Sweden
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.
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.
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
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
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
15 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Gustavsviks strand18.0°C
- Björkhaga beach17.9°C
- Tofta strand17.9°C
- Vitvikens strand17.9°C
- Sandvik17.8°C
- Lajrsnabb17.8°C
- Kovikencove17.9°C
- Nackvikencove17.9°C
7 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
9 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Lake Bästeträsk6 m deep6.6km²
- Tingstäde träsk2 m deep4.6km²
- Fardume lake1.9km²
- Hau träsk0.86km²
- Mjölhatteträsk0.62km²
- Nyrajsu0.32km²
- Paviken0.17km²
- 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.
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Night low (°C) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| Sea (°C) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 5 |
| Rain (mm) | 53 | 42 | 37 | 30 | 35 | 48 | 63 | 67 | 53 | 67 | 72 | 63 |
| Wet days | 14 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
| Sun h/day | 0.2 | 1.5 | 4.7 | 8.1 | 10.1 | 10.7 | 9.7 | 8.0 | 5.8 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Estonia
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1027830) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, 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.
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mountains
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waterfalls
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Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit