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The Åland islands are an autonomous Finnish province located between Finland and Sweden. Islands are famous for exotic nature and interesting history.

On May 2010 we offer an opportunity spend a long weekend in the Åland archipelago with cabin accommodation and great program.

SEE LIST OF DEPARTURES HERE!

DURATION: 4 DAYS (3 nights in Åland)

ROUTE:

Jyväskylä-Tampere-Turku-Marienhamn

PRICE: 175 €/person

PACKAGE INCLUDES

Round trip by bus trip Jyväskylä-Tampere-Turku-Brändö-Marienhamn-Eckerö
Trip is also possible to start from Helsinki at the same price
Accommodation in cabins or hotel rooms for 4-6 people, 2 nights
Two breakfasts +one lunch
Guidd tour of Kasteholma castle and Bomarsund fortification
Guided tour of Marienhamn by bus
A visit of Taffel chips factory and Geta mountain
Fee use of seaside saunas and barbecue facilities
Ferry trip Marienham-Turku
VAT

FOR EXTRA COST

Guided activities and entrance fees
Gear rental

PRELIMINARY ITINERARY

Thursday

Departure from Jyväskylä Matkakeskus at 6.00
Departure from Tampere Railway station at 8.00
Departure from Helsinki Railway station at 8.00
Arrival in Turku by 11.00. Free time in Turku, possibility to visit the Turku castle (Turun linna).
Departure from Turku at 13.00.
Ferry from Kustavi to Brändö Island. Arrival to the cottage center.
Accommodation in hotel (three person rooms) or in cabins (four people cabins).
Free time to discover the island. Sauna in the evening. Cabins have cookign facilities.

Friday

Breakfast. Departure to the harbour at 8 AM. Ferry to Marienhamn. Arrival in Hummelvik. Short bus trip to Jan Karls Gården, which is a free open air museum about Åland history and traditions. Marvellous landscapes! Later guided tour of Bomarsund fortress and Kasteholm castle.
Lunch at Jan Karlsgården.
After lunch departure towards Eckerö. Visiting Taffel chips factory.
At around 16 arrival to the cottage center. 6 person well equipped cabins with two bedrooms, kitchen, living room and bathroom with shower.
In the cottage centre territory good possibilities for all kind of activities – minigolf, beach volley, foot ball, tennis cours. Free use of barbecue facilities. Beautiful beach for spending time with a bigger company. Canoues, kayaks, bicycles and few mopeds for rent. Nature is unique and beautiful, ideal for a walkabout. Reception will provide you with good maps. In the walking distance hunting and fishim museum, unique Eckerö Post & Customs building and idyllic fishermen harbour. Possiblity for extra activities such as a boat excursion to Märket Lighthouse.

Saturday

Breakfast. Free time to discover the islands by foot, bicycle, kayaks etc. Sauna and party in the evening!

Sunday

Breakfast.
Check out and departure to Marienhamn
Guided tour by bus in Marienham and possibility to visit Pommern ship (5 €) . Free time.

13.30 Meeting at the harbour.
14.25 Vikingline ferry to Turku.
In the ferry – several restaurants and tax free shopping!
19.50 Arrival in Turku. Bus departure back via Tampere to Jyväskylä.
22.30 Arrival in Tampere
01.00 Arrival in Jyväskylä

TO TAKE WITH

Warm clothes
Bedlinen or sleeping bag
Swimming suite (unless you want to do it the Finnish way)
Anything else you may need during the trip, money, medicine etc.

GENERAL INFORMATION

	The Åland Islands The Åland islands are an autonomous Finnish province, consisting of 3000 islands in the archipelago between Sweden and Finland. During its history, Sweden, Russia and Finland have argued about the ownership of these strategic islands. Åland islands has its own flag, parlament, laws and police forces. Shipping, trade and tourism are the most important income sources. The province counts as one of the wealthiest regions in EU. The beauty of the archipelago attract thousands of tourists year after year.
	Kasteholm castle Kastelholm Castle (Swedish: Kastelholms slott) is a medieval castle in Sund. The castle was built on a small island in 1388, that was surrounded by water and moats filled with several lines of poles. It was significant in the history of Åland and serves today as a tourist attraction.
	Bomarsund fortress Bomarsund is a 19th century fortress in Sund on the Åland Islands. It was built in 1832 by Russia but destroyed twenty two years later in 1854 in the Crimean War by a British-French fleet. The Battle of Bomarsund was fought between the Russian defenses at Bomarsund and an Anglo-French task force. After a week of fighting the British eventually stormed and destroyed the fort.
	Jan Karls gården open-air museum Jan Karlsgården is an open-air museum, located in Kasteholm, describing the life of peasants in the nineteenth century. Buildings have been collected from all over Åland and they present the architecture of 18th and 19th centuries. Jan Karslgårdens hosts also a restaurant.
	Pommern ship The Pommern, is a a four-masted barque that was built 1903 in Glasgow, now working as a museum ship in Marienhamn. A magnificent collection of photographs show dramatic pictures of life on a sailing ship rounding Cape Horn. The Pommern has a reputation of a "lucky ship". She survived both world wars, has never lost a single crew member on her journeys and she has won the Great Grain Races twice. She is one of the most popular landmarks of the Åland.
	Marienhamn - capital of Åland Mariehamn is the capital of Åland. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. Like all of Åland, Mariehamn is unilingually Swedish-speaking. The town was founded in 1861 and named after Maria Alexandrovna, the Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. It locates on a peninsula, and has two important harbours. A powerful incentive for Baltic ferries to stop at Mariehamn is that the Åland is not part of the EU customs zone and so duty-free goods can be sold aboard.
	Taffel chips factory The Chips Group (formerly Taffel Chips) is a company based in Åland, an autonomous territory of Finland, producing potato chips and other savoury delights. The company is now owned by Norwegian Orkla ASA. Four kilograms of potatoes are needed to produce one kilogram of Taffel chips.