Ålesund · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
An art nouveau town on three islands, with a staircase viewpoint that costs nothing but breath.
Volsdalen and the centre
Guesthouses and small hostels sit around Brosundet in the centre; the campsite at Volsdalen has sea views and a bus into town in ten minutes.
What a day costs
NOK 650–1,050, roughly $60–100: a bed 300–500, self-catering 200–300, buses 40–100. Fjord excursions are the line item that hurts.
Buses and fast ferries
Local buses cover the islands, and express boats and car ferries run to Geiranger, Molde and the outer islands for far less than a tour.
Free by day
The 418 steps up Aksla to the Fjellstua viewpoint, the art nouveau streets themselves, and the shoreline path out to Tueneset. None of it ticketed.
Brosundet quays
The canal through the middle of town is lined with bars and terraces; on light summer nights hostel and campsite crowds converge here.