Kökar

Kökar is an island in Åland.

Get in

Ålandstrafiken[1] ferries from Långnäs on the main island or from Galtby(Korpo) on the Finnish mainland. The ferries are free to pedestrians and a smaller fee is taken out for vehicles between the smaller islands. For pedestrians bus line 5 from Mariehamn goes to Långnäs.

Get around

Easy to hire bikes but no public transport. Taxi is available.

See

Kökar is one of the few islands in Åland with noticeable contours, showing picturesque cliffs to the east, now set a bit back from the coast. There is a very attractive little church, technically on a separate island but easily reached on foot from the ferry port by turning east. There are the ruins of an old monastery beside it. As is common in Åland, the belltower is near to but separate from the main church building.

Kökar Church

Do

The Kökar Museum, located in an old schoolhouse, has on display many of the articles and tools used by the seal hunters. Get a glimpse of life on Kökar from the 1800's up to the 1940's. There are several other buildings on the museum grounds open to the public. Among them a display hall with different types of boats, a crofter's cottage and a shed for livestock.

The Church & Franciscan Chapel During the 15th century a Franciscan monastery was founded on Hamnö. This place became a spiritual and cultural centre for the entire archipelago. Today the ruins of the monastery share their site with Kökar's church from 1748. In the chapel beside the church there are archaeological excavations on Hamnö.

Otterböte settlement from the Bronze Age.

The small island Källskär, right outside Kökar. For many years, the nobleman Göran Åkerhielm lived on this island. The buildings, the garden and the port that he built are truly creative. Anyone familiar with the Moomin-books recognizes perhaps parts of the houses. Tove Jansson who occasionally came out on visits was inspired from it when she made sketches for the Moomin´s house. Also found on the island is one of Åland's most remarkable nature phenomenons, Källskärskannan.

Buy

The official currency is the euro (€).

Eat

• Svartbröd, Blackbread, as the name implies the bread is almost black. It is round and quite flat but its most characteristic feature is the taste. The blackbread from Kökar is more sweet than the blackbread from the other parts of the islands. Only a few people still knows how to bake the Kökar-blackbread, so you have to ask around where you can buy the bread.

Drink

• Peders Aplagård, Österbygge is an applefarm. They make different products out of apples like applecake, juice, jelly etc. You can buy direct from the farm or from the foodshops on the island.

Sleep

Camping:

• Sandviken camping[2]

Cabins:

• Klobbar´s Hostelry & Cabins [3]
• Havspaviljongen [4], Hellsö
• Österlund Small Cabins[5], Österbygge

Guesthouse:

• Anton's Gästhem[6] is nearest to the ferry and is well located for cliff walks and for the church. No breakfast but some facilities for self catering.
• Klobbar´s Hostelry & Cabins [7]

Hotel:

• Brudhäll Hotell & Restaurang[8], Karlby

Guest Harbor

• Hellsö Guest Harbor[9], Hellsö
• Brudhäll Guest Harbor[10], Karlby
• Sandviken Guest Harbor[11]

Contact

• Kökar municipality[12], only in swedish.
• Visit Åland[13], Åland official tourist gateway

Get out

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