Kumlinge and the Åland archipelago
Kumlinge is four inhabited islands and about eight hundred empty ones, 315 people, in the middle of the water between Åland and Finland. The single most useful thing to know is that the ferries are free if you are not driving: Ålands landskapsregering runs them through Ålandstrafiken, part of its own infrastructure department, and its price page opens by saying travelling on the archipelago ferries costs nothing for passengers without a vehicle. What costs money is the car, and how much depends entirely on whether you sleep in the archipelago: 40 euros return under the archipelago tariff against 143 euros for driving straight through from Åland to Finland in one day. The second thing to know is that the network has changed. The Tvärgående linjen, the cross line that took m/s Odin from Långnäs through Överö and Sottunga to Snäckö, stopped at the end of 2025; Snäckö now sees only the Seglinge cable ferry, and its berth is a building site until summer 2027. Everything to Kumlinge now comes off the Norra linjen, the Northern Line, from Hummelvik in Vårdö on one side and Torsholma in Brändö on the other, and a great many of the small feeder sailings only exist if you ring Ålandstrafiken first.
- Researched
- 28 September 2026
- Reviewed
- not yet
- Ways of moving
- 11, 40 sources
- Not confirmed
- 7
- Fares seen
- 2026
11 ways of moving, each with its rule
We confirmed ten ways of moving to, from or around Kumlinge: six by water, two by road, one under your own steam and one by air, from 40 sources. One entry is not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. One of them runs only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be. One needs a phone call or a message before you turn up.
The fares were seen in 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. Four fares carry no year, because they could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate 8 of the 11 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 28 September 2026, and ends with seven things we could not confirm.
By water
Norra linjen, the Northern Line: m/s Alfågeln and m/s Knipan
Hummelvik (Vårdö) – Enklinge – Kumlinge – Lappo – Torsholma (Brändö)
This is the spine. Two ship-sized ferries, m/s Alfågeln and m/s Knipan, work it all year on timetables that change four times a season. Kumlinge's berth is the norra färjfäste, about 4 km north of the village, with a heated waiting cabin and nothing else; Enklinge and Snäckö have waiting cabins too. On the 14 September to 31 December 2026 table, Hummelvik to Kumlinge runs at 09:30, 11:50, 17:15 and 19:45 on Monday and three times a day Tuesday to Thursday, first boat 05:00, and takes about an hour and ten minutes. Read the footnotes before you plan anything: a departure marked 1) sails only if somebody has booked it with Ålandstrafiken at least an hour before it leaves its first harbour, which is how most Enklinge calls and several late Lappo and Torsholma legs work. A departure marked B) is a fuel run on even weeks, bookable to Wednesday noon, and takes at most 20 passengers. From 14 September 2026 the Brändö end is the old Torsholma berth at Norrviken. There are cafés on board that may or may not be open, so carry coins for the machines. In Hummelvik there is one waiting lane for vehicles to Torsholma and another for Enklinge, Kumlinge and Lappo, and long-stay parking if you are walking on.
- When
- Three to four sailings a day each way year-round, more in the 6 June to 18 August summer table
- Takes
- About 1h 10m Hummelvik to Kumlinge, about the same from Torsholma
- Fare 2026
- Free on foot. Bicycle 6 euros, or 4.80 booked online or paid by card; car up to 2.1 m high 40 euros, or 32 online, for the return or for continuing after a night in the archipelago. Nothing is charged between intermediate harbours
SeasonYear-round. In bad ice the government switches to isturlistor, ice timetables, announced on the website and in local media at least seven days beforehand. BookingNone needed or possible on foot or by bicycle. Vehicles must be booked and paid at least 48 hours ahead, or two hours ahead if booked late. Footnote 1) sailings run only against a booking made at least an hour before departure. Run byÅlandstrafiken for Ålands landskapsregering; office +358 (0)18 25 600.
