Kumlinge

Kumlinge is a small island municipality in archipelago Åland. Despite their seemingly central location between Finland and Åland these islands are off the beaten track!

Like all other municipalities in Åland Kumlinge is unilingually Swedish speaking. English is understood, Finnish not quite so.

Understand

First settlers arrived to Kumlinge during the Middle Age from mainland Åland. The first document mentioning Kumlinge church is was written in 1484 but the current stone church was built around 1510. Probably there has been one or two wooden chapels before it. A land register from 1537 mention all the current villages and their 107 homesteads. According to scientists this correspond to perhaps 600 or even 800 residents.

During the Finnish War between Sweden and Russia in 1808 a group of local peasants managed to surround over 400 Russian soldiers and shot at them with two small cannons from Fälberget hill until the Russians surrendered. The Russians attacked here again in 1809 but this time the Swedish army decided to stop them by burning villages into ashes. Therefore few buildings are older than from the 19th century.

Having just 315 permanent residents, Kumlinge is one of the smallest municipalities in Åland. There are four permanently inhabited islands (Kumlinge, Enklinge, Seglinge and Björkö) and about 800 uninhabited islands, some of which have summer cottages. The islands are fairly flat as the highest hill hardly reaches 20 meters above sea level. The municipality is actively recruiting new inhabitants but the small community has few jobs available. Kumlinge has a school (grades 1–9), a kindergarten, a retirement home, mail and bank offices, grocery stores, and a library. The islands are connected to the outside world by a optic-fibre network.

The Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) is also known as the Kumlinge disease because the first epidemic in Finland occurred in Kumlinge during the 1940s. Ticks are abundant and carry both TBE and borreliosis. For nature enthusiasts vaccination against TBE is recommended, and anybody should check the advice on ticks and tick-borne diseases.

Get in

By connecting vessel

Kumlinge is on the Northern Line and on the Cross Line of Ålandstrafiken ferry routing. The ship-like ferries are quite large and carry both cars and bikes, but there is a fare for any vehicles (pedestrians travel for free). For the cars you need to make a reservation. For bikers and pedestrians it is enough to just step onboard. For the vehicles cheaper archipelago fares are applied if you stay overnight in the archipelago (as defined in Åland) and by making the reservation online you'll get 20% off. Once you have paid the fare, keep the ticket as the archipelago-fare ticket is valid for any continued journey! If you do not sleep in the archipelago the much more expensive transit-fare ticket is valid only for a single journey.

There are cafés on board but they may or may not be open. If closed, there is a coffee machine, snack machine and microwave oven. Keep some coins with you.

When arriving from mainland Finland you need to get to Vuosnainen harbour in Kustavi and continue by ferry to Åva in Brändö. Then travel through Brändö to Torsholma harbour (about 11 kilometres, paved road) and continue with the Northern Line ferry to Kumlinge. During the summer season there might be some kind of coach connection from Turku all the way to Torsholma.

When arriving from mainland Åland you may use the Northern Line ferry from Hummelvik in Vårdö or the Cross Line from Långnäs in Lumparland. There are good bus connections from Mariehamn to Långnäs and Hummelvik.

The Northern Line (Norra linjen) between Torsholma and Hummelvik calls at 🌍 Kumlinge harbour about 4 kilometres north from the main village. They usually call at 🌍 Enklinge harbour as well. The ship-like ferries m/s Alfågeln and m/s Ejdern (summer) or m/s Knipan (winter) sail the route a few times daily all year. The crossing to Kumlinge takes 1 hr 10 min from Torsholma, and 1 hr 20 min from Hummelvik.

The Cross Line (Tvärgående linjen) between Långnäs and Snäckö calls at 🌍 Snäckö harbour some 7 km south-west from the main village, and at Överö jetty in Föglö if necessary. There are a few departures also for Sottunga. The ship-like vessel m/s Odin runs the route once to thrice times a day around the year. The journey Långnäs–Överö–Snäckö takes about 1 hr 40 min. If the ferry calls at Sottunga, it takes 40 min more.

By own yacht
  • 🌍 Remnarhamnen (Kumlinge guest marina) (south-west end of the main island, about 2½ km from the main village). 
  • 🌍 Enghamn (Enklinge). 
  • 🌍 Seglingehamnen (Seglinge). Guest marina. 

By plane

Small 🌍 Kumlinge airfield (ICAO: EFKG) has a paved runway and is open for small aeroplanes around the year. There are no commercial flights to Kumlinge. The airfield is operated by the Government of Åland.

The nearest airport is in Mariehamn.

Get around

The distance between Kumlinge harbour and Snäckö harbour is 11 km. The traffic is very low and the landscape extremely flat so biking is perfect way to get around. Accommodations have bikes for rent. Walking is also easy but due to sparse housing you might find the distances frustrating. Kumlinge and Snäckö islands are connected to each other by a causeway. Road signs are in Swedish.

Shared taxis operates on Kumlinge and Seglinge islands in weekdays from and to ferry harbours according to the time tables of the ferries. They must be invoked the preceding day before 20:00. The shared taxi is free of charge on the main road. Departing the main road will cost €1–3.

There is also a boat taxi, useful in case you need to reach minor islands. Boat taxi Satu Numminen: ☏ +358 40-506-1299 or e-mail: satu.numminen@gmail.com.

🌍 Enklinge is on the Northern Line and the ferry calls there on its way between Kumlinge and Hummelvik (Vårdö). The trip takes about 20 minutes from Kumlinge. Check the timetables from Ålandstrafiken. Notice that some departures call Enklinge only if booked in advance. Call the vessels: m/s Alfågeln (☏ +358 40-768-2108), m/s Ejdern (☏ +358 400-229-260) or m/s Knipan (☏ +358 400-229-261).

