Summer in Åland

This year's Met-season with digital opera performances from the Metropolitan in New York starts with Donizetti's opera Maria Stuarda. The performances at Mariehamn Town Hall start with a 30-minute introduction and the opera bar is opened one hour before the performance. Now you can combine a weekend in Mariehamn with opera of the highest calibre.

The snowy winters in recent years have made Åland a paradise for cross-country skiers. Elite skier Lennart Holmström guides you round the best trails. “Åland is a real gem when it comes to cross-country skiing. You get both easy and difficult ski trails, all in a naturally beautiful environment.”

Germundö – Åland’s biggest ski slope, is located in Saltvik, about 30 kilometres from Mariehamn. There is a lift, a cafe and two ski runs that are excellent for skiing, snowboarding and pulka.

Would you like to try out an activity that is really different, one where it’s all about working together? A new curling centre is opening in Eckerö in Åland in spring/summer 2013. “It’s an excellent way for companies, groups of friends and school classes to build up a proper team spirit. And for professional curlers it’s an excellent training rink,” says Mari Wickström at Åland’s curling centre "Vianor curlingcenter".

“A traditional Christmas buffet with an archipelago twist.” That sums up the Åland Christmas buffet, which draws inspiration from both Sweden and Finland. But smoked perch, pine tar marinated herring and shoemaker’s salmon (salted and pickled in brine or vinegar) are Åland dishes that give the Christmas buffet extra spice.

Celebrate Christmas twice this year. In Åland Lillajul (“Little Christmas”) is celebrated on the Saturday before the first day of Advent. Lillajul is an old Åland tradition that is celebrated with a small Christmas tree, some good food and little presents for the children. For many Ålander families the celebrations include a visit to the Lillajulmarknaden (“Little Christmas” market) at Jan Karlsgården.

Åland must become more accessible to people with disability. This is what Åland’s tourist trade has decided. A campsite that has come a long way with work towards this goal is Sandösunds Camping.
 “We want people to be able to stay here in comfort and at the same time have an active holiday, irrespective of whether or not they are wheelchair users,” says Olof Salmi, owner of Sandösunds Camping.

Åland is a fabulous island to discover on foot. There are close to 30 different nature trails and long-distance footpaths around Åland, all with varying natural surroundings and of different length and degree of difficulty. The Prästö nature trail is one of the more popular ones. In addition to a beautiful natural landscape you also get to experience a large helping of Åland history.