Mariehamn

Mariehamn was founded in 1861 and named after the Russian empress Maria Alexandrovna, laid out on a narrow neck of land with a harbour on each side, the west for commerce and ferries and the east for small craft. Its main street, Norra Esplanadgatan, runs under a double avenue of linden trees. The town holds around eleven thousand people, which is roughly a third of Åland's population.

What you actually see

• The linden avenue - the double row of trees along the main esplanade.
• The two harbours - west for ferries and commerce, east for small boats.
• The 1861 plan - a town laid out at once rather than grown piecemeal.
• The wooden houses - the nineteenth-century fabric through the older streets.

When to go

May to September is the season, when everything is open. Winter closes most restaurants and museums. Midsummer week is the busiest of the year.

Honest expectations

Much of the town closes down entirely outside the summer season. It is very small and a day covers it. Prices are Nordic and the ferry connections govern arrival times.

Nearby

Sjökvarteret is in the eastern harbour, and Jomala is north.