Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Ålesund (Norway). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Atlanterhavsparken, Jugendstilsenteret, and Color Line Stadion. Also, be sure to include Ålesund kirke in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Ålesund (Møre og Romsdal).
Table of Contents
Atlanterhavsparken
Aquarium with many cold water species. The Atlantic Sea-Park is an aquarium in Ålesund, Norway. It was founded in 1951 as a limited company. The current facility was officially opened 15 June 1998.
The Atlantic Sea-Park is one of Scandinavia's largest saltwater aquariums and one of the leading tourist attractions in the area.[1]
Jugendstilsenteret
Museum in Ålesund, Norway. Jugendstilsenteret is an Art Nouveau Center located in central Ålesund, in Møre og Romsdal, Norway.
Jugendstilsenteret is part of the Foundation Cultural Quarter in Ålesund. The Art Nouveau Center is located in the former Art Nouveau designed building of Swan Pharmacy (Svaneapoteket i Ålesund). The building itself was designed by Norwegian architect Hagbarth Martin Schytte-Berg (1860-1944) and built between 1905 and 1907. It was the first listed Art Nouveau / Jugendstil monument in Ålesund (1984) and it includes the town's best preserved Art Nouveau interior. Jugendstilsenteret is an interpretive center exhibiting both modern multimedia exhibitions and international art. The Art Nouveau center was opened by Queen Sonja of Norway on June 6, 2003. The center was selected as the millennium site for Møre og Romsdal county.[2]
Address: Apotekergata 16, 6004 Ålesund
Color Line Stadion
Stadium in Ålesund, Norway. Color Line Stadion is an association football stadium in Ålesund, Norway, and the home of 1. divisjon side Aalesunds FK. It was inaugurated in April 2005 and cost NOK 160 million to build. It is referred to as Aalesund Stadion by UEFA, as naming rights arrangements is not included during UEFA competitions.
It was the first top-level stadium in Norway to feature artificial turf, which was at the time a highly debated issue. When Aalesund opened the stadium, businessman Olav Nils Sunde donated a statue to the club, which was erected in front of the stadium. Whilst Sunde denied it, the statue bore a very strong resemblance to former Aalesund player John Arne Riise. In 2007, when Riise played in the Champions League Final, a Norwegian commentator demanded the statue officially carry his name. Riise himself has said, " is not for me to decide. Everyone sees who it is, and I know that it was made for me." It was officially named "John Arne Riise" in April 2018.
Since 2009 it has also hosted the home games of the women's Toppserien side Fortuna Ålesund. The venue has hosted one Norway national under-21 football team match, playing 1–3 against Cyprus on 3 September 2010. In a 2012 survey carried out by the Norwegian Players' Association among away-team captains, Color Line Stadion was ranked eleventh amongst league stadiums, with a score of 2.87 on a scale from one to five.[3]
Address: Sjømannsvegen 14, 6008 Ålesund
Ålesund kirke
Church in Ålesund, Norway. Ålesund Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the center of the town of Ålesund, on the island of Aspøya. It is one of two churches for the Ålesund parish which is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti in the Diocese of Møre. The large, stone church was built in a long church design and in the Art Nouveau style in 1909 using plans drawn up by the architect Sverre Knudsen. The church seats about 800 people.[4]
Address: Aspegata 9, 6005 Ålesund
Volsdalen Church
Also known as: Volsdalen kirke
Church in Ålesund, Norway. Volsdalen Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the south side of the island of Nørvøya in the town of Ålesund. It is the church for the Volsdalen parish which is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti in the Diocese of Møre. The red, wooden church was built in a rectangular design in 1974 using plans drawn up by the architect Leif Olav Moen. The church seats about 500 people.[5]
Address: Borgundvegen 124, 6007 Ålesund
Aspøy
Aspøya is an island in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The 0.6-square-kilometre island is one of the islands on which the city of Ålesund is built. The other islands are Hessa and Nørvøya. Aspøya is the location of the 1904 Ålesund Fire.
The small island has some residential development around Ålesund Church. Other than that, most of the island is made up of industrial and commercial developments. The western terminus of the European route E136 highway is on the island of Aspøya. The 0.6-square-kilometre (150-acre) island has a population (2015) of 3,376.[6]
Ellingsøy Church
Also known as: Ellingsøy kirke
Church in Norway. Ellingsøy Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the island of Ellingsøya, just west of the village of Myklebost. It is the church for the Ellingsøy parish which is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti in the Diocese of Møre. The brick church was built in a fan-shaped design in 1990 using plans drawn up by the architect Lauritz Nes. The church seats about 380 people.[7]
Kvalsund ship
Ship. The Kvalsund ship is a late 7th century rowing ship, discovered embedded in a marsh on Kvalsund in Herøy, Møre og Romsdal near Ålesund in 1920, along with a smaller rowboat called Kvalsundferingen. It is of an earlier construction than the Oseberg and Gokstad ship, both of which date to the ninth century. The Kvalsund ship dates to 690AD.
The ship featured a detachable rudder on one side that could be removed in shallow water, and its shape strongly suggests it had a sail - if so, it would be the first Scandinavian ship discovered to have one.[8]
Nørvøya
Island in Ålesund, Norway. Nørvøya or Nørve is an island in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is the largest of the islands containing the city center of Ålesund, the others being Aspøya and Heissa, located to the west. The 5-square-kilometre island of Nørvøya is located south of Ellingsøya, north of Sula, and west of Oksenøya. There were 9,647 residents living on the island in 2015.
Ålesund University College, the city hall, Volsdalen Church, and the stadium of the local association football team Aalesunds FK are located on Nørvøya. The 135-metre (443 ft) hill Aksla, a popular place from where to photograph the city, is located on the western part of Nørvøya. The European route E136 highway runs along the south side of the island, connecting it to the other islands of Oksenøya (on the east) and Aspøya (on the west). On Nørvøya, the E136 highway connects to the Ellingsøy Tunnel, which is an undersea tunnel that connects to the village of Hoffland on Ellingsøya to the north.[9]
Hessa
Island in Ålesund, Norway. Hessa or Heissa is an island in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is the westernmost island in the municipality and it is one of the main islands in the island-city of Ålesund. The island is located west and south of the island of Aspøya, south of Giske and Valderøya, east of Godøya, and north of the island of Sula. The 314-metre tall mountain Sukkertoppen is situated in the middle of the island.
The island contains mostly residential neighborhoods concentrated around the urban areas of Sævollen, Slinningen, and Skarbøvik. The island has an elementary school and a lower secondary school. Skarbøvik Church is the main church for the island's residents. The Atlantic Sea-Park is situated on Hessa.[10]
Sukkertoppen
View point