The Åland Archipelago

Ålands skärgård, the Åland archipelago, lies in the Archipelago Sea between Fasta Åland, the main island, and the Skiftet strait. All of Åland is really an archipelago, but on Åland the name usually means the six archipelago municipalities of Brändö, Föglö, Kumlinge, Kökar, Sottunga and Vårdö, which also form an economic region of their own; none of them lies on Fasta Åland or has a bridge or causeway to it, and the province runs the ferries that serve them under the name Ålandstrafiken. The region had 2,230 inhabitants in 2011 and 1,990 at the end of 2025, and it covers 7,458.2 km² (2,879.6 sq mi), of which only 535.4 km² (206.7 sq mi) is land, and all six municipalities are Swedish-speaking. The whole region invites gentle exploration: hopping between islands by ferry, cycling quiet lanes past red-painted wooden cottages, pine forests, smooth pink granite shores and little harbours, and pausing at fishing villages and island cafés.

Background

Known in Swedish as Ålands skärgård, the Archipelago is a subdivision of Åland, and it is also counted as one of the sub-regions of Finland.

Source: Wikipedia, "Archipelago (Åland)"

The landscape

• The island-hopping - the Ålandstrafiken ferries to the six archipelago municipalities, none of which has a bridge to Fasta Åland.
• The red cottages - the classic red wooden houses and harbours.
• The granite shores - the smooth pink granite and pine.
• The cycling - the quiet lanes and bridges between islands.

When to go

June to August, the short, bright Nordic summer, when the archipelago is green and the long days suit sailing, cycling and island-hopping between the six municipalities.

Good to know

None of the six archipelago municipalities has a bridge or causeway to Fasta Åland, so getting around depends mostly on the ferries, and the whole region has only about 2,000 inhabitants; its pleasures are gentle and slow rather than dramatic.

Nearby

Mariehamn, on Fasta Åland, lies to the west; the archipelago's six municipalities are Brändö, Föglö, Kumlinge, Kökar, Sottunga and Vårdö.

Key facts