The Åland Islands or Åland (pronounced "Oh-lahnd") are a group of small islands officially belonging to Finland in the Baltic Sea, consisting a surrounding archipelago. It is autonomous, demilitarised and is the only monolingually Swedish-speaking region in Finland. Åland's original name was in the Proto-Norse language - Ahvaland which means "Land of Water". In Swedish, this first developed into Áland and eventually into Åland, literally "river land"—even though rivers are not a prominent feature of Åland's geography. The Finnish and Estonian names of the island, Ahvenanmaa and Ahvenamaa ("perch land"), are seen to preserve another form of the old name.
Aland Islands
Featured Experiences
Featured Travel Stories
Thailand - From Hawaii to Sicily, and now to Thailand, the hit HBO dramatic series The White Lotus has captivated viewers and inspired travelers with its double appeal of intrigue in luxury...
read more
Before your trip
The Perils of Posting: Reasons NOT to Share Your Travels on Social Media
- At least not until you are home. According to one survey by a travel insurance company, nearly one-third of active social media users are at... read more
River or Ocean Cruises
River Cruising 'French Immersion'
France - The secret about river cruising was out, even before the pandemic. Like all cruise travel, it's the ‘easy button’ way to ‘sample’ multiple destinations and... read more
Local Events
Doing the Holidays Disney Style in Orlando and Anaheim in 2022
- The gift of travel can create precious memories of one of the best holidays ever, and Disney theme parks on both sides of the country... read more