My Travel Diaries of the
Åland
Islands
Summary
Currency: Euro, Svedish Krona
Capital: Mariehamn
Drink like a local: Vodka
Special facts:
- The Åland Islands are an autonomous country, but in foreign policy they belong to Finland.
- Although the country belongs politically to Finland, most of the people living on the islands are Swedes, as the islands stretch like a string of pearls between the two countries.
- The port is well-known among “drinking tourists” because the ferry between Finland and Sweden with a stop in Mariehamn crosses international waters where the extremely high tax on alcohol in the Scandinavian countries is lifted.
- Although the country is extremely tiny, it has over 20,000 islands. However, many of them are nothing more than bare rocks in the Baltic Sea.
Language
Most people in Åland speak Swedish, only a few actually speak Finnish. These languages also belong to completely different families. But of course every child speaks English well.
- Good day – God dag
- Cheers – Skol
- Where is the next Ikea? – Var är Ikea?
- Do you have meat balls? – Har du köttbullar?
Currency
Both the Euro and the Swedish Krona are valid means of payment on the islands. But of course you can pay everywhere with a credit card. Since these are islands, everything is a bit more expensive than on the mainland.
My lesson:
For me, these islands are a bit scary because I feel like I’m stranded on a rock in the middle of the Baltic Sea.
Travel Diaries
I’m traveling through Sweden and I find out that when you cross to Finland you pass the Åland Islands. And they are a country of their own. What? There’s a country I don’t know about in the middle of Europe?
Of course I have to go there. But these are the times of the corona pandemic and normally simple border crossings are a problem at this time. But there is a trick that helps you get to know the islands and their inhabitants.
