The best road cycling routes in Solevågsfjellet Naturreservat

The Sunnmøre Alps Mountain Pass goes through a dramatic mountain range in western Norway noted for jagged, rocky peaks rising steeply from the fjords. This is but one pass in the area that is famed for its epic scenic drives, summit-to-sea skiing and multi-day hiking.

Lillevannet lies like a calm sheet of water, backed by dark, rounded hills and a ribbon of greenery along the shore. The surface is wide and reflective—perfect for a slow pause, especially where the grassy bank meets the path. Nearby houses peek through the trees, so the mood stays peaceful but never isolated. On clear moments, the valley views open up and the whole lake feels sheltered and still.

Beautiful place to rest and enjoy the view! If there are already many people there, you can simply walk a bit further and find many other viewpoints.

A lovely walk along the coast. You might have to make your way through a small herd of goats.

Great overview of the city

Standing by the sea, you see the plain rising before you in the east, over the edge of the hills. A wondrous, alluring realm of beauty.

Don’t miss the Midsummer Fire at this famous spot if you are around at that time of the year. It holds a World Record under the Guiness Book. Alternatively watch it on TV.

The young town of Ålesund got its own church in 1855. It was a stone church with Heinrich Ernst Schirmer (1814-1887) as architect. He was also the architect for the churches in Ørsta, Vartdal and Hareid - and from 1857 for Strøm Church. Strøm Church near Skarnes at Kongsvinger is very similar to the church that fell victim to the town fire on January 23, 1904. Neighbouring wooden houses were preserved after the fire, while the stone church burned! The explanation is that the tower hatches were left open so that the sound of the church bells warning of the fire could reach as far as possible among the people in the town. 850 houses burned, 10,000 people were left homeless - and the town had no church. In a busy period of reconstruction, when one might think that every family had enough for their own needs, work to build a new church was nevertheless given high priority. An architectural competition was announced as early as the summer of 1904. 63 proposals were received! The proposal by architect Sverre Knudsen from Oslo won. The old church, as is usual for Norwegian churches, had the choir facing east – towards the sunrise and the direction of Jesus' return. To take advantage of the topography and have a beautiful entrance from Øwregata, sheltered from the western weather, the end of the church was turned and the main entrance was facing east. This way the choir façade – with stained glass – had plenty of space facing the wide Aspøgata. The foundation stone was laid by the new king on 13 July 1906. King Haakon 7 was then on his first visit to Ålesund after being crowned king in Nidaros Cathedral. A reminder for us of the change that was taking place in our country at exactly that time – Norway became a free nation in 1905. The church is built of natural stone (Ålesund Wall) and clad with marble stone from Lyngstad in Eide municipality in Nordmøre. 2,000 square meters of marble stone cover the church façade – the stone has shades of pink, gray and black in the white, but still: it is marble! Stones from the same quarry can be found, for example, in Rønnebergbua, Fladmarkhuset and the narrow house in Kongensgate. The church was consecrated on September 15, 1909. [ Source: https://www.visitnorway.de/listings/%C3%85lesund-kirche/30031/ ]