Travel Info

So far, Åcon has only one member from Åland. This means that the rest of us need to get to Mariehamn somehow. We’ve looked at all the options, and made the best deal that we could for organising cheap travel by cruiseferry, via Silja Line.

Timetable

We’re offering the following connections:

Thursday 17 May 2007
Turku 09:10 – 14:40 Mariehamn (Silja Festival)
Stockholm 08:00 – 14:35 Mariehamn (Silja Europa)

Sunday 20 May 2007
Mariehamn 14:45 – 20:10 Turku (Silja Europa)
Mariehamn 14:45 – 19:15 Stockholm (Silja Festival)
Mariehamn 23:55 – 09:55 Helsinki (Silja Serenade)

The outbound trip from Helsinki isn’t offered since it would require that travelers leave the cruiseferry at 04:15 at night, something that we believe to be somewhat improbable. However, if there’s enough interest such a connection could also be arranged.

Depending on demand, we may also be able to arrange for some form of group transport from Helsinki and/or Tampere to Turku.

Prices

Each of the connections is priced one way and per person, so you can choose your own route. You can also just go one way with this deal, if that fits your schedules better.

Turku/Stockholm <–> Mariehamn 5 € (50 SEK, 45 NOK, 3.75 GBP)
Mariehamn –> Helsinki 15 € (150 SEK, 135 NOK, 11.25 GBP)

A return trip from Turku or Stockholm would therefore cost 10 €.

These prices are for travel in 4-person Tourist II class cabins. For the day travel from Turku and Stockholm, this is actually cheaper than traveling without a cabin. For the night travel back to Helsinki, if there is sufficient interest, we may be able to offer accommodation in higher-quality cabins as well, the prices per cabin would be roughly as follows: Tourist I 68 €, Promenade 83 €, Seaside 96 €. These cabins are not currently part of our booking, so we can’t guarantee their availability.

Booking

For these prices to be available to us, we need a minimum of ten adults on each of the connections. That shouldn’t be a problem, but it does mean that we need to know sooner rather than later how you’re travelling. The final deadline for this offer is Friday 13 April. However, if you want to somehow customize these options, tell us as soon as possible.

Booking these tickets is done through us, not via Silja Line. You should pay following the same instructions as for Åcon membership and email us at <acon@sci.fi> with the following details:

• Your name
• Your date of birth
• Your nationality
• Your connection(s)
• Your cabinmates, if you’ve arranged for such
• How you’ve paid or will pay for your travel

As all the cabins are for four persons, your cabinmates will be random Åcon members unless you arrange beforehand to travel with your friends. One forum where to do just that is our discussion list.

We are also able to reserve you buffet meal tickets at slightly reduced prices from those available on board: sea breakfast 9 €, lunch or dinner 23 €. If you want such, please pay as per the instructions above and mention it in your email.

Please get in touch with us beforehand if you’re traveling with your under 18-year old children.

Alternatives

We understand that what we’ve arranged won’t fit into everyone’s schedule. There are, however, other ways to get to Mariehamn as well. Silja Line and Viking Line operate regular cruiseferry connections from mainland Finland and Sweden, while Eckerölinjen and Birka Cruises operate from Sweden only. Ålandstrafiken has multiple ferries across the archipelago to mainland Finland. Finally, Tallink provides a connection from Tallinn, Estonia.

And if you’d rather fly, Air Åland has two flights a day from Helsinki.

Travel from Elsewhere

If you’re coming from further afield and need help making travel arrangements to Finland or Sweden, please get in touch with us via email at <acon@sci.fi>.

Updated 2007-01-12