🌍 Seglinge is connected to Snäckö harbour by a cable ferry (☏ +358 40 768 5792). The trip takes less than 10 minutes. The cable ferry is free of charge and during the summer season it sails about every 30 minutes, except when there is scheduled break. During the winter season the ferry runs when someone needs it.

🌍 Björkö is a bit tricky. You need to get off the Northern Line ferry at Lappo (in Brändö) and somehow get yourself to another ferry jetty across the island, 2.7 km from the harbour. The cable ferry between Lappo and Björkö (☏ +358 45-7524-2854) sails when necessary, except during the night.

See

The views on these islands consists of villages surrounded by fields and meadows, pine forests, and of course the sea.

  • 🌍 Kumlinge church (Kumlinge kyrka), ☏ +358 18 55407, . M–Sa 11:00–13:00. A stone church built around 1510 with an altarpiece made in France already in the 1200s. Famous for its large interior wall paintings representing biblical events; the style is totally unique and different from any church in the region. It's not known who painted them. Bell tower from 1767 and modern pipe organ from 1963. The church is dedicated to St. Anne. (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Kumlinge pharmacy (Kumlinge apoteket), Kumlingevägen 440, ☏ +358 18 55408, . M–F 09:00–15:00, Sa–Su closed. Kumlinge pharmacy is a modern pharmacy even though both the building and its interiors are from the 19th century. Well worth a visit. (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Battle of Kumlinge Monument (next to the pharmacy). May 9th 1808, during the Finnish War between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire, a group of local farmers and fishermen lead by pastor Henrik Johan Gummerus ambushed over 400 Russian soldiers here. Locals shot towards the soldiers with two cannons until they surrendered. The Russians were taken to Stockholm as prisoners of war. Memorial on top of the hill at the site where the cannons were. (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Kumlinge aerial lighthouse (Flygfyren). Built in 1937 this is one of quite few remaining aerial lighthouses in the world. These towers were made during 1920s and 1930s to guide aeroplanes in the same way as maritime lighthouses guide ships. Radio navigation aids soon made them redundant. (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Hermas homestead (Hermas skärgårdshemman) (on Enklinge), ☏ +358 40-559-5562. June–early August: daily 10:00–17:00. Hermas homestead was mentioned already in a tax roll from 1537. The homestead consists of about 20 separate buildings, and is the last fully preserved traditional homestead in the Åland archipelago. The self-sufficient estate lived from farming, keeping livestock, and fishing. Lots of household utensils and tools for display. Free. (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Seglinge museum (on Seglinge). Open when the grocery store is open. Local history museum upstairs in the grocery store. Free. (updated Apr 2020)

Do

Accommodations have some activities available. Check their webpages or ask. Some arrange even seal safaris. As elsewhere in the archipelago, the Midsummer in late June is the main event.

  • 🌍 Kumlinge nature trail. Circular trail northwest side of the main village, on and around Räsnäs hill. Consists of two conjoined parts, one 3 km and another 3.4 km long. Starting point next to the church (bigger circle) or guest marina (smaller circle). Variable terrain with some good viewing points. Possibility to see elks (or at least their droppings). Also poisonous vipers are abundant. Maps available at the church and guest marina. (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Seglinge nature trail. A 7-km circular nature trail, partly in hazelnut forest. The trail starts next to the old blacksmith's house and heads west to the sea shore. There are glacial 🌍 giant's kettles, jättegrytor in Swedish, by the sea. (updated Apr 2020)

Buy

Eat and Drink
  • 🌍 Restaurant Kastören, Kumlingevägen 643, ☏ +358 400-529-199, . June daily 17:00–20:00, July daily 16:00–22:00; off-season by request. The only(!) restaurant and bar on the main island creates dishes from local ingredients. Very limited menu but the food is good. Some 3 km from the main village, next to the guest marina. (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Restaurant Glada Laxen, ☏ +358 18 55304, . Restaurant in a former Border Guard Station on the small Bärö island. Also accommodation in double rooms. Own guest marina and viewing tower. No public transportation(?) (updated Apr 2020)

Sleep

There are a few alternatives for accommodation. Many visitors sleep in their own yacht.

  • 🌍 Kumlinge Stugor, Kumlingevägen 643. Cottage accommodation by the guest marina. 4 cabins with 4 beds and 8 cabins with 6 beds. Restaurant and shared kitchen. Bikes for rent. (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Hotel Svala, Södra Postvägen 10, ☏ +358 18 47474, . Small hotel in a former village hospital building. Dog and cat at the premises. Staff speaks English, Swedish and Finnish. During summer required minimum stay is 2 nights. Dinner available if booked in advance. Bikes available. €100–169/night (breakfast included). (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Henrikssons stugor, Södra Postvägen 96 (800 meters off main road), ☏ +358 400-229-500, . Six cottages with 4–6 beds each. Bikes for rent. Reservations at least 4 days before arrival date. (updated Apr 2020)
  • 🌍 Norrbo Stugor (Enklinge), ☏ +358 40-772-8368, . Cottages. Seal safaris available, booking one week in advance. €50-70/night. (updated Apr 2020)

Camping
  • 🌍 Ledholm Camping, Snäckövägen 360, ☏ +358 40-589-2005, . Nice camping area a few hundred metres from Snäckö harbour. A few cabins for 1–3 persons. Dry toilets, showers and a small kitchen are shared. A small kiosk with coffee and snacks. Bikes and canoes for rent. Sauna €15/hour. Staff speak Swedish, Finnish, and English. Beware of the ticks! cabin €25-45; tent €9+€4/adult,€2/child; caravan €12+€4/adult,€2/child. (updated Apr 2020)

Stay safe

Check the advice on ticks, which are abundant and carry both TBE and borreliosis.

Go next

Unless you have your own yacht or aeroplane your only options are:

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