Visby, Gotland, Sweden

The island of Gotland is an unhurried, quiet counterpoint to modern Sweden, home to prehistoric mysteries, Viking treasures and a rich medieval heritage as well as outdoors activities. Visby is the lone town, surrounded by 13^th-century defenses of walls, towers and moats, all easy to explore by foot. Warehouses, guild houses, and merchant homes reflect Visby’s heyday as the center of Hanseatic trade. Flower-bedecked cottages, quaint shops and charming cafes, along with some rose-covered ruins, add to ambience. Outside Visby, Gotland has a timeless quality, from its long coastline of tranquil beaches, windswept cliffs and fishing villages to its rural interior of sleepy hamlets, fields and meadows. History buffs can delve into the past among the Bronze Age artefacts, Viking silver, picture stones, and other archaeological finds at the Gotland Museum or at the island’s intriguing pre-historic burial sites.