CARBON FOOTPRINT: 33.61kg CO2 eq / person / day*

After arrival in Turku and getting your bicycles from a rental shop next to the railway station, you are ready to start the cycle tour from island to island. You can book this island hopping tour with or without luggage transfers.

During this round trip in the archipelago, you will start by following the shorter archipelago ring road starting from Naantali, a charming little seaside town 15km from Turku. Already next day you will leave the mainland and cycle 41km in hilly terrain to the Aasla island and take an archipelago ferry over to the Island of Seili with a long history as a sanatorium. During the 17th and 18th century the patients suffering from leprosy and mental illnesses never got back to the mainland after landing there once. The sanatory was closed by the 20th century and nowadays the island belongs to the Archipelago Research Institute of the Turku University. The traditional landscape is maintained by having cow and sheep herds on the island. 

Next islands are called Nauvo and Korppoo. The road has been build to cross the islands from the middle. Although the sea is not far you will mostly see a country landscape. The terrain is flat and rather easy to cycle but it can be windy. An afternoon ferry over to Kökar leaves from Galtvik harbour. You can either leave your bicycles here, have a cycling free day in Kökar and get new bicycles in Åland or keep the same bicycle throughout the tour.

Kökar is an island with many stories about sailors who once visited the island. It is time for a cruise. Not far from Kökar there is an island of Kallskär known for its unique over 3-meter high stone formation and for a Swedish baron Göran Åkerhjielm who not only had a big log house but also a harbour and a beautiful garden built on this isolated island. 

From Kökar your tour continues to the main island of Åland. You will be transported from the ferry harbour to a unique hotel in the middle of the island by a sea bay. Like Seili, also this hotel has a history as a mental hospital. Each room is different and beautifully decorated. Only 8 kilometres away there are the well-preserved ruins of the Kastelholma castle built during the Swedish era. Both King Gustaf Vasa, as well as the duke of Finland Juhana IIII, used to live in this castle. Almost next to the castle there is a highly appreciated restaurant called Smakby.  

If you prefer a longer cycle tour it is possible to continue 10 more kilometres and arrive in Bomarsund where you will find ruins of a fortress built later during the Russian era in 1832-1834 by Russia in order to make their western border stronger. The fortress was destroyed in the war of Åland in 1854 so only ruins are left. 

You will then head to the northern side of the island and cycle to a holiday resort hotel at a breathtaking location. Here the guests can enjoy a seaside spa where you can have sauna and swim as much as they want and enjoy the archipelago life. On last full day on Åland you will cycle 41km to Mariehamn, the capital of Åland which is an autonomous region of Finland. Depending on your departure you will have more or less time for exploring Mariehamn. As the ferries leave at midnight a hotel is included in Mariehamn so you have a place where to shower and keep your luggage. 

 * Carbon footprint calculation process is found here.