Ålesund

Why go

A whole town in Art Nouveau — rebuilt in four years after the fire of 1904, in one style. An archipelago setting — the centre occupies islands and peninsulas, with water at the end of every street. Fjord access — Geiranger and Hjørundfjord are within reach for a day by boat or road. Fishing and clipfish — the town's actual economy, and the reason for the wealth that rebuilt it.

The character

On the night of 23 January 1904 a fire that began in a cannery destroyed eight hundred and fifty houses and left ten thousand people homeless in mid-winter; not one died. Kaiser Wilhelm II, who holidayed in the fjords, sent four ships of supplies within days, and the reconstruction became a national project. Norwegian architects, most trained in Germany, rebuilt the town between 1904 and 1907 in Jugendstil — turrets, spires, ornamental stonework and dragon-head motifs drawn from Viking design.

The result is unusual: a complete Art Nouveau town, built to one moment's taste, in a place whose money came from cod. Ålesund had grown rich on clipfish — salted and dried cod exported to Spain, Portugal and Brazil — and that trade paid for the ornament. The town still lands fish, still exports it, and the harbour is a working one. What makes it worth a stop rather than a photograph is the combination: a fishing port dressed in the most decorative architecture in Scandinavia, on islands, at the mouth of the best fjords in the country.

Places of character

Aksla viewpoint — 418 steps from the town park for the archipelago, the peaks and the whole street plan. Jugendstilsenteret — the Art Nouveau centre in a former pharmacy with its interiors intact. Brosundet — the canal through the middle of town, warehouses on both sides, now hotels and restaurants. Atlanterhavsparken — an aquarium built into the coastal rock at the edge of town, with an open-sea diving tank. Godøy and Alnes lighthouse — half an hour by undersea tunnel, for the outer islands and the Atlantic. Hjørundfjord — the quieter fjord south of town, with the Sunnmøre Alps dropping into it.

The way to do it

Climb Aksla first — the plan only makes sense from above. Take the Jugendstil centre before walking the streets, so the details register. Use the town as a fjord base in place of only as a stop on a cruise itinerary, and go out to the islands at least once for the Atlantic weather.

One perfect day

Breakfast at the canal, then the 418 steps up Aksla before the day boats arrive — archipelago on one side, Sunnmøre Alps on the other. Down through the town to the Jugendstil centre, then an hour walking the streets to spot the dragon heads and sunflower motifs. Clipfish bacalao for lunch at a harbour restaurant. Afternoon out to Godøy through the undersea tunnel, ending at Alnes lighthouse with waffles and the open Atlantic. Back for a sauna and a swim in the fjord if the hotel has one. Dinner of scallops and halibut landed that morning, then the canal at eleven in summer, when the light has still not fully gone.

Grand hotels

Hotel Brosundet — a converted 1904 warehouse on the canal, with one room in a lighthouse on the fjord. Storfjord Hotel — a log-built lodge above the fjord half an hour out; the definitive contemporary address for the region.

When to go

Best expression: June and July, midnight light, fjords open and the archipelago at its best. Consider: late August and September, fewer cruise ships, autumn colour in the fjords. Avoid if possible: November to February, when much is closed and the weather is genuinely Atlantic.

The frame

Ideal stay 2 nights · Minimum 1 night · Best arrival by air, or the Hurtigruten coastal ship · Airport AES, 15 km · Walkability the centre is compact and flat · Best without a car yes in town; a car helps for the fjords