Ålesund – Kingdom of the Trolls

A full day tour of wild mountains, roaring waterfalls and peaceful nature.

This tour starts in Ålesund, the largest town on the Northwest coast in a beautiful setting, built on several islands stretching out into the ocean. A large part of Ålesund was destroyed by fire in 1904 and rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style, typical of the first decade of 20th century. Today it is a bustling town where the fish and fish processing industry are the main sources of income.

From Ålesund our tour continues to Stordal for a photo stop at the exquisite, 200-year old medieval “Rose Church”.  We then continue further along the Norddalsfjord to the fairytale-like valley of Valldal, known for its strawberry production.

From Valldal we continue the fertile valley and a photo stop will be executed at the spectacular Gudbrand Gorge (Gudbrandsjuvet), where the foaming river gushes deep below. The gorge is 5 meters wide and 25 meters deep.

Our tour then takes us into a mountain world of eternal ice and snow. On arrival at Trollstigheimen, we will have a stop to admire the wonderful views or visit the gift shop.

Soon after, the descent begins via the famous Trollstigen Road, one of the main attractions in the Rauma District.  The road takes us 858 meters downhill – alongside 11 hairpin bends framed by the Bishop, King and Queen Peaks. It took 8 years to build this road until it was opened in 1936 by then king Haakon VII and remains an example of great engineering and road building. We will make a stop at the Stigfossen Waterfall, which has a spectacular drop of 320 meters.

A short stop will also be made at the Trollwall, the highest vertically overhanging wall in Europe – at over 1,000 meters high, the rock tempts climbers from all over the world.

The tour continues along the Innfjord back towards Ålesund passing farms and busy villages along the way.

We will have the last stop on Mt. Aksla at the Fjellstua Mountain Lodge to enjoy the magnificent view over the town of Ålesund and the islands.