8 Best Sights in Gotland, Side Trips from Stockholm

It takes a five-minute ferry crossing to reach tiny, secluded Fårö from Gotland, to the south. A popular summer retreat for Scandinavians, the island has just 600 year-round residents. Legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman once called this island home; every June, film fanatics head over to celebrate Bergman Week. And in September, the island celebrates Fårönatta—a night when its shops, restaurants, and attractions stay open all night and the church holds a midnight mass. Head to the Digerhuvud area to find some impressive natural "sea stacks," weather rock formations that are known as raukar. They often take on human profiles, fueling local myths and legends. Note that basic services, including police, medical services, and banks, are virtually nonexistent on Fårö itself. If you really want to retreat from the world, Fårö is it.

Visby's cathedral, also known as S:t Maria Kyrka (the Church of St. Mary), is the only one of the town's 13 medieval churches that is still intact and in use. Built between 1190 and 1225 as a place of worship for the town's German parishioners, the church has few of its original fittings because of the extensive and sometimes clumsy restoration work done over the years. That said, the sandstone font and the unusually ugly angels decorating the pulpit are both original features worth a look.

The Länsmuseet på Gotland, Gotland's county museum, contains examples of medieval artwork, prehistoric gravestones and skeletons, and silver hoards from Viking times. Be sure to also check out the ornate "picture stones" from AD 400–600, which depict ships, people, houses, and animals.

This resort with a water park and amusement park brings droves of families in summer; there are over 600 rooms, cabins, apartments, and camping sites. Locations from the Pippi Longstocking TV show, including her house, Villa Villekulla, are here.

The 4 km (2½ mi) of stalactite caves at Lummelunda, about 18 km (11 mi) north of Visby on the coastal road, are unique in this part of the world and well worth a visit.

These two bird sanctuaries are off the coast south of Visby. The bird population consists mainly of guillemots, which look like penguins. Visits to these sanctuaries are permitted only in the company of a recognized guide. Contact each sanctuary for its tour times.

Be a Viking for a day at this 10th-century village re-creation. Kids and adults can try their hands at baking Viking bread, axe throwing, archery, and other activities. There are also performances along with guided tours and lectures.