Port Stop: Another Beautiful Day in Stunning Norway ~ Ålesund
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We continued exploring Norway and our next port stop was to its tenth largest city/town: Ålesund on our 11 Night NCL Prima Northern Europe cruise.
LOGISTICS
PORT: Ålesund | CURRENCY: Norwegian Krone (NOK)
DOCK | Arrival: 7:00 | Departure 17:00 | 1 USD = 10.08 NOK (CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE)
LANGUAGE: Norwegian
Hei – hello (hi) | Hadet – good bye (hah-deh) | Unnskyld meg – excuse me (een-shool my) | Vær så snill – please (var soh snil | Takk – thank you (tahk)
MONEY MATTERS
Credit cards were widely accepted (we were able to use American Express, Visa and Mastercard throughout Norway). ATMs are called Minibank in Norway ATMs are called Minibank in Norway: we found that other than for tipping in local currency, we didn’t need to carry cash (ie for guides on already paid tours). Speaking of which, tipping is not obligatory in Norway as wages are high/workers are paid living wages so there isn’t a need for a tipping culture (vs in the US where workers are reliant upon tips as part of their salary). As such, it is a nice gesture of appreciation to tip if you receive great service.
COMMUNICATION
English was widely spoken.
BEAUTIFUL TIP: Reminder that arrival times for port days are estimates for when the ship will be docked and may not be when the port has given approval to the ship to allow passengers to get off. IF the activity start time is close to arrival times, I will always reach out the activity/tour provider and find out exactly what their policy is if I am not able to be there on time. I have found that many operators are flexible especially if the majority/all of the participants are from the cruise ship but some may not be able to accommodate late arrivals with no refund given. Whilst both scenarios are valid business practices, don’t make the mistake of finding out it’s the latter when you aren’t able to join! See below in what we did for more info on this
A cruise stop in Ålesund port is very convenient as you will dock in the middle of a very walkable city!
ÅLESUND HISTORY
The first thing that you will notice when you come to Ålesund is how picturesque it is! Described by Visit Norway describes the area as where “mountain and fjord meet”? And it’s not just the surroundings that are eye-catching but also its beautiful buildings standing out, especially in how different they are from other places in Norway. There is a tragic but beautiful story behind why the town has such striking Art Nouveau architecture.
In the later part of the 19th century, Bergen’s monopoly on trading and export rights came to an end which created an opening for Ålesund to become a key trading center. It underwent a period of rapid growth in wealth and accordingly, the city increased in size with many wooden houses built close together to accommodate the population boom.
On January 23, 1904, a fire started at a factory that was timed unfortunately with a storm blowing in. Overnight, the inferno devoured the rapidly built up city and proved quickly to be too much for the fire crews (even as they were able to respond swiftly when the fire first broke out). Within hours, Ålesund lost 800 out of 1000+ its timber buildings and 10,000 of the 12,000 citizens were left homeless with miraculously only one person dying.
And as incredibly, Ålesund was quickly rebuilt with help coming from around Norway and Europe. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany had often traveled to the area and he sent four ships loaded with food, aid and building materials (this is why one of the main streets is named after him!).
Ålesund as we know it today was a result of 50 young Norwegian designers and architects working together to create a planned (and orderly) town of stone buildings in the Jugendstil (the Norwegian equivalent of Art Nouveau) style. They had mostly been educated elsewhere and likely drew their inspiration from those areas and the general architecture trends of the times. They were also a lot of out of work tradesmen around to be able to bring the vision to life within the fast time frame of three years!
WHAT WE DID
I ultimately decided on this bus tour that I booked via Viator for four reasons which: #1: best way to see as much of the area as we could; #2: it was the most convenient for a group of 15 ranging from a 3 year old to 70 years old #3: lunch was also covered AND we would get back with two hours left to still be able to explore the town #4: the company (Norway Excursions) was wonderful to work with as they patiently went through my questions like: we were due to arrive at 7, the tour would start at 730 so what happens if the boat is late? Also chances that the tour would run long (we really wanted to see the city)?
Ålesund From Fjords To Trolls Bus Tour
One of the easiest ports to navigate since it was right in town and the tour guide was waiting for us right outside of the port building. One of the concerns that comes up with booking an excursion that isn’t with the cruise line is that the ship will not wait for you if you are late. Norway Excursions accounts for this by ensuring that their buses are ahead of the NCL tour buses with the guides and driver constantly monitoring that – this is something that I saw on both of our tour with the company!
There’s no getting around the fact that this was a long bus tour – 7.5 hours but it was in a large motor coach with comfortable seats but for above reasons #1 and #2, this was by far the best tour for us – the thinking was that for many if not all of us that this would be our only opportunity to visit the area. I did find the tour a bit more rushed than we would have preferred but that’s balanced against seeing more places and being in a big group (but we felt the value was great vs how much we would have paid for a private tour for 15)
Drive to Stordal via Sjøholt
Our first stop was in the village of Stordal @ Kokarsteinen (restaurant). Here we were treated to an incredible view of Storfjord. One thing you will learn to appreciate about Nordic countries is that they are practical people especially when it comes to names: Storfjorden or Storfjord means “big” or “great fjord” which is an apt name for this 110-kilometre (68 mi) long fjord. A fjord is is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier.
