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Sweden SwedenIsland

Gotland

2,993 km² of land in the Baltic Sea.

When to go

Gotland seen from space, cut out from the sea (Sentinel-2)
VisbyHemseKlintehamn
N 10 km

Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.

In numbers

2,993km²

Area

628km

Coastline

82m

Highest point

Lojsta heath

60,124

People

18°C

Warmest sea

August

78km

To the mainland

When to go to Gotland

Best to visit from July to August.

The sea is warmest in August (18 °C) and coolest in March (3 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.

Sea temperature (the water level) Air: night low to afternoon high Wet days Best months

Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.

Island and historical province in Sweden

Gotland is an island in Sweden. It covers 2,993 km², with 628 km of coastline. Its highest point, Lojsta heath, rises to 82 m. About 60,124 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 78 km away.

Read more on Wikipedia

Getting there

  • Visby Airport (VBY)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at VBY airport (Visby)Discover Cars · Affiliate link
  • FerriesNynäshamn - Visby - Nynäshamn, Oskarshamn - Visby - Oskarshamn, Fårösundsleden, Gotska Sandön
  • 78 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
  • From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)

Plan the trip

Ferries, stays and things to do

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

On the island

What you find on Gotland.

  • 48beachesGustav Setu Pebble Bridge, Kappelshamns sandstrand, Tofta Strand and 45 more
  • 22viewpointsSlottet, Häftingsklint, Linnés utsikten and 19 more
  • 4lighthousesFaluddens fyr, Hoburg fyr and 2 more
  • 7ferry terminalsVisby - Nynäshamn, Fårösundsleden, Cruise ship quay Visby and 4 more
  • 21marinasSlottshamnen, Fiskehamnen, Fårösunds Lanthamn and 18 more
  • 3named peaksKlintskog, Nackhajden, Grogarnsberget
  • 3waterfalls
  • 6castles and fortsTingstäde fästning, Skans 2, Skans 3 and 3 more
  • 126ruins and archaeological sitesGalgberget, Änges Bildstenar, Gålrum Gravfält and 123 more
  • 4waymarked walking routesMotionsspår 5km, Torsburgenleden, Pilgrimsled Roma kloster-Dalhem and 1 more
  • 32campsitesRonehamns camping, Herte camping, Åminne Camping and 29 more
  • 86hotels, guesthouses and apartments
  • 191restaurants, cafés and bars

Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.

Cross-checked with our atlases

Gotland in our other atlases

Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Gotland, each with its own numbers.

  • 15beaches and covesCoastya
  • 1mountainPeakyas
  • 9lakesLakeyas
  • Largest lake

    6.6km²

    Lake Bästeträsk

    6 m deep · according to Lakeyas

  • Warmest lake

    23.3°C

    Inre Stockviken

    surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas

  • Beach with the warmest sea

    18.0°C

    Gustavsviks strand

    sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya

15 beaches

on Coastya, the beach atlas

  1. Gustavsviks strand18.0°C
  2. Björkhaga beach17.9°C
  3. Tofta strand17.9°C
  4. Vitvikens strand17.9°C
  5. Sandvik17.8°C
  6. Lajrsnabb17.8°C
  7. Kovikencove17.9°C
  8. Nackvikencove17.9°C

7 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗

1 mountains

on Peakyas, the mountain atlas

  1. Vårdkashöjden

Open Peakyas ↗

9 lakes

on Lakeyas, the lake atlas

  1. Lake Bästeträsk6 m deep6.6km²
  2. Tingstäde träsk2 m deep4.6km²
  3. Fardume lake1.9km²
  4. Hau träsk0.86km²
  5. Mjölhatteträsk0.62km²
  6. Nyrajsu0.32km²
  7. Paviken0.17km²
  8. Inre Stockviken0.10km²

1 more on LakeyasLakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗

The shape of the land.

On average the island stands 29 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.

  • 86 %0–50 m
  • 14 %50–200 m

Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).

Size, for real

Next to islands you may know.

Gotland2,993 km²
Mallorca3,685 km²
Long Island3,529 km²

50 km

All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).

Towns on the island

  • Visby23,402 people
  • Vibble1,709 people
  • Hemse1,668 people
  • Klintehamn1,490 people

Month by month

The weather on the island.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Afternoon high (°C)223712162020161174
Night low (°C)0003712161613852
Sea (°C)43347121718151185
Rain (mm)534237303548636753677263
Wet days1411108810101312141615
Sun h/day0.21.54.78.110.110.79.78.05.82.50.40.0
Wind (km/h)222017141314141518202022

Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.

Recent years

Warmer and cooler years at sea.

Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2020+1.1+1.7+2.7+2.3+0.7+1.3−0.1+0.7+0.9+1.8+2.0+2.1
2021+2.1+1.1+1.0+0.8+0.6+3.7+3.9−0.1+0.1+0.2+0.7+0.5
2022+0.5+0.8+1.3+1.1+0.6+1.5+1.3+1.6+1.0+1.5+1.8+1.1
2023+1.0+0.3+0.9+0.3+1.1+2.0±0.0−1.1+1.5+0.1+0.4−0.3
2024−0.5−0.2+0.3−0.1+0.8+1.1+0.1+0.3+2.0+1.4+0.6+0.4
2025+0.6+0.7+0.9+1.4±0.0−0.9+0.5−0.7+1.5+1.7+2.4+1.8

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

Photos

Seen by visitors.

Norsta Aurar at Fårö, Gotland in August 2014
Deeped Niclas & Amanda Strandh from Borlänge, Sweden · CC BY 2.0
Helgumannen (2) hq
Schorle · CC BY-SA 3.0
Coral-gotland hg
Hannes Grobe/AWI · CC BY 4.0
Bunker from WWII, nearby Brucebo, Gotland, Sweden
Arkland · CC BY-SA 3.0

About these numbers

Names, area, populationWikidata (Q1027830) · CC0
Outline© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
Sea temperatureNOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020
ClimateNASA POWER · 1991–2020
Relief, 3D modelCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
TownsGeoNames · CC BY 4.0
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfallsCoastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit