VISBY, GOTLAND, SWEDEN: STEPPING INTO THE MIDDLE AGES! NOT FINISHED!

Saturday, August 15, 2026
Visby, Gotland, Sweden
70F and sunny

One of the gates

 into Visby

First look inside!

Narrow passageways

Heading down!

Imagine who lived 

or worked here!

I want to take Visby home with me. It is a beautifully preserved medieval town on the Swedish island of Gotland, famous for its stunning 13th-century stone wall, Medieval church, and cobblestone streets.

Visby has a permanent population of approximately 26,000 residents, while the wider island of Gotland has a population around 61,500 people. During the peak summer months, tourism causes this number to explode, drawing over 200,000 weekly visitors to the medieval streets.

This is the place to be for a Medieval Festival!  And, we discovered that Visby Medieval Week was last week, we just missed it. We missed eight days of jousting, knights on horseback, bands, archers, crafts (including medieval calligraphy), jesters, the fairy tale meadow, vendors, and medieval food!

I’m glad we took the shuttle to Visby ($14 RT/pp), because we walked and walked, walked downhill, uphill, and back downhill, then uphill again—no wonder we are walking between 10,000 and 15,000 steps a day! And I thought by now my creaky joints would be back in shape. Oops, birthday next month and I need a reality check as to how old I will be! TK is toughing it out too, with knee replacements, ankle pins, and upper femur pins. We just do it!

All the walking was worth it, because Visby is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Scandinavia and is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.  Among its most notable historical remains are the 2.1 mile long town wall that encircles the town center.  There are a number of church ruins and interesting alleyways. Many of the stone houses are preserved in their original medieval style. Visby and Taillin (Estonia) are the only two North European towns in which the city’s medieval grid plan has been fully preserved into present day. 

These rams are everywhere

very photogenic

Saffranspannkaka here!

We found a bakery with a very good croissant, very strong coffee, and Saffranspannkaka—a traditional Swedish dessert from the island of Gotland. Made of rice pudding, cream, milk, sugar, eggs, almonds, and saffron, it is baked until golden. It is served with whipped cream and dewberry (salmbar) jam. The dish traces back to the Middle Ages and was a symbol of luxury due to the island’s trade connections.

Obviously the French have been here

because that was a very good croissant

will TK's photo of his choice momentarily

TK does not look medieval!

Refreshed with breakfast, we strolled along again.

Nearby was a shop that sold dewberry (salmbar) jam and TK definitely wanted to take that home!

Sights along the way!

In area called Stora Torget

Statue depicts a ruler or someone important 

Info in Swedish. I cannot 

find what these ruins were

Back side of those ruins

I was completely smitten with the church dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria. It was a Franciscan church and monastery, established by the Franciscan order in the mid-13th century and built in the medieval Gothic tradition. Erected at the heart of the town shortly after the market square was laid out, the church became a prominent religious house. It is said that Mary Magdalene’s relics were kept beneath the main altar.

St. Catherine of Alexandria Church, exterior

Interior, looking toward altar

Looking toward altar

Baptismal font,

separate room behind the altar

Looking up

Looking back from the altar

The friary began in 1233, and the church itself was finished around 1250 as a single, long, narrow nave. Construction continued with additions--the presbytery reached completion in 1388 and was consecrated in 1391. In 1402 six vaults of the nave gave way, and the nave was then rebuilt with new columns and vaulting. The surviving medieval presbytery was completed and consecrated in 1412.

The ruins present the outline of a medieval church that evolved from a single nave into a three-aisled hall. Walls of natural stone mark the footprint of a long church oriented toward the sea. There was a spiritual feel to the ruins of this church--people were quiet inside its walls. I could only imagine the skill and artisanship, plus the belief in God, that went into creating such a church in the Middle Ages.

We did not see St. Mary's Cathedral--the only medieval church still in active use today--we just could not find it. 

St. Mary's Cathedral, only medival church

still in use today--next trip!

Before returning to the ship, TK wanted to try authentic Swedish meatballs and shrimp with toast.

Toast Skagen

Shrimp with dill and bechamel 

cheese with exquisite toast

Because of high winds, the ship did not leave the port as scheduled, two hours ago.