Practical Info

kedjaweb_bicycles Photo: Katarina Lindholm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Åland in brief

Inhabitants: 27.500
Language: Swedish
Currency: Euro € is the official currency but many service spots also accept Swedish crowns.
Time: Eastern European time GMT+2
Total area: 6 787 km2
A total of more than 6 500 island of which 65 are inhabited.

Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking and around 88% of the inhabitants speak it as their native language.

Tourist Information
There is much to discover in Åland! For a town the size of Mariehamn, the service and supply of restaurants, hotels, bars, museums and shops, is great. With its 1.5 million tourists each year, the town feels more spacious and larger than many other towns of the same size. Sight-seeing include the museum ship Pommern, the medieval Kastelholm castle and the maritime town. If you can spare the time, be sure to experience the unique Ålander art, crafts and designs.

There is a tourist information office in the centre of Mariehamn that will answer all of your sight-seeing questions! You can also ask the biking tourist informers around town.

Zoom in on Mariehamn here!

Opening Hours
Food shops are usually open from Monday to Saturday, but tend to close early on Saturdays. Some food shops are open on Sundays. Museums are usually closed on Mondays.

Banks
Open weekdays from 9.30 am to 4.15 pm.
Cashpoints accepting international credit cards are available in Mariehamn.

Emergency help
If you need an ambulance, the police or the fire brigade, ring 112

Weather
Åland has four distinctly different seasons and in the summer months temperatures are usually around +20C. You will see a lot of people go swimming in the sea in July and August. The winter is cold, but not as cold as it can be in other pars of Scandinavia. The archipelago is warmer and get less snow due to the warming effect of the sea along the long coastline.

Getting Around

Walking
Most places in Mariehamn are at a walking distance from the town centre. It is possible to walk from the western harbour to the eastern harbor in less than 20 minutes.

Bus
The town buses in Mariehamn, Mariehamnsbussen (operated by Viking Line Buss), have two routes (northern and southern) that start and end in the town centre in front of the library. Tickets cost only 2 euro one way. The buses operate only on weekdays.

Taxi
Mariehamns Taxi (+358 18 10066) operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Note that you will be needing to book a taxi to the airport if arriving to Mariehamn by plane.

Bicycle rental
Ro-No Rent is the main rental firm and it has outlets at Mariehamn’s Österhamn and Västerhamn. Prices are 7€ and upward.

More info here

Fun facts
Mariehamn is called “the town of the thousand Linden trees”, refering to the Linden trees which line an avenue across town.

Did you know there is live music every weekend, year round in Mariehamn? Around Åland there are exciting happenings all months of the year.

More info at http://www.visitaland.com