Sharon Sparlin: ALESUND, NORWAY

Alesund, Norway is the largest town on the Northwest coast of Norway with a spectacular setting built on three islands close to the ocean with a backdrop of large mountain peaks.

Ålesund is the 13th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 67,114.

The center of the town was tragically burned to the ground in the winter of 1904. This event gave Alesund the chance to rebuild with a new 'art nouveau' feel complete with turrets, spires and medieval ornaments, giving it more of a Prague or Brussels feel. One remarkable fact about the fire is the number of fatalities. Despite the fact that nearly 850 houses were destroyed, only one person is said to have died.

1 month after the fire Photo: Nordmore Museum

Alesund was a tender port for the Norwegian Star, dropping anchor at 7:00am on Tuesday June 6, 2023. The weather forecast for the day was a high of 48 degrees with a chance of rain. Luckily it did not rain the entire day.

Norwegian Star Photo: Public Domain

I stepped into the tender boat at 8:00am, arriving dockside in Alesund a few minutes later. My goal for today was a visit to the Sunnmore Museum.

Transportation to the Sunnmore Museum can be via the local bus #1. The senior cost was 61NOK or $5.63USD and I paid the driver with a credit card.

Click here to use the the Frammr interactive bus guide.

This site displays the schedule times as well as providing an up-to-the-minute bus location such as you would see on your UBER app.

For a route to the Sunnmore Museum enter your origin as Skateflukaia, the closest bus stop to the cruise pier. Your destination stop will be Sunnmore Museum and the trip will take between 12-14 minutes.

Be sure to check opening times as it varies greatly depending on seasonality.

Sunnmore is mostly an open air folk museum with 56 old and distinct houses, as well as one of the largest boat collections in Norway, including replicas of Viking ships. Founded in 1931, there is also a Medieval Age Museum located on the site. Most of the farmhouses and the boathouses have been moved to the Museum from around the region.

From the Sunnmore Museum bus stop it's a short walk to the Museum entrance.

On your way to the Museum entrance, on your right, you will find the Boathouse Museum.

Boats certainly occupy a place in Norwegian war history as they were used for smuggling people in and out of occupied Norway during WWII (1940-1945). In total, 3,000 people escaped the occupying power on boats of varying sizes from the Norwegian coastal fishing fleet.

The trip through around the grounds of the Museum can take 3-4 hours so wear comfortable walking shoes. A few of my favorite pictures from the day at Sunnmore Museum.

Although I didn’t have time, another popular museum is the Jugendstilsenteret - the Art Nouveau Centre. It tells the story behind the city’s renaissance from the devastating fire through a 15-minute multimedia experience. Textiles and furniture from the era are also on display.

The Hop-On Hop-Off bus would also be a viable option. The bus originates at stop #1 which is the cruise terminal. Stop #2 is the Sunnmore Museum. Stop #3 is Aksla Viewpoint. Stop #4 is Parkgata. Stop #6 is the Art Nouveau Center. Stop #7 is the Alesund Church. The loop takes 80 minutes and frequency is every 30 minutes.