This big tour package allows you to experience the very best of the Åland Islands, as well as of the Finnish archipelago, during eight days and seven nights - and includes travel by cruise ship to Åland from Stockholm, Turku or Grisslehamn.
The biking is easy, with short to medium daily legs. We arrange your ship transfer by modern cruise ship to Åland, departing from Stockholm in Sweden or Turku in Finland, and then you will start your biking from port town Mariehamn, where you have the opportunity to visit the impressive tall ship Pommern and the nearby Åland Maritime Museum.
From Mariehamn you bike across the largest of the Åland islands and board an island ferry with your bikes to the harbour village Degerby to spend the first night in the historic guest house Enigheten.
The next morning you continue on bike through the Föglö islands and jump on your next ferry, which takes you to the mystical island of Kökar in the outer archipelago. The entire island is easy to explore by bike and you rest for the night in the island hotel.
From Kökar, the journey continues to Korpo in the Finnish archipelago, where you'll stay at the idyllic Nestor Hotel for a night. Nearby there are good options for detours, and if you want' you'll be able to find your own rock by the water to eatch the sunset.
Your tour in the Finnish archipelago continues to Houtskär and neighbouring islands, where the locals still care for their traditional ways of life. Accommodation at the boutique hotel Hyppeis. After Houtskär it's time to return to Åland, and you'll arrive in Brändö in the Eastern archipelago, where you'll stay one night at Hotell Gullvivan.
The last legs go through the Northern archipelago and then through the main Åland island, so that you'll not miss our two foremost historical sights: the Bomarsund fortress ruins, and the Kastelholm castle. You'll have plenty of time for these, since you'll stay the night at Kastelholms Gästhem. Your last day consists of easy biking back to Mariehamn.
With this rate, you will sleep in double rooms every night. For example, if you are a group of four, you will have two double rooms at your disposal. You never have to share rooms with other groups.
With this rate, you will sleep in larger rooms, accommodating three or more guests. You never have to share rooms with other groups.
Departing Stockholm at 07:45
Departing Grisslehamn at 10:00
Departing Kapellskär at 10:15 or 10:45
Departing Turku at 08:45
Departing Naantali at 10:30 or 11:15
Departures from Helsinki not included
Accommodation in private rooms at hotels, guesthouses and cabins. Showers and bathrooms in separate buildings.
Breakfast is included in all accommodations.
Our standard bicycle is a 3-geared 28" bike of the model Helkama Ainotar, made in Finland.
We also have 24" kid bikes of the model Helkama Jopo, with 3 gears. This classic children's bicycle is the most popular model in Scandinavia.
If you travel with your own bicycle we will give a discount on the price.
Bike panniers with a capacity of 20 liters are included. Your empty bags can be kept when you collect the rental bikes, or stored in safe lockers in the Mariehamn ferry terminal.
Clean sheets and fresh towels are provided at every accommodation, so you don't have to bring this.
Our itinerary is sent to you as a PDF document, specially formatted to be easy to use on any smart phone. The itinerary contains your route description, map links to all important and interesting places, and all ferry departures you need to mind to travel between islands.
We send you a digital travel calendar that you can easily add to your telephone to remind you of important times and places. The calendar works on every model of telephone.
We also send your routes for each day in GPX file format, that can be used with bike computers or offline maps.
Day 1: 29km biking
Day 2: 22km biking
Day 3: 10km biking
Day 4: 20km biking
Day 5: 28km biking
Day 6: 36km biking
Day 7: 25km biking
Day 8: 24km biking (optional)
Arrival in Stockholm at 18:55
Arrival in Turku at 19:50
Arrival in Grisslehamn at 14:30 or 19:30
Would you like to spend an extra night on any of the islands, or spend a night in Mariehamn before you start biking? Write a request with your booking and we'll take care of it.
We have new and comfortable electric bicycles of the Helkama E7 model, with batteries lasting you the entire day.
If the schedules of the Kökar ferry fits, we can book a visit for you to the famous island Källskär.
You travel by cruise ferry ship from Stockholm or Turku to port town Mariehamn, where you collect your bikes right off the boat. By the arrival terminal you will be given your rental bicycles and panniers. Extra lugage can be stored in safe lockers at the terminal. You can also depart by cruise ship from Kapellskär or Naantali, if you have your own bicycles. In that case, you'll arrive in Långnäs instead of Mariehamn and have a shorter distance to bike to Svinö
A short distance from the terminal in Mariehamn, the tall ship Pommern is moored, next to the Åland Maritime Museum. This huge, four masted steel-hulled sailing ship has been preserved from the beginning of the 20th century. If you want to start biking straight away you can save the sights in Mariehamn for the last day of the tour instead.
You will head north through the small town Mariehamn and continue along farmlands on the "main" Åland island until you reach the harbour Svinö. On your way you will pass the Lemström canal, built by Russian prisoners. The bridge opens once an hour to let sailing boats pass. If you arrive during the bridge opening you can stop for ice cream while you watch the boats sail past in the channel. From Svinö you travel with your bikes aboard an island ferry to Degerby in Föglö.
In Degerby you can visit the tiny Föglö museum near the ferry pier. About a hundred meters away you will find Restaurant Seagram, famous among locals and visitors for their seafood buffet, á la carte and unique pizzas.
The most interesting place in Degerby is the historical tavern and courthouse Enigheten, where you will also spend the night, in historically decorated rooms. Enigheten was founded as a tavern for sailors in the 17th century, by orders of the Swedish king. In modern times, the buildings were renovated to continue as a guesthouse and restaurant to this day.
