The Åland Islands are situated in the very heart of the Baltic Sea. Åland is an autonomous region in Finland, with its own flag, stamps and license plates.

Port of Mariehamn, the capital, has six berths. The maximum ship dimensions are length 240mtr, depth 7.6mtr or 210mtr, depth 8.2mtr. Two passenger terminals available in the port.

City center 800mtr. Airport 4km. Shuttle services by arrangement and taxi services available in the port.

Printable map to take along.

Cruise calendar for this port.

Watch a destination video.

A youthful town, Mariehamn was founded in 1861 while Åland and Finland formed part of the mighty Russian Empire. Maria, consort of Tsar Alexander II of Russia gave the town her name.

The Pommern (earlier name Mneme) is a windjammer turned into a museum ship. She is a four masted barque that was built 1903 in Glasgow at J. Reid & Co shipyard. She is one of the Flying P-Liners, the famous sailing ships of the German shipping company F. Laeisz. Later she belonged to Gustaf Erikson (Åland) who used her to carry grain from Spencer Gulf area in Australia to harbors in England or Ireland until the start of World War II.

The Åland Maritime Museum preserves memories of the sailing-ships, one of its exhibits being the red-brown captain's saloon from the fourmasted barque Hertzogen Cecilie, one of Gustaf Erikson's ships. She ran aground off the coast of England in 1936 and before she sank her saloon was salvaged and brought to Åland.

Boat building traditions are kept alive at the Maritime Quarter in the Eastern harbor. Among the red sheds there is a boatyard and a smithy as well as a boat and shipbuilding museum. Several small ships have been built there, including the galleass Albanus and the schooner Linden.

The Åland Museum exhibits the history of Åland from prehistoric times up to the present day. The Åland Art Museum displays pictures by both old and young Åland artists and the Mariehamn Gallery at the Western harbor has a model of Mariehamn in the 1920s with its wooden houses.

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Taxis can be obtained by telephone or from taxi ranks. Payment can be made using major international credit cards as well as cash. The usual basic fare is 4.50 euros. The fare rises gradually on a kilometre basis, as indicated by the meter, and depending on the number of passengers.

Car rental is possible in Finland but generally expensive, with rates generally upwards of € 80/day.

Especially appreciated are the Åland handicrafts; glassware, ceramics, wrought iron and textiles. Everything is located within a convenient distance. However, for passengers who prefer not to walk the town of Mariehamn offers a courtesy shuttle service in connection with the arrival of the cruise ships.

The Finnish currency unit is the euro (EUR), divided into 100 cents. Finland does not use the 1 and 2 cent coins; instead all sums are rounded to the nearest 5 cents.

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Finland has two official languages, Finnish ( 93%) and Swedish (7%), but also English is widely spoken in Finland.

112 is the national phone number for all emergency services, including police.

Internet cafes are sparse on the ground in this country where everybody logs on at home and in the office, but nearly every public library in the country has free Internet access. WiFi hotspots are also increasingly common.

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