Best Time to Visit Mariehamn

Summer: June to August

This is the season to come if you want swimming weather and long light. July is the warmest month and our top pick, with highs of 19°C. August is almost as warm but wetter, with rain on 13 days. June is the sunniest month and a bit cooler, and the evenings seem to go on forever.

Days are easy here. You can hire a bike and ride the flat roads out to Kastelholm Castle in Sund, or cycle to the island of Lemland. Back in town, walk the lime-tree-lined Storagatan and look at the tall ship Pommern in the harbour. It's a four-masted sailing ship, now a museum. Ferries and the archipelago bus routes are running their full timetables, so island-hopping is simple.

Midsummer, in late June, is the big one. Locals raise a maypole, called a midsommarstång, and many shops close. Book your room early if you want to be there. July is peak season, with Finnish and Swedish families on school holiday, so the guesthouses and cottages fill up.

Spring and early autumn

May is fresh and quiet. Highs reach 10°C, the days are long, and the cycling routes are nearly empty. It's still cool by the water, so you'll want a jacket when the wind comes off the Baltic. Some summer cafés and sights only open late in the month, so don't expect everything to be running early on.

September suits you if you like calm. At 15°C it feels crisp rather than cold, and the crowds are gone. Rain falls on about 11 days, so keep a plan B, like the Åland Museum or the Maritime Museum in town. April is cool and a bit grey, though the sun is back for over six hours a day.

Winter: October to March

Be ready for dark, damp days. From November to January the sun shows up for barely an hour or so a day, and December has rain or sleet on 15 days. Temperatures hover around freezing, so snow comes and goes. Many seasonal places shut, and ferry schedules thin out.

So why go? If you want cosy, quiet and cheap-feeling off-season calm, a winter weekend can work. Think saunas, hot food and long evenings indoors. Just don't plan a beach trip, or a long bike ride.