Ålesund Municipality

Understand

Ålesund is built on a row of islands extending towards the Atlantic. The compact old city centre is thus surrounded by water and Ålesund is one of Norway's major fisheries harbour (number 1 measured in revenue). To the east are the Sunnmøre Alps which offers a dramatic backdrop. Ålesund sits at the entrance to iconic Geirangerfjord, majestic Hjørundfjord as well as other great fjords in the Sunnmøre district. The old city centre of Ålesund was built from wood and totally destroyed by fire in 1904, only a single small house remained. Much international aid, including personal gifts from Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany who used to holiday there, helped to rebuild in what was then high-fashion, Art Nouveau or Jugendstil as it is known in Ålesund. The consistent architectural style gives Ålesund a distinct central European vibe and Ålesund's cityscape is instantly recognizable. Few hours after the disaster became known to the world, Germany sent ships with food, medicine and blankets towards Ålesund. Because of the aid to the homeless people of Ålesund, this is one of the few places where Kaiser Wilhelm remains a hero. For instance one of the key streets downtown is Keiser Wilhelmgate. At the time of the fire, Ålesund was a young city that from around 1850 expanded rapidly from the small trading post at the present centre of the town. Ålesund was from the beginning based on fish trade. During the middle ages there was however a small town or trading post further east at Borgund Church, now the site of Sunnmøre Museum. The Borgund trading post vanished around year 1500.

While Ålesund faces the ocean, the great Sunnmøre Alps and the iconic fjords make up Ålesund's scenic and famous hinterland. Ålesund is the regional centre and the natural starting point for visitors arriving by air or sea. Because Ålesund sits on islands in the northwestern corner of the region, it is not however a natural hub for overland transport. For independent travelers Ålesund is not the best base

Getting there

By plane 1 Ålesund Airport, Vigra (AES IATA). It is connected to Ålesund by underwater tunnels. SAS Scandinavian Airlines from Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Copenhagen airBaltic from Riga Norwegian from Oslo and London KLM' from Amsterdam Buses will get you to the city centre in around 25 mins then go onto Moa and will wait for every flight. These cost 125 NOK if you buy them online at vybuss.com or 185 NOK if you pay by card directly to the driver. Taxis are also available but are considerably more expensive.

By train The local railway station is in Åndalsnes. The train line was supposed to continue to Ålesund city center but was never completed. There is a replacement bus service operating between Ålesund and Åndalsnes for every arrival and departure. Trains go to Dombås and back three times a day, connecting with the main service from Trondheim to Oslo. In addition, a once-a-day service to Lillehammer operates, connecting with local trains to Oslo. You can also change at Dombås for services from or to Trondheim, but this usually involves a considerable wait at Dombås. However, Dombås town center is very close to the station and has moderately priced restaurants and convenience shops as well as some tourist attractions on its own.

By bus Hourly regional services between Ålesund and Kristiansund, Molde and Volda. Nightly and daily departures from and to Oslo (takes approximately 10 hours). Several daily services between Ålesund and Trondheim calling at Molde and Sunndalsøra. Daily services from and to Bergen calling at Volda, Nordfjordeid and Førde with connecting services to Sogndal and Stryn.

By boat Hurtigruten calls Ålesund, once daily in southern direction (from Trondheim towards Bergen), and once daily in northern direction (from Bergen towards Kirkenes).

Ålesund is also a regular port of call for many cruise ships, which dock just south of the old city centre. There are two berths, right next to one another, and all cruise ships use the same exi

Getting around

By foot Ålesund is long and narrow, stretching from west to east over five islands, with the old city centre on the western end near the Atlantic. From the old city centre, most attractions are available within a short-medium walk (less than 20 minutes). Tourist Information Office in Ålesund at Skateflukaia (☏ +47 70-157600, [email protected]), open daily 08:30–18:00 in summer, at western foot of Skaregata in the old city centre, caters to most needs a visitor to the region could have, including brochures and guides. Some 10 km (6.2 mi) east of the old city centre is the modern business and shopping district, located in the Moa-Spjelkavik district, but this area is of little interest to visitors.

By bus Local city bus service is provided by Nettbuss on behalf of Møre og Romsdal county. The Ålesund bus station (Ålesund rutebilstasjon, Keiser Wilhelmsgate 6) is near the cruise ship terminal in the old city centre. For the Atlantic Sea Park on the west shore of Hessa island, there are special bus services during the summer signed "Akvariebussen" from the city centre bus terminal. The bus to Sunnmøre open-air museum is the regular bus, 618 or 624, heading towards Moa; fare is 40 kr. Alternatively, you can use a Travel Card called "Reisekort", which is a pre-paid card for travelling on public transport in Ålesund. When using it, you get a 17% fare reduction. Load the Travel Card with the exact amount you will need; for example, in the case of going to Sunnmøre Museum and back: 40 kr x 2 x 0,83 = 66 kr. You can load more than one ticket onto a Travel Card. In general there are plenty of bus services in Ålesund. It is worth noting, however, that they are very limited in the late evenings, after 5pm on Saturdays and all day Sundays. To get information about local buses, call 177. Bus service to the surrounding area is also available.

By taxi There are two taxi companies operating, and taxis can be booked by telephone at 7012 or 70103000. Taxis in Norway ar

See

Much of the joy of seeing Ålesund is to be found in just strolling past the many art nouveau shops and other buildings.

1 Aalesunds Museum, Rasmus Rønnebergs gate 16, ☏ +47 70 12 31 70. 2 The Atlantic Sea-Park (Atlanterhavsparken) (On Hessa island, about 3 km west of the old city centre, can take the regular bus signed "Akvariebussen" or hop-on hop-off bus), ☏ +47 70 10 70 60. Jun-Aug: Su-F 10:00 - 18:00, Sa 10:00 - 16:00. Salt water aquarium. It offers a range of activities, including diving. Adult 180 kr; child 3-15 years 80 kr. (updated Jul 2017) 3 Art Nouveau Centre and Art Museum KUBE (Jugendstilsenteret), Apotekergata 16, ☏ +47 70 10 49 70. May-Sep: 10:00-17:00, Oct-Apr: 11:00-16:00 (closed Mondays), every Thursday open until 20:00. Housed in an old apothecary in the centre of Ålesund, the Art Nouveau Centre is dedicated to the period after a fire in 1904 when the whole town was rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style. The ticket is valid for both buildings. Adult 85 kr; child under