9 Novelties in Åland 2023
New experiences await you in the Åland Islands this year. Stay in a luxurious apartment, enjoy farm living or try archipelago life on a private island. Read about some of the new accommodations and activities in Åland this year. Which of them sounds most exciting to you?
1. Enjoy farm living at Mickels Gård
Would you like to try farm living? Imagine how it would be like to wake up to birds singing or cow’s moo, cuddle with lambs and pick your breakfast eggs directly from the henhouse. This year you can do it at the Mickels Gård farm in the village of Gottby, about 8 km from Mariehamn. The family-owned farm is an ecological farm and this year they put up 5 glamping tents. Every tent has a private terrace and a double bed which can be increased to four beds if you are glamping with family. Bathroom and showers as well as a grill place are shared with other glampers. You can also rent a sauna per hour.
2. New Esplanad Suites in Mariehamn
Do you prefer an accommodation with a high standard and a possibility to be self-sufficient? Now you can book a new town apartment by the leafy Esplanaden street in the centre of Mariehamn. The modern apartments have a well equipped kitchen and a spacious bathroom with a washing machine. The larger apartments have beds for five and the smaller ones for three. Free parking is included in the fee and the apartments suit perfectly, for example, for families travelling by car. Enjoy a stay in the town centre, just a short walk from restaurants, shops, two guest harbours, parks and beaches.
3. Genuine archipelago life in Marina Hamnsundet
Would you like to experience an archipelago lifestyle that still exists in Åland, unlike many other places? Boat houses, wooden boats, fishing as well as old traditions that follow the different seasons are things often associated with a genuine archipelago lifestyle. Now you have the chance to experience all this in Marina Hamnsundet in Northern Åland. Here, you can stay in Erikalund, a pilot’s house from the 1870s, in the Lillstugan cottage or in the simple Glasbergsboden cottage on a private island without running water and electricity. You can also rent a kayak for your own paddling excursions or go on a guided tour in the nearby Boxö nature reserve. In Hamnsundet, time stands still in a charming way. If you long for experiences connected to the sea in a calm scenery, this is the place for you.
4. Apalängen – a new wetland in Mariehamn
The Nabben wetland on the eastern side of Mariehamn was awarded the Nordic Council Environment Prize in 2022 and yet another wetland is welcoming visitors in the north-western side of the town. The Apalängen wetland has an important role as a natural water cleaner and it increases the biodiversity of the area by offering a natural habitat for seabirds, frogs and spawning fish. It’s also an interesting recreational area where you can climb up to a birdwatching tower and walk on a path around the area to get closer to the vegetation and the animals living on the wetland.
5. Experience a luxurious holiday in Havsvidden’s new apartments
The Havsvidden Hotel in Geta offers new apartments with a spectacular seaview on the northern-most Åland. All the apartments have a kitchen and a living room in an open floor plan and one or two bedrooms with their own bathrooms. A sauna with a seaview and a jacuzzi out on the terrace are standard in all apartments and adds to the luxurious feel. There’s also a restaurant, bar, lounge, gym and a pool house with a sauna and a swimming pool in Havsvidden. In the summertime, when the guest harbour is open, there’s a café by the water as well. Here, you can expect beautiful sunsets filled with warm tones accompanied with the calmness of the northern archipelago.
6. The Visitor Centre at Bomarsund fortress ruins
Have you ever visited a real fortress ruin? This year, you can take your visit to one of the most famous Åland sites to a new level. Start your excursion at the new visitor centre which opened last summer. The centre is built in a modern style and tastefully melts into the surrounding environment. Here, you’ll get to know the history of the area in both sound and picture, which make the stories alive. Continue your historical journey through the fortress by the ruins and take in what’s left of the fortress with your own eyes. To get the most of your visit, go hiking along the two nature trails that lead you to interesting spots in the area, eg. the Notvikstornet outpost and old cemeteries.
7. Rödhamn – the guest harbour of the year
When Finnish boaters voted last year for the best guest harbour in Finland among 250 guest harbours, the winner was Rödhamn in the southern Åland archipelago. The popular guest harbour has offered shelter for hundreds of years about 10 NM south of Mariehamn and is a popular stop for boaters sailing between the Finnish mainland and Sweden. Rödhamn is especially known for their friendly service – you can order fresh breakfast buns directly to your boat and get them delivered in a paper bag together with the weather forecast. A new service building was built by the quay a couple of years ago, and later this year, it will be complemented with two saunas; one for men and one for women. Otherwise Rödhamn offers the same great service as before – why change a winning concept?
8. New bistro at the Kastelholm guest harbour
The Kastelholm guest harbour in the sheltered Slottsviken sea bay between the medieval Kastelholm castle and the Ålands Golfklubb golf centre, has a new bistro and a new, enlarged terrace by the quay. They serve lighter meals and fresh, home baked pastries. If you arrive by boat, you can rent a bicycle and explore the beautiful landscape around the castle. It’s also a perfect stop for those who visit Kastelholm by bike or by car – it’s a nice place to have a coffee break or grab something to eat by the water.
9. Travel to Åland with a new ferry
Less than two years have passed since Viking Line’s newest passenger ship Viking Glory began its traffic between Turku in Finland and Stockholm in Sweden. This autumn, the route between Finland, Åland and Sweden will get two new ferries as Finnline’s freight and passenger vessels Finnsirius och Finncanopus will start operating on the route between Nådendal, Långnäs and Kapellskär. The ferries are equipped with modern technology that make them environmentally better adjusted. Green values and sustainability have been in focus in the ferries’ interior design as well – for example, many of the furniture are made from recycled materials and printed menus and price lists have been replaced by digital signs and apps.
Site updated 22.5.2023
