Visby, Gotland

A short flight from Stockholm or 2-3 hour ferry ride will take you to the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.

Officially a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, the medieval town of Visby, on the southeastern island of Gotland, is a well-preserved example of a European Hanseatic League trading route from the 12th to the 14th century.

You'll see a great deal of history here, from well-preserved fortresses, defense walls, wooden houses, and medieval church ruins to the Gotland Historical Museum—housing artifacts like engraved steles, axes, daggers, sickles, swords and spears, stones, skeletons, Viking silver, and more, all from the Stone Age, Middle, Bronze, Viking, and Medieval Ages

Today, Visby and the island of Gotland remain a top tourist destination for Swedes.