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

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

Guide contents:

• How to get to Gotland by car
• When is the best time to go to Gotland with a roof tent?
• Roof tent campers' Gotland map
• Rules and laws to follow when roof tent camping on Gotland
• Best free camping spots for roof tents
• Must-visit places on Gotland
• Our favorite restaurants on Gotland
• Rent a roof tent for your Gotland trip
• Final tips

How to get to Gotland by car

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

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

If you are four people, the price for the ferry round trip ends up around 3,000-6,000 SEK depending on when you travel.

If you want to save money; make sure to book in advance, take the night ferries, or travel during the low season.

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

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

We chose to go in early June. This is because we prefer to avoid vacationing when everyone else does; it is nice when there are fewer people around and easier to find places where you are completely alone.

The downside 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 did not matter since we prefer to cook dinner at the camp anyway.

Camping Rules on Gotland

You will not be alone on Gotland if you travel during the holiday weeks. It is full of tourists and motorhomes.

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

The downside is crowding, water shortages, and increased littering.

As always when you are out roof tent camping, it is very important to respect local rules and to clean up after yourselves (and preferably others who have been at the site before and left things behind).

When roof tent camping on Gotland, you should be aware of this:

Off-road driving law

You are not allowed to drive your car off-road. Do not drive onto beaches or other natural areas; instead, park and roof tent camp at one of the many parking bays available. Here you can read more.

Nature reserves and protected areas

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

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

Do not litter

Leave no trash behind and primarily use marked toilets and trash bins. If you must go number two in nature – bring a shovel and dig a hole.

Fires

Be careful with fires and follow local instructions. A tip is to download the Brandrisk Ute app from MSB to get current regulations.

Best free camping spots for roof tents

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

Gotland is incredibly grateful as there are many small roads that run right along the coast. Their condition varies and some are very bumpy. Here are some of the places we have camped at.

Kovik

A large parking lot near some old fishing huts. There are outdoor toilets and you pay a symbolic amount to the association that maintains it. Nice walk out to a point where we were treated to a close cow encounter.

The Stone Coast

The Stone Coast is located on northern Gotland near Lärbo. A really bumpy road there; perfect because it prevents regular motorhomes from getting through!

For us who had two pickups it was no problem, just fun to drive. We saw a few with frightened faces making their way in regular cars. It is obviously possible, but take it extremely slow in that case :).

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

Smöjen limestone quarry

A bit less crowded than the nearby Blue Lagoon. There are spots 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 edge and camp. Magical! The gravel road there was also an experience, dry walls and white limestone dust swirling created mighty dust clouds.

East coast at Åminne

Another nice tiny road that runs right along the beach with several small parking bays suitable for roof tents. We didn’t stay there ourselves but went there because it is beautiful and to drive on small roads.

Furilden

Here we would have liked to stay down by the old closed industry but it was 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 parked next to the parking lot of the Furilden nature reserve where we found shelter. Plus also for outdoor toilets!

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

Hoburgen

Near Hoburgen on Gotland’s southern tip we roof tented a previous year when we were on Gotland. There we found a parking bay next to a pasture and were treated to a magnificent sunset and woken up by local sheep in the morning.

Must-visits on Gotland

Besides enjoying camping life, there are many sights and activities on Gotland that you should not miss:

Visby

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

Walking around the alleys and peeking into the many small town gardens feels a bit like being in a fairy tale.

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

If you like ice cream and/or have children on the trip, don’t miss Glassmagasinet with like a billion different flavors to choose from.

Fårö

Explore the unique nature on Fårö, walk among rauks at Digerhuvud, eat fantastic crepes at Creperie Tati by Kuten’s gas station, park the car and walk through the forest to the vast sandy beach Norsta Auren. The ferry over is free. If you are there during high season - expect queues.

Lummelundagrottan

Large limestone cave just north of Visby. Guided tours.

Limestone quarries

Blue Lagoon is an old limestone quarry that is now a beautiful swimming spot with crystal clear water, located in northern Gotland. However, we prefer Smöjen better as it is less crowded and you can find roof tent spots there.

Hoburgsgubben and other rauk areas

Hoburgsgubben is an iconic rauk on southern Gotland that offers fantastic views over the sea.

Another favorite for rauk spotting is Digerhuvud on Fårö.

Our favorite restaurants on Gotland

When we made our trip in early June, as mentioned, many places were closed. But several in our group have been to Gotland many times before, so here is a list of our favorite spots.

Gothem Cantina

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

Bad Wolf BBQ

In Visby, Vanessa's husband Erik 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 bones. Finger’lickin’ good, simply.

Surfers

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

Restaurant Rot, Furilden

A fine dining style restaurant with very well-prepared food. Restaurant Rot is a little gem where you really feel the closeness to nature in every bite. Food is made with care, and everything from vegetables to meat and fish comes from local farmers and fishermen, ensuring you always get something seasonal and fresh. Impressive environment in the middle of a closed limestone industry.

Creperi Tati

The cult classic restaurant Tati at Kutens Bensin on 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. On a farm filled with artworks and surprises, heavenly savory galettes and crepes are served.

It is a restaurant that feels as much like an art installation as a food experience where every little detail contributes to the atmosphere – from the quirky interior choices to the playful menu. Popular, so be there early if you want to avoid queues!

Katthammarvik Smokehouse

Fish and shellfish in smoked form. Wonderfully delicious!

Final tips

Just like you who are reading this right now, we recommend planning your trip in advance. Read up and follow local camping rules!

Keep in mind that campsites can get fully booked quickly during peak season.

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