weighty find you’ll see coins from across the Western world as far as North Africa and even Afghanistan, all dating back over 1000 years. Even if you’re not a history nerd like me, the incredible nature of this exhibit shouldn’t be lost on you. One of the best museums I’ve ever been to.

Where to eat in Visby

When it comes to dining in Visby, you’re not going to find anything too surprising. Expect to find standard Swedish fare, seafood, pubs and international cuisine. A good place to start looking for restaurants and cafes is around the Stora Torget (Main Square) or on Strandgatten.

One thing that you should actively look to try though is the island’s wonderful dessert dish, Gotland pancakes. This delicious and fluffy dessert is made with saffron and to me looks more like a frittata than a pancake. Either way, good stuff! There’s also a strong local beer culture in Visby, which I’m sure will be welcome news for those who enjoy a drink or two.

Getting to Visby from Stockholm

Regarding getting to Visby, the ferries with Destination Gotland run from the small towns of Nynashamn and Oskarshamn. To get the car ferry from Stockholm, you’ll need to take the train down to Nynashamn.

Thankfully the ferry port in Visby isn’t too far from the old town so it’s within walking distance. There is also an airport in Visby with domestic flights to Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo but the ferry is likely to be the cheaper option, plus you can take your car on the ferry for convenient exploring of wider Gotland.

With a lively history to explore through its museums and ruins and a friendly, positive atmosphere, Visby is sure to leave you feeling glad you ventured out to reach it.

Hope you enjoyed this look at Visby. If have you any other questions let me know in the comments. Have you been to Visby? Please share below.