The Northern Fjords
The eight storm-lashed bridges of the Atlantic Ocean Road buck and twist like sea serpents, connecting 17 islets between Vevang and the island of Averøya…
Must-see attractions in The Northern Fjords
The Northern Fjords
This twisting, sky-topping corkscrew of a road is the most famous stretch of tarmac in Norway. Completed in 1936 after eight years of labour, the Troll's…
The Northern Fjords
A classic Norwegian train ride that railway buffs definitely won't want to miss, the 114km-long Rauma Railway clatters from Åndalsnes and Dombås, high in…
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Ålesund
The city's unique architectural heritage is documented in a former pharmacy, the first listed Jugendstil monument in Ålesund. Apart from the building's…
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The Northern Fjords
Fourteen kilometres out to sea from Kristiansund, the island of Grip has a long tradition of cod-fishing stretching back centuries, but was abandoned by…
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The Northern Fjords
For the highest and perhaps most stunning of the many stunning views of the Geiranger valley and fjord, take the 5km toll road (130kr per car) that climbs…
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Ålesund
Ålesund's celebrated Sunnmøre Museum is 4km east of the centre. Here, at the site of the old Borgundkaupangen trading centre, active from the 11th to 16th…
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The Northern Fjords
You'll have seen that classic photo somewhere, beloved of brochures, of the overhanging rock Flydalsjuvet, usually with a figure gazing down at a cruise…
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The Northern Fjords
The beautiful islet of Ona, with its bare rocky landscapes and picturesque lighthouse, is still home to an offshore fishing community of about 25 people…
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The Northern Fjords
This museum in an 18th-century warehouse tells you all that you could ever wish to know (and probably a lot more than that) about Kristiansund's cod…
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Ålesund
For the best view over Ålesund and its fishhook-shaped peninsula, as well as the mountains and islands beyond, head up the 418 steps to the summit of…
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Ålesund
At the peninsula's western extreme, 3km from the town centre, this aquarium can consume a whole day. Be introduced to the North Atlantic's teeming…
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The Northern Fjords
Kristiansund's old town lives on in a part of the island of Innlandet, with clapboard buildings that date back to the 17th century. The grandiose…
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The Northern Fjords
This beautifully sited stave church about 26km south of Kristiansund dates from 1300, but has been repaired since. The interior is richly decorated: look…
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The Northern Fjords
Architect Odd Østby's inspirational church was built in 1964 to replace the one destroyed by Nazi bombs. The angular exterior, where copper and concrete…
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The Northern Fjords
From Dombås, the E136 and rail line drop in parallel northwest down to Romsdalen (you might have a sense of déjà vu if you’ve seen Harry Potter and the…
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The Northern Fjords
There are nearly 50 old buildings within this open-air museum, shifted here from around the Romsdal region. Among the barns, farms and storehouses, there…
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The Northern Fjords
This international research station is dedicated to studying Runde's birdlife, a testament to the island's importance in the ornithological arena. There's…
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Ålesund
The town museum illustrates the history of sealing, fishing, shipping and industry in the Sunnmøre region, the fire of 1904 and the town's Jugendstil…
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The Northern Fjords
This open-air museum, on the small island of Hjertøya, is a 10-minute boat ride from Molde's Torget terminal. Its cod-liver oil factory, cottages and…
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Ålesund
The furthest offshore island from Ålesund, Godøy has a real off-the-map feeling, especially in the depths of winter. There are some great walks here, and…
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Ålesund
On the island of Valderøy, the Skjonghellaren caves have revealed bones of Arctic fox, sea otter and ringed seal, plus evidence of human occupation at…
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The Northern Fjords
Twenty-five kilometres northwest of Valldal on the Rv650 towards Ålesund, this stave church was built in 1789 on the site of an earlier chapel, elements…
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Ålesund
The 1861 Holmbua warehouse (one of the very few buildings to survive the 1904 fire) has exhibits on the development of fishing across the centuries and…
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The Northern Fjords
Something of a nautical junkyard, Mellemværftet, free and accessible any time, is best approached on foot along the quayside from the Smia Fiskerestaurant…
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Ålesund
This picturesque 1853 lighthouse is in the fishing station of Alnes. For that end-of-the-world feeling, climb to the circular balcony via the five floors…
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The Northern Fjords
Petter Aune set up this operation, where freshly caught Aukra salmon are smoked with pure local wood and herbs, after tiring of the poor quality…
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The Northern Fjords
Fifteen kilometres up the valley from Valldal, this popular viewpoint overlooks a maelstrom of foaming, crashing water, where the river sluices and…
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Ålesund
There are two main reasons to visit Giske: its ornate 12th-century church, a lovely structure built largely of marble, and the Makkevika marshes, a prime…
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The Northern Fjords
Constructed in 1914, Kristiansund's monumental theatre, although rather austere from the outside, has an attractive art nouveau interior that's definitely…
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Ålesund
Ålesund's primary contemporary art space highlights Norwegian artists, as well as hosting the occasional design- and architecture-focused show. The old…
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Ålesund
Built of solid stone in 1909, Ålesund's parish church has a strikingly wide chancel, every square inch covered in frescoes over the wide sweep of its…
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The Northern Fjords
An only-in-the-fjords extravaganza, bas-relief wood carvings fashioned by local carpenter Oddvin Parr illustrate the Peer Gynt legend, along with a 35…
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The Northern Fjords
Serving as a WWII museum and memorial, this defensive fortification was erected by Nazi forces in 1940. Various armaments and a network of bunkers and…
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The Northern Fjords
The Norwegian Fjord Centre puts the Geiranger area into context, with exhibitions covering avalanches, floods, the building of early roads and the rise of…
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Ålesund
About 20km north of the town centre, Vigra is home to Ålesund's airport as well as a long white-sand beach called Blindheimssanden (also called Blimsand).
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Ålesund
Rollo the Viking founded Normandy in 911; William the Conqueror is his descendant.
