This is a bicycle tour for those who prefer large time margins in their travel schedule and good time to relax during their vacation. You will trail the same path as Saint Olaf made over a thousand years ago. During the tour you'll have plenty of time to get to know the places you visit. The biking is also less taxing than in our other tours.
Included in this tour is your ship fare from Sweden or Finland to the starting point in Mariehamn. After spending a night in Mariehamn at Strandnäs Hotell, you'll go by bike and ferry to the island group Föglö, where you'll stay for a night at the historical guesthouse Enigheten. From there, you continue to the small island Sottunga, where you'll stay at Strandhugget B&B. Continuing the next morning by ship to Kökar in the outer archipelago, where you'll stay at Brudhäll Hotell. In Kökar you have time to visit the old monastery ruins by the church, go on a boat excursion to the famous Källskär island, or just enjoy the sun, the sea, the food and the drink.
After returning to Mariehamn, you have one more night at Strandnäs Hotell, and all time you need to get to know this maritime town, visits to museums and sampling of local cuisine and nightlife.
Departing Stockholm at 07:45
Departing Grisslehamn at 10:00
Departing Turku at 08:45
Departures from Helsinki not included
We book and pay your ships between the islands, so you wont have to worry about them.
Accommodation in private rooms at hotels, guesthouses and cabins.
Breakfast is included in all accommodations.
Our standard bicycle is a 3-geared 28" bike of the model Helkama Ainotar, made in Finland. Comfortable to ride and with a basket in the front. This model can be upgraded to 7 gears for €30
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: 5km biking
Day 2: 30km biking
Day 3: 17km biking
Day 4: 5km biking
Day 5: 35km biking
Day 6: Optional biking
Arrival in Stockholm at 18:55
Arrival in Turku at 19:50
Arrival in Grisslehamn at 14:30 or 19:30
We can upgrade your bike to a 7-geared 28" bike of the model Helkama Ainotar, or a 24-geared gentleman's bike.
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.
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.
You arrive in the town of Mariehamn with a modern cruise ship from Turku or from Stockholm. The ships depart in the morning, and you arrive early in the afternoon. Onboard you can have a big breakfast or enjoy the views of the Åland sea, and spot the old pilot's station at Kobba Klintar outside of Mariehamn. At the arrival terminal in Mariehamn you will be given your rental bikes and bike pannier bags. Excess luggage can be left in secure storage lockers at the ferry terminal, or at the bike rental.
A short walk from the ferry terminal you find the Åland Maritime Museum and the impressive tall ship Pommern. This four-masted sailing ship has been preserved from the early 20th century, before the maritime sector completely switched to propulsion with engines. From the harbour you bike a short distance into town, and pass by the Mariehamn church, dedicated to Saint George.
You'll stay the night at Strandnäs Hotel, located a few kilometers north of the town center, on a quiet street, so you can relax properly before starting your bike tour the next morning.
Today you start cycling from Mariehamn to Föglö whenever you feel like it. You'll be cycling along a separate, asphalted bike path almost all the way to the ferry harbor in Svinö. As a small detour you can visit the Önningeby Museum, with exhibits of traditional paintings by Ålandic artists. A short distance later, you'll be crossing the Lemström Canal, which was built by prisoners during the Russian era.
A special attraction you can visit today is Pellas, an old shipowner's estate that has been preserved as it was in the 19th century on the ground floor, and renovated into an interesting maritime museum on the upper floor.
This small village was one of Åland's most important ports before the city of Mariehamn was founded. 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.
Meals can be enjoyed at Seagram in Degerby, where they have something for everyone. They are most famous for their fish buffet, their á la carte and their island style pizzas. The village also has a shop where you can stock up on coffee and other necessities. At your guesthouse you can relax and take a sauna in the evening, walk on their forest trail, or barbecue in the gazebo down by the lake.
You'll be served a breakfast buffet at your guesthouse. After that you bike straight across the Föglö group of islands. We suggest a detour to visit the Föglö church, situated beautifully near a protected bay. The road through Föglö has little traffic and goes through forests and farm fields. The islands are connected by a bridge in Degersund and a cable ferry in Embarsund. There is a nature hiking trail on your way.
You'll leave Föglö by an island ferry we'll book for you to neighbouring island Sottunga, where you'll arrive before long. By the harbour you check in at Strandhugget B&B. Next doors you have the quay-side restaurant Salteriet, world famous among Ålanders for their schnitzels. A bit further the charming little red Sottunga church. The chapel here was mentioned in writing for the first time in 1544, when the Swedish king confiscated the copper church bell to make cannons.
You depart Sottunga with the first island ferry to Kökar, an island in the outermost archipelago which is a favourite among visitors and has an intriguing history of the Hamnö monastery which was here once. Today only the church remains, while the ruins of the monastery have been excavated by archeologists. Nearby, you can walk the short Culture trail through nature. From Hamnö you continue to the main village Karlby in the middle of Kökar, to check in at seaside hotel Brudhäll. They have a full service restaurant, a yacht marina, saunas, and a bar on the pier for an evening drink.
During summer, daily boat excursions depart for the island of Källskär, south of the inhabited island of Kökar. The trip takes about 3 hours, and out on the island you can learn about the Swedish eccentric who built gardens and a house out here with the help of the locals. During the excursion you will also get to see a strange geological formation called “Källskärskannan” – the Källskär cauldron.
If you are more adventurous, you can rent kayaks and go paddle in the beautiful archipelago around Kökar. There are literally thousands of islands and skerries to explore - small and large.
Today you travel from Kökar by island ferry and then you bike through Southern Åland back to Mariehamn. For pilgrims we recommend a detour to the Lemböte chapel. The small chapel was dedicated to Saint Olaf and situated near the medieval sailing lane, to serve seafarers at the time. Today it is a partly preserved ruin.
Back in Mariehamn you'll check in at Strandnäs Hotell and have the evening for visiting the Maritime quarter and sample restaurants in the town.
After the hotel breakfast you cycle through Mariehamn, south towards Järsö. This is one of the most beautiful roads in Åland. The journey goes over road banks and bridges with the sea on both sides to Nåtö and on to Järsö, where there are beautiful nature reserves and trails, before returning to Mariehamn and returning the bikes at the ferry terminal.
If you don't want to cycle any more, you can save the visit to the Åland Maritime Museum for today - or why not stroll around the Eastern Harbor and eat an Åland pancake?
If you have booked a return ferry with us, it leaves Mariehamn in the afternoon and arrives in the evening.
