Cruise Port Stop: A Return to Beautiful Ålesund Shows Me How Much Progress I Have Made

The first port stop (and only stop that wasn’t changed) on my 11 Day HAL Nieuw Statendam Nordics Cruise was to Ålesund in Norway.

LOGISTICS

MONEY MATTERS

Credit cards were widely accepted (I have been able to use American Express, Visa and MasterCard throughout Norway). ATMs are called Minibanks in Norway: I found that other than for tipping in local currency, I didn’t need to carry cash (ie tipping tour guides). Speaking of which, tipping is not obligatory in Norway as wages are high/workers are paid living wages so there isn’t an expectation/need for a tip (vs in the US where workers are reliant upon tips as part of their salary). It’s a gesture of appreciation to tip if you receive great service so I still do so when it’s warranted.

COMMUNICATION

English is widely spoken throughout Norway especially in touristic areas.

_{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!}

PORT INFO

Booked Directly At Ålesund Tourist Information

I LOVE walking tours so this was right up my alley with getting to learn about the local history and architecture. I was able to join when I came to the center around 11:40. There were three tour guides so we were split up into groups of 12 or so. Note that you are able to pay with a credit card for the tour directly with the Tourist Info center.

And here’s what I learned and saw on my tour:

LOCAL HISTORY + ART NOUVEAU

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 and I believe the above photo is !).

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!

Interesting Facts/Places

Things I would have never learned about if not for the tour!

Molja Lighthouse: Our tour guide was born and raised in the area and was full of interesting tidbits such as this lighthouse has been converted into a cozy and romantic hotel room that is popular with locals to book for their wedding night!

Our tour guide explaining the egg-shaped life boat and it’s interesting origin story (and that of it’s founder).

And something that is easy to overlook in many ways. These are Stolpersteine, stumbling blocks which are memorials at sites where Jews and other victims of the Nazis lived or worked when they were deported and killed. Found in 26 countries in Europe and started by German artist Gunter Demnig in 1993, we were alerted to their presence (and meaning for those unfamiliar) in the tour. The blocks are set into the pavement and inlaid with an engraved brass plaque listing the person’s name, year of birth, year of deportation and site and date of death.

PRO TIP: If you have the option, I always take the early morning walking tours to 1: help orientate me within a city and town and 2:the guides will typically cover the major attractions (or you can always ask for recommendations) so it really helps you plan out + maximize the rest of your time

GOOD TO KNOW

Remember how Ålesund is where fjord and mountain meet? It is hilly and like-wise this walking tour is moderate due to the incline and decline to reach many of the sites. This didn’t seem to be well known amongst the participants so I figured I would mention it here along with some photos to relay the reality

WHAT I ATE

On recommendations and I can attest that these are some stellar options for food and drink!

WHAT I SPENT

• Activities $23.57: 250 NOK Ålesund Walking Tour Tip – booked at Vistor Center (was able to use credit card)
• Food $20.42: $4.43/47 NOK Lamella AS (Medium Scoop – Ice cream) & $35.83/380 Fisketorget (245NOK Creamy Fish Soup + 69NOK Raspberry Lemonade) $6.50/66 NOK Latte
• Transportation $0: Very walkable city
• Misc $0: No souvenirs today as I already have a magnet from my previous trip
• TOTAL $56.63

ALTERNATIVE ITINERARY IDEAS & OTHER TOP SPOTS TO EXPLORE

Explore surrounding islands on half day excursions and head to Aksla on your own for the quintessential view over Ålesund:

Alesund Shore Excursion: The Ultimate Sightseeing Tour

On this half day (~ 4 hour), highly rated tour (with Norway Excursions AS, the company I have done a couple tours with), you will admire Ålesund architecture, visit the enchanting island of Godoy, climb to the top of Alnes Lighthouse, and visit the open-air Sunnmøre Museum and be back with time to explore more of Ålesund on your own, to book this tour, click here.

Ålesund Highlights +Alnes the most beautiful island 4Hour Excursion

Another half day and highly rated excursion, this small group tour starts with driving around Ålesund then has stops on islands of Godoy (Alnes lighthouse) and Giske (church). Book this tour here and have some time back in port to explore Ålesund at your leisure

Since Ålesund is known as where mountains meet fjords, consider visiting a fjord – preferably by boat and especially if your cruise doesn’t venture into any of the fjords or travel by kayak.

Geirangerfjord

When I took my first cruise, we (or really I) chose that particular itinerary as Geiranger had made its way onto my wanderlist as many have told me it’s the most beautiful place in Norway. That proved to be true as it truly is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in the world! Royals continue to flock to the area as Norway’s own Princess Märtha Louise wed at this UNESCO World Heritage site in 2024. Note that this is a 9 hour tour: Round-Trip Boat Cruise to Geirangerfjord with a scenic boat ride through Geirangerfjord with additional time to spend in Geiranger so if you’re on a cruise, make sure that you have ample time to take this!

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

Or if you want to see some of the iconic places that you have seen in photos of Norway, consider the

Ålesund From Fjords To Trolls Bus Tour

Read about the first time I visited Ålesund with my family, when I took this tour – click here to book.

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 (book here) 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

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