Mariehavn buzzes in the summertime. But don't think for a minute that Åland is sleepy in the winter. Several places in Åland lay on live music all year round.

Pub Niska is this summer’s news on the pier in Mariehamn’s western harbour. Here the archipelago chef Michael Björklund will introduce ”plåtbröd” – Åland pizza – in the pub next to the restaurant ÅSS Paviljong.

This is the fifth year that there has been a Voices for the Baltic Sea event. This year it will be the grand finale of Mariehamn's 150th birthday celebrations! In the course of the evening, Åland's top singer elite will be taking the audience on a musical journey including everything from opera to rock 'n' roll.

Åland has good food on offer all year round. In November the local newspaper counted 53 places to eat in Mariehamn alone. In the summer there are many more than 100 places to eat that are open all around Åland. Enjoy well-prepared dishes with a taste of Åland and the archipelago at any one of the fine restaurants in the island state.

There are masses of exciting concerts in Åland in the summer, involving both local artists and artists who are well-known internationally. It often comes as a surprise to people that there should be such a wide choice, from small concerts performed on a lorry's loading platform to Katrina Chamber Music for the connoisseur. Here is a list for you who are attracted by jazz, pop, rock, punk or folk music in an archipelago environment.

Mariehamn's newly opened casino feels a bit more friendly than I expected. I'm no James Bond - I'm simply an amateur at poker and roulette. But when I step into the Casino, I feel welcome - I like the place right away.

In summer 2010, a two-hundred-year-old ship was found at the bottom of the Sea of Åland. The wreck turned out to be a treasure trove. Its cargo included 160 bottles of champagne that were almost two centuries old. Some of the bottles were from the Veuve Clicquot champagne house. That’s how Fabienne Moreau first discovered Åland.