Ålesund - Stranda & Storfjord (round trip)

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FRAM

(Photo: Raw Reklame / FRAM) This round trip starts in Ålesund and takes you via Sykkylven to Stranda and back to Ålesund via Liabygda, Stordal and Sjøholt. Along the route you can enjoy magnificent views of the beautiful landscape. https://fram.trekksoft.com/en_GB/activity/57911/rundtur-til-stranda-storfjord

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

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Points of interest

#1

Ålesund Rutebilstasjon

(Photo: bypatrioten.com) From Ålesund Rutebilstasjon (Bus station) you can jump on one of the many buses to transport you both near and far. Especially popular are the many tours with the FRAM buses. These will take you to unique nature, and places you just have to experience. Download one of the audio-guided routes, and experience the amazing region in a new way.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#2

Ålesund

(Photo: iStock.com) Ålesund is the largest town in Møre og Romsdal. The town is one of the world's main exporters of dried and salted cod and is internationally renowned for its characteristic architecture — a result of the catastrophic fire in 1904 which destroyed almost the entire town centre. More about this in Jugendstilsenteret. Today, Ålesund's population is growing, and is expected to surpass 50,000 inhabitants in a few years.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#3

Main road

This is the main road in and out of Ålesund centre and consists of Aspøya and Nørvøya. Along the way, you will find the Color Line Stadion, the home ground of Aalesund Football Club.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#4

The Norwegian Maritime Competence Centre

Ahead of us is the region’s hub for education, research, and business development, Campus Aalesund. A high school and the Ålesund campus of Norway's largest university on one side of the road, and global companies on the other side paves the way for interaction between theory and practice. NTNU has mainly a science and technology profile, a variety of programmes of professional study, and great academic breadth that also includes the humanities, social sciences, economics, medicine, health sciences, educational science, architecture, entrepreneurship, art disciplines and artistic activities. Norwegian Maritime Center of Comptetenece - NMCC - aims to be one of Norway’s most important meeting places for innovation, competence and development. NMCC cooperates with a number of organizations both inside the NMCC building and outside to create more knowledge, innovation, development, and growth in the Sunnmøre region.

Audio guides available in:

English (British), Norsk bokmål

#5

Sunnmøre Museum

Sunnmøre Museum, located on the southern side of the bay, along E136, is a folk museum with exhibitions of cultural history, and a comprehensive collection of old houses and boats. Enjoy a walk among the characteristic houses and gain insight into the cultural history of Sunnmøre and old building methods. The museum documents and exhibits Sunnmøre's cultural history from The Stone Age to The Modern Era. The museum itself consists of 50 houses and 40 boats.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#6

Ålesund Hospital

Ålesund sykehus (Ålesund Hospital), the region's largest hospital, is situated between the E136 road and the fjord. Before the current hospital was built in the 1960s, Ålesund Hospital was in an old building in downtown Ålesund. The hospital offers diagnostics, treatment, rehabilitation and care for patients in Sunnmøre. In addition, the hospital has a range of functions covering the whole county.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#7

Amfi Moa

Do you like shopping? Then you have come to the right place. We are now at Amfi Moa, which with its 170 stores is among Norway's largest shopping centers in terms of turnover.Many well- known chain stores can be found here, as well as many unique, independent stores. The centre also has a real estate agency, a pharmacy, The Wine Monopoly and a large selection of eateries. Parking is free.

Audio guides available in:

English (British), Norsk bokmål

#8

Spjelkavik

(Photo: wikipedia) Spjelkavik is a district in Ålesund which includes the areas around Spjelkavik/Moa, in addition to the residential areas of Åse, Lerstad, Olsvika and Fremmerholen. Today Spjelkavik has about 10,500 inhabitants, and is Ålesund's second largest town district. The town district is located about 10 km from the centre of Ålesund and is among the fastest-growing areas in Ålesund.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#9

Magerholm

(Photo: wikipedia) Magerholm is part of the Emblem town district in Ålesund. Initially the easternmost farm in Emblem village, it is now an important communication hub. Magerholm became a ferry terminal in 1937 ensuring the connection to Sykkylven, called Magerholm-Ørsneset.

