Gotland, the largest island in the Baltic Sea, sits around 90 kilometers off the south-eastern coast of Sweden, just south of Stockholm. Famous for its mild climate and exotic and varied landscape, the island is one of Sweden's most popular summer holiday destinations. Gotland's history, beauty, unique nature and climate attracts visitors from all over the world.
Gotland's central location in the Baltic has had a great influence on its exciting history. The Hanseatic town of Visby is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995. As a former Viking site, Visby became the main trade hub for the Hanseatic League in the Baltic Sea between the 12th and the 14th century. Its 13th-century city wall, medieval church ruins, warehouses and wealthy merchant homes from the same period make it the best preserved fortified commercial trade town in Northern Europe.
Today Gotland is a modern and vibrant place to live. Island commerce ranges from agriculture, food processing and tourism to IT solutions, design and limestone mining. Gotland has fiber-optic broadband essentially everywhere and will continue with its digitalisation process. In 2017 Gotland was one of the winners of the European Broadband Awards for bringing fiber to the whole island.
Gotland can be accessed quickly by sea or air. Stockholm can be reached by air in 40 minutes and there are flights direct to Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. By ferry, it takes about three hours to travel to Gotland, regardless of which of the two harbours you depart from.
