Happy Summer! One of the biggest highlights of this summer was going to Sweden and Finland to celebrate Midsummer in June. One of the best stops I made was going to the Åland Islands. As you already know, one of my interests and “pseudo expertise” is separatism and autonomous regions. I decided to give one of the most peaceful ones in the world a go.
Where are the Åland Islands?
Åland is an autonomous, demilitarised, Swedish-speaking region of Finland. They even get their specialized Finnish passports. The Åland Islands have more than 6,700 islands, and only about 60 are inhabited, relatively sparsely populated. Nearly half of the 60,000 population lives in Mariehamn.
Åland Islands have a special autonomous status within Finland, allowing it to have its own government, flag, and official language, Swedish. As mentioned above, Åland is officially demilitarized. This means military forces are not stationed on the islands, and the region remains neutral. This might be exciting to watch, as Finland is now a NATO member, and Sweden is likely to be very soon. This will be a neutral archipelago in a NATO-dominated sea.
Alright, enough for that…what is there to do in Åland?
My favourite things were lying in a hammock, eating strawberries, readings going to the sauna and swimming at midnight. I had a wonderful Couchsurfing host who was a fellow backpacker with whom I enjoyed chatting and spending time. This was precisely the experience I was craving. Honestly, the best thing to do there is to chill and reflect.
Most people go there with its natural beauty, historical sites, and maritime activities such as sailing, fishing, and kayaking. Most tourists are middle-aged Finnish, Scandinavian, German and Dutch caravan camping and sailing people. I might have beeen among the younger spectrum of tourists. Although, there seems to be a fair number of these health-nut people on bike tours that were closer to my age range.
Another seemingly popular demographic is Swedish people who take the ferry for a day trip as an excuse to buy cheap alcohol on the ferry, which is one of Finns and Swedes’ top pastimes.
For more information on specific recommendations on tourism-related things, check out the official page for Åland Islands. I also recommend giving Couchsurfing a chance, as I saw quite a few people on the site for a sparsely populated area.
How to get to Åland?
Most people get to Åland by ferry, besides some wealthy people who fly. Travelling by ferry is relatively easy and one of the cheapest things you can do in Finland or Sweden. It is about 8 euros to get to Aland from Stockholm and about 10-15 euros to get to Turku. The top two choices for ferries are Eckero lines and Viking lines. Both of these ferry lines are pretty simple to book and straightforward.
Travelling by ferry is inexpensive, but anything you buy at the pubs or restaurants on the ferry will be super expensive, so buy some snacks and such before. You can raid the duty-free shop for discounted alcohol, but just going in there for 5 minutes and dealing with all the alcoholic day trip people will test your patience.
What can we learn from Åland?
Åland Islands is an excellent example of dealing with autonomous areas. A few hardcore ones want complete independence, but most people are pretty content with how things are. The island has enjoyed its status since 1921, only a few years after Finnish autonomy.
As far as I know, this is one of the most peaceful examples regarding autonomy and ethnic minorities. Åland Island proves that autonomous regions can indeed have their cake and eat it in the proper framework. Compromises can and do work.
Nice introduction. Would love to hear more about it!
Wow, over 6000 islands. I had no idea.