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Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#10

Sjøholt

We now come to the small village and the traffic hub Sjøholt, which is located where the Ørskogelva River flows into the Storfjorden. Here the traffic is distributed in all directions, whether you are going to Ålesund, Molde, Geiranger or Oslo. The popular petrol station has been a favorite stop for both large and small cars for many decades. Sjøholt has some minor industries within repairs, furniture, plastic, and wood. South of the river mouth of Ørskogelva, you will find Ørskog church, a wooden church with a rectangular basilica built in 1873.

Audio guides available in:

English (British), Norsk bokmål

#11

Storfjorden

(Photo: wikimedia, twitter) You are now in the middle of Storfjorden, a section of the fjord which is 86 km long and stretches from Hareid to Geiranger. Many villages and farms are visible as you cruise along this fjord. What characterises many of the farms is the extreme location in steep terrain, something you will see many examples of on the way. Since 1975, the Storfjordens Venner association has worked to preserve this part of the culture — and especially the protection of farms along the fjord without road access. Most of these farms are now uninhabited. When crossing the fjord on your way to or from Sykkylven, you will be able to see the characteristic mountain top Straumshorn to the south which is visible behind the centre of Sykkylven. The summit is 976 metres above sea level, and in clear weather it offers an airy and stunning view of Sunnmøre.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#12

Sunnmøre

(Photo: snl.no) This region in Møre og Romsdal is called Sunnmøre. The word Møre originates from Norse marr, 'ocean, sea', and can be interpreted as "the land by the sea". People from Sunnmøre are called sunnmøringer. Sunnmøre has about 140,000 inhabitants and covers an area of 5,234 km2. Sunnmøre's most important town is Ålesund and this is the biggest town between Bergen and Trondheim. Ålesund is the country's ninth biggest town and lies entirely on islands. Sunnmøre also has two other small towns, Ulsteinvik and Fosnavåg, and several large villages like Ørsta, Volda, Sykkylven, Hareid, Nordstrand, Stranda and Brattvåg. Many islands, long and narrow fjords, including Geirangerfjorden on UNESCO's world heritage list, and Sunnmørsalpene (The Sunnmøre Alps) dominate the landscape. This also gives rise to many nature-related activities. In the Sunnmørsalpene, it is possible to find some of the country's best alpine resorts, known as the "powder paradise". This area offers good opportunities for mountain hiking, climbing, ocean fishing, kayaking and scuba diving. The region also has a wide range of restaurants and accommodation facilities that based on the natural conditions. We recommend that you check out activities on the Visit Ålesund & Sunnmøre's website. A link is available in the app.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#13

The municipality Sykkylven

(Photo: wikipedia) The Sykkylven municipality has close to 4,500 inhabitants and is located on the southern side of Storfjorden at Sunnmøre. Sykkylven is on the outer part of the peninsula between Hjørundfjorden which lies to the west and Storfjorden to the east. Sykkylven was established in 1883 when it separated from Ørskog and got its current borders in 1955. The municipality is perhaps mostly known thanks to the furniture manufacturer Ekornes ASA; which is the largest furniture manufacturer in the Nordic countries with its brands Stressless and Svane. The Stressless factory at Ikornnes produces about 1,500 Stressless chairs daily. Sykkylven also has a varied repair industry which employs 17 percent of the employees in the industry. Sykkylven had a strong population growth during most of the post-war era, the population doubled between 1946 and 2016.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#14

Valle

Valle is a village and residential area in the Skodje municipality in Møre og Romsdal. The village has about 400 inhabitants and is located between Storfjorden and Skodjevika in Sunnmøre.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#15

