LANGNÄS
Långnäs is a port in Lumparland on the eastern mainland of Åland, which is an autonomous region of Finland. It is located about 30 km away from Mariehamn, Åland's capital. The archipelago is made up of 6,700 Swedish-speaking islands. Långnäs mainly serves as a port and there is not much of a town to speak of.
A brief history of Långnäs
Silja Line built a ferry terminal in Långnäs in the 1960s, it was designed by architect Bengt Lundsten. The terminal was in use between 1965-1975 but then it was closed in 1993. In 1999, they built a new terminal to accommodate the large cruise ferries that run on the Stockholm—Turku route, which became used as an alternative to Mariehamn harbour for ferry connections as there was very little passenger traffic to and from Åland.
In 1999, European Union legislation outlawed the sale of duty-free goods on ferry cruises within the EU, but Åland's tax privileges provided a legal exemption for ships that call at the ports in the peninsular as they argued that duty-free sales were a considerable source of revenue for the ferry shipping companies.
What to do in Långnäs
There is not a lot to do in Långnäs as it is mainly just a dock from which boats leave, be sure to bring your own provisions!
Beaches around Långnäs
There are some lovely beaches in the archipelago; Notviksplan Beach is a small sandy beach near Finström. Bambölevik beach is also close by in the north of Åland, it is mainly grassy with some sand. It is also possible to hire a sauna boat around this area. You simply hire the boat and take it to a quiet cove where you can jump in and then hop into the sauna afterwards even in cold weather!