Destinations in the Åland Archipelago
Some destinations are included in my Ready To Go tours, while all of them can be part of a Private Tour. Get in touch and I’ll be happy to help plan a boat tour, business event or archipelago visit.
Lilla Båtskär
Lilla Båtskär is a small island with a surprisingly rich maritime and industrial history. Over the centuries, it has served as a landmark, lighthouse and pilot station, later becoming the site of an ambitious iron ore mining project and, today, a wind farm.
Kobba Klintar
The historic pilot station at the entrance to Mariehamn and one of the best-known places in the Åland archipelago. Explore the old pilot station, learn about its history and see why Kobba Klintar has meant so much to generations of Ålanders returning home from the sea.
Stora Båtskär
Stora Båtskär was once home to Nyhamn pilot station before it was moved to neighbouring Lilla Båtskär. The old pilot station still remains, and today the island is also known for its birdlife and the 1.5 km Ådvandringen walking trail. The island also serves as a base for Ådans Vänner (APRF) in their work to protect the eider population.
Rödhamn
Rödhamn lies where the sheltered Åland archipelago meets the open sea. Once a pilot station, safe harbour and radio beacon station, today it is a popular destination with a guest harbour, museum and summer restaurant.
Lågskär Lighthouse
Lågskär lies in the middle of the Åland Sea and is home to a lighthouse that has guided shipping through these waters for more than a century. The lighthouse island is surrounded by a small archipelago and is known for its rich birdlife and bird observatory.
Marhällan Lighthouse
Märhällan Lighthouse stands on a small rocky skerry just outside Kobba Klintar at the entrance to Mariehamn. The red-and-black lighthouse has guided shipping through these waters since 1938 and is a familiar landmark for vessels approaching Åland from the sea.
Hertronklubb
Hertronklubb lies at the entrance to Mariehamn and is closely connected to one of Åland’s best-known maritime disasters. In December 1933, the Finnish sailing ship Plus sank close to the island, and a memorial stone remembers the sailors who lost their lives.
Hertronklubb is often our first stop on Archipelago Explorer. We go ashore for a short visit to the memorial stone and take in the surroundings before continuing further into the archipelago.
Södra Nyhamns klubb
Södra Nyhamns klubb is the island where my family has our summer cabin. For visitors from outside the Nordic countries, it is often an interesting introduction to something quite ordinary in Åland – having a summer cottage, sometimes on an island of your own.
The island also has another side to its history. Södra Nyhamns klubb and the Nyhamn area were fortified during the war, and traces of the former military position, Linnake No. 74, can still be found on the island.
When visiting with Shipland, we go ashore at my family’s summer place, explore the island and its history, and talk about life in the Åland archipelago today.
Flötjan Lighthouse
Flötjan is a small, exposed reef in the open Åland Sea, west of Lågskär. For centuries, knowing where Flötjan was – and passing it on the right side – was an important part of navigating these waters. Several attempts were made to mark the reef before the present concrete lighthouse was completed in 1953.
The proportions are difficult to understand until you see them for yourself: a 22-metre lighthouse standing on a remarkably small piece of rock in the middle of the sea. You have to see it to understand it.
With Shipland, we don’t go ashore at Flötjan. Instead, when conditions allow, I take the boat around the reef for a closer look at the lighthouse and the seals that are often found here. Flötjan lies close to Lågskär and can easily be combined with a visit there.