The Sunnmøre Alps

The Sykkylven municipality shares a border with Ålesund and Ørskog in Storfjorden to the north, on land it has a border with Stordal and Stranda to the east and Ørsta to the west. Most of Sykkylven is mountainous terrain with elevations of 1,586 metres above sea level. Råna in Hjelledalstindane is on the border with Ørsta to the southwest. These mountain areas are part of Sunnmørsalpene (The Sunnmøre Alps), and are, as the name suggests, characterised by an alpine landscape with tall, pointy mountains and a powerful relief. Sunnmørsalpene is a name that describes the alpine mountain areas around Hjørundfjorden in the municipalities of Ørsta, Stranda and Sykkylven with summits reaching 1,700 metres above sea level rising straight up from the fjord. This is a result of mainly four factors: the hard rock types in the basement rocks, the structures in the bedrock created by folding during The Caledonian orogeny, The Late Tertiary Period when the terrain rose and also the ice erosion through several ice ages in the last 900,000 years.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#16

Vaksvik

The bus now runs along the small village of Vaksvik with its fairytale nature and beautiful surroundings in the middle of the majestic Storfjorden and Vaksvikfjellet. The area, and Vaksvikfjellet in particular, is popular among hiking and outdoor enthusiasts from the whole region and offers many fine hiking trails and ski slopes for the whole family.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#17

The municipality Stordal

We now arrive at the beautiful furniture village Stordal, which is nicely situated by Storfjorden and is known as the portal to Geirangerfjorden and the UNESCO world heritage area. Stordal is known for its furniture industry, but farming has also traditionally had a strong position in Stordal with good, natural conditions for stock and growing various vegetables. Tourism is also important for the village.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#18

The municipality Stranda

Stranda is a municipality with almost 3,000 inhabitants. The municipality shares a border with Stordal to the north, Norddal and Skjåk to the east, Stryn and Hornindal to the south, and Ørsta and Sykkylven to the west. Blåfjellet with an altitude of 1,775 metres above sea level, is the tallest mountain in the municipality. The part of the mountain called Åkerneset, which is expected to fall into the fjord, is in Stranda. Such a scenario has been dramatised in the 2015 Norwegian film Bølgen (The Wave). In 1732, a wave resulting from part of the mountain Skafjellet coming down, hit Stranda centre and carried away a small mountain farm. Storfjorden is called Sunnylvsfjorden southward from Stranda. Farther in, the fjord extends to the east, and becomes the well-known Geirangerfjorden. Hellesylt is at the end of Sunnylvsfjorden, while Geiranger is at the end of Geirangerfjorden. Stranda is known for its industry, especially within food and furniture. This is where Norway's most sold pizza is produced in large quantities, the frozen pizza Grandiosa. In Stranda, there are big companies such as Stabburet, Grilstad, Langlo, Slettvoll, Norsk Sjømat, in addition to many smaller companies. Tourism is an important source of revenue for the municipality, especially in Geiranger.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#19

Liabygda

Photo: Mattias Fredriksson Photography AB - Visitnorway.com Liabygda has about 260 inhabitants and offers a marvellous view of Storfjorden. From here the road continues to Valldal, Trollstigen and Geiranger. There is also a ferry connection to the village of Stranda. The locally renowned Trollbryggeriet (The Troll Brewery) has its production facilities here.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#20

Strandafjellet

Strandafjellet is a magnificent skiing resort. It first opened in February 1957. The capacity at the time was 140 people per hour. The surface lift was powered by a station wagon engine running on gasoline. Today there is a cable car and a chair lift taking passengers to two different pavilions and starting points for different downhill slopes. The resort has been nominated several times for Norway's best skiing resort for off piste skiing. The cable car also runs outside the winter season and offers an incredible view of Storfjorden.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#21

Fjellsetra

Fjellsetra is a skiing resort in Sunnmørsalpene, located in beautiful surroundings, offering full and family-friendly services. At Fjellsetra there are slopes and facilities for all ages and levels: children and families. There are trails to the top of the mountain. The alpine resort and the ski arena have 14 slopes, 35 km of prepared cross-country trails and great areas for snowboarding and playing in the snow. The facilities include a heated room, a restaurant, ski rental and 5 lifts.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#22

