By Pia Knoester

We might get ahead of ourselves but now that January is in the bag we need some inspiration to get us going, next to the energising cold plunges.

We were going through our archives the other day and decided to create a small recap of a road trip we took to Gotland in the summer of 2023. On Gotland everything is pretty, even the cows.

Gotland is an island off the west coast of Sweden. We travelled to Gotland by car from Helsinki, Finland, via Stockholm, Sweden. There is an international airport on the island, however, we strongly recommend involving a car one way or the other as you will not be able to appreciate the variety Gotland has to offer otherwise. At the time my daughters were 13 and 10. We also brought our dachshund Helga along.

I am a hotelloholic and often travel to the hotel rather than the destination. Since Gotland had long been on my list of places I wanted to visit I had earmarked two hotels that were a must, Fabriken Furillen and Surflogiet, both places I would love to visit again. At the time I did not know you could stay at Bungenäs, but we visited and the food was great and the small hotel looked lovely.

Fabriken Furillen is located on the north-western side of Gotland, surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful rocky beaches. As the name suggests, Fabriken Furillen is located on the grounds of an old limestone quarry. It is characterised by a very raw and cold minimalism, but I guarantee you that the staff is warm and friendly. You will love Furillen if you seek a place to wind down by being close to nature. Eating at the hotel is the best option as there are not many restaurants around. We drove to Rute Stenugnsbageri two days as the atmosphere is nice and the food was good, they make great sandwiches for brekfast and lunch and their pizza is out of this world.

Also visit Fårö and Bungenäs when you are on this part of the island. On Fårö you can find beautiful stone formations called ‘rauks’ and you can visit Ingmar Bergman’s museum. Rauks are are formations of stones that were left behind when the glaciers of the last ice age retreated. We had a hard time finding Bungenäs Kalklada and had to walk quite a walk through a forest before we finally made it, the area surrounding Bungenäs Kalklada is free of cars and you make your way around by bike. We had dinner at Bungenäs but they also have a small hotel with 6 bedrooms, if you are not travelling with kids, I would definitely opt to stay there for a night or two.

Our second destination was Surflogiet. Surflogiet is located on the south-eastern side of Gotland, surrounded by white sandy beaches and waves perfect for surfing. For someone that loves glamping, minimalistic design and the idea of surfing, Surflogiet is a dream come true. Inside the spacious tents there was room for a large Hästens bed and space to comfortably move around. Breakfast was delivered in a basket outside the tent every morning, upon check-in you select what you want to eat. The toilets and showers are shared, hence if you want to have your own, this is not the place for you. The restaurant serves beach food and you order through an app that you need to download on your phone. We were a bit unlucky with the weather and during our stay we had both strong winds and some rain, nevertheless I have a strong desire to one day return, perhaps with a group of friends.

A third hotel on my list, Djupvik Hotel, was unfortunately fully booked. Djupvik Hotel would have been ideal for us travelling with kids as they have a pool and a restaurant that probably caters more to families than Fabriken Furillen or Surflogiet.

Visby is the capital of Gotland. It is a small walkable town with medieval architecture. During peak season in June, July and August it gets quite busy, so we opted to only spend one afternoon there.

Gotland is also known for its many second hand stores and you can find treasures if you are in to thrifting and have space in your vehicle.

INSTAGRAM

1. @fabrikenfurillen

2. @surflogiet_gotland

3. @bungenasmatsalboende

4. @rutestenugnsbageri

5. @djupvikhotel

6. @destgotland

How to get there? We took the ferry from Nynäsham in Sweden to Visby. There is an international airport on the island. Either way we highly recommend coming by car or renting one, otherwise you will not experience the island at its full potential.

Pack beach towels, chairs and umbrellas as you will want to enjoy the many beaches found on Gotland. If you have one, also bring KAFTAN(EN) as it really is super practical for summer road trips.

Helgabad Gotland guide

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