Osnäs – Åva, the Finnish mainland end of the Northern Line
Osnäs (Vuosnainen) in Kustavi to Åva in Brändö, then 22 km of road across Brändö to Torsholma, then the Northern Line to Kumlinge
Coming from Turku rather than from Mariehamn, this is the way in, and it is three separate legs that the timetable footnotes stitch together. Osnäs is 76 km from Turku and is reached over the Vartsala cable ferry from Gustavs. The Åva crossing takes 45 minutes and runs about five times a day; its sailings are marked A) or K) to show whether they connect with m/s Alfågeln or m/s Knipan at Torsholma. Between Åva and Torsholma there is no bus, only Brändö's kollektivtrafik, a free shared taxi that must be ordered a day ahead and is timed to specific ferry arrivals; walking it is 22 km. Be ready to drive aboard ten minutes before departure. Dangerous goods and the Monday fuel run need booking to Ålandstrafiken by Wednesday noon, and the fuel run takes 20 passengers at most. Osnäs is one of the five charging end harbours, along with Hummelvik, Långnäs, Svinö and Galtby, and it has long-stay parking.
- When
- About five round trips a day, first boat from Åva 06:30 or 07:05 depending on the day
- Takes
- 45 minutes Osnäs to Åva; allow most of a day Turku to Kumlinge
- Fare 2026
- Free on foot. With a vehicle, 40 euros for a car under the archipelago tariff if you spend a night out here, against 143 euros for a through run from Åland to the Finnish mainland inside 24 hours; a bicycle is 6 euros against 28
SeasonYear-round, on seasonal timetables. BookingVehicles must be booked. A through booking end harbour to end harbour can only be made online by someone living in an Åland archipelago municipality; everyone else has to book it through Ålandstrafiken's office. Run byÅlandstrafiken for Ålands landskapsregering.
Enklinge – Kumlinge shuttle
Kumlinge norra färjfäste to Enklinge, 15 minutes
Enklinge is the fourth inhabited island and the one with the Hermas homestead museum on it. It has its own little line with about twelve crossings a day from early morning to late evening, which looks generous until you read the notes. Departures marked 1) run only against a booking made to Ålandstrafiken at least an hour before, and those marked 2) have to be booked by 20:00 the evening before. During Åland school holidays every single sailing runs only against a booking, and the holiday dates are printed on the timetable. There is one further oddity worth knowing about island life here: on a Saturday or Sunday you may order one return crossing a month between 02:00 and 03:00, by applying to the government at least two weeks before the month starts. Enklinge is also a stop on the Northern Line from Hummelvik, again mostly on request.
- When
- About 12 crossings a day, most of them on request only
- Takes
- 15 minutes
- Fare 2026
- Free on foot. Vehicle fares follow the same archipelago tariff, and nothing is charged between intermediate harbours
SeasonYear-round. BookingOn demand for a large share of sailings. Book to Ålandstrafiken an hour before, or by 20:00 the previous evening for the 2) departures, and for every departure during school holidays. Run byÅlandstrafiken; vessel phones m/s Alfågeln +358 40 768 2108, m/s Knipan +358 400 229 261.
Brändö – Kumlinge line, m/s Bogoy
Kumlinge – Asterholma – Lappo – Torsholma and back
The small boat that threads the islands between Kumlinge and Brändö, and the way to reach Lappo, where the Archipelago Museum is, and Asterholma. Nearly every departure on its timetable carries a footnote: 1) means it only runs if booked to Ålandstrafiken between 09:30 and 18:30, and 2) means booked at least two hours before it leaves its first harbour. In practice you do not turn up at Asterholma and wait for a boat, you telephone and then the boat comes. It is the same fare structure as the big ferries, which is to say nothing at all if you are walking or cycling. Björkö, the fourth Kumlinge island, is not on this line: for that you get off the Northern Line at Lappo in Brändö, cross 2.7 km of Lappo on foot, and take the Björkö cable ferry, +358 45 7524 2854.