After waking up with a breakfast buffet in Enigheten you continue on bike throughout the Föglö islands to the northern harbour of Överö. The road is sparesely trafficked and takes you along crop fields and through forests. Two bridges and a cable ferry connect the islands.
Ferries from Långnäs stop in Överö to pick you up on their way to Kökar. The ferries make stops in the tiny island of Sottunga - Finland's smallest municipality. After a couple of hours cruising between the islands you arrive in the island of Kökar.
About 5km from the ferry harbour in northern Kökar you can visit Hamnö, which hosts a stone church from the 18th century as well as the ruins from a medieval monastery. From there you follow the main road to Karlby, where you'll be accommodated at Brudhäll Hotel, by a protected bay. You'll stay in private rooms with en-suite bathrooms. The hotel has a restaurant offering full service, a sailing boat marina, communal and private saunas to heat your bones, and a bar by the pier for your evening drink
If you arrive early in Kökar, you can book a boat excursion to the interesting island Källskär, south of Karlby. There you can observe interesting geological features and visit a nice little garden. The island is a popular visit for tourists and also serves as a retreat for artists during summer. If you'd like to go on the excursion, please write "Källskär" in the message when making your booking and we'll check if the ferry schedules are suitable. The excursion costs €45 per adult.
After breakfast, you have the whole morning to continue exploring Kökar. Around lunchtime, you'll take the ferry from Kökar and arrive in Galtby in Finnish Korpo. If you wish to stay longer on Kökar, we can book the evening ferry instead, which runs most days during the summer. The sea journey takes a few hours, so you'll have time to enjoy the view from the lounge or sun deck, read a book, and have a refreshing drink from the café.
Upon arrival in Korpo, you have a short cycle to your accommodation, Hotel Nestor. Here you'll find the luxury restaurant Back Pocket, and there are other restaurants in Korpo village, as well as a beautiful church. If you need a bit more cycling, an excursion south to the Korpo Archipelago Centre and back is perfect. Or why not find your own rocky outcrop to enjoy the sunset?
After breakfast, you'll take a ferry of your choice for the short journey from Korpo to the cycling paradise of Houtskär. If you want to explore more of Korpo first, you can do so. In Houtskär, you have an easy cycle to your lovely hotel in Hyppeis. In your travel itinerary, we suggest cycling excursions to various easily accessible islands around Houtskär. Houtskär also has a small archipelago museum and several restaurants.
Hotel Hyppeis offers guided kayak trips and rents out kayaks and SUP boards. For your dinner, there is a top-class restaurant here, and to add a golden touch to the evening, they have both private and public saunas.
From Houtskär, you'll follow our cycling route across the Skiftet strait to Åland's Brändö, which is the Åland island group closest to Finland. Skiftet is an enormous underwater geological formation that cuts a straight channel through the archipelago and forms the border between the Finnish and Åland archipelagos. If you look closely at the map, you'll also notice two enormous round pits in the sea on either side of Skiftet. One is the Mossala crater, north of Houtskär, and the other is the Åva crater, in the middle of Brändö. These are believed to have been formed by volcanic activity, not meteor impacts.
In Brändö, you will stay overnight at Hotel Gullvivan, or if you prefer, at Pellas Guesthouse in Lappo. Brändö offers fine cycling through Torsholma and Baggholma, over bridges and causeways with the sea on both sides. You will recognize the views, which are much photographed. After checking into the hotel, you have several options for extra cycling excursions.
This day offers historical sights and a lot of cycling. After breakfast, you'll travel to Vårdö. If you're feeling energetic, you can take a detour north and visit beautiful Simskäla before continuing to Bomarsund and then Kastelholm.
The ruins of Bomarsund are the remains of a fortress built when Åland was part of Russia in the 19th century. The fortress was blown up by British and French forces after a naval battle during the Crimean War in 1854. The ruins are outdoors and always open. There is also a new visitor centre, which, despite its exterior, has much that is beautiful and interesting on the inside.
Kastelholm Castle is one of Åland's most visited attractions. The first castle was built in the 14th century, and Nordic kings and queens have resided here, and Erik XIV was imprisoned here by his brother. The castle has been involved in various political conflicts during the Middle Ages and has burned down several times. You will stay at Kastelholm Guesthouse, and if you wish, you can save the castle visit for the next morning.
From Kastelholm, you continue south back to Mariehamn. On the way, you'll cycle over the tall Färjsund bridge and through a small tunnel. After the tunnel, you can have a cup of coffee and enjoy the view from Uffe på Berget, or take a detour to Stallhagen Pub to sample their many Ålandic beers.
The journey continues through Jomala. For those interested in history and architecture, a stop at Jomala Church, believed to be one of the oldest preserved stone churches in Finland, is a good idea. Next to it is an Iron Age burial ground.
In Mariehamn, you'll check in at Strandnäs Hotell. The town centre is a couple of kilometres from the hotel, where there is a large selection of restaurants for dinner. The town is lovely to cycle or walk around in the summer. It is particularly beautiful in the Eastern Harbour around the Maritime Quarter.
Breakfast at your hotel. Then an optional excursion through Mariehamn heading south to Järsö. This is one of the most beautiful roads in Åland. Arriving in Järsö you can have a cup of coffee and a snack before returning to Mariehamn to return the bikes. On the way back you can stop by the Åland Art Museum. Remember to sample our famous Åland pancake in some café or restaurant before leaving!
If you've booked your return ship with us, it will depart from Mariehamn in the afternoon and arrive in the evening in Stockholm or Turku. If you're returning to Kapellskär or Naantali, your ship will depart from Långnäs in the afternoon.
