Four-day camping itinerary for Kökar
Kökar is a fantastic camping holiday destination for several reasons. Firstly, it has a campsite! Secondly, it is easy to reach from both Finland and main Åland.
In Kökar, you can enjoy the stunning outer archipelago scenery, and the island is large enough to offer plenty of activities and sights for several days. It is also easy to find a peaceful spot just for yourself, in case you are in search for tranquility. Last but not least, Kökar is known for its almost constant sunshine and magnificent sunsets!
Read below, how to travel to Åland
How to book the ferry?
Day 1: Arrival, church and Hamnö nature trails
Whether you arrive by car, bicycle, or bus, taking a connecting ferry in the morning is the best option. This way, you’ll reach Kökar by noon and have time to pitch your tent and experience the island on the same day.
The campsite in Kökar, Sandvik, has beautiful flat grass fields for tents. While there are limited hammock spaces in the camping area, there are some trees near the maintenance building suitable for hammocks. For more information, you can inquire at the reception.
Also, remember to book a sauna for the next day (or even for every evening, if you like). You can make reservation online.
Once you’ve got your tent up and had lunch, it’s time to get to know Kökar’s magnificent nature. From Sandvik, you can rent bikes. It is a great for getting around on the island.
The Church Of St. Anna
Head to Hamnö Island and cycle the red sandy road to the church. The distance is about 1.7 km.
St. Anna’s Church was built in 1754. However, there has been a church on the same site since the Middle Ages.
In medieval times, there used to be a Franciscan monastery in Kökar. You can explore the history of the monastery and the island in the Franciscan Museum next to the church.
In between the museum and the church, you have access to a bird-spotting platform with a wonderful view of the sea. This is also one of the best spots to catch the sunset, which is a must in Kökar.
Next to the church, on the other side of the parking area is a red house, the current parish house, and a former vicarage. This is where the Finnish novelist Ulla-Lena Lundberg’s Finlandia Award-winning novel “Ice” (2011) takes place.
The vicarage is also the birthplace of Ulla-Lena Lundberg. In 2023, her novel Ice was chosen as the all-time Finlandia novel by the public vote! (Finlandia prize is literature prize awarded yearly in Finland).
The church of St. Anna and the Franciskus Museum
Hamnö Nature trails
From the church, return back along the road about 100 meters. There are nature trails on both sides of the road.
On the left by the old barn starts the Meditation Path. There’s a sign showing the way.
The meditation trail is marked with red stones and arrows. It leads first to the church jetty and from there to the north facing cliffs, where you get a good view of the sea. There are phrases along the path with which you can reflect on your life.
The path on the right starts from the sign “Gamla kyrkvägen”, which means the old church road.
Walk through the gate in the fence. Sheep graze in the area, with good luck you can meet them. They are timid in early summer and curious later in the summer.
Take the most left-hand path up to the cliff. From the cliff, the path goes down to the beautiful bay. The path is marked with white marks on the trees.
You can read the whole description and see the map of the routes from this post:
The trails are only a few kilometres long, but you can spend time on these trails for several hours while enjoying the scenery and sunshine.
There’s no harm if you get lost in the path because the area is small and there is no real danger of getting lost.
Over the years, sheep have made their paths crisscrossing around. It is fun to follow these countless little sheep trails.
The best spot to admire the sunset is on the cliffs by the church. Depending on the weather, make sure you’ll go and see the sunset at least on one of the nights of your stay!
Day 2: The Kalen Nature Trail
On the second day, continue to explore the nature of Kökar and visit the Kalen nature trail.
The trail end is one kilometre away from Sandvik. By the road there’s a blue sign “Otterböte” and a little parking area. From Sandvik, the Kalen nature trail is 7 km long. Kalen offers diverse scenery. It goes through the highest point of Kökar and offers magnificent views to the sea.
You can read full decription of Kalen nature trail from this post:
After Kalen, it is time to enjoy Sandvik’s smooth cliffs again and have lunch or dinner.
After a sweaty hike, it is nice to go to the sauna and for a swim. Sandvik’s saunas are located on the beach and swimming is possible from the sandy beach or the pier.
Here’s a tip: book Sauna 1, which has a big landscape window, and book the sauna shift the night before. Reservations can be made online through Sandvik’s website.
Be sure to book a Källskär cruise for the next day from here.
Day 3: Karlby village and Källskär
On the third day, visit Källskär. Daily guided tours (only in the summertime) depart from the front of the Brudhäll Hotel, and the tour lasts from 13:00 to 16:30. You can book it here.
Taxi boat transfers to Källskär are also available from Sandvik. This option allows you to arrange a more flexible schedule. Gather a slightly larger group, and the price per person will be roughly the same as the guided tour from Brudhäll. For more information, ask at the Sandvik café.
Before the trip, consider cycling to the village of Karlby to explore the area and admire its iconic red boathouses.
There is a supermarket at Karlby, where you can grab a quick lunch or some snacks to take with you, or you can enjoy lunch at Hotel Brudhäll’s terrass before the excursion.
It’s advisable to bring some water with you as there are no services available in Källskär.
Day 4: Kökar Museum and Peder’s orchard
On the fourth day, visit the Kökar Museum, a must-see attraction in Kökar.
From mid-June to mid-August, the museum is open daily from 10 am to 3 pm. It is located 8 km from Sandvik. You can check the location from Kökar map.
At the Kökar Museum exhibition, you can experience how the people of Kökar lived in the past. The exhibition shows life at Kökar from the 19th century until the 1940s through an amazing collection of photos and films.
You can also see old fishing boats, boathouses, a fishing hut, and lots of equipment used in fishing and farming in the old days.
The museum is located in Österbygge-Helsö old school and is open daily in the summer season. Read more about the museum
Museum items
After exploring the museum, have lunch at Peders Applagård, a charming orchard close to the museum. It is the most southern orchard in Finland!
The restaurant-café serves light lunch daily, and you shouldn’t miss trying Peders’ cider, available in multiple flavours. My favourite is the apple, the best cider I’ve ever had (and it is non-alcoholic)!
If the ferry leaves in the evening, it’s time to head back and pack the camp. This depends on the ferry timetables; sometimes there’s only a morning ferry tour. In this case, you can enjoy an extra night in Kökar and leave in the morning.
Hope you enjoy your stay in Kökar, my home island!
