Ålesund Municipality

Town · Møre og Romsdal, 🇳🇴 Norway

Population 59,663

Area 97 km²

Time zone Europe/Oslo

Official website alesund.kommune.no

Ålesund Municipality – Planning a Trip?

Build your day-by-day itinerary in the Tripomatic app.

Start Planning

Featured Lists

El Pantera / GFDL

Ålesund Essentials

Ålesund is defined by its Art Nouveau architecture, a result of a rapid reconstruction following the city’s 1904 fire. This coastal town features historic landmarks like the marble Ålesund Church and the Molja lighthouse. Cultural highlights include the Art Nouveau Centre, the Sunnmøre open-air museum with its traditional boat collection, and the Atlantic Ocean Park aquarium. For views, Mount Aksla and the 314-meter Sukkertoppen peak overlook the Sunnmøre Alps and surrounding fjords, while monuments like the Kaiser Wilhelm II Memorial mark the city's international history.

10 places

Ferd Geisler / CC-BY-SA

Best of Ålesund

Ålesund’s distinctive character stems from its extensive Art Nouveau architecture, rebuilt following the catastrophic fire of 1904. This collection highlights the city's heritage through the Art Nouveau Centre and the marble-built Ålesund Church. Beyond architecture, the list includes the Atlantic Ocean Park, one of Northern Europe’s largest saltwater aquariums, and the historic Molja lighthouse. For panoramic views of the Sunnmøre Alps and the surrounding archipelago, the Rundskue observation tower on Mount Aksla provides a strategic vantage point overlooking the coastal townscape.

7 places

DS / CC BY 2.5

Museums & Galleries

Ålesund’s cultural landscape is defined by its recovery from the 1904 fire and its deep maritime roots. The Art Nouveau Centre and KUBE museum explore the city’s unique architectural heritage within historic buildings like the former Svaneapoteket pharmacy and a 1906 bank. For local history, the Ålesund Museum documents urban development, while the Sunnmøre Museum offers an open-air collection of 50 traditional buildings and historic boats. The Fishing Museum completes the circuit, detailing the regional industry that shaped this coastal community.

5 places