Gotland in 24 hours: Part 3 - Cycle on Fårö Island

14 July 2018

We got off the bus at Fårö jetty and collected our rented bicycles at a small shop behind the wooden restaurant. The wooden restaurant is the second building after the jetty. There is a path next to the row of shops (where the restaurant is). Payment is made once we collected our bicycles. This bicycle shop is by Gotlands Cykeluthyrning and is only open in July (for the one at Faro jetty).

We got on the ferry and was on Fårö Island within 10 minutes. Here is how the ferry looks like - there are 2 ferries that takes turn to go to and fro.

It was my first time cycling in Sweden, and also maneuvering a 3-gear bicycle. To be honest, I am not familiar with all these gear stuff. I don't usually pay attention to it. I am happy enough if the bicycle can function. So, it was a bit stiff when I cycled. Then, I got the hang of it. It was about a 14km-cycle to the nearest sea stacks. See the signboard with the brown background that reads - Raukområde. We cycled on the main road and the cars avoided us carefully. It was also burning hot as we cycled. We stopped a couple of times to check the map. We saw other cyclists using the same route, and I stopped one of them to ask and she affirmed that we were on the right route.

Gotland in 24 hours: Part 2 - Explore Visby

14 July 2018

Upon our arrival at Visby Harbour at 05:45, we walked to Visby town. The town was very quiet. I mean, of course, it was 06:00! Look at all the boats lined up. Then, I wondered, won't any of these boats would like to sail away? How are they getting out? 

The Hanseatic city of Visby is arguably the best-preserved medieval city in Scandinavia and since 1995, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Among the most notable historical remains are the 3.4 km (2.1 mi) long town wall that encircles the town center, and a number of church ruins. The name "Visby" comes from the Old Norse Vis, (genitive singular of Vi) meaning "(pagan) place of sacrifices", and by, meaning "village". In the Gutasagan (mid 14th century) the place is referred to as just Wi meaning "holy place, place of worship". Visby is sometimes called "The City of Roses" or "The City of Ruins". Source from Wikipedia.

This is one of the cheapest accommodations in Visby - a hostel that used to be a prison - Visby Prison! It is located less than 5 minutes walk from the harbour. Low season i.e not in July - SEK300 per person but the price doubles in July to SEK600.

Gotland in 24 hours: Part 1 - Ferry from Nynäshamn to Gotland

It is summer now. 

I did a trip to Norrland with my partner in June 2018 for 9 days and it is in my travel blog. Today, I am going to blog about my 24 hour trip to Gotland. I am very happy that I got to go on this trip because I have been hearing stuff about it, and the only way to get there is by ferry which means that costs money. I have saved up some money from my internship and I was excited when I planned and executed this trip! Plus, it was my first time on a huge ferry!   

14 July 2018

I went with a friend whom I met from a hiking activity in Meetup. I booked the cheapest ferry ticket - SEK95 (for one way) from Destination Gotland. So, in total, it was SEK190. It was affordable. I think it is the most affordable ticket during the summer. But the timing was odd. The ferry departs at 02:30 from Nynäshamn (Nynäs harbour) and arrives at Visby Harbour, Gotland at 05:45. I bought the next morning ferry at 00:50 and will arrive in Nynäshamn at 04:05. Also, the cheapest price means sleeping in a not-so-comfortable place (I was not aware of the sleeping arrangements until I was onboard). Do remember that the ferry schedule changes periodically. I checked the ferry tickets 2 weeks before purchase and it was different from 1 week before purchase. 

Here is Nynäshamn ticketing and waiting area. One can get here by the commuter train. It got crowded when it was almost 02:00. We were not the only ones with the cheap alternatives!