Islands & Fjords of Ålesund

This was a very well considered and assembled package with enough information for us to explore the areas visited with ease and enjoyment. There was a good selection of walks, each with accurate details of how to reach them. The Fram pass in Alesund and the Olso pass were both extremely useful. Both hotels provided all that we could have hoped for.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our Islands & Fjords of Ålesund holiday with a stay in Oslo

This Norway trip was a real experience. We were a little concerned that with a whole week in one place we would run out of things to do and see but actually we could have extended our trip by a few days as we didn't manage to do all the walks and see all the sights that we wanted to see. I would encourage anyone coming on this holiday to opt for a sea view room as the view is over the harbour area and is amazing. I was also highly recommend the optional one day Fjord cruise to Geiranger as this was one of the non-walking highlights of our trip.

The hotel is centrally situated and very convenient for the bus station and ferry access. The restaurants were very good and our vouchers allowed for quality fine dining experiences. Although I was the named person for the group I did not get the vouchers so I was confused about the situation, but another person in the group had received the vouchers. Another party member would have appreciated a copy of the notes for her own perusal and she tried to make copies but there was insufficient time for this.

The three restaurants you gave us vouchers for were all superb. We booked all three for a second visit later in the week, which says it all. All were very busy though, and booking was essential, no matter which day you were going.

"Anno" - delicious steak, whale and fish on our first night. Went back another day for the pizza, which were really excellent. Two entirely different eating experiences in the one restaurant. FULL of locals. Great atmosphere, and service to match.

"No5" - Integral to the hotel, so easy on a wet day! Again delicious food, in a beautiful wooden setting. Very Scandi. All menus in Alesund seem quite small, but the food was excellent. Nice wine too, but the usual Norwegian prices

"Sjobua" - perhaps our favourite, but the most expensive. Quite dark interior, but what a meal! Again, FULL of locals, which is always a good sign. Like Anno, only about 100m from the front door of the hotel.

The one other place we ate was "XL Diner". Not so great. Full of tourists, and grossly overpriced. It's in a great situation, but the interior lighting is unpleasantly garish. Service was OK, but the food was average, and not worth the mark-up. Wouldn't recommend this place.

We did the 2 hour trip with "60 Nord" out and round Runde. You go in a very powerful RIB which was exhilarating. There is no landing, and it's essentially to see the gannet colony and puffins on Runde. Also some seals. You do see all the aforementioned, but if you've been on similar trips off the west coast of Scotland, or the Farne Islands, you may be slightly underwhelmed by the amount of wildlife! Still a fantastic way to see the archipelago from a different aspect, and we saw all the walks we had done in the preceding days from the sea. Cost NK 1100pp

We loved Alesund, but it tends to get overrun by passengers from cruise liners during the day. We knew Norway was going to be expensive, but not stupidly so! The price of alcohol is ridiculous, and a bottle of wine with meal is out of the question. We used our vouchers at all 3 restaurants. Anno and Sjobua were really excellent, but Apoteker was a rip off as they would only allow us to order from the starter or snack menu. The transport pass worked well and the app was a great help. We did a lovely trip down Hjorundfjord, but the rib trip to Runde run by 62 North is a complete waste of time - they simply take you out for an hour on a terrifyingly fast ride and you see absolutely nothing. We were blessed with fantastic weather and swam in mountain lakes in hot sunshine - even the locals said they'd never had weather like it.

The two best days were probably the day cruise to Geirangerfjord, though horribly expensive (the price you quote needs updating a bit) and walk 4. The fjord - we watched the forecast and had a gloriously sunny day which must help a lot.  I watched their website each day to check it was not booking up, so we could book at the last minute - no problem and the boat was way under half full. Walk 4 Emblemsfjellet - again a lovely day and wonderful views with walking across varied and beautiful terrain.

Great holiday, after 2 years of lockdowns, wonderful to get away on a well-organsied trip.

The self-guided walking tour of Alesund and its surroundings was our first Inntravel holiday and we now have a better idea of what Grade 1-2 walking really means and would therefore take greater care if booking again. Alesund however, was a gracious town and we did do some of the suggested walks which we enjoyed, as well as a day's fjord cruise which was sublime. Hotel Brosundet is an exellent place to stay. Clean and simple with a very comfortable bed and tea and coffee making facilities. Breakfast was excellent, lots of choice and you could make free tea and coffee all day in the dining room. At off-peak holiday times, there was also supper provided around 6pm so you could avoid eating out every night if you wished. There are also lots of separate places to sit in the hotel where you can read a book or enjoy a drink undisturbed by other guests. 

This was a great holiday! We loved the area and the hotel, the walking was very varied and the food and service were excellent.  As well as the restaurants we had vouchers for, we can also recommend Bro, the XL Diner, and the Real American Steakhouse opposite the hotel for a great burger.

We enjoyed walking around the town looking at all the Art Deco buildings, and watching all the activity on boats (get a room with a sea view if you can). The 24 hours of daylight took a bit of getting used to but it meant we had lovely long days.

The boat trip to Geiranger for the Fjiords was well worth the early (for us) start as the scenery was stunning. We booked in advance but needn't have as there were only 20 of us on a boat that held 10 times that many. It can get very busy at Geiranger if there is a large cruise ship there (as some fellow Inntarvellers told us), so it is worth googling the schedule of ships arriving on cruisedig.com to avoid going on a busy day. The same for Alesund. You don't want to walk up to the viewpoint on a day when one or more large cruise ships are docked, though with 24 hours of daylight we did see people up there at midnight or later!

We loved Alesund and the Hotel Brosundet was a joy to stay in, and provided a perfect base to explore the town. The surrounding buildings in the old town are lovely, perched right on the waterway. The Fram pass was excellent and we enjoyed planning our walks on the surrounding islands. Highlights were: Blafjell where the sky was clear and the panoramic views to Alesund and beyond, were breathtaking; Runde, where we felt very lucky to see four magnificent sea eagles soaring above the cliffs. The food was delicious and the 3 dinners included were great. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip from Oslo to Bergen, via the fjords. Our highlight of this week was Fjaerland. We were really glad we stayed an extra night in the charming Fjordstove Hotel, as it allowed us time to: hike up the valley, which was carpeted in wild flowers; kayak on the fjord; and take the plunge from the floating sauna. It was a fabulous two weeks and brilliantly arranged by Inntravel. Many thanks.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our single centre walking holiday Islands & Fjords of Ålesund with our self-guided journey Bustling Cities & Serene Fjords

Our personal highlight was the Geirangerfjord cruise. It was breathtaking and the weather was beautiful. We were very lucky. Alesund itself is a stunning location, hence its popularity with cruise ships, and the walks we did on the islands were lovely.