- When
- Several rotations a day, almost all on request
- Takes
- Kumlinge to Torsholma about 1h 30m with the intermediate calls
- Fare 2026
- Free on foot or with a bicycle; no ticket charge between intermediate harbours
SeasonYear-round, on seasonal timetables. BookingOn demand. Ring Ålandstrafiken on +358 (0)18 25 600 between 09:30 and 18:30, or at least two hours before departure. Run byÅlandstrafiken, m/s Bogoy.
Seglinge linfärja, the cable ferry to Seglinge
Snäckö to Seglinge, under 10 minutes
A piece of moving road rather than a ferry service. The printed times are departures from the Seglinge side only, roughly twice an hour from 06:00 to 22:00; from Snäckö you leave about seven minutes after the listed Seglinge time. Between 22:20 and 05:40 the timetable simply says traffic on demand, meaning the skipper sails when somebody turns up, and conversely, if nobody is standing at either ramp at a listed time the crossing does not happen. There are two fixed breaks every day, 10:30 to 11:05 and 17:00 to 17:35, and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays one red-marked run is dropped. The skipper may hold the return from Snäckö up to ten minutes for commercial traffic or for anyone with a good reason. Ferry phone +358 (0)40 768 5792. One caution: the Snäckö ferry berth is being rebuilt, with a 30 km/h limit on road 800 and occasional extra restrictions on the queue, until the contract finishes in summer 2027.
- When
- About two crossings an hour 06:00 to 22:00; on demand 22:20 to 05:40
- Takes
- Under 10 minutes
- Fare 2026
- Free, for everyone
SeasonYear-round. BookingNone possible and none needed. Drive or walk down to the ramp and wait. Run byÅlands landskapsregering.
Mainland ships to Åland: Finnlines, Viking Line, Tallink Silja, Eckerölinjen
Kapellskär and Naantali to Långnäs; Stockholm, Turku and Helsinki to Mariehamn; Grisslehamn to Eckerö
Getting to Åland at all is a separate problem from getting to Kumlinge, and the two do not join up neatly. Finnlines runs Kapellskär – Långnäs – Naantali twice a day with Finnsirius and Finncanopus, 3.5 hours from Kapellskär to Långnäs and about five hours from Naantali, with departures already published to December 2027; on some overnight sailings foot passengers need a vehicle. Viking Line and Tallink Silja call at Mariehamn or Långnäs on the Stockholm–Turku and Stockholm–Helsinki cruises, several times a day. Eckerölinjen runs the short crossing from Grisslehamn to Eckerö, about two hours, with buses at both ends. The catch is geography: all of these land you on mainland Åland, and the Kumlinge boat leaves from Hummelvik on the far north-east side, so budget most of a day and a bus, or come in the other way from Turku through Osnäs and Brändö. Åland is outside the EU VAT area, which is why the ships stop here at all.
- When
- Finnlines twice daily; Viking Line and Tallink Silja several sailings a day; Eckerölinjen up to three a day
- Takes
- 3.5 hours Kapellskär to Långnäs, about 5 hours Naantali to Åland, about 2 hours Grisslehamn to Eckerö
- Fare
- Fares vary by sailing and season and were not confirmed. Most cruise ferries charge extra for a bicycle
SeasonYear-round. Severe weather or ice can make a ship skip Åland or use a different port. BookingBook ahead, particularly with a vehicle. Run byFinnlines, Viking Line, Tallink Silja, Eckerölinjen.
Rules, permits and closures
The cross line is gone, and what stops the rest
Former Tvärgående linjen: Långnäs – Överö – Sottunga – Snäckö
Guidebooks still send people to Kumlinge on the cross line, m/s Odin from Långnäs to Snäckö by way of Överö in Föglö and sometimes Sottunga. It does not run. Nya Åland reported in May 2025 that the line would cease after the turn of the year, and Ålandstrafiken's 2026 timetables bear that out: the lines it lists are Södra linjen, Föglölinjen and Norra linjen plus the feeders, and the word Snäckö does not appear anywhere in the Södra linjen timetable for any period of 2026. The practical consequences are that there is now no direct link between Kumlinge and Sottunga, and that from mainland Åland you go to Hummelvik in Vårdö, not to Långnäs. As for what else stops a sailing: the government reserves the right to change or cancel in severe weather, technical failure or force majeure, medical transports always override the timetable, and in a heavy ice year isturlistor come into force with at least seven days' notice on the website and in local media. Combination footnotes linking one boat to another are information only and guarantee nothing.
