After four successful festivals, the award-winning Island in the Sun has positioned itself among Åland’s sunny summer events. This year we will celebrate our 5th anniversary with many surprises.

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.

Give the heavy backpack a miss and leave the camping stove at home. These days many people opt to live in a hotel and eat at restaurants during their cycling holidays. “Nowadays people like to go on slightly more luxurious cycling holidays,” explains Johan Sjölund, who is involved with arranging cycling trips at the WellComing travel company.

The world’s oldest, still drinkable and most exclusive champagne on the market can be bought at an annual auction held in Mariehamn. This year’s auction and champagne event takes place on 8 June at Alandica Culture & Congress Centre in Mariehamn.

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.

Smakbyn is a “Taste Village” taking shape just a stone’s throw from Kastelholm Castle. The first building is being built next to the restaurant Jan Karlsgårdens Värdshus, and is due to be completed by the summer.