If I had unlimited budget in Ålesund for a day, this is what I would do !
Let’s imagine for a minute that my budget was unlimited. For one day, I could do absolutely everything I want in town. That would be amazing. I can only dream about it for now, but I can take you with me on that journey !
1. Morning coffee to go from Dråpe
It’s early and we’re slowly waking up with the sun, hiding behind the big mountains of the south. Therefore, we need a coffee. And probably a croissant as well. One of my favorite place to go to work or chill, is Dråpe.
The coffee there (like many other places in town) is delivered from Jacu, the local coffee roastery, just a few streets away and is delicious. But today, no time to loose. We will start our day with a nice refreshing walk.
2. Aksla for a little warm up for the day
We headed to Byparken (the city park) and we will take the small way behind the hill. The walk is a loop that will bring us back to Aksla. We could also do it the other way around and go up to Aksla first. But we want to be up the hill and come back with the sun fully here. The way we’re taking takes us to the old cemetery, Nordre Gravlund, established in 1879 when the main one close to the Ålesund Church was getting full. Eventually it stopped being used 80 years later. From there, we continue straight away, enjoying the view of the islands on the North side, until the end of the Norvøy island. About 45 mins later we should be at our return point, but this time coming from the forest, on top of the hill. The sun is out now and warms our back while we walk towards Aksla’s viewpoint. From here, we can see every part of Ålesund, waking up as we go down the stairs.
3. Pizza lunch at Cinque Minutti
Norwegians like to have early lunch. It’s quite common to eat at 11.30 or even 11 o’clock. A pizza at Cinque Minutti is going to be the perfect way to treat ourselves after this morning tour. But not any pizza. Nº 21 on the menu, The Amatriciana is without a doubt what we’re going for. With generous pieces of Guanciale on top, crunchy yet gently caramelized, it really feels like Italy in your mouth. And after that, a nice tiramisu paired with an Italian ristretto.
4. Kayak around the fjord and town
The day continues with more exploration of the surroundings, but this time, we will rest our feet a bit and make use of our arms. You got it right, we’re going Kayaking around the town and fjord ! Meeting point is at Uteguiden, a bit further away, between the marina and the Hellebroa bridge. From there, we will go around the Molja lighthouse and pass by the Svai sauna, drive along the Aspøya island and at the end of it, pass under the Steinvåg bridge connecting Aspøya to Hessa Island. From there, anything is doable according to motivation and tiredness levels.
5. An ice cream to refresh with Lamella
We just got back from our amazing trip on water and we can feel a little sugar drop. That means it’s the perfect moment for an ice cream. We usually like to go to Lamella. All of their ice creams are handmade but I personally have a weakness for their Stracciatela. As soon as we get it, we go down the harbor and find a spot on the benches at the end of the dock (in front of the lighthouse), facing West. Hidden from the wind, it’s the perfect place to sunbath and finish our sweet break.
6. Viking open air museum sunset
We could honestly continue chilling in town in this nice spot. But instead, we decide to go to the Viking open air museum, that is just 10 mins drive away. There, the viewpoint on the city is completely different. Surrounded by magnificent giant trees and old houses from ancient times, this place feels like an untouched sanctuary of the past. For anyone interested in medieval times, I can only highly recommend. And the best part is, it is completely free. Nobody said all of our stages should be expensive !
7. Diner at Zuuma
The walk around the Sunnmøre museum opened up our appetite and we are now back in Sentrum. There are many great places to have an amazing diner in town, so the choice is pretty wide and is yours to make according to what your heart feels like. But there is one place dear to my heart and it’s Zuuma, the sushi fusion restaurant. If it’s your first time, I would highly recommend to take a few things and to share. For us, it will be Tuna tataki, Tempura blomkal and Spicy fish soup as a starter. And then Japo Maki, Deep fried laks and chreamcheese maki and spicy kamshell. We could accompany that with a nice sake, in my case: the one with the plum taste.
8. Royal suite in Scandic
Our diner was absolutely fantastic and it is now the time to close this wonderful day with the “bouquet-final”.
Our hotel room, suite 901, on the 9th floor of Scandic Parken hotel has without a doubt the best view you can possibly get here. Overhanging the whole town, with an enormous balcony and windows all around, it is the perfect place to enjoy every drops of this never-ending sunset that we get here in Ålesund during summer. It is absolutely certain that the king size bed will help us have the most wonderful sleep and we will happily wake up from our amazing dream we just had together. Hopefully this gave you a glimpse of what life in town can be: a perfect mix between nature, adventure, food and culture.