- When
- Not applicable; the line no longer operates
- Takes
- Not applicable
- Fare
- No fare, because there is no service
SeasonCross line withdrawn from the start of 2026. Run byÅlands landskapsregering through Ålandstrafiken.
By road
Ålandstrafiken buses 4 and 5 out of Mariehamn
Line 4 Mariehamn – Godby – Sund – Vårdö for Hummelvik; line 5 Mariehamn – Lemland – Lumparland for Långnäs and Svinö
The six country bus lines all start from bussplan by the city library in Mariehamn. For Kumlinge you want line 4 to Hummelvik, 47 km, and it connects with the Northern Line sailings. Line 5 serves Långnäs and Svinö, 30 km, which is where the Stockholm and Turku ships and the Föglö ferry go from. Pay cash or card to the driver, or buy in the PayiQ Tickets app, where the ticket has to be activated before you step aboard. Note that a single is valid for two hours across the whole network, which is enough for a transfer or even a short return. Every one of the five end harbours has some sort of long-stay parking if you would rather leave the car and travel out as a foot passenger, which given the vehicle fares is often the sensible move.
- When
- Several runs a day timed to the ferries; check the bussturlista before relying on a specific connection
- Takes
- About an hour Mariehamn to Hummelvik
- Fare 2026
- 2.50 euros adult single valid two hours, 1.25 for a child 6 to 11, free under 6, 5 euros for a bicycle; month card 30 euros
SeasonYear-round. Run byÅlandstrafiken, the traffic bureau of Ålands landskapsregering.
Kommunaltrafiken, the ordered shared taxi on Kumlinge
Kumlinge and Seglinge, between the ferry harbours and the villages
There is no bus on Kumlinge. What exists instead is the archipelago version of public transport: a shared taxi that runs on weekdays, timed to the ferry arrivals and departures, and only if somebody has ordered it by 20:00 the previous evening. It is free along the main road and costs a euro or two if you want dropping somewhere off it. Two numbers cover the municipality: Taxi Kumlinge-Seglinge on +358 400 665 650 and Taxi Enklinge on +358 400 593 740. There is also a boat taxi for the small islands, Satu Numminen on +358 40 506 1299. Every archipelago municipality in Åland runs something similar, so the same trick works in Brändö, where the free ordered taxi covers the 22 km between Åva and Torsholma. If you are arriving on an evening boat with no booking made, assume you are walking the 4 km from the norra färjfäste into the village.
- When
- On demand, weekdays, to the ferry timetable
- Takes
- A few minutes; the whole island road from the north berth to Snäckö is 11 km
- Fare
- Free along the main road, 1 to 3 euros if you leave it. Could not be re-confirmed against a 2026 operator page
SeasonYear-round on weekdays. BookingCompulsory, by 20:00 the day before. Run bylocal taxi operators under contract to the municipality and the landskapsregering.
On foot, by bike, or otherwise
Cycling, which is how the archipelago is meant to be done
Kumlinge norra färjfäste to the village to Snäckö, 11 km, and onward by ferry
The islands are flat, the highest hill barely reaches 20 m, and there is almost no traffic, so the bicycle is the sensible vehicle here and the ferries are built around it. Kumlinge and Snäckö are joined by a causeway, so the 11 km from the north berth to the Seglinge cable ferry is one continuous ride with no gaps. Road signs are in Swedish. Guesthouses and hostels hire bikes, and on the big ferries you simply wheel it aboard without booking. The economics are the point: a bike ticket bought from an end harbour costs 6 euros, or 4.80 if you buy it online or pay by card, and it covers the return or the onward leg after a night in the archipelago, so one payment can carry you across several islands. Driving straight through from Åland to the Finnish mainland inside a day costs 28 euros for the same bicycle. A bike on a bus is 5 euros.
