Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- The easiest way to reach Ålesund is to fly from such cities as Oslo, Trondheim, and especially Bergen, arriving at the Ålesund/Vigra airport. There are also daily flights from Bodø, Kristiansand S, Røros, Stavanger, and Tromsø. Flights are on SAS (tel. 70-10-49-00; www.scandinavian.net) or Braathens (tel. 91-50-54-00; www.sasbraathens.no). The airport is a 20-minute ride north of Ålesund on the island of Vigra. A 15km (9 1/4-mile) network of bridges and tunnels connects Ålesund with four inhabited offshore islands.

By Train -- Go to Åndalsnes and then take a bus from the rail station to Ålesund. A daily train arrives from Oslo.

By Bus -- More tourist buses run June 15 to the end of August. Good connections are possible from Åndalsnes, the nearest rail terminal. There are one to three buses daily from Åndalsnes, taking 2 1/2 hours and costing 220NOK ($34/£18) one-way. One bus a day also arrives from Bergen, taking 11 hours. One or two buses a day arrive from Trondheim, taking 7 1/2 hours.

By Coastal Steamer -- The coastal steamer departs Bergen daily at 10pm and arrives at Ålesund at noon the following day.

By Car -- Take the A69 west from Åndalsnes all the way to Ålesund. A car ferry operates between Åndalsnes and Ålesund.

Visitor Information

The Ålesund Reiselivslag, Rådhuset (tel. 70-15-76-00), provides tourist information June to August Monday to Friday 8:30am to 7pm, on Saturday 9am to 3pm, and on Sunday noon to 5pm; the rest of the year, it's open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm. Also visit www.virtualalesund.com for information.