Description
1 OPTION: Hiking in Åland/Ahvenanmaa (6 hrs from 15.00, for ages 7 and up only). Start your tour with a coach drive to North of Åland, to Geta Berget. On your way you can admire the big Apple tree gardens and small villages. Arrive to the most Northern part of the main Island where the nature is barren and rocky surrounded by open sea. From here you will start your nature hiking with a guide. Getabergen Hills lie 107 metres above the sea level and offer fantastic vast sea views in a barren rocky nature with low pine trees. The nature trail is easy (downwards) to moderate (upwards), and the trail leads mainly over smooth flat red granite rocks and nature paths with low vegetation (can be slippery after rain). No stairs.
The first part of the trail slopes slightly downwards towards the seafront and along the trail there are interesting cave-like rock formations at Getagrottan, used as shelter for the locals during the Great Northern war in the 18th century. The path leads down to the waterfront, Djupviken Bay from where the trail turns back and goes uphill to the starting point. The route is approximately 5 km long. A refreshment stop is done during this tour at café Soltuna (you can preorder a dinner for 19€/pers ). Before you re-join the coach you have time take photos and admire the nature.
2 OPTION: Guided tours of the Åland Maritime Museum and onboard the tall ship Pommern (2 hrs from 15:00). Åland Maritime Museum manages and mediates Åland’s maritime heritage, with reference to the present and to the future. The origins lie in the 1920s when Åland sea captain Carl Holmqvist started to collect nautical objects, realising the days of sailing ships were over. In 1935 he co-founded Åland Nautical Club with the aim of establishing a maritime museum for Åland. The museum building, designed by architect Jonas Cedercreutz, was completed in 1949 and five years later the Åland Maritime Museum opened to the public.
Through contributions from Åland seafarers and shipping companies the collections continued to grow. In 1986 Åland Nautical Club donated all museum objects, archives and the library to the newly formed trust Åland Maritime Museum.
An extension as well as comprehensive renovation of the original building commenced in the autumn of 2009. The museum re-opened on 26th April 2012. The original building, drawn by Jonas Cedercreutz in the 1940’s, got an extension designed by architects Johanna Vuorinen and Esa Kangas. The exhibition lay-out was designed by Helsinki-based studio Amerikka, in cooperation with Jouni Kaipia. In March 2015 the Trust was entrusted full management of the historic tall ship Pommern, owned by the Town of Mariehamn. A major investment in the visitor experience on board has since been done; as well as the building of a dry dock that Pommern moved into in 2019.