Car Hire Ålesund - Mini guide to Ålesund

Ålesund, located on the western coast of Norway, has a beautiful setting with views across several islands stretching out into the sea. The town has a unique appeal to tourists and provides a wide range of sights and water-based activities.

Rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1904, Ålesund is now internationally renowned for its unique Art Nouveau architecture. The Ålesund Museum gives a vivid insight into the history of the town and the great fire which razed it, while the Sunnmøre Museum is an open-air museum featuring various types of farmhouses and boathouses.

A stroll through the town centre reveals colourful and charming architecture, featuring a myriad of turrets, spires and medieval ornaments. The Art Nouveau Centre is located in a beautiful Art Nouveau building, and portrays the unique position Ålesund has in Norwegian architectural history. The picturesque old harbour is also charming and is home to the excellent Fisheries Museum.

Ålesund also hosts one of the largest aquariums in Northern Europe, the Atlantic Sea-Park. Built into the coastal landscape and facing the mighty ocean, it provides an insight into the life beneath the waves.

The outermost islands are easily accessible by car via sub-sea tunnels and bridges, and the drive to the quaint fishing village of Alnes is particularly interesting. Skodje, to the east, has a magnificent fjord landscape with good facilities for outdoor activities all year round. The municipality is surrounded by wide forests with idyllic summer farms and old forest roads.

Ålesund is connected to Oslo via the E6, E136 and E39 highways. There is one train daily from Oslo to nearby Åndalsnes, where you can transfer by bus to Ålesund; buses also arrive in Ålesund from Bergen (11 hours) and Trondheim (7 hours). You can also fly into Vigra Airport, which is a 20-minute ride north of town. Additionally, a ferry arrives from Bergen at noon every day.