Mariehamn, Åland

The small capital of Åland, a self-governing, Swedish-speaking group of islands belonging to Finland. The four-masted barque Pommern, one of the last of the great grain-trading sailing ships, is moored in the harbour as a museum, beside the Åland Maritime Museum.

Mariehamn has tree-lined streets and wooden houses. Ferries run from Stockholm and Turku; cars and bikes can be taken across, and island ferries link the archipelago.