Drive from Stordal to Gudbrandsjuvet via Valldal
Our next stop was to see Gudbrandsjuvet, a 5 m narrow and 20-25 m deep river gorge in the river Valldøla. This section of the river showcases some sharp angles as the water runs through the cracks and gullies of the gorge.
Here you are able to see all of the action from multiple viewing platforms as well as being able to walk over a bridge from one side of the ravine to the other.
There is a cafeteria (we grabbed some coffee here since the restaurant at the first stop wasn’t open yet) and also free toilets available at this stop.
As we were driving on the road along the Storfjord from Stordal we passed Valldal, famous for its strawberries. Whilst we did not stop here, we lucked out with the fruit stand at Gudbrandsjuvet opening as we were leaving and we were able to try these. The long nights of winter in Norway are balanced by the equally long midnight sun days and the literal fruits of labor here should not be missed – they were so sweet and delicious!
Drive to Trollstigen plateau; visit
From here the bus will drive through the National Park Reinheimen, to the Trollstigen plateau where you are presented with the amazing view over the Trollstigen (Troll Road). Here you will find two view points: the first you will reach after 5 minutes of walking but I suggest that you go to the second which is about 10 minutes of walking from the bus. The path to the view points is along a concrete path with safety rails.
A cafeteria, souvenir shop and free toilets are also available in Trollstigen.
Drive down Trollstigen (Troll Road)
When driving down the Trollstigen (Troll Road), the driver will amazingly drive the bus through 11 hairpin bends.
I suggest sitting on the right side of the bus for this tour for the best views: here looking down at what our talented bus driver will have to navigate in our large motor coach!
The nice part about not driving is being able to enjoy the incredible views!
It’s such a great drive with so much to ooh and aah over!
Being on the right side of the bus afforded this view of Stigfossen: this photo was from the bus as we tranversed Trollstigen.
Drive to Trollveggen (Troll Wall)
Next up is a visit to the Trollveggen (Troll Wall), Europe’s tallest vertical rock face,
and the impressive Romsdalshorn – both places beloved by climbing enthusiasts.
We had bought tour with lunch included. Pro tip: Add the lunch buffet. Only $11 more vs about $45 if you were to pay for it here
Another troll – with ice cream (no surprise that the subliminal advert worked and we got cones) but this photo is mainly to showcase the grass roof. You will see them around Norway and they serve a number of purposes: the roofs are heavier with the grass so they help weigh down houses which is helpful against strong winds plus the turf also help insulate the houses.
Drive back to Ålesund
I was really impressed with Norway Excursions but the end of our tour really solidified my rating of the company. The bus was scheduled to bring everyone back directly to where we started near the ship but our guide and driver were willing to accommodate two itinerary changes. For those that wanted to get off and visit Ålesund, we were dropped off close to the food festival happening in town. And she also made an offer to do a mini tour around the neighboring islands (I am not sure if anyone took this offer and where they went to)
Aksla Viewpoint
For the absolute best view of Ålesund, you need to head to the viewpoint atop Mount Aksla.
You can either walk up 418 steps or use a taxi/bus or drive your car to the top and you’ll be able to see why this area is known as where mountains (Sunnmøre Alps) meet the fjord.
Food Festival
Not only did we luck out with incredible sunny weather, we were also in town when a food festival was taking place. My siblings and their families stayed in town to grab food and my friend and I met up with them on our way back from the viewpoint to the boat.
WHAT WE ATE
Of course ice cream – ha! the marketing shtick with the troll worked. While soft serve isn’t my preferred option, I also won’t turn down an opportunity for ice cream.
WHAT I SPENT
Again very unlike me (and another way that these NCL port posts are unlike my other posts): I don’t have numbers for a lot of my spending ie the food as my sister brought the strawberries
- Activities $159.39 Pricing was $159.39 for adults/ $119.54 for youths/ $79.69 for
ALTERNATIVE ITINERARY IDEAS & OTHER TOP SPOTS TO EXPLORE
Since Ålesund is known as where mountains meet fjords, my top advice would be to visit a fjord – preferably by boat.
Geirangerfjord
The reason why we chose this particular itinerary (ha! or more accurately why I chose it) was many friends had told me it’s the most beautiful place in Norway. I take it further as it is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in the world! Royals continue to flock to the Sunnmøre area as Norway’s own Princess Märtha Louise was wed at this UNESCO World Heritage site last year. Note that this is a 9 hour tour so it may not work for those with shorter port days: Round-Trip Boat Cruise to Geirangerfjord that includes a scenic boat ride through Geirangerfjord with additional time to spend in Geiranger.
Hjørundfjord
You will be able to see the beauty of the Hjørundfjord on this 6 hour sightseeing Hjørundfjord Fjord Cruise roundtrip from Ålesund
Sea Kayaking
One of the things I was really hoping to do was fitting in some kayaking but just couldn’t make it happen due to time constraints on this visit. I had been eyeing this excursion: Sea Kayaking In Ålesund
MORE TOURS
- If you are wanting to witness the hairpins curves of Troll Road but wanted more time to visit Ålesund, the 6.5 hour Alesund to Trollstigen, The Land Of The Trolls with the bonus that this tour takes you up to the Aksla viewpoint.
- Prefer to eat your way through the town? Ålesund: Guided Food Walking Tour
