The Art Nouveau town by the sea, with Mount Aksla above the rooftops and the Geiranger and Hjørund fjords just around the corner.
Ålesund
The Art Nouveau town of Sunnmøre
After the great fire of 1904, Ålesund was rebuilt in Art Nouveau style, and the centre is now one of the most complete Art Nouveau townscapes in Europe. The town sits right on the open sea in Sunnmøre and is a great base for the fjords and the Sunnmøre Alps inland.
Aksla and Fjellstua: climb the 418 steps from the town park for views over the town, the islands and the mountains.
Jugendstilsenteret: the Art Nouveau Centre tells the story of the fire and the rebuilding, inside the old Swan Pharmacy.
Atlanterhavsparken: one of the largest saltwater aquariums in Northern Europe, out by the open sea west of the centre.
The fjords: the Geirangerfjord and the Hjørundfjord are day trips from town by car or boat.
Succession in Sunnmøre: see where the HBO series was filmed.
Stay in the centre for Art Nouveau facades, canals and restaurants around Brosundet, or outside town for fjord views and quiet. See the best hotels in Ålesund, and read about Storfjord Hotel, a log-built hotel overlooking the Storfjord.
Ålesund Airport Vigra has direct flights from Oslo and Bergen, among others, and the airport bus takes about half an hour to the centre. The Hurtigruten coastal ship calls every day, and the drive from Trondheim takes just under five hours.
Hotel guide
Ålesund burned in 1904 and was rebuilt in Art Nouveau style within three years. Today you can sleep in a former fish warehouse, in a lighthouse at the end of the breakwater or in the forest above the Storfjord. These are the hotels we would choose.
Locations
Succession has been a smash hit around the world. This is where it was shot in Norway.
