Seafaring capital of a Swedish-speaking island realm
Mariehamn is a quiet, green town of lime-tree avenues and wooden villas, and the capital of Åland, a Swedish-speaking, self-governing region of Finland. Its seafaring past is on show at the Åland Maritime Museum and aboard the four-masted barque Pommern moored beside it. From town, flat roads and free cable ferries make the islands ideal for cycling, past red fishing huts, medieval stone churches and the ruins of the Russian fortress at Bomarsund. Try the Åland pancake, served with prune jam and cream.