- When
- Any time; on the ferries, every sailing
- Takes
- Under an hour end to end across Kumlinge and Snäckö
- Fare 2026
- Ferry 6 euros a bicycle, 4.80 online or by card, 12 euros with a trailer; bus 5 euros. Hire prices from guesthouses could not be confirmed
SeasonBest May to September; the ferries carry bikes year-round. BookingNot needed to carry a bicycle. Booking online gets the lower price. Run byÅlandstrafiken for carriage; accommodation providers for the bikes.
By air
Mariehamn airport, and the airstrip on Kumlinge that has no flights
Helsinki, Turku and Stockholm Arlanda to Mariehamn; Kumlinge airfield EFKG for private aircraft only
Worth stating plainly because the map is misleading. Kumlinge has a paved runway open all year, EFKG, run by the Government of Åland, and there are no commercial flights to it; it is for general aviation. The only airport on Åland with scheduled service is Mariehamn, with daily flights from Helsinki Vantaa, Turku and Stockholm Arlanda. Landing at Mariehamn still leaves you the bus to Hummelvik and the Northern Line, which is the better part of a day, so flying only makes sense as a way of reaching Åland, not as a way of reaching Kumlinge.
- When
- Daily to Mariehamn; nothing scheduled to Kumlinge
- Takes
- Under an hour from Helsinki or Stockholm, then most of a day onward
- Fare
- Not confirmed
SeasonYear-round. BookingAirline booking as usual; landing at Kumlinge is a matter for the pilot. Run byMariehamn airport; Kumlinge airfield is operated by the Government of Åland.
What we could not find out
7 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.
- 01
Correction to the brief: there is no Cross Line any more. The Tvärgående linjen from Långnäs through Överö and Sottunga to Snäckö ceased at the end of 2025, per Nya Åland of 19 May 2025, and Snäckö appears in no 2026 ship timetable. Kumlinge and Sottunga now have no direct link at all, and the route from mainland Åland is Hummelvik, not Långnäs.
- 02
The 1 to 3 euro charge for a kommunaltrafik shared taxi off the main road comes from Wikivoyage and could not be re-confirmed on an operator or municipal page. Ask when you ring the number; the free-along-the-main-road rule is confirmed by two Wikivoyage articles but by no Ålandstrafiken page found.
- 03
Bicycle hire prices on Kumlinge could not be confirmed. Guesthouses have bikes; the rate is whatever they say. The carriage fare on the ferries is firm.
- 04
www.alandstrafiken.ax is behind a Baffin Bay bot-protection challenge and refuses every scripted request with a 403, including its timetable PDFs and robots.txt. Everything cited here was read in an ordinary browser session. Anyone automating this data should expect to need a real browser or a data-sharing agreement with Ålands landskapsregering.
- 05
No open timetable or booking API was found for Ålandstrafiken. Finferries' booking API, which does publish JSON, covers the Finnish state ferries and its Houtskär and Iniö route harbour lists reach Torsholma in Brändö, but it does not carry Ålandstrafiken's own lines, so there is no machine-readable source for the Kumlinge sailings.
- 06
Winter departure counts here are taken from the 14 September to 31 December 2026 table. The following winter table was not yet published at the end of September 2026, and in an ice year it is replaced altogether by isturlistor at seven days' notice.
- 07
It was not confirmed whether the Snäckö rebuilding, due to finish in summer 2027, is connected to the withdrawal of the cross line or whether a ship line to Snäckö is intended to return once the new berth is finished. Worth asking Ålands landskapsregering's infrastructure department.
What the planner can route today
The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Kumlinge is this.
- Y
- Scheduled flightsTurku (TKU), 86 km
- Y
- Trains and coachesTransitous carries 5 timetable feeds for this country, 4 with real-time
- Y
- FerriesKumlinge, 3 km, Ålandstrafiken; sailings estimated
- Y
- Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
- N
- Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
- N
- Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere
Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known.