Gotland's many small coastal roads, short distances, lovely beaches, sunny weather and picturesque landscapes make the island a really good destination for roof tenters. Here is everything you need to know to plan your adventure to Gotland with a roof top tent.

In this guide, we share tips from our trips to Gotland. The most recent trip, from which all the photos in the guide are from, was in June 2024. The roof tents we have are the Åreskutan 2.0 three-man and the Blåsten S.

Guide content:

• This is how you get to Gotland by car
• When is the best time to go to Gotland with a roof tent?
• Gotland map of roof tents
• Rules and laws to follow when camping on Gotland
• Best free camping sites for roof top tents
• Must-visit places on Gotland
• Our favorite restaurants on Gotland
• Rent a roof tent for your Gotland trip
• Final tip

This is how you get to Gotland by car

There are two places you can cross from the mainland to Gotland from – Nynäshamn and Oskarshamn. The ferry across takes about three hours.

Tickets are booked at Destination Gotland . During the summer, when most people visit Gotland, it is a good idea to book tickets in advance. You pay partly for the car and partly for each passenger in the car.

If there are four of you, the price for the round trip ferry ends at around SEK 3,000-6,000 depending on when you go.

Do you want to get away cheaper; make sure to book well in advance, take the night ferries or go in low season.

Another tip is to subscribe to Destination Gotland's newsletter. Sometimes they have promotions, for example through one of their newsletters we received a discount code of 25% which we used when we went over on our trip in June.

When is the best time to go to Gotland with a roof tent?

We chose to go at the beginning of June. This is because we like to skip vacationing when everyone else is doing it, it's nice when there are fewer people on the move and it's easier to find places where you can be completely to yourself.

The disadvantage of going before or after the high season is that most restaurants (except in Visby) are closed, the same can also apply to various activities.

For us it didn't matter because we still prefer to cook dinner at the camp.

Rules for Camping on Gotland

You won't be alone on Gotland if you go during the holiday weeks. It teems with tourists and campers.

The positive side of this is that tourism contributes to jobs and that there are very good restaurants and fun things to do for visitors.

The downside is congestion, water shortages and increased littering.

As always when you are out and Roof Tents, it is super important to respect local rules and to pick up after yourself (and preferably others who have been on the site before and left behind things).

When you are roof tenting on Gotland, you must keep an eye on this:

The Off-Road Driving Act

You must not drive your car in roadless country. Do not drive out to the beaches or other places in nature, but park and pitch a roof tent at one of the many parking pockets that are available. Here you can read more .

Nature reserves and protected areas

Many parts of Gotland are protected and have specific rules for camping. Always check local regulations before setting up your roof top tent.

At nature reserves there are usually signs, otherwise you can also visit the County Administrative Board's website .

Don't litter

Leave no litter behind and use marked toilets and bins in the first place. Do you have to do number two in nature - bring a spade and dig a hole.

Heating

Be careful when burning and follow local guidelines. One tip is to download the app Brandrisk Ute from MSB to get current regulations.

Best free camping sites for roof top tents

We at Taktältarna love freecamping, driving around on small roads and looking for nice places to set up camp.

Gotland is incredibly grateful as there are many small roads that run right next to the coast. The condition of them varies and some are very pitted. Here are some of the places we camped at.

Kovik

A large car park near some old fishing huts. There is an outhouse here and you pay a symbolic sum to the association that keeps it in order. Nice walk out on a headland where we were treated to a close-cow encounter.

The stone coast

Stenkusten is located in northern Gotland near Lärbo. Quite bumpy road there; perfect because it prevents normal motorhomes from getting there!

For us who had two pickups, it was no problem, just fun to drive. We saw a few who, with horrified faces, made their way in ordinary passenger cars. It obviously works, but take it extremely easy in that case :).

There are several parking pockets that are perfect for roof tents. Wonderful nature with windswept birches, rocky beaches with beautiful flowers and magical sunsets. At the end of the coast is also the extremely picturesque Grostäde fishing village.

Smøjen limestone quarry

A little less crowded than the nearby Blue Lagoon. There are places both facing the sea and inside the limestone quarry itself, which is surrounded by wind turbines. We found a spot where we could drive all the way to the rim and camp. Magically! The gravel road there was also an experience, dry wall and white limestone dust that swirled and produced mighty clouds of dust.

