Ålesund

A port city rebuilt in Art Nouveau style after the 1904 fire. Climb Aksla for a panorama of the archipelago, visit Runde to see puffins, and cruise the Hjørundfjord.

Ålesund lies on Norway's west coast in Møre og Romsdal County. The town is built on several connected small islands and is one of Norway's largest fishing ports, often called the "capital of dried cod". The 1904 fire destroyed almost the entire town, and over the following three years it was rebuilt in a uniform Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) style. Its spires, reliefs and colourful façades survive today, making it one of Europe's greatest concentrations of Art Nouveau architecture. The core area is the old town along the Brosundet canal, where you can walk between sights such as the Art Nouveau Centre, Ålesund Church and the Molja Lighthouse. In the evening, climb the 418 steps up to the Aksla viewpoint for a sunset over the archipelago. Nearby you can take the undersea tunnel to the islands of Giske and Godøy, with the Alnes Lighthouse. In summer take a boat to the island of Runde to see puffins, or drive south to the Hjørundfjord and the Norangsdalen valley for fjords and snow peaks. The best season is May–Sep, with long daylight hours and frequent boat and ferry departures. Winter is rainy and windy but has few visitors. Getting there: Ålesund Airport, Vigra is about 20 km from the city, with an airport bus; you can also fly from Oslo in about 50 minutes or arrive on a Hurtigruten coastal cruise. Allow 1 day for the city, and 2–3 days with the fjords and bird island. The Geirangerfjord lies about 110 km to the southeast and is usually planned as a separate stop.

Top sights

• Ålesund Art Nouveau Town – A harbour town rebuilt in Art Nouveau style after a fire in 1904. Colorful turret buildings line the canal, making it one of Norway's most…
• Mount Aksla (Fjellstua) – A small hill behind central Ålesund. Climb 418 steps to reach the top for views over the colorful town, ringed by islands, and the distant…
• Atlantic Sea-Park – A waterfront aquarium on the western outskirts of Ålesund showing North Atlantic marine life; divers feed the fish in a large tank, and pen…
• Alnes Lighthouse – A white-and-red lighthouse on Godøy island northwest of Ålesund, with the open Atlantic and rocky beaches in front; locals come here to wat…
• Runde – A small island offshore southwest of Ålesund where hundreds of thousands of seabirds nest on its cliffs, making it the best place in southe…
• Jugendstilsenteret (Art Nouveau Centre) – An Art Nouveau architecture museum housed in the former Swan Pharmacy, using multimedia to recreate the 1904 fire and the city’s rebuilding.
• Brosundet – A narrow strait cutting through the city, with colorful Art Nouveau buildings reflected in the water on both banks; Ålesund’s most classic…
• Molja Lighthouse – A small white lighthouse at the end of the breakwater, looking back over the old town and Aksla mountain; a popular sunset photo spot.
• Ålesund Church – A stone church completed in 1909 after the great fire; its interior murals and stained-glass windows represent the decorative arts of the A…
• Aalesunds Museum – A local museum that tells the story of the city’s fishing port and the 1904 fire; exhibits include the Uræd, a sealed lifeboat that drifted…
• Ålesund Fishery Museum – A fishery museum housed in an 1861 warehouse, telling how the cod-drying and cod-liver-oil industries made Ålesund.
• Sunnmøre Museum – An open-air museum on the bay east of town, gathering more than 50 traditional farmhouses along with replicas of boats from the Viking era…
• Sukkertoppen – The “Sugar Tower” on Hessa peninsula west of town; from the summit you get a 360-degree view of Ålesund, its islands, and the distant mount…
• Giske Island & Giske Church – A flat little island connected by undersea tunnel, with a 12th-century marble church and the ancestral seat of a Viking noble family; good…
• Skjonghelleren Cave – A huge sea-carved cave in the cliffs of Valderøya island, where animal bones from over ten thousand years ago have been unearthed; a short…
• Atlantic Ocean Road – Storseisundet Bridge – Norway’s most famous sea road, with 8 bridges linking islets; the Storseisundet Bridge is famous for its “drunk bridge” look.

Where to eat

• XL Diner – A salt-cod specialist that opened in 1999; bacalao prepared several ways is a must-try local flavor in Ålesund.
• Apotekergata 5 – A hotel restaurant in an old warehouse by the Brosundet canal, with a menu that changes with the seasons; it's one of Å…
• Anno Restaurant & Bar – A popular restaurant-bar in a historic building by the Brosundet canal, serving bacalao stew, fish soup and oven-baked…
• Zuuma Sushi & Grill – A Japanese sushi and grill spot by the harbor, serving local halibut, salmon and seasonal bluefin tuna, open daily.

Itineraries

• Western Fjords Grand Loop: 13-Day Self-Drive Itinerary – A self-drive loop from Bergen covering the Sognefjord, Geirangerfjord, Atlantic Ocean Road, and Hjørundfjord.