Visby: 10 Aug 2007 to 12 Aug 2007

Visby on Gotland Island welcomes visitors with an array of red-roofed houses scattered within and outside the old city wall. Ringmuren is perhaps the most famous feature of Visby, a city founded in the 10th century, for the majority of the 3.5 km (2 mi) wall is still intact.

Medieval gates and towers dot the span of it, among them the Powder and Maiden’s Towers. Strolling the ancient streets, you can view the ruins of several of Visby’s formerly 17 churches. Only Domkyrken (Cathedral of St. Mary), with its curious fringe of faces beneath the pulpit, survived intact. Check out the gabled houses on medieval Strandgaten, where you also find Gotlands Fornsal, an extensive historical museum. Before exploring outlying sites such as the rock formation known as “The Old Man of Hoburgen” or the open-air museum at Bunge, walk along Trappgaten above Visby for an excellent city and coastal view.