Alesund.... alternative to expensive excursions?

[RileyFox]

What are some DIY alternative excursions when visiting Alesund.

I think that the excursions offered by HAL are so expensive.  What can we do on our own?
Thanks
Riley Fox

[Traveling Library]

We walked around to see all of the Art Nouveau buildings. The Art Nouveau Center and Art Museum which is housed in an old bank building is well worth a visit. 

[Stpatsirish]

Have you checked with your roll call for this and the other port you were asking about? There might be cheaper tours set up by others on your cruise, or suggestions others may have who have done the cruise before. Also, go to the destinations boards and look for Norway. There may be much more info in the region 

[boeckli]

We walked around the town with its many interesting buildings and took the little tourist train up to the view point on top of the city mountain Aksla - fabulous views

https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/Ålesund-city-train-sightseeing/227159/

[annmarz]

We also took the little tourist train around.  It was $25 per person I think and well worth it. Commentary was provided.  We also visited a history/maritime museum in the town.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

A group of us booked with Iggy at Gentle Giant. It was great.

[*Miss G*]

7 hours ago, RileyFox said:

What are some DIY alternative excursions when visiting Alesund.

I think that the excursions offered by HAL are so expensive.  What can we do on our own?
Thanks
Riley Fox

What is the date of your sailing so we can provide a link to your roll call. You should be asking all these questions there. 

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, Traveling Library said:

We walked around to see all of the Art Nouveau buildings. The Art Nouveau Center and Art Museum which is housed in an old bank building is well worth a visit. 

On NCL, we did an excursion that did that. It was the least expensive excursion for the entire cruise. I guess we could have done it ourselves, but we did get an enthusiastic excellent guide.

[Fred321]

Just walk around. Nice little town. If you feel like climbing you can head to the park in town and go as high as your legs will take you. If you like fish and chips there is a kiosk alongside one of the bridges in town that advertises itself as the world's best fish and chips.  I laughed at first but

 after eating there I had to agree.

[Sea42]

We took the public bus to the Sunnmore outdoor museum and the nearby Middle Ages exhibit. There was also a nice church in the area. A very nice, inexpensive outing. Bus stop was very convenient.

[Torquer]

Very easy to do on your own...here is what we did in this order:

• Hiked up Mount Aksla - strenuous but fabulous views of the city
• Sunnmore Outdoor Museum - we took a taxi there and the city bus back to town
• Alesund Museum - Small museum in town...interesting story about a historic lifeboat

[GeorgeCharlie]

 

I know this is not a DIY tour, but when we were in Alesund in 2018, we took a fantastic full-day group tour with Norway Excursions. I believe at that time, it cost about US$150 per person - which for Europe is very reasonable cost to get out a see a fair bit of the local area.🤠

 

We did a review of that cruise and you can find our comments regarding the Alesund tour starting at post #59.

 

 

[*Miss G*]

We had a lovely day in the Parken KulturHus district, which we walked to. Here is a link to the day in Alesund:

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Fred321 said:

fish and chips there is a kiosk alongside one of the bridges in town that advertises itself as the world's best fish and chips.  I laughed at first but

 after eating there I had to agree.

 

Yes! Jaf’s!  The fish was fantastic and the chips were okay.  Definitely delicious!

 

[SeaMatesNYC]

Fjord Cruise Hjørundfjord

 

Board right next to cruise ship pier. 
 

https://www.cruise-service.no/en

 

Climb to the viewpoint after. 
 

Great day. 

 

[TMLAalum]

15 hours ago, SeaMatesNYC said:

Fjord Cruise Hjørundfjord

 

Board right next to cruise ship pier. 
 

https://www.cruise-service.no/en

 

Climb to the viewpoint after. 
 

Great day. 

 

This is exactly our plan! We will get off at Urke rather than Oye which gives us an hour before the return trip. Current pricing is 850 NOK. 

Our only debate is whether to book ahead or wait til we arrive in Alesund and see the weather. How full was the boat if you recall?

 

[SeaMatesNYC]

35 minutes ago, TMLAalum said:

This is exactly our plan! We will get off at Urke rather than Oye which gives us an hour before the return trip. Current pricing is 850 NOK. 

Our only debate is whether to book ahead or wait til we arrive in Alesund and see the weather. How full was the boat if you recall?

 

We were on the very first ferry of the season back on last week of May, so it was not overly full. But in full swing season it might be. Check a cruise calendar to see what other ships may be there at the same time.  As they say, “There is no bad weather, just bad clothes.”  We had enough time at the turnaround stop to have a short picnic. It was enough as the place was small!  Picnic tables there right by the water. 

[edinburgher]

On 8/9/2024 at 3:48 AM, RileyFox said:

What are some DIY alternative excursions when visiting Alesund.

A favourite with cruise pax as you dock centrally, there are a number of sights to visit and the town is attractive and as it is very easy to DIY there is really no need for an excursion.

 

I think this past thread would give you all the ideas and info you might need.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2860877-alesund-in-7-hours-help/#comment-63424351

 

[Dancing Shoes]

We walked around the town and ate lunch at this restaurant that was on the water. Wanted to do the trolly train, but we missed the last one.  You will see the train booth after you leave the ship.  It goes way up to this lookout, sorry I don't remember the name.  

[karatemom2]

We had a really lovely DIY day in Alesund. We started off by catching a taxi to the Atlantic Sea Park Aquarium where we spent a couple of hours. We then got dropped off back in the heart of town and visited the harbor area, fisheries museum, and walked the streets along the canal with a stop at the kiosk for fish and chips overlooking that beautiful setting. We contemplated doing one of the kayak tours through the canal, but opted to continue our wander through town admiring the stunning architecture. We also took the tiny train up to Mt. Aksla and it was nice to have the commentary and perspective on all we were seeing around town. It’s a pretty easy place to plan your own activities for a day in port.