If you’re staying a bit longer on Åsland or just want a short break from the convention venue, here are some nice things to see and visit. If you want to know more about anything you can head to the tourist information in the centre of town and pick up a brochure or two. The convention info also has some maps of Mariehamn available!
In Mariehamn
Mariehamn is a quaint little town that is really quite lovely just to stroll through. The water is always at most a few steps away and there are plenty of nice places to find. If you like architecture or just nice wooden houses, we recommend walking around the blocks just north of the town square. There are some truly nice houses, nothing more, nothing less. If you want something more than houses, here are some tips.
Ålands museum
Two museums in one! The local cultural history museum is a good way to get a window into the history of the isles. There is also a very nice exhibition about Swedish moped design. This year the art museum has an exhibition by Barbro Eriksson showing small beautiful stitches, both mundane and insightful.
Pommern and the Maritime Museum
Pommern is the last windjammer in the world still able to sail, theoretically. She took part in the grain race, was built in 1908, has four masts and roughly a hundred meters of steel ship. A sight to see. The maritime museum has a lot to offer, including one of the last true pirate flags in the world.
The Museum of Mariehamn
A small museum with exhibitions on the history of Mariehamn. A beautiful scale model of Mariehamn during the bath house era in the early 1900s.
Sjökvarteret
A place filled with artisan crafts and boat builders. One of the more picturesque parts of Mariehamn. You can get a pizza, watch a big wooden boat being built or just shop for some locally made soap. Go there.
Lilla Holmen and Tullarns Äng
A tiny isle with a beach and a lovely meadow to walk through. Some nice nature in the middle of Mariehamn. The meadow has both a labyrinth and a cannon, quite far apart, but still.
Kobba Klintar
An old pilots house in the archipelago just outside Mariehamn. A small barren island in the middle of the sea, breathtaking. There usually are boats going there on a daily basis, check the tourist info for details.
Outside of Mariehamn
From Mariehamn there are many things to see and do, if you have the time for it. The rest of Åland is easiest accessible by car. There are buses going places, but not as often as you’d like,
Eckerö
The western part of Åland, half an hour drive or bus away from Mariehamn. The best way to get to see the open sea while staying on the Åland Mainland. There’s a great hunting and fishing museum in an old fishing village. Also a grand misplaced Russian post and customs building with an artisan crafts museum inside. Great beaches and places to eat. It is a fairly easy day trip even if you’re without a car.
Kastelholm
A castle, though partly a ruin, is still a castle. It has been around from the 1500s, has hosted kings, might have a hidden silver treasure, and is definitely haunted. Everything you’d want out of your castle experience. There’s also a great outdoor museum right beside the castle, with old buildings and probably some sheep.
Bomarsund
A ruin of a Russian fortress from the Crimean War. There’s a nice new visitors centre that gives a good overview of what it looked like, why it was strategically sound to build, and why the French and English had no problem blowing it up. The Notviks tower, a small hike away from the main ruins, is a bit of a hidden gem.
The Archipelago
If you have the time to spare you should go out to the archipelago. Föglö is reachable by bus and Degerby is a lovely village for a day trip. Kökar out in the outer archipelago is breathtaking in its own right, A beautiful landscape filled with smooth cliffs and the sea. Kökar also sports a 500 year old monastery ruin. If you travel to Brändö you can visit their wonderful museum filled with traditional boats, but it’s quite far.
Extras
Depending on time and interests there are a few more noteworthy things you might enjoy. There’s a Camera museum in Finström which probably has Northern Europe’s largest collection of cameras. There’s a lovely hiking trail in Geta, Northern Åland, with a cave and breathtaking view of the north sea, also a great place for bouldering (did you bring a crash pad?). In Lemland you can visit the old captain’s villa, Pellas Skeppargård. In Saltvik you can see Idas cottage and Borgboda. The cottage is decorated in the way the common people used to live, Borgboda is an old hillfort from the iron age. If you’re adventurous you can go out to one of the light houses. Easiest is probably Märket in Eckerö or Sälskär in Hammarland. Lågskärs lighthouse south of Mariehamn might also be possible. If any of these sounds enticing, do go to the tourist information for more info. Or ask a local fan for their favorite spot!