The east coast at Åminne

Another nice little road that runs right next to the beach with several small parking pockets that are good for roof tents. We didn't live there ourselves but went there because it's nice and to drive on small roads.

Furilden

Here we had wanted to stand down by the old decommissioned industry, but it was far too windy. There is also an exclusive hotel and restaurant here.

If the restaurant had been open, we would have easily booked in. Instead, we went away and stood next to the parking lot of the Furilden nature reserve where we found shelter. Plus also for the outdoors!

From there we saw a campervan standing on a high cliff nearby - also looked like a good spot.

Hoburg

In the vicinity of Hoburgen on Gotland's southern tip, we tented on the roof a year ago when we were on Gotland. There we found a parking pocket next to a pasture and were treated to a magnificent sunset and woken up by local sheep in the morning.

Must visit on Gotland

In addition to enjoying camping life, there are many attractions and activities on Gotland that you should not miss:

Visby

Of course, a visit to Gotland must include a day in Visby. The medieval city with its ring wall and historic buildings is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it's not hard to see why.

Strolling around among the alleys and looking into the many small city gardens feels a bit like being in a fairy tale.

Lots of good restaurants (see our favorites further down this page).

If you like ice cream and/or have children with you on the trip, don't miss the Ice Cream Magazine with about a trillion different flavors to choose from.

Fårö

Explore the unique nature of Fårö, wander among the raukas at Digerhuvud, eat fantastic crepes at Creperie Tati at Kutens petrol station, park the car and walk through the forest to the wide sandy beach Norsta Auren. The ferry across is free. If you are there in high season - expect a queue.

Lummelunda Cave

Large limestone cave just north of Visby. Guided tours.

Limestone quarry

The Blue Lagoon is an old limestone quarry that is now a beautiful bathing spot with crystal clear water, located in northern Gotland. However, we like Smöjen better as there are fewer people and it is possible to find roof tent pitches.

Hoburgsgubben and other rauk areas

Hoburgsgubben is an iconic rauk in southern Gotland that offers fantastic views of the sea.

Another favorite for rauk scouting is Digerhuvud on Fårö.

Our favorite restaurants on Gotland

When we made our trip at the beginning of June, as I said, a lot was closed. But several in our group have been to Gotland many times before, so here is a list of our favorite places.

Gotham Cantina

In the middle of nowhere on eastern Gotland, you will find fantastic Californian-Mexican food prepared by Vanessa, who came from California to Gotland in 2015. Here, her own tortillas and nachos are made on corn according to traditional nixtamalization.

Bad Wolf BBQ

In Visby, Vanessa's husband Erik, mentioned above, serves heavenly bbq and Tex-Mex. The meat is smoked at the cantina in Gothem, the bbq sauce is made from scratch and the meat falls off the bone. Simply finger'lickin'good.

Surfers

Restaurang Surfers in Visby is a lively and colorful restaurant that serves Chinese food with influences from the Sichuan province. A unique taste experience with spicy dishes and authentic flavors spread over a variety of small dishes.

Restaurant Rot, Furilden

Restaurant in the fine dining direction with very well prepared food. Restaurant Rot is a little gem where you really feel the closeness to nature in every bite. Food is prepared here with care, and everything from vegetables to meat and fish comes from local farmers and fishermen, which means that you always get something that is in season and fresh. Powerful environment in the middle of a defunct limestone industry.

Creperie Tati

The cult classic restaurant Tati at Kutens Bensin in Fårö is a creative chaos in the best possible sense, a place where 50s kitsch and old car wrecks meet French food culture in the middle of the Gotland countryside. In a courtyard filled with works of art and surprises, heavenly food galettes and crepes are served.

It's a restaurant that feels as much like an art installation as a dining experience where every little detail contributes to the atmosphere – from the quirky decor choices to the playful menu. Popular, so get there early if you want to avoid queuing!

Katthammarvik's smokehouse

Fish and shellfish in smoked form. Wonderfully good!

Final tip

Just as you reading this may be doing right now, we recommend planning your trip in advance. Read up and follow local rules for camping!

Keep in mind that campsites can be fully booked quickly during high season.

During our last trip we had four nights on Gotland and stayed mainly in the northern part. If you want to experience all of Gotland, you need at least a week, we would have liked to stay two!