Sykkylven Natural History Museum and Furniture Museum

(Photo: Hallvard Sandvik, møbelmuseet) In Sykkylven Natural History Museum, you can take a closer look at 250 birds and animals living in western Norway. The exhibition covers a large span of time and shows plants, animals and birds living in the fjords close to the coast at Sunnmøre. Learn how the ice sheet retreated, and how birds, animals and humans followed. Watch birds swimming and wading, and experience the owl forest. In the forest, there are cunning hunters and diligent gatherers, among them are also humans who exploit nature's resources. You can also discover the history of Norwegian furniture industry, which stretches back more than a hundred years, in the Sykkylven Furniture Museum. Norwegian furniture was first produced for the domestic market. From 1960, the demand grew for Norwegian furniture to be exported. The permanent exhibition shows the development from basket weave furniture in the early 20th century to today's automated production of high-tech armchairs. The exhibition also shows a large selection of Norwegian design classics from the beginning of the 20th century up until today.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#23

Solnør Golf Course

Solnør is the name of a farm in Skodje known since the Middle Ages; records show it belonged to the Giskegodset. The manor house was erected by Louis Daae in 1820 and has been declared a protected structure. Today the surrounding land is used as a golf course. A clubhouse for the members of Ålesund Golf Club has been added. According to the golf club's website, the course has 18 challenging holes. When Henrik Ibsen visited his wife’s relatives at Solnør in the summer of 1862, it is unlikely he came to play golf, but then the place may have inspired his famous piece Rosmersholm. Moldegård in Molde, however, also claims this distinction.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#24

Digerneset

Digerneset is a large business area of some 400,000 square meters, located in the municipality of Skodje, close to europavei 136. The area is clear proof not only faith moves mountains. Money also provides such opportunities. Before the area was developed, some 2,000,000 cubic metres of stone (about 16 times the amount of stone the mountain Mannen in Rauma County would yield were it to collapse) were moved there to prepare the land for expansive construction to accomodate the large number of companies moving in. The name Digerneset stems from the former agricultural land situated further down the fjord. The farm there used to play an important role in the area’s cultivation but is now no longer operating.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#25

Liabygda og Strandafjellet skisenter

On the other side for the fjord you can see Stranda and Strandafjellet. Strandafjellet is a large skiing resort. It first opened in February 1957. The capacity at the time was 140 people per hour. The surface lift was powered by a station wagon engine running on gasoline. Today there is a cable car and a chair lift taking passengers to two different pavilions and starting points for different downhill slopes. The resort has been nominated several times for Norway's best skiing resort for off-piste skiing. The cable car also runs outside the winter season and offers an incredible view of Storfjorden..

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#26

Rosekirka

(Photo: fortidsminneforeningen.no) In the furniture village of Stordal, you can visit the Rosekirka church built in 1789. Its characteristic decorations in renaissance style on the walls, ceiling and pillars, make this a truly unique church building. Much of the interior comes from the old stave church that once stood here in The Middle Ages, including a beautiful crucifix and a baptismal font. The church is also part of the Stordal smallholding, where four beautiful buildings stand close together. The Prestestova from 1850, a granary from 1750 and the charming Løsetstova, a typical home from Sunnmøre from 1790, can be found next to the Rosekirka church.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#27

Ytste-Skotet

(Photo: ytsteskotet @ Facebook) On the opposite side of Storfjord, on top of a steep ledge, there is a small farm called Ytste-Skotet, where people have been subsistence farmers since the Viking Era. It has now been restored and is open to visitors. The farm lay fallow until 1989 when it was donated to the organization, Storfjordens Venner (friends of Storfjorden), and it is currently operated by the foundation, Ytste-Skotet, in collaboration with Sunnmøre Museum. The buildings and landscape have been restored, and now serves as a living museum, where both school groups and individuals are welcome. In the summer there is a boat from Dyrkorn every Sunday.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

#28

Dyrkorn

Norwegians have worn quality clothing from Devold since 1853 to protect themselves against weather and wind. Devold Sommerbutikk is a factory outlet for the historic company Devold. The outlet in the fjord village Dyrkorn has a large selection of traditional Norwegian knitted products made at Devold's factory in Langevåg right outside Ålesund.

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, English (British)

Ålesund - Stranda & Storfjord (round